AECP in Business Communication

BOOK REVIEW

BY: BENJAMIN NORTEY

TITLE OF BOOK:

TEAM DYNAMICS – 21 PRACTICAL WAYS TO BUILD,

MANAGE AND LEAD EFFECTIVE
TEAMS

AUTHOR OF BOOK: REV. GIDEON TITI-OFEI

CHAPTER ONE

TEN TOP DIFFERENCES BETWEEN A TEAM AND A GROUP

Understanding: Teams have a shared understanding on how to perform their role and
perceive the other team members' roles

Ownership: Team members are enthusiastic about the work of the team and each person
feels pride in being a member of the team.

Trust: There is an atmosphere of trust and acceptance and a sense of community among
team members

Creativity and Contribution: Productive participation of all members

Common Understanding: While members of a group are centered upon themselves,

the team is committed to open communication. Team members feel they can state their
opinions, thoughts, and feelings without fear.

Personal development: New information and skill causes a team to redefine and
enrich its understanding of the objectives, thereby helping the team to set clearer goals.

Conflict Resolution: Differences of opinion are valued and methods of managing

conflict are understood. Through honest and caring feedback, members are aware of their
strengths and weakness as team members.

Participative Decision Making: Groups have a tendency to get bogged down with
trivial issues. Teams use leaders to keep the team on the right path.

Clear Leadership: A team expects their leader to help them clarify and commit to their
mission, goals, and approach.

Commitment: In a team, only those committed to excellence are hired

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CHAPTER TWO

Types Of Team

1. Task Force: Temporally team to investigate specific problem/issue

2. Problem Solving Team: Temporally team to solve specific problem/issue

3. Product Design Team: Temporally team to investigate specific problem/issue

4. Committee: Temporally/permanent team to act upon some matter

5. Work Group: Permanent group of workers receiving direction from a leader

6. Work Team: Ongoing group of workers with a common mission, working

independently within defined boundaries.

7. Quality Circle: Group of workers with same functions meeting regularly to

uncover and solve work related problems and seek work improvement
opportunities

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CHAPTER THREE

The Team Development Model

Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, Adjourning

Tuckman (1965) discovered that teams normally go through five stages of growth:
Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and finally Adjourning.

Knowledge is Knowledge
Hidden Creatio
n

Trust
Forming Performin Synergizes
Unknown
g

Distrust Storming Norming Collaboration

Knowledge Knowledge
Hoarding Sharing

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Forming

In this stage, team members are introduced. They state why they were chosen or
volunteered for the team and what they hope to accomplish within the team. Members
cautiously explore the boundaries of acceptable group behavior. This is a stage of
transition from individual to member status, and of testing the leader's guidance both
formally and informally.

Forming includes these feelings and behaviors:

o Excitement, anticipation, and optimism

o Pride in being chosen for the project
o A tentative attachment to the team
o Suspicion and anxiety about the job
o Defining the tasks and how they will be accomplished
o Determining acceptable group behavior
o Deciding what information needs to be gathered

Activities include abstract discussions of the concepts and issues; and for some members,
impatience with these discussions. There is often difficulty in identifying some of the
relevant problems as there is so much going on that members get distracted. The team
often accomplishes little concerning its goals. This is perfectly normal.

Storming

During the team's transition from the "As-Is" to the "To-Be," is called the Storming
phase. All members have their own ideas as to how the process should look, and personal
agendas are often rampant. Storming is probably the most difficult stage for the team.
They begin to realize the tasks that are ahead are different and more difficult than they
previously imagined. Impatient about the lack of progress, members argue about just
what actions the team should take. They try to rely solely on their personal and
professional experience, and resist collaborating with most other team members.

Storming includes these feelings and behaviors:

o Resisting the tasks

o Resisting quality improvement approaches suggested by other members
o Sharp fluctuations in attitude about the team's chance of success
o Arguing among members, even when they agree on the real issues
o Defensiveness, competition, and choosing sides
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 o Questioning the wisdom of those who selected the project and appointed the
members of the team
o Establishing unrealistic goals
o Disunity, increased tension, and jealousy

These pressures mean that team members have little energy to spend on progressing
towards the intended goal. But they are beginning to understand each another. This phase
can often take 3 or 4 meetings before arriving at the next phase.

Norming

The Norming phase is when the team reaches a consensus on the "To-Be" process.
Everyone wants to share the newly found focus. Enthusiasm is high, and the team is often
tempted to go beyond the original scope of the process. During this stage, members
reconcile competing loyalties and responsibilities. They accept the team, ground rules,
roles, and the individuality of fellow members. Emotional conflict is reduced as
previously competitive relationships become more cooperative.

Norming includes these feelings and behaviors:

o An ability to express criticism constructively

o Acceptance of membership in the team
o An attempt to achieve harmony by avoiding conflict
o Friendliness, confiding in each other, and sharing of personal problems
o A sense of team cohesion, spirit, and goals
o Establishing and maintaining team ground rules and boundaries

As team members work out their differences, they have more time and energy to spend
on the project.

Performing

By now the team has settled its relationships and expectations. They can begin
performing by diagnosing, problem solving, and implementing changes. At last, team
members have discovered and accepted other's strengths and weakness. In addition, they
have learned what their roles are. Performing includes these feelings and behaviors:

o Members have insights into personal and group processes

o An understanding of each other's strengths and weakness
o Constructive self-change
o Ability to prevent or work through group problems
o Close attachment to the team

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The team is now an effective, cohesive unit. You can tell when your team has reached
this stage because you start getting a lot of work done.

Adjourning

The team briefs and shares the improved process during this phase. When the team
finally completes that last briefing, there is always a bittersweet sense of accomplishment
coupled with the reluctance to say good-bye. Many relationships formed within these
teams continue long after the team disbands.

CHAPTER FOUR

Team Leadership

1. Recognize Teamwork
2. Communicate Openly
3. Share Information
4. Share Leadership Responsibilities
5. Work with the Team and solve problem
6. Be an active Team Member
7. Share the Kudos
8. Celebrate Successes
9. Learn from your mistakes
10. Focus on team’s larger role in the organization
11. Keep management informed
12. Listen actively
13. Give feedback
14. Ask your team members for feedback and listen to what’s said
15. Be aware of your members’ personal insecurities
16. Prevent conflicts/ problems
17. Deal with conflicts when it occurs
18. Know the boundaries
19. Believe in your team
20. Value diversity
21. Learn to cope with things you cannot change
22. Being a team leader (or member) takes time
23. Chart the team’s performance
24. Learn about different types of teams

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 CHAPTER FIVE`

Seven Ways to Build a Team

Analyse the job to be done

 Nehemiah’s Example – Nehemiah 2: 11-17

 Moses’ Example – Numbers 13: 17-18
 Jesus’ Advice – Luke 14:28

Call Many, Choose Few

 Gideon’s Example – Judges 7: 1-8

 Israel’s Example – 1 Samuel 10: 17-24

Criteria for Selecting Team Members - Jethro’s Advice – Exodus 18:21

 Select Capable men

 Select men who fear God
 Select trustworthy men – Peter’s proposal Acts 1: 21-22
 Select men with uncompromising loyalty and undivided devotion – The Apostles
strategy Acts 6: 1-4
 Select someone who is full of the spirit
 Select someone who is full of wisdom

Describe the Job to be Done

Six professional ways to describe job specification to team members

 Define the rank of each team member

 Define the duration of each member’s position
 Define what the work entails
 Define task relationships within the team
 Define main responsibilities of each team member
 Define team membes’authority

Orient Team Members (set clear rules of behaviour)

Teams develop rules of conduct to help them achieve their purpose and performance
goals. Some rules you might want to consider:

 attendance - no interruptions to take phone calls

 discussion - no sacred cows
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 confidentiality - personal revelations must remain among the team
 analytic approach - facts are friendly
 constructive confrontation - no finger pointing
 the most important - everyone does real work

Train the Team (Keep them informed)

Challenge your team with fresh facts and information. New information causes a
potential team to redefine and enrich its understanding of the objectives, thereby helping
the team to set clearer goals.

Five ways to effectively train team members

 Identify a training need

 Develop a training plan
 Develop content of the training
 Reward trainees

Develop Team members

There are three main types of development programmes.

 The quick fix

 The bridge -crossing
 The “Tomorrow Today”

Nurture the Team in a more Conducive Climate

Seven ways to nurture a more conducive atmosphere in a team

 Acknowledge difference in character and skill of team members

 Celebrate strengths publicly and weaknesses privately.
 Avoid favoritism, treat all equal
 Encourage confidentiality among members
 Allow members to express their views and voice out their grievances
 Let team pray together

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CHAPTER SIX

Seven Practical ways to manage a Team

Plan team Assignment

Four basic planning questions for team leaders
⇒ What do we want to accomplish?
⇒ Where are we in relation to our goal?
⇒ What factors are likely to hinder us from achieving our goal?
⇒ What other/best alternatives are available to reach the goal ?

Organize the Team

⇒ Determine work to be done to accomplish team’s goal
⇒ Classify the type of work to be done and break it down to manageable work units
⇒ Assign work to individuals and delegate appropriate authority to team members
⇒ Design an hierarchy of decision making relationships in the team

Control Team Members

Manage high performers

⇒ Set them realistic but achievable goals
⇒ Allow them a degree of autonomy
⇒ Allow then situations where they can largely influence the outcome
⇒ Reward them for their achievements.
⇒ Involve them in new things, stretch the parameters of their roles
⇒ Allow them to take some risk

Manage Poor Performers

Motivate Your Team

Six Practical ways to motivate
⇒ Provide exemplary leadership
⇒ Be creative in your job design
⇒ Create the right environment
⇒ Set realistic goals
⇒ Involve team members in decision making
⇒ Fairly reward team members

Manage Team Conflict Before it Escalates

Five causes of conflict in a team
⇒ When essential needs are ignored
⇒ When wrong perceptions are not corrected quickly.
⇒ When power is misused
⇒ When team values are not clear
⇒ When feelings and emotions are not dealt with

Managing Team Conflicts

⇒ Analyze the conflict

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 ⇒ Determine the conflict management
o Collaboration
o Compromise
o Competition
o Accomodation

⇒ Bring parties involved to a negotiating table

• Situational Negotiation
• Positional Negotiation]
• Principled Negotiation

The 3 Major don’ts in Negotiation

Don’t allow aggression
Don’t allow use of irritating or sarcastic statements
Don’t give one sided concession

The 3 Major Dos in Negotiation

⇒ Do communicate excellently
⇒ Do keep on summing-up
⇒ Do follow-up

Communicate Effectively with your Team

The Communication Circle

Sender Encoding Channel Decoding

First information exists in Next, a message is sent Encoded information The receiver then
the mind of the sender. to a receiver in words is sent through some translates the words or
This can be a concept, or symbols channel of symbols into a concept
information or feelings communication or information

Feedback
Receiver may then encode his
own ideas about the senders
message and transmit
information back as feedback

Essential Pointers to Effective Communication in Teams

⇒ Communication must be two-way
⇒ Decide what to communicate
⇒ Decide when to communicate
⇒ Decide why you are communicating
⇒ Tailor the communication
⇒ Choose the best method

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Delegate Responsibilities
Why many team leaders find delegation difficult.
⇒ There’s not enough time
⇒ It’s quicker to do it myself
⇒ No one could do it better
⇒ Don’t want to give up control
⇒ Don’t know how to do it
⇒ The team may feel dumped on

Why Delegate
⇒ Relieves team leader of certain roles and enables him time to focus on other
important issues
⇒ Develops decision making capabilities of team members
⇒ Essential for team growth
⇒ Motivates team members to take to new responsibilities and improve productivity.
⇒ Enables you to test the ability of your team to take more
⇒ Prevent team members from leaving

When to delegate
⇒ When you have too much work to do.
⇒ You have limited time to focus on important things
⇒ You need to stretch and develop team members
⇒ A particular team member has the skill and experience required for the task

What to Delegate
⇒ Tasks you don’t need to do yourself.
⇒ Specialist tasks
⇒ Routine administrative task
⇒ Projects

What Delegation is not?

⇒ Just shedding off difficult, tedious or unrewarding task
⇒ Setting up someone for failure
⇒ Just making your life easier

Who to Delegate to
⇒ One having the required knowledge, skill and experience.
⇒ One having the required motivation.
⇒ One having/can make the time.
⇒ One who is teachable
⇒ One who can relish the opportunity to learn from it.
⇒ One who is trustworthy

Six Steps to Ensure Successful Delegation

⇒ Brief the team members thoroughly.
⇒ Agree on targets.
⇒ Monitor progress.
⇒ Review Performance

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 ⇒ Think Forward

CHAPTER SEVEN

Seven Practical Ways to Lead a Team

Practical Definition of Leadership

Leaders should not think of themselves as simply managers, supervisors, etc.; but rather
as "team leaders." Thinking of yourself as a manager or supervisor places you in a
position of traditional authority based solely on respect for the position, which places you
in a position of power. By understanding the personal work preferences and motivations
of your team members, you as an individual, rather than your position, will earn their real
respect and trust.

Practical Ways to Lead a Team

Leading with wisdom.

Seven wisdom keys for making good decisions

⇒ Decision must be based on facts and accurate information.
⇒ Beware of political motives
⇒ Carefully examine every alternative.
⇒ Avoid making open decisions with large element of chances in them.
⇒ Avoid making decisions under time pressure
⇒ Seek counseling when necessary
⇒ Pray and seek God’s will concerning the decision.

Seven Main Characteristics of wise team leaders

⇒ They have eyes in the head - Ecclesiastes 2: 14
⇒ They listen to advice – Proverbs 12: 15
⇒ They accept rebukes – Proverbs 9:8
⇒ They speak well – Proverbs 10:19
⇒ They keep themselves under control – Proverbs 29:11
⇒ They store up knowledge – Proverbs 10:14
⇒ They turn away wrath – Proverbs 29:8

Leading with Knowledge - Jeremiah 3:15

Three Types of Knowledge

⇒ Dead knowledge – Causes failure in leaders’ endeavor
⇒ Living knowledge – Causes short sightedness in leaders

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 ⇒ Timeless knowledge – Allows leaders to make decisions relevant to all times

Leading with Understanding

This refers to the leader’s ability to apply or use knowledge appropriately in the
environment in which the team operates
Teams operate in two environments
⇒ Internal – refers to the resources and conditions that exist within the team
⇒ External - refers to the resources and conditions that exist outside the team

In understanding the team, leaders must also have understanding of the times.
(Ecclesiastes 3: 1-7)
They must endeavor to do the right things at the right time.

Seven Outstanding Qualities of Good Leaders

⇒ They have a daily planner
⇒ They have a monthly planner
⇒ They have a yearly planner
⇒ They devise strategies to overcome time wasters
⇒ They have no room for time robbers
⇒ They lay aside every weight
⇒ They identify focus breakers

Seven Main Attributes of Team Leaders

⇒ They delight in wisdom – Proverbs 10:23
⇒ They are quick to hear and slow to speak – Proverbs 11:12
⇒ They are patient – Proverbs 14:29
⇒ They are even-tempered – Proverbs 17:27
⇒ They weigh motives – Proverbs 20:5
⇒ They have focus – Proverbs 15:21

Leading with Strategy

With a well-devised strategy, team leaders can easily manage the challenges of the
constant changes taking place around the team. The changes are:
⇒ Physiological Changes
⇒ Socio-cultural Changes
⇒ Political Changes
⇒ Economic Changes

Leading with Purpose – Proverbs 4:25

If leadership is not driven by purpose, other forces drive it in circles, these factors
include:
⇒ Money
⇒ Power
⇒ Crowd
⇒ Ego
⇒ Wishful Thinking
⇒

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 Five Main Attributes of purpose driven Leaders
⇒ They have a defined mission
Three elements of a mission statement
o It must be stable
o Be inspiring

⇒ They have a defined vision – Habakkuk 2:2

⇒ They set their objectives
• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time Bound

They have a devised strategy

They have established values

Leading with Courage

Courage is the ability to face your fears – Joshua 1:6
Five Major fears that confront team leaders
⇒ Fear of Failure – Joshua 7& 8
⇒ Fear of Critics – Numbers 12:1, Matthew 26:6-9
⇒ Fear of the Rebel - 2 Samuel 15:1-4, Numbers 16: 1-3
⇒ Fear of the Past – Isaiah 43:18
⇒ Fear of Betrayal – 2Samuel 15:12

Leading in times of crisis

In leading teams, crises are inevitable. The following are examples of leaders who had
crisis in their teams:
⇒ Abraham – Genesis 13: 7-9
⇒ David – 1 Samuel 30: 1-6
⇒ Moses – Numbers 14: 1-4
⇒ Paul – Acts 15: 36-39

Crisis in a team will reveal the following five groups of people

⇒ Loyalist
⇒ Disloyalist
⇒ Chancers
⇒ Grateful Members
⇒ Ungrateful Members

In crisis leaders must take charge of the team by doing the following:
⇒ Think
⇒ Assure members of light at the end of the tunnel
⇒ Keep looking forward
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 ⇒ Exercise Patience
⇒ Calmness in the face of crisis is the hallmark of a great leader
⇒ Handles every issue with care
⇒ Accepts Responsibility
⇒ Respects opinion of other team members
⇒ Go to God in Prayer
⇒ Examine and Investigate causes and Effects of the crisis on the team.

Conclusion
The bible is full of leaders who built, managed and led teams
⇒ Abraham – Genesis 14: 14-16
⇒ Moses – Exodus 18: 24-26
⇒ David – 2 Samuel 23: 9-12
⇒ Jesus – Mark 3: 13-19

Three Benefits of Effective Teams

⇒ Teams achieve great results – Ecclesiastes 4: 9
⇒ Teams enjoy great support from each other - Ecclesiastes 4: 10
⇒ Teams are not easily disorganized - Ecclesiastes 4: 12

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