1. Communicating in Teams
Guffey text Ch 2, Thill/Bovee text Ch 2, Robbins text Ch 8-9 1

2. Why Use Teams? When is this statement true?
“Two together can accomplish more than two separately”
When is this statement true?
When is this statement not true?

3. Why Use Teams? Better decisions Faster response Increased productivity
Greater “buy-in”
Less resistance to change
Improved employee morale
Reduced risks

4. Beware: Teams Aren’t Always the Answer
Three tests:
Is the work complex, requiring different perspectives?
Does the work create a common purpose/set of goals? Is purpose as strong a motivator as existing individual goals?
Are group members involved in interdependent tasks?

5. Characteristics of Successful Teams
Small size, diverse makeup
Agreement on purpose
Agreement on procedures
Ability to deal with conflict
Use of good communication techniques
Ability to collaborate rather than compete
Shared leadership

6. 4 Stages of Team Development
FORMING
STORMING
NORMING
PERFORMING
Teams can get stuck, or repeat stages.

7. Roles Played by Team Members
Task Roles
Initiator
Information seeker/giver
Opinion seeker/giver
Direction giver
Summarizer
Diagnoser

8. Roles Played by Team Members
Energizer
Gatekeeper
Reality tester
What kinds of statements might be made by these role players?

9. Roles Played by Team Members
Relationship Roles
Participation encourager
Harmonizer/ tension reliever
Emotional climate evaluator
Praise giver
Empathic listener
What kinds of statements might be made by these role players?

10. Roles Played by Team Members
Dysfunctional Roles
Blocker
Attacker
Recognition-seeker
Joker
Withdrawer
What kinds of statements might be made by these role players?

11. Skills for Team Leaders/Facilitators
Task Relationships
Goal setting
Agenda making
Clarifying
Summarizing
Verbalizing consensus
Establishing work patterns
Following procedures

12. Skills for Team Leaders/Facilitators
Interpersonal Relationships
Regulating participation
Maintaining positive climate
Maintaining mutual respect
Instigating group self-analysis
Resolving conflict
Instigating conflict

13. Conflict: Functional vs. Dysfunctional

14. Types of Conflict

15. Task Conflict Low to moderate levels = functional
Positive effect on group performance when stimulates discussion

16. Relationship Conflict
Almost always dysfunctional
Increases personality clashes
Decreases understanding

17. Process Conflict At low levels = functional Becomes dysfunctional when
Creates uncertainty about task roles
Increases time to complete tasks
Leads to members working at cross-purposes

18. Conflict: When to Call the Boss
Conflict source is external to team
Dysfunctional task or process conflict remains unresolved
team applies conflict management process
no immediate and sustained improvement
Relationship conflict remains unresolved or creates hostile workplace environment

19. Discussion: Communication Matters
Workplace Communication

20. Managing Conflict Conflict management styles
Six-step procedure for managing conflict
Dealing with avoidance
Group decision-making methods

21. Conflict Management Styles

22. Conflict Style: Avoiding
Behaviors
Avoiding people you find troublesome
Avoiding issues that are unimportant, complex, or dangerous
Postponing discussion until later

23. Conflict Style: Avoiding
Benefits
Reducing stress
Saving time
Steering clear of danger
Setting up more favorable conditions
Costs
Declining working relationships
Resentment
Delays
Degraded communication and decision making

24. Conflict Style: Competing
Behaviors
Imposing of dictating a decision
Arguing for a conclusion that fits your data
Hard bargaining (making no concessions)

25. Conflict Style: Competing
Benefits
Asserting your position
Quick victory potential
Self-defense
Testing assumptions
Costs
Strained work relationships
Suboptimal decisions
Decreased initiative and motivation
Possible escalation of 4 horsemen

26. Conflict Style Accommodating
Behaviors
Doing a favor to help someone
Being persuaded
Obeying an authority
Deferring to another’s expertise
Appeasing someone who is dangerous

27. Conflict Style: Accommodating
Benefits
Helping someone out
Restoring harmony
Building relationships
Choosing a quick ending
Costs
Sacrificed concerns
Loss of respect
Loss of motivation

28. Conflict Style: Compromising
Behaviors
Soft bargaining (exchanging concessions)
Taking turns
Moderating your conclusions

29. Conflict Style: Compromising
Benefits
Pragmatism
Speed and expediency
Fairness
Maintaining relationships
Costs
Partially sacrificed concerns
Suboptimal solutions
Superficial understandings

30. Conflict Style: Collaborating
Behaviors
Reconciling interests through a win-win solution
Combining insights into a richer understanding

31. Conflict Style: Collaborating
Benefits
High-quality decisions
Learning and communication
Resolution and commitment
Strengthening relationships
Costs
Time and energy required
Psychological demands
Possibility of offending
Vulnerability risk

32. Six-Step Procedure for Managing Conflict
Goal: Collaborate or Compromise
Listen
Understand the other point of view
Show concern for the relationship
Look for common ground
Invent new problem-solving options
Reach a fair agreement

33. Dealing with Avoidance
Clear the air
If you’re on a team with someone who seems consistently irritated, a martyr, or passive-aggressive:
Ask for a private meeting
Solicit feedback
Listen without interrupting and with an open mind
Request permission to respond with equal openness

34. Group Decision-Making Methods
Majority (vote)
Consensus (buy-in)
Minority (subgroup recommendation)
Averaging (compromise)
Authority rule with input
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each method?

35. Productive Meetings

36. Is a Meeting Necessary? Topic is important
Need for input/decision is urgent
Requires an exchange of ideas
A meeting is not necessary when:
Objective=distribute information
No immediate feedback required

37. Productive Meetings Invite the right people Distribute an agenda
Before the meeting
Invite the right people
those who have information
those who make decisions
those who implement decisions
Distribute an agenda
essential for introverts
include required pre-meeting preparation

38. Productive Meetings During the Meeting Establish ground rules
Assign facilitator role
Start on time (watch socializing)
Introduce agenda, add items if needed or put on “parking lot”
Appoint a recorder
Encourage balanced participation
Confront conflict frankly
Summarize points of consensus

39. Productive Meetings Ending the meeting End on time
Review meeting decisions
Remind people of action items (identify who will do what by when)
Following up
Distribute minutes of meeting
Absentees (for record)
list of decisions
action items

40. Organizing Team-Based Written and Oral Presentations
See text (p )
See consulting project on web site
See boss (Loescher)
Goal: Successful, meaningful, and FUN project

41. The End