Team Dynamics & Management

Team Dynamics & Management

Team structures Scrums and sprints Why teams? Belbins team roles Handys team roles Team life-cycle

Team Dynamics & Management

Elements of management Management versus leadership Leadership
Qualities Sources of power Tasks Range of styles Motivation

Team structures
Functional structure Project structure Matrix structure

Organisation Hierarchy
Chief

Functional structure

Senior

Senior

Senior

Middle

Middle

Middle

Middle

Junior

Junior

Junior

Junior

Junior

Traditional vertical reporting structure within an organisation Reporting lines based on function (e.g. departments) Useful for minor projects or highly specialist (not multidiscipline) projects Pool of specialist resources Low management set-up cost

Organisation Hierarchy
Chief

Functional structure

Senior

Senior

Senior

Middle

Middle

Middle

Middle

Junior

Junior

Junior

Junior

Junior

Staff may have little commitment to project

Department work may be higher priority

Need to pass the baton between departments for multidiscipline projects

No single point of responsibility Communication with client and other departments difficult Decision making slow

Project structure
Useful for large projects Project manager has authority as well as responsibility Single (and clear) reporting line Single point of responsibility
Improved communication with client Quicker decision making

Team committed to project

7

Project structure
Different skills required at different stages
Difficult to schedule all staff efficiently Knowledge management difficult as staff leave and new staff employed

Project manager has more administration Project can take on a life of its own Lack of job security

Director of Computing Courses

Director of IS Courses

Director of Multimedia Courses Mr Court

Matrix structure

Head of Computing Department Head of IS Department Director of Multimedia Department

Dr Anvil

Ms Box

Mrs Day Ms Gray

Dr Elder Mr Hall

Mr Fry Dr Ivan

Mixture between functional and project structure

Different flavours of matrix structures depending on the level of authority given to project manager Can be a flexible way to organise a project Project retains a single point of responsibility but staff remain in functional departments

Director of Computing Courses

Director of IS Courses

Director of Multimedia Courses Mr Court

Matrix structure

Head of Computing Department Head of IS Department Director of Multimedia Department

Dr Anvil

Ms Box

Mrs Day Ms Gray

Dr Elder Mr Hall

Mr Fry Dr Ivan

Two bosses problem for staff Reporting can be difficult Who has final say? Potential for conflict between project manager and departmental managers Staff appraisal can be difficult

10

Why teams?
Teams win! Volume of work Range of skills Support Motivation Generation of ideas Risk sharing (safety in numbers) The whole is greater than the sum of the parts (synergy)

11

Belbins nine team roles

Initially Belbin proposed eight roles (1981) Revised (1993) with an additional role:
specialist

and renaming two roles:

chairperson company worker co-ordinator, implementer

The strengths & allowable weaknesses are identified for each role type
12

Belbins nine team roles

Note that some allowable weaknesses are strengths taken to an extreme
...you can have too much of a good thing!

There are also non-allowable weaknesses, where a weakness becomes too extreme

13

Belbins nine team roles

Co-ordinator (Chair)
Good chairperson Good delegation skills Confident and mature Manipulative Delegates personal work Takes credit for the teams work
(Maylor, 1999 & Belbin 1993)

14

Belbins nine team roles

Shaper
Challenging and dynamic Works well under pressure Overcomes problems Pushes the team forward Insensitive Provokes others Cannot retrieve situation with good humour
(Maylor 1999 & Belbin 1993)

15

Belbins nine team roles

Innovator (Plant)
Generates ideas Creative Unorthodox Alternative approach to difficult problems Ignores the detail Poor communicator Ownership, when team work would be better
(Maylor 1999 & Belbin 1993)

16

Belbins nine team roles

Monitor evaluator
Strategic thinker Good judgement Looks at the big picture and all options Sober Doesnt inspire others Too critical Can become cynical
(Maylor 1999 & Belbin 1993)

17

Belbins nine team roles

Implementer (company worker)
Disciplined Reliable and efficient Turns ideas and plans into practical action Inflexible Slow to respond to new possibilities Obstructive towards change and new ideas
(Maylor 1999 & Belbin 1993)
18

Belbins nine team roles

Teamworker
Co-operative Diplomatic Good listener Perceptive Indecisive Easily influenced Avoids high pressure situations
(Maylor 1999 & Belbin 1993)

19

Belbins nine team roles

Resource investigator
Extrovert Enthusiastic and explores opportunities Good communicator Builds and develops contacts Overoptimistic Quickly loses interest once novelty has worn off Neglects clients by failing to follow up
(Maylor 1999 & Belbin 1993)
20

Belbins nine team roles

Completer (Completer/Finisher)
Conscientious Anxious Locates errors Delivers on time Worries and nit-picks Reluctant to delegate Can become obsessive
(Maylor 1999 & Belbin 1993)

21

Belbins nine team roles

Specialist
Self-starter Dedicated Expert Dwells on technicalities Only contributes in areas of expertise Doesnt look at the overall picture Disregards issues outside own specialism
(Maylor 1999 & Belbin 1993)

22

Handys four team roles

Captain
leader

Administrator
gets things organised and done

Driver
will push the task through

Expert
has knowledge and ideas
23

Handys four team roles

How do Handys roles relate to Belbins?
Captain
relates to Co-ordinator, Shaper, Monitor Evaluator

Administrator
relates to Implementer, Completer, Teamworker

Driver
relates to Co-ordinator, Shaper, Resource Investigator

Expert
relates to Innovator, Specialist
24

Driver Belbin:

Belbin & Handy: Comparing team roles

Expert

Handy:

Captain

Administrator

25

Chair Shaper Monitor Evaluator Resource investigator Innovator Implementer Completer Finisher Teamworker Specialist

Team life-cycle
Project teams tend to go through various stages of development The productivity of the team will depend on the stage the team is in

26

Team life-cycle
Forming (Collection)
Individuals come together to achieve project goals Enthusiasm Rely on the leader Finding out what is expected
(Lake, 1996 & Maylor, 1999)

27

Team life-cycle
Storming (Entrenchment)
Find out where each other stand on issues Unwilling to be persuaded Competition for power Sub-groups formed Disillusionment with goals Unproductive
(Lake, 1996 & Maylor, 1999)

28

Team life-cycle
Norming (Resolution/accommodation)
Disagreements resolved Constructive environment Confidence and trust grows Team norms agreed Productivity starts to improve
(Lake, 1996 & Maylor, 1999)

29

Team life-cycle
Performing (Synergy)
Whole is greater than the sum of the parts Team at its most productive Motivation is high Leadership and responsibility shared
(Lake, 1996 & Maylor, 1999)

30

Team life-cycle
Storming (Decline)
Productivity starts to reduce Team members not contributing as much Want new challenges
(Lake, 1996 & Maylor, 1999)

31

Team life-cycle
Mourning (Break-up)
Team starts to break-up Team members leave Can occur once the work has been completed May occur earlier in the project
(Lake, 1996 & Maylor, 1999)

32

References and further reading

Burke, R (1999) Project Management: Planning and

Control Techniques, Wiley (or more recent editions) Handy, CB (1979) Understanding Organisations, Penguin Machiavelli N (1986) The Prince (translated by George Bull), Penguin Maylor H (1999). Project Management (2nd Edition), Pitman Publishing Pugh DS (editor) (1981) Organisation Theory, Penguin Cadle J & Yeates (2001) Project Management for Information Systems, Pitman Publishing
33

34