4 Communicating and Working in Teams “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is...

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Communicating and Working in Teams

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”

―Henry Ford, American businessman

and automotive innovator

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

After completing the chapter, you will be able to:

• List common characteristics of effective team members.

• Explain important things to do when planning and conducting a team meeting.

• Describe how written, verbal, and nonverbal communication is used in a team.

• Discuss leadership styles and characteristics of an effective leader.

• List ways of overcoming barriers.



Teams

• Team—two or more people working together to reach a goal.– Teams create a better or different outcome

than working as an individual to solve a problem or perform a task.

– A formal team may be the department in which you work, such as a customer service team.

– An informal team may be the recycling committee.

– Team has become an important part of both business and social vocabulary.



• Common characteristics of a team member:– cooperation– politeness– patience– enthusiasm– dependability– loyalty– building of self-esteem of others

Teams



• Types of teams– Formal teams

• created for a specific and organized purpose• have an appointed leader • members are chosen based on talents and skills

Teams

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• Types of teams– Virtual teams

• made up of members who are in different locations

• through the use of technology, employees work from home or while traveling

• can use telephone, video, Internet, or any other communication technology

• cost-effective option for business because there are no travel expenses and team members’ time can be used more efficiently

Teams



• Types of teams– Informal teams

• come together usually for a social purpose, like a softball or bowling team

• individual team members participate as a member of the team by choice, as opposed to a formal team where participation is required

• leader of an informal team may be voted on by team members or the natural leader may step up to the task of leading the team

Teams



• Team development– Basic steps that each team will take

• getting to know each other• learning to work together• working together• being successful

Teams



• Guidelines to complete a task– Identify

• team’s purpose, goals, and objectives• ways to successfully achieve the team’s goals• each team member’s responsibility in

completing the task• ways to effectively communicate with team

members while working on the project

Teams



• Team member roles– Facilitator

• helps team work through each step of completing a task

• responsibilities include – preparing agenda for each meeting– keeping the group members on task– staying focused on the team purpose or goal– reporting the progress of the group to others

Teams



• Team member roles– recorder

• creates minutes• records the discussion during brainstorming • attends to the agenda and records each item as

it is addressed• quotes group members, but does not edit or

evaluate group member thoughts

– timekeeper • mindful of time as the team works through the

task at hand

Teams



Teams

• Team member roles– encourager

• informal role who is positive and influences others to be positive when challenges occur.

• sometimes referred to as the optimist

– skeptic • challenges team to prove the solution is correct• teams can benefit from this team member, who

looks at all the solutions for possible issues



1.What are the two types of teams?Answer: formal and informal

2.What are the four steps of team development?Answer: getting to know each other, learning to work together, working together, becoming successful

3.List five roles that individual team members play.Answer: facilitator, recorder, timekeeper, encourager, skeptic



Meeting as a Team

• Use parliamentary procedures – rules for conducting a meeting, where the

majority rules, but the minority is respected

• When planning a meeting:– reserve a meeting place– send an invitation to those who need to attend– create and send an agenda before the meeting



Meeting as a Team

• When conducting a meeting:– start the meeting on time– preview the agenda so everyone is clear on the

purpose of the meeting– encourage participation– keep the discussion on topic– summarize the information at the conclusion

of the meeting– end on time



1.When should a meeting not be held?Answer: for a topic that could be handled through e-mail or other communication

2.What are parliamentary procedures?Answer: rules for conducting a meeting, where the majority rules, but the minority is respected



Communicating as a Team

• Written communication– well-written messages reflect competence and

professionalism

• Verbal communication– learn how to present

yourself in a professional manner

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• Nonverbal communication– lead by example– sit erect, watch the speaker, show you are

attentive and interested. – poor posture, lack of eye contact, and other

nonverbal signals show you are not interested in the other person

Communicating as a Team



1.What do successful teams know about well-written messages?Answer: well-written messages reflect competence and professionalism for the team as well as the individual contributors

2.What positive messages can nonverbal communication send?Answer: agreement or interest



• Leadership– can be defined as the ability to motivate or

guide others– a title does not make a leader– willingness to motivate others makes a leader– a leader motivates others to reach goals or

work through challenges

Leadership in Teams



• Leadership style is the way in which a manager or team leader leads employees or team members– laissez-faire leadership style means the leader lets

someone complete a task on his or her own– democratic (participatory) leader encourages team

members to participate in the leadership process– autocratic style of leadership is distinct because

there is no question who is in charge and who are followers

• Leaders are people who can motivate and direct others and who can improve a process or situation

Leadership in Teams



• A leader– is self motivated– does not have to be asked for help– has integrity and tries to do the right thing for the

team– is organized and can identify how to accomplish

tasks – is a motivator and can move others to take action– can manage conflict in a team– is confident, positive, and sees the glass half full– does not feel he or she has to do everything– allows others to participate to accomplish the task

Leadership in Teams



1.What is leadership?Answer: the ability to motivate or guide others

2.List the three styles of leadership.Answer: laissez-faire, democratic, autocratic

3.What are four characteristics of a good leader?Answer: a good communicator, is trusted, takes risks, and leads by example



Overcoming Communication Barriers in Teams

• Identify the team’s purpose, goal, and objective for the task at hand– establish a clear picture– assign roles and responsibilities– identify ways to effectively communicate– identify processes needed as the solution for

the task takes place– identify conflicts as they happen and resolve

them so that progress is not delayed



1.How does a good leader help the team overcome communication barriers?Answer: by guiding the processes and procedures for working together

2.Why is it important to assign roles to each team member?Answer: when each team member knows his or her role, communication barriers are less likely to occur



• Effective teams display cooperation, politeness, patience, enthusiasm, dependability, loyalty, and building of self-esteem in others.

• Teams develop in steps: getting to know each other, learning to work together, working together, and success.

• Teams should meet only when needed, not when the topic can be handled through e-mail or other communication.



• Communication plays an important role as the team presents solutions for review.

• The three styles of leadership are laissez-faire, democratic, and autocratic.

• Good leaders help the team overcome communication barriers by guiding the process and procedures for working together.

4 Communicating and Working in Teams “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is...

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