1. SOCIAL CULTURAL ASPECTS OF PROJECTS
Developing & supporting core teams

2. The Role of Project Core Teams (1)
The organisation of people into ad hoc groups takes advantage of bringing together individuals from different specialism/departments (engineering, IT, marketing, etc.) as needed for a project task
the need to differentiate between ‘team’ & ‘group’

3. The Role of Project Teams (2)
A ‘group’ is simply a collection of people.
A ‘team’ meets the following characteristics:
the output of the group is greater than the sum of the outputs of the individuals;
a greater range of options can be considered by exploiting differences in individual thought process;
decision-making by team is likely to be better;
more openness to taking risks, as the risk is shared between the team rather than carried by one individual;
higher overall level of motivation as there is an inherent responsibility to others in the team & a desire no to let them down; and
better support for the individuals within the team, who are more likely to be included in a greater range of activities than they would normally be exposed to, but without their having to work alone.

4. The Role of Project Teams (3)
Life-cycle of Teams
teams have various stages of developments (See Figure 9.6 & Table 9.2):
collection
entrenchment
resolution/accommodation
synergy
decline
break-up
using this knowledge, the organisation can resist moving core team members once they are assigned

5. The Role of Project Core Teams (4)
Personalities in teams (See Figure 9.7)
understanding of the ways in which individuals behave in group situations
the curriculum vitae & interview, though maligned, is still the normal mode for recruiting in most project environments

6. The Role of Project Core Team (5)
Effective Teamwork (See Table 9.3 & Figure9.8)
Project teamwork must make a positive contribution to the success of the project:
the structure of the team & its composition are broken down into 3 basic categories - related to the appropriate or most likely phase in the project life-cycle
how teams work? - the disintegrated group (no agreement between team members & decision process in turmoil); - the integrated team (there is complete consensus on all matters, but gone over the edge in terms of effectiveness)