50 ADVANCED ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION WORK
other, jollying each other along if necessary, giving
The world of work
TEAM WORKING
Team working is about working with other people,
probably with other employees from the company
you work for. Working together, helping each
other, sharing the load in order to get the job done to
a good standard of workmanship in the time allowed.
All the separate parts of the job have to be finished
and eventually brought together at completion. The
team can also be much larger than just those people
who work for the same company. We are often
dependent on other trades completing their work
before we can start ours. The ceiling fitters must
install the suspended ceiling before we can drop the
recessed modular fluorescent fittings in place and
connect them. So, in this case, two different trades are
interdependent, working as a team to complete a
suspended ceiling job.
A lot of research has been done over the years about
what makes a good team and how the relationship of
individual members of a team develop over time. One
such model is called ‘Forming, Storming, Norming
and Performing’.
Forming is the first stage of the developing team
where the separate individuals come together. They
behave as individuals, their responsibility to the team
is unclear and they feel confused about what they
should be doing. At this stage the team leader will be
telling everyone what to do for the collective good
because they are all acting as individuals.
Storming is the stage where people begin to see a role
for themselves within the team. They will challenge
other team members and the team leader, who must
become less dominant and more encouraging.
Norming is the stage where team members have
generally reached an agreement upon their individual
roles and responsibilities to the group. They discuss
together and reach agreement upon the best way to
perform a task together. The team may share the lead-
ership role.
Performing is the final stage of the development of
the team. Everyone knows what they are doing and
how their input fits into everyone else’s work in the
team. The team leaders role is to oversee the project.
There is no requirement for instruction or assistance
because everyone knows what they have to do to be
successful. The individual members support each
help when required and generally looking after each
other. They have a shared vision and goal.
Good customer relationships
Remember that it is the customers who actually pay
the wages of everyone employed in your company.
You should always be polite and listen carefully to
their wishes. They may be elderly or of a different
religion or cultural background than you. In a domes-
tic situation, the playing of loud music on a radio
may not be approved of. Treat the property in
which you are working with the utmost care. When
working in houses, shops and offices use dust sheets to
protect floor coverings and furnishings. Clean up
periodically and make a special effort when the job is
completed.
Dress appropriately: an unkempt or untidy appear-
ance will encourage the customer to think that your
work will be of poor quality.
The electrical installation in a building is often car-
ried out alongside other trades. It makes good sense to
help other trades where possible and to develop good
working relationships with other employees. The cus-
tomer will be most happy if the workers give an
impression of working together as a team for the
successful completion of the project.
Finally, remember that the customer will probably
see more of the electrician and the electrical trainee
than of the managing director of your firm and,
therefore, the image presented by you will be assumed
to reflect the policy of the company. You are, there-
fore, your company’s most important representative.
Always give the impression of being capable and in
command of the situation, because this gives cus-
tomers confidence in the company’s ability to
meet their needs. However, if a problem does
occur which is outside your previous experience
and you do not feel confident to solve it successfully,
then contact your supervisor for professional help
and guidance. It is not unreasonable for a young
member of the company’s team to seek help and guid-
ance from those employees with more experience.
This approach would be preferred by most companies
rather than having to meet the cost of an expensive
blunder.