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Building and Sustaining

Effective Teams by ARIF ULLAH
Building and Sustaining Effective Teams
Learning Outcome:
By the end of this session, you will be able to:
• understand the purpose of teams and the value they add
• understand the stages of team development
• consider different roles team members can play
• examine how to build and sustain highly effective teams
• understand the Pareto Principle
• consider the different commitment levels in a team
• apply your learning to your own context
• identify actions to improve the effectiveness of your teams.
What is a team?

A team consists of a group of

people linked by common
aims and purpose. Teams are
especially appropriate for
carrying out tasks that are
complex and have many
interdependent sub-tasks.
A group of people is not
necessarily a team.
What is teamwork?

Video:

Wisdom of Geese:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rOg4wfNDfM
Or

Power of Good Teamwork:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pxf6EtskpRs
What is a team?
A team is a small group of people who recognise the need for
constructive conflict when working together in order for them to
make, implement and support workable decisions. (O’Neill 2003)

A team is a group of people who work or relate in a way which helps

them achieve their common objective. (Trethowan 1985)

Teams are characterised by:

• defined tasks
• inclusive processes
• deep commitment
• collective expertise.
Activity 1: the value of teamwork
What professional teams do you belong to?

Which do you lead?

What about those where you are a team member?

Identify how effective these teams are – for instance what

value do they add?

Describe your behaviour as a team leader – are there

similarities and differences in your behaviour when you are
a member of a team?
What value does teamwork bring?
• Plays to individuals’ strengths, making
collective endeavour more powerful.
• Allows resources and tasks to be shared
and so increases efficiency.
• Helps solve problems and challenges as
all team members can contribute to
solutions.
@ Mat Wright
• Provides forums for support and learning
from others.
• Brings staff together who may be
dispersed and or isolated.
Building your team: the stages of team
development (Tuckman, 1965)

Forming

Mourning Storming

Performing Norming
Activity 1: Stages of Team Development
Take a moment to think about the stages of team
development on slide 8.

Have you observed this cycle in teams you have been a

member or leader of? Think about the teams you
identified in activity 1.

Based on your experiences how would you describe

each of the stages?
Forming a dream team
Belbin team roles

• The coordinator (chair) • The monitor/evaluator

• The motivator (shaper) • The team worker
• The implementer • The completer/finisher
• The resource investigator • The specialist
• The innovator (plant)

@Mat Wright
The nine Belbin team roles
Role Description
The co-ordinator I try to co-ordinate my students’ and teaching colleagues’
efforts.
I like to identify people’s strengths and put them to good use.
I often give (delegate) tasks to the best person for the job.

The motivator (shaper) I really want my team to succeed.

I focus my team on our objectives and priorities.
I try to keep the team focused on the activity.

The implementer I like to turn ideas and plans into practical tasks.
I often take on tasks others won’t do.
I usually get things done on time.
The nine Belbin team roles
Role Description
The completer/finisher I like to check details carefully so there are no mistakes.
I often keep an eye on time, deadlines and accuracy.
I worry about details (maybe too much, sometimes).

The innovator (plant) I like to suggest new ideas and creative solutions.
I often identify new opportunities.
I usually see problems as opportunities.

The monitor/evaluator I try to evaluate ideas objectively to see if they are realistic.
I like to interpret and evaluate complex issues logically.
I like to consider all available options to reach the right
conclusion.
The nine Belbin team roles
Role Description
The resource I like to keep the team in touch with what is happening
investigator outside the team.
I enjoy learning about ideas, information, developments in
the outside world.
I will happily steal or copy good ideas from others.

The team worker I like to encourages others, for example my students.

I try to helps others, for example my colleagues.
I feel I am sensitive to people’s needs and feelings.

The specialist I have specialist knowledge or experience which I feel I can

contribute.
If I don’t know the answer, I will try and find out.
I love telling others about things I have learnt about.
Activity 2 : Another view of the
Belbin Team Roles
Place the nine Belbin team roles into the appropriate
categories below.

Overall Belbin role

1
Leading
2
3
Doing
4
5
Thinking 6
7
8
Socialising
9
Another view of the Belbin roles

Roles into categories

Overall Belbin role

Co-ordinator
Leading
Motivator (shaper)
Implementer
Doing
Completer/finisher
Monitor/evaluator
Thinking Innovator (plant)
Specialist
Resource/investigator
Socialising
Team worker
Team roles - honey
Leader who ensures the team has clear objectives and makes
sure everyone is involved and committed.

Challenger who questions effectiveness and presses for

improvement and results.

Doer who urges the team to get on with the job and does practical
tasks.

Thinker who produces carefully considered ideas and weighs up

and improves ideas from others.

Supporter who eases tension and maintains team harmony.

Honey 2001
How successful head teachers build and develop
effective senior leadership teams

Team structure - varied dependent on school context.

Clear and compelling purpose – direction.

Able and competent members – of high quality and have worked

together for some time.

Clear operating rules - organisation, communications, decisions.

Strong team leadership - courage, direction.

Regular self-evaluation - search for improvement.

Adapted from Bush, et al 2011

When building effective teams we should:
• understand our own behaviour, leadership styles and preferred
team roles
• know about the range of styles and roles that exist in other team
members - and appreciate their validity
• compose teams using complementary styles and preferred team
roles in order to achieve success
• appoint team members who add to the range of styles and/or fill
gaps
• assign individuals to appropriate roles, drawing on strengths,
characteristics and preferences
• vary team composition according to the nature of the task
• share functional team leadership according to the task.
Adapted from range of research
Building effective teams
(Jones, 2005)
What leadership actions might
be included in each of the six
ovals? Help
Free up team people
members develop

Model Building Achieve

desirable a highly team
behaviour proposal
effective team

Build and Encourage and

maintain working support team
relationships members
The pareto principle

100% effort 100% 100% 100% Perfectionism

outcome Outcome
Effort
The pareto principle
THE PARETO PRINCIPLE
 Commitment levels

3 4 5 5
Leadership commitment

Make it happen

Help it happen
2 3 4 5
Let it happen
(passive) 1 2 3 4
1 1 2 3
Resistance
(active)

Resistance Let it happen Help it happen Make it happen

(active) (passive)

Staff commitment
Commitment level

2 or below: forget it
4 or above: success
3: needs work
Successful team leadership and
teamwork moves the project
from the bottom left to the top
right.
Activity 3 : Staff Commitment Levels
• Think about one of your school improvement projects,
how would you assess staff commitment to it and the
commitment of you and your leadership team to it?

• Be realistic. From this you can decide whether you are a

one, two, three, four or five.

• So the task with any project is to move up to the top right

– the level four or five. Then there will be success. How
will you go about doing this?
Plenary
As a school and team leader, what
have been your key learning points?
What three actions will you now
take to improve team effectiveness
in your school as a consequence of
what you have learned today?