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Interagency Teaming:Strategies for Facilitating Teams from Forming through Performing

Human Development Center

Louisiana’s University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service

Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center

Written by:Jane M. Everson, Ph.D.andJoan D. Guillory, M.Ed.

Interagency Teaming:Strategies for Facilitating Teams from Forming through Performing

Human Development Center

Louisiana’s University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service

Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center

Written by:Jane M. Everson, Ph.D.andJoan D. Guillory, M. Ed.

Louisiana Statewide Transition Project (LSTP)

April 2002

___________________________________________________________________________LSUHSC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, or disability in employment or in the provision of services. The development and dissemination of this document were supported by funds from the U.S. Department of Education (Grant # H158A6007, “Louisiana Statewide Transition Project”). The opinions expressed herein are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reect the positions or policies of the U.S. Department of Education, and no ofcial endorsement should be inferred. This guide may be reprinted only with written permission from Ms. Joan Guillory, HDC, LSUHSC, 1100 Florida Avenue, Building #119, New Orleans, LA 70119.

iEverson and Guillory, 2002

AcknowledgementsMany, many people contributed in unique and important ways to the development of this manual. First, in Louisiana, David Legendre guided interagency teams through the stages and activities suggested in this manual and offered his feedback on earlier versions of this manual. These interagency teams, operating under the auspices of the Louisiana Statewide Transition Project (LSTP), represented diverse disciplines, agencies, and locations throughout the state. We wish to acknowledge the tireless work of these thirteen teams in the following Louisiana parishes: Allen, Bossier, Catahoula, Iberville, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, Union, Vermilion, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana. We appreciate their teaming efforts and their willingness to work with us as we rened our ideas about teaming with them.

We also wish to acknowledge the support of the LSTP Transition Sustainability Team, several of whom participated as members of teams or as consultants to teams in Louisiana: Judy Goodstone, Bill Rome, Rosa Stewart, Roselyn Starks, Rose Gilbert, Mary Ann Gardner, Kathy Treubig, and Bill Sharpton.

The ideas presented in this manual would not have been possible without the knowledge and energy of Mary Ann O’Neil. We appreciate her commitment to leadership and teaming and her willingness to share.

Finally, we wish to express tremendous appreciation to Rhitt Growl for his professionalism regarding his graphics expertise and his design and layout skills, as well as for his patience regarding his willingness to let us make “just one more change”.

Acknowledgements

Interagency Teaming: Strategies for Facilitating Teams from Forming through Performing

iiEverson and Guillory, 2002

ForewordAs I sit here, relaxing under the cool shade of a palm tree on Hilton Head Island and thinking about the Foreword I have agreed to write for this manual, I cannot help but notice various teams in action right before my eyes. Put simply, a team is a group of people working together interdependently toward a common goal. An example of one very effective team is the one that planned this Hilton Head retreat. Team members worked together over the past few months to gather a group of interested students, to agree on dates, to nd rental properties to accommodate the numbers, to negotiate contracts, to plan special events throughout the week, and to distribute maps and directions. All 40 families are here with no glitches so far, which is indicative of a team that accomplished its goal.

Other teams, perhaps more informal or virtual, are happening at this moment. The young fathers are preparing breakfast for the fourteen guests all living under one roof for the week to celebrate their graduation from Duke Law School. Their goal is clear: hot breakfast for all the guests. Someone is responsible for the eggs, another for the hash brown potatoes, another will make coffee and pour juice, and still another is responsible for setting the table. Everyone is clear about the overall objective of the team and the role each individual plays in accomplishing the goal. I have no doubt that breakfast will be served, on time, and that it will be enjoyed by all. Once breakfast is over, this team will disband, no longer having a purpose.

Another team within close proximity of the breakfast team is organizing the scheduled events of the week. There is much laughter and enthusiasm as ideas to go to the beach, to shop, to attend a children’s song festival, to play golf or tennis, and for a poolside barbecue for the eighty graduates here on the island are suggested and discussed. There are clearly more ideas than can be accomplished in one week. All the ideas are listed, and one person suggests that one scheduled idea be selected for each day so that there is time for individuals and various combinations of guests to “do their own thing” throughout the week as well. This suggestion is well received, people vote, and the week begins to take form: golf is scheduled for today and a “women only” day is scheduled for Tuesday where the women will prepare a picnic lunch, rent kayaks, and spend the afternoon together. On Wednesday, the children’s music festival in the park is selected for late afternoon and Thursday we will host the poolside barbecue. Since Friday is our day of

Foreword


iiiEverson and Guillory, 2002 Foreword


departure, nothing will be scheduled. The schedule for the week is set and posted, and small groups of individuals (teams) take on responsibility for each one of the events.

This same team decides that, since many of the graduates will be moving out of state on Friday to begin their new careers, there needs to be a team of people responsible for keeping the group in touch with one another over the years ahead. Again, there are many suggestions, such as someone taking on the role of leader for the rst year, creating a group e-mail address, and organizing an annual event when everyone will come together to celebrate the friendships that have been so valuable over the past three years. The stated objective of this team is to keep its network strong. This is a team that will exist long after the Hilton Head retreat.

And as I look around, I notice still one more team. This team is one of mere children ranging in age from three to ve years old. It is forming in the shallow end of the pool, without their knowledge that they are a team. They seem to have a common goal, which is to have fun in the sun. They begin to create a game. The ve year old emerges as the leader, suggesting that they kick as hard as they can to make a splash big enough to reach the adults sitting on the lounge chairs. A four year old has another idea, and, before you know it, they have created a fun experience for themselves. They implement their ideas and play as long as the fun lasts, and, in a short while, one child wanders off to do something else, followed by another, and their team is no longer a team. Just as simple as that. Later on, when they walk to the beach, they will form another team with a new purpose of gathering shells to bring home. Perhaps they will be guided or led by an adult who will keep the team focused on its goal, ensuring that each child has shells to bring home as souvenirs.

I hope my point is clear. We see evidences of teams everywhere. Sports teams are easily found daily on our television screens. Teams of people report the world news daily, and departmental teams at work are formed to deal with anything from new product development to downsizing. It has become obvious to most of us that more and better work can be accomplished by teams than by individuals. That is why we note many formal, designated teams and many informal teams where individuals with a common goal have come together to join forces to reach their goals.

I am quickly reminded that I have worked with teams of all sizes and shapes, in both my personal life and business life. I have worked with teams in many industries from the sale of payroll to software design, both prot and

ivEverson and Guillory, 2002 Foreword


non-prot teams, teams in the U.S. and teams in countries as far away as West Africa. I have worked with high performing teams and broken teams, brand new teams and mature teams, teams that selected one another to work with and those who inherited each other. And from all that experience with literally hundreds of teams, I have learned something very important. No matter the team or its size or shape, or how or why it became a team, the following is true: all teams go through the Tuckman model, the four stages of development so well presented in this manual.

This information is valuable in and of itself, because a team well-educated in the stages of team development will be aware of what stage it is in at all times and can do whatever it takes to increase its level of effectiveness. When a team reaches the performing stage, it is one that is wonderful to work on because team members work well together and accomplish their goals. A high performing team has a clear goal in mind, clear roles and responsibilities, and effective and efcient processes and works well with the various habits and norms of the individual team members. This information is invaluable to the experience of being on a team and its success.

One of the most impressive high performing teams I have witnessed is the team of people who set up the half-time extravaganza at Super Bowl XXX in Tempe, Arizona. I will never forget my amazement as hundreds of grounds crew people set up for the Diana Ross spectacular show in a matter of six minutes, each individual being very clear on what he/she was to do at what moment. The actual half-time show could not compare with the set-up show I witnessed. It should be of no surprise to you then that disassembling the event was also done in less than six minutes and the second half of the game began on time. Again, awestruck by the effective teamwork, I could barely concentrate on the second half of the game and have only a vague recollection of the winning team: Colorado, I think.

And now I will let you in on a little secret that I am not sure most teams are aware of. Just as a team goes through each of the stages in the beginning as it is forming, it will go though each stage each and every time it gets together! This, too, is a valuable secret and a tool for you. If you pay attention to the stage of development of your team, your team will work hard to move through the early stages to a level of high performance and there will be no stopping you!!! You will not only reach your goals and objectives, but you will enjoy being part of the team.

Congratulations on your decision to be part of an interagency team. You will

vEverson and Guillory, 2002 Foreword


nd this manual to be an easy read and one that offers practical step-by-step tools for taking your team from a novice team to a team that functions at a high level of performance.

I wish you much success!

Mary Ann O’NeilLeadership ConsultantLeadership Designs, Inc.Longboat Key, Florida

viEverson and Guillory, 2002 Contents


ContentsForeword ................................................................................................... ii

Introduction ............................................................................................. viiiGoals of the Manual ......................................................................................... viiiTuckman’s Model ............................................................................................. ixHow to Use this Manual .................................................................................. ixWhat Stage Are We in on Our Teaming Journey ............................................. xInteragency Team Self-Assessment Instrument ................................................ xiInteragency Team Consultant Assessment Instrument .................................... xiii

Section 1The Forming Stage of Interagency Team Development ................ 1

Goal .................................................................................................................. 1Competencies ................................................................................................. 1Team Timelines for Completing the Forming Stage .......................................... 1What is a Team? ............................................................................................... 2Characteristics of the Forming Stage ................................................................ 2Who Can Initiate a Team? ................................................................................. 2Forming Stage Activities ................................................................................... 3#1: Initiating a Team .......................................................................................... 3#2: Planning and Holding an Initial, Organizational Meeting ........................... 5#3: Planning and Holding Additional, Follow-up Meetingsduring the Forming Stage ................................................................................ 11#4: Conrming the Team’s Membership .......................................................... 15Summary ......................................................................................................... 16

Section 2The Storming Stage of Interagency Team Development ............. 17

Goal ................................................................................................................ 17Competencies ............................................................................................... 17Team Timelines for Completing the Storming Stage ....................................... 17Characteristics of the Storming Stage ............................................................. 18Storming Stage Activities ................................................................................ 18#1: Developing Values/Mission Statements .................................................... 18#2: Conducting Needs Assessments .............................................................. 23#3: Setting Team Goals/Developing Team Action Plans ................................. 27

viiEverson and Guillory, 2002 Contents


Contents#4: Developing Team Structural/Operating Procedures .................................. 32#5: Practicing Effective Meeting Processes, Communication Skills, and Conict Management Skills ........................................................... 37Summary ......................................................................................................... 42

Section 3The Norming Stage of Interagency Team Development .............. 44

Goal ................................................................................................................ 44Competencies ............................................................................................... 44Team Timelines for Completing the Norming Stage ........................................ 44Characteristics of the Norming Stage ............................................................. 45Norming Stage Activities ................................................................................. 45#1: Using Action Plans .................................................................................... 45#2: Using a Case Study Approach .................................................................. 49#3: Field-testing, Evaluating, and Revising Policies andProcedures ...................................................................................................... 53#4: Developing Interagency Agreements ........................................................ 56Summary ......................................................................................................... 57

Section 4The Performing Stage of Interagency Team Development ......... 58

Goal ................................................................................................................ 58Competencies ............................................................................................... 58Team Timelines for Completing the Performing Stage .................................... 58Characteristics of the Performing Stage ......................................................... 59Performing Stage Activities ............................................................................. 59#1: Using Planning Strategies to Maintain a Team’s Directionand Focus ....................................................................................................... 59#2: Using Self-monitoring and Evaluation Strategies toMaintain a Team’s Direction and Focus .......................................................... 64#3: Guiding a Team through Disbandment ...................................................... 69Summary ......................................................................................................... 71

AppendicesSee page 72 for Appendix listings.

viiiEverson and Guillory, 2002 Introduction

IntroductionFor many, many years, human services professionals have recognized the important role that teaming can play in the planning and delivery of quality services. As a result, teaming is considered a best practice in the areas of early intervention, assistive technology, high school-to-adult life transition, workforce development, affordable housing, family support, community development, as well as in many other human services areas.

In recognition of its critical role, much has been written in the professional literature about the importance of teaming; however, little has been written about the process of teaming. Whether the assumption is that teaming is an easy task and, thus, not deserving of a great deal of attention or whether the assumption is that human services professionals receive adequate teaming instruction as part of their specic disciplinary training is unclear. What is clear, however, is that once human services professionals embark upon their careers, many quickly recognize the need for teaming knowledge and teaming skills, along with opportunities to practice these skills and to receive feedback. In survey after survey of professionals, as well as of consumers of human services and their families, teaming is consistently one of the top-requested training and technical assistance needs.

There is an oft-quoted adage that states, “Agencies don’t cooperate, people do.” In truth, teaming is about people cooperating together. More specically, it is about people cooperating with other people to accomplish one or more mutually desired goals. But cooperating with other people across disciplines, across agencies, across cultures, and across multiple goals, roles, and other characteristics is hard work. Is it any wonder, then, that all too many of us are reluctant to join yet another team to address a local problem or that most of us are able to recall more unsuccessful teaming experiences than we are successful ones?

Goals of the Manual

The purpose of this manual is twofold: rst, to introduce interested persons to a teaming model based on the ideas of Dr. Bruce Tuckman (1965); second, to walk team facilitators through a step-by-step process of interagency team initiation and development. Teamwork is hard work, but it is not magical nor mysterious. When teams follow a step-by-step process of development,


ixEverson and Guillory, 2002

such as presented in this manual, they will learn to trust, to communicate, and to take action. In short, they will learn to cooperate in order to accomplish mutually agreed upon goals. They will experience outcomes. And just as importantly, they will feel good about themselves and their teams.

Tuckman’s Model

Tuckman (1965) suggested that teams typically progress through ve common, predictable stages. He labeled these stages forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. The authors of this manual have applied Tuckman’s model to their work with human services teams over the past twenty years. As a result, they have adapted the model to a four-stage model incorporating the forming, storming, norming, and performing stages. Each stage offers team facilitators unique challenges to and opportunities for team development. (See Table 1.)

Table 1: Characteristics of Teams Based on Tuckman’s Stages of Teaming

Forming

• Members are polite, but tentative.

• Cliques may be evident.

• There is minimal conict.

• Membership is unstable.

Performing

• The team is independent, but members are interdependent.

• Empathy is evident.

• The team can make m o n i t o r i n g , evaluation, and a d j o u r n m e n t decisions.

Norming

• R e l a t i o n s h i p s develop; trust is high.

• Goals, roles, and processes are clear and operational.

• A focus on actions emerges.

• Team identity and energy are high.

Storming

• Goals, roles, and processes begin to become clear.

• Leadership may change.

• Struggles and conicts become evident.

How to Use this Manual

This manual is divided into four sections, each addressing one of the four stages. Each section begins with a list of competencies needed by team facilitators to guide a team through that stage. Next, each section guides team facilitators through the stage by describing typical timelines for accomplishing that stage and by identifying common team characteristics during that stage. Finally, each section suggests activities to pursue while the team is in that stage.

Introduction


xEverson and Guillory, 2002 Introduction

In addition, this manual includes an Appendix that provides full-page, reproducible copies of all forms and documents offered as examples throughout the four sections.

What Stage Are We in on Our Teaming Journey?

The very rst question for team facilitators to address is, “Where are we?” If a team has never met before or has only met once or twice, this question is easily answered by the forming stage. But if a team has been in existence for months, or even years, and is just realizing the need for a more structured process of teaming, the answer may not be so obvious. For such a team, the authors suggest that team facilitators guide the team through the self-assessment instrument at the end of this section. (If a consultant is working with the team, a comparable assessment instrument is provided for use at the end of this section, as well.) Team facilitators should ask each team member to individually complete the form and then should tally the results across the team. If there are one or more activities for which a majority of members expresses disagreement in any stage, the team facilitators should consider that the team is functioning in that stage. Accordingly, the team facilitators should guide the team through completion of the activity or activities before moving to the next stage. Thus, a team that has been meeting for nine months may still be functioning in the forming stage, if members do not agree that a preliminary need has been identied or that the team’s membership has been conrmed. A team that has been meeting for three years may be functioning in the storming stage, if recent changes in membership have left members uncertain about goals, roles, or processes.

Once the team has identied the stage in which it is currently functioning, team facilitators can use this manual to guide the team through completion of the suggested activities for that stage. As the activities for that stage are completed, team facilitators should move on to the next stage and the suggested activities for its completion.


xiEverson and Guillory, 2002 Introduction


Interagency Team Self-Assessment Instrument

Names of Team Members Completing Assessment: (Please list team facilitator/leader rst.)_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Telephone Number for Team Facilitator/Leader: __________________ E-mail: _________________

Name of Team: _________________________________ Date Assessment Completed: ___________

As a member of this interagency team, please indicate the extent to which you agree that your team has addressed the following activities.

StronglyAgreeForming Stage

1. We can dene the concept “team” and can describe the characteristics of effective teams.

Agree Disagree StronglyDisagree

No Data/Evidence

2. We have identied the preliminary need to be addressed by the proposed team.

3. We have identied the target population to be impacted by the proposed team.

4. We have identied the geographic area to be served by the proposed team.

5. We have identied the core agencies and stakeholders to serve as members of the proposed team.

6. We have planned and held an initial, organizational meeting.

7. We have planned and held at least three additional, follow-up meetings.

8. We have facilitated an initial discussion of the team’s goals, roles, and processes.

9. We have conrmed the team’s membership.

StronglyAgreeStorming Stage

1. We have developed values and mission statements.


No Data/Evidence

2. We have conducted needs assessment activities.

3. We have set team goals and developed team action plans.

4. We have team structural and operating procedures.

5. We practice effective meeting processes, communication skills, and conict management skills.

xiiEverson and Guillory, 2002 Introduction


Comments: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

StronglyAgreeNorming Stage

1. We implement, revise, and update our action plans.


No Data/Evidence

2. We use a case study approach to focus on both outcome goals and process goals.

3. We eld-test targeted policies and procedures, evaluate their effectiveness, and revise them accordingly.

4. We developed an interagency agreement.

StronglyAgreePerforming Stage

1. We use various planning strategies to help maintain the team’s direction and focus.


No Data/Evidence

2. We use various self-monitoring and evaluation strategies to help maintain the team’s direction and focus.

3. (As appropriate) We are prepared to disband when the community’s needs have been met or the team’s work has been completed.

xiiiEverson and Guillory, 2002 Introduction


Interagency Team Consultant Assessment Instrument

Name(s) of Consultant(s) Completing Assessment: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Telephone Number for Consultant: _________________________ E-mail: _____________________


As a consultant to this interagency team, please indicate the extent to which you agree that it has addressed the following activities.


1. The team can dene the concept “team” and can describe the characteristics of effective teams.


No Data/Evidence

2. The team identied the preliminary need to be addressed by the proposed team.

3. The team identied the target population to be impacted by the proposed team.

4. The team identied the geographic area to be served by the proposed team.

5. The team identied the core agencies and stakeholders to serve as members of the proposed team.

6. The team planned and held an initial, organizational meeting.

7. The team planned and held at least three additional, follow-up meetings.

8. The team facilitated an initial discussion of the team’s goals, roles, and processes.

9. The team conrmed the team’s membership.


1. The team developed values and mission statements.


No Data/Evidence

2. The team conducted needs assessment activities.

3. The team set team goals and developed team action plans.

4. The team developed team structural and operating procedures.

5. The team practices effective meeting processes, communication skills, and conict management skills.

xivEverson and Guillory, 2002 Introduction


Comments: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


1. The team implements, revises, and updates its action plans.


No Data/Evidence

2. The team uses a case study approach to focus on both outcome goals and process goals.

3. The team eld-tests targeted policies and procedures, evaluates their effectiveness, and revises them accordingly.

4. The team developed an interagency agreement.


1. The team uses various planning strategies to help maintain the team’s direction and focus.


No Data/Evidence

2. The team uses various self-monitoring and evaluation strategies to help maintain the team’s direction and focus.

3. (As appropriate) The team is prepared to disband when the community’s needs have been met or the team’s work has been completed.

1Everson and Guillory, 2002

Section OneThe Forming Stage of Interagency Team Development

Goal

Team facilitators will be able to initiate a new interagency team and to guide the newly forming team through the organizational activities and outcomes associated with the forming stage of team development.

Competencies

Upon completion of this section, team facilitators will be able to:1. Dene the concept “team” and describe the characteristics of effective

teams;2. Identify the preliminary need to be addressed by the proposed team;3. Identify the target population to be impacted by the proposed team;4. Identify the geographic area to be served by the proposed team;5. Identify the core agencies and stakeholders to serve as members of the

proposed team;6. Plan and hold an initial, organizational meeting;7. Plan and hold at least three additional, follow-up meetings;8. Facilitate initial discussion of the team’s goals, roles, and processes; and9. Conrm the team’s membership.

Team Timelines for Completing the Forming Stage

Assuming that newly forming interagency teams meet monthly or every other month, most will need between four and eight months and at least four meetings to complete all suggested forming activities. However, these timelines are only suggested guidelines; some teams will need more time or less time and/or meetings to complete all suggested activities.

The Forming Stage of Interagency Team Development

Section One



What is a Team?

A team is a group of two or more people who agree to come together and work interdependently in order to address common needs and to pursue common goals. Over time, and with much hard work, the group will become a team if, and only if, its members: a) identify common needs and shared values; b) agree upon shared missions and goals; c) dene roles and processes that enable members to know who is and who is not a member and to determine expected duties and behaviors; and d) agree upon team regulating

and evaluating procedures.

Varney (1989) suggests that effective teams are characterized by four concepts: (1) team members’ roles are clearly dened; 2) individual and team goals are clearly understood; 3) team structures and practices are understood and agreed upon; and 4)

interdependent working relationships are viewed by members as being essential. Everson and Guillory (1998) offer a denition of an

interagency team specically convened to address the needs of individuals with disabilities. They dene such a team as “…a group of individuals representing multiple and diverse agencies and organizations who come together and commit themselves to teaching, learning, and working together across traditional agency and organizational boundaries to better serve individuals with disabilities” (p. 301).

Characteristics of the Forming Stage

During the forming stage, the newly forming team will need to focus its meeting time and other resources on the process of becoming a team. Little to no time will be spent on the actual needs and goals identied by team facilitators as the team’s very reason for initiation. However, successful completion of the activities suggested in this section of the manual will lay the foundation for more effectively accomplishing team activities during the later stages of teaming.

Who Can Initiate a Team?

Many different persons might be interested in and charged with initiating and facilitating the development of an interagency team. These persons include direct support professionals, mid-level managers, agency or organization directors, external consultants, as well as self-advocates and their family members.

Section One



Some literature on teaming suggests that the most effective teams are those developed by key personnel employed within the agencies or organizations comprising the team’s membership. Other literature suggests that the most effective teams are those developed by self-advocates and their families. Still other literature suggests that the most effective teams are those developed with the support of external consultants.

The authors of this guide believe that any individual or group of people can initiate an interagency team; however, the most effective teams will be

those nurtured by a group of individuals represented by a balanced number of key professionals, self-advocates, and their families. Further, when necessary and appropriate, the most effective interagency teams will use the resources of external consultants to help them grow as teams.

As previously stated, the goal of this manual is to provide any interested individuals or groups of people with the knowledge and skills necessary to facilitate the initiation and development of an interagency team. Thus, team facilitators must understand the concept of teaming and must have the knowledge, skills, and energy to guide a newly forming team through the activities suggested in this manual. They must evidence leadership skills and behaviors and must build leadership in other members. They must obtain the commitment of all core agencies,

organizations, and constituents as they pursue the suggested activities. Lastly, they must have the self-awareness and resources to seek the services

of external consultants to guide a team through all stages and activities if the need arises.

Forming Stage Activities

The authors of this manual suggest that team facilitators guide a newly forming team through the completion of four major activities during the forming stage. These activities are: 1) initiating the team; 2) planning and holding an initial, organizational meeting; 3) planning and holding at least three additional, follow-up meetings to begin discussing the team’s goals, roles, and processes; and 4) conrming the team’s membership.

#1: Initiating a Team

What is our community need? How could an interagency team address this need better than individual agencies or organizations? Team facilitators must answer both of these questions in order to complete the rst forming

Section One



activity — initiating a team. A team is effective when individuals are able to dene and agree upon community needs and when they recognize that a collaborative relationship will be mutually benecial in addressing these needs.

What is our community need? A need may be dened as a lack of something useful or desirable. For example, team facilitators might identify a need for affordable housing, a need for more employment opportunities, a need for more public transportation options, a need for a higher rate of

high school completion, a need for a lower rate of crime among juveniles, a need for coordinated school-to-adult life transition services, a need for well-prepared direct support professionals, or a need for more knowledgeable and active families and self-advocates. Any or all of these might be community needs that would bring agencies and people together as an interagency team.

Team facilitators must be able to identify the preliminary community need(s) that will bring people from multiple agencies together. The preliminary need(s) must be broad enough to capture the interest of a diverse group of stakeholders, but narrow enough to appear accomplishable to the identied stakeholders. During the forming stage, team facilitators will use the preliminary community need(s) to identify core agencies and stakeholders and to entice them to serve as team members. During the next stage, the storming stage, team facilitators will guide the group through structured needs assessment activities to help members further rene the preliminary need(s) and reach consensus on one or more specic community needs and desired solutions.

How could an interagency team address this need better than individual agencies or organizations? As team facilitators talk among themselves and to others, and as they gather and review information and materials, they must be able to respond to this question. In most communities, it will be easy to identify many needs; the difculty will be in identifying one or more needs that will bring a group of people together. Identied needs must be needs that core stakeholders believe can be better addressed by a team rather than by individuals. That is, professionals must believe that if an interagency team addresses this need, each of them will be able to address the need by doing their jobs in a more efcient and higher quality manner than if they pursue the need individually. Family members and self-advocates must believe that if an interagency team addresses this need, each of

Section One


them and other constituents will benet more than if they pursue the need individually.

In sum, the very rst step in initiating an interagency team is to identify the preliminary community need(s) that team facilitators can use to bring people together. During the forming stage, the preliminary need(s) will expand and change as more people and agencies are contacted and asked to join the newly forming team. The need(s) will further expand and change as comprehensive needs assessment activities are conducted during the storming stage. However, identication of the preliminary need(s) is critical to the initial organization of an interagency team. When team facilitators are able to respond to the two questions posed earlier, they will be able to move to the second forming activity.

#2: Planning and Holding an Initial, Organizational Meeting

Who is the target population to be impacted by the identied needs? What is the geographic area or community to be served by the proposed team?

Which core agencies or stakeholders will serve as members of the proposed team? Team facilitators must answer all of these

questions in order to complete the second forming activity — planning and holding an initial, organizational meeting of the

newly forming team.

Who is the target population? The target population is the group of people impacted by the preliminary community need(s). For example,

the population impacted by a lack of public transportation options might be persons with disabilities and the elderly. The population impacted by

a lack of affordable housing might be persons with disabilities and other persons with incomes less than the community’s median income. The population impacted by a lack of employment opportunities might be persons with disabilities and other entry-level employees. The population impacted by a lack of coordinated school-to-adult life transition services might be all teenagers receiving special education services authorized by IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act).

Team facilitators will need to determine a target population that is broad enough to capture the commitment of a diverse base of stakeholders and potential resources, but narrow enough not to jeopardize services to the most vulnerable target populations. That is, for some needs and in some communities, there may be more advantages than disadvantages to combining


Section One


efforts across multiple target populations. For other needs and in other communities, however, there may be more advantages than disadvantages to targeting very specic and limited target populations. For example, some interagency teams have come together specically to address the educational needs of children and youth who have been assigned the label “deafblind”. Other interagency teams have come together specically to address employment opportunities for all young adults making the transition from school-to-work, targeting both youth with and without disabilities.

What is the geographic area or community to be served by the proposed team? Depending upon identied needs, target populations, and other

community factors, team facilitators will need to dene the service catchment area to be served by the proposed team. For example, some interagency teams might address one local school district or even multiple school districts, whereas others might address a single high school. Further, some interagency teams might serve a regional vocational rehabilitation area consisting of multiple school

districts or counties within a state, whereas others might serve a single school district or county. Just as community needs and target

populations might change over time, as the team becomes more fully formed, so too might the geographic area served by the team.

Concurrent with thinking about these two questions, team facilitators must respond to a third question. Which core agencies and stakeholders will serve as members of the proposed team? During the forming stage, team facilitators will use the identied target population and geographic area to identify core agencies and stakeholders and to entice them to serve as team members. During a later stage, as the community’s needs and the team’s goals change, it would not be unusual for an interagency team to expand to a broader target population and, thus, expand the team’s membership to a broader group of core agencies and stakeholders. During the forming stage, it is critical to identify all potential core agencies and stakeholders and to nurture their involvement in and their commitment to the newly forming team.

Figure 1 is an example of a simple planning worksheet that team facilitators might use to identify core agencies and key stakeholders. The worksheet should be used to stimulate thinking about potential member agencies, as well as the actual positions and names of people within the identied agencies. This worksheet is only a tool and should be modied by team facilitators, as appropriate, to identify potential agencies and stakeholders.

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The purpose of responding to the questions posed thus far is to ensure that all potential agencies and stakeholders are invited to an initial, organizational meeting of a proposed team to address a common need. Thus, once team facilitators can answer these questions, they can feel condent that they are ready to contact potential team members and to invite them to an initial, organizational meeting.

To invite potential team members, team facilitators should consider several planning logistics:• Should introductory telephone calls, face-to-face meetings, or e-mails be

used with potential member agencies to precede a more formal, detailed invitation?

• Should invitations be written on the letterhead of one of the initiating agencies? Or, should they be written on non-letterhead stationery?

Figure 1: Sample Planning Worksheet to Identify Potential Member Agencies and Stakeholders

MEMBERSHIP PLANNING WORKSHEET

Our preliminary community need is ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Education:

1.

2.

Rehabilitation:

1.

2.

Employers:

1.

2.

Chamber of Commerce:

1.

2.

Family Members:

1.

2.

Workforce Investment Board:

1.

2.

Self-Advocates:

1.

2.

One-Stop Workforce Center:

1.

2.

Social Security Administration:

1.

2.

Technical College:

1.

2.

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• To whom should invitations be directed? (e.g., invited persons; their supervisors; agency leadership?)

• Where is the most appropriate location to hold the initial meeting? (e.g., agency conference room; hotel or civic center meeting room; accessible location; on public transit route; central to identied catchment area?)

• What are the best date, day, and time for all invited persons to attend a meeting? (e.g., pre-work day breakfast meeting; lunch meeting; workday meeting allowing long-distance travel time; evening meeting; weekend meeting?)

• Are travel stipends available for families and self-advocates?

• Is there a need for assistive services and are funds available to support them? (e.g., American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters; foreign language interpreters; Braille or large print materials?)

• How and when should invitations be followed up? (e.g., telephone calls, e-mail, or enclosed response forms to be returned by mail to indicate participation?)

Once invitational logistics have been determined, team facilitators next must turn their attention to the content of the invitation. The invitation should briey address the work of the team facilitators thus far, should entice the potential team members to come to the meeting and consider joining the team, and should provide them with all necessary information about the meeting. The invitation might include:• A statement of the purpose of the meeting;• A brief description of the preliminary need(s);• A brief rationale for the use of an interagency team to address the need;• A statement as to why the invited agency or organization’s participation

on the team is essential;• A brief statement of potential activities the interagency team might pursue

(e.g., exploration of single-point-of-entry process for adolescents exiting high school into adult services; interagency outreach to families and students of diverse cultures; cross-agency personnel training; etc.);

• An estimated preliminary time commitment for potential team members (e.g., one three-hour meeting per month; one full-day meeting every four months; etc.);

• The date, time, and location of the initial, organizational meeting;• A mechanism for requesting assistive services and/or travel stipends;• A method for responding to the invitation; and nally• A contact person for additional information.

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jliourde odmedn snacksbebveragesdiscusess upcomming recent and local events

TEAM

MEETING


Once everyone has been invited to attend an initial, organizational meeting, the team facilitators must now plan the agenda and logistics for the meeting. Although it is possible, and in many communities even likely, that invited team members will know each other and even serve together on other interagency teams, this meeting will be the group’s rst experience as a newly forming team. Thus, it is very important that the rst experience be a positive one for everyone!

If team facilitators carefully develop the agenda and attend to meeting logistics, this will help make the initial meeting a good experience for everyone. A favorable experience will encourage invited participants to come to additional meetings and, ultimately, to become active team members.

There are two guidelines to consider when developing the agenda for the rst meeting and for all subsequent meetings: 1) there should be sufcient business items on the agenda to justify everyone’s time and energy and 2) identied agenda items should be able to be completed in the time designated for the meeting. Figure 2 is an example of an agenda appropriate for a two- or three-hour initial, organizational meeting. However, team facilitators will want to adjust this agenda to address the unique needs of their community and the time allotted for the meeting.

Figure 2: Sample Agenda for Initial, Organizational Meeting

Initial Meeting

I. Welcome and IntroductionsII. Purpose/Goal of MeetingIII. Proposed Roles for Initial MeetingIV. Review of AgendaV. Rationale for Organization of TeamVI. Overview of Preliminary Need(s) and Target PopulationVII. Description of Geographic Catchment Area of Proposed TeamVIII. Rationale for Involvement of Invited Agencies/StakeholdersIX. Introductory Icebreaker ActivityX. Discussion of Similar Team Efforts in Other CommunitiesXI. Preliminary Discussion of Needs, Goals, and MembershipXII. General Announcements/Information SharingXIII. Discussion of Next Steps, including Draft Agenda and Logistics for Second MeetingXIV. Review of Action Plan/Summary

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The ow of the agenda is as important as the content of the agenda. An effective meeting will begin with a statement of the goal of the meeting, followed by a statement of the roles of invited participants, and an overview of the meeting’s agenda. The agenda should allow time for socializing or an icebreaker activity, as well as general announcements or sharing of information. Team facilitators might also consider organizing business items on the agenda so that easy items (e.g., those items requiring sharing or discussion only) are addressed rst and last and that more difcult items (e.g., those items requiring discussion and decision-making) are addressed in the middle of the meeting. Finally, an effective meeting will conclude with a summary of the discussions held, ideas proposed, and decisions made, and these items will be translated into a written action plan that is distributed to all participants. The action plan (see Figure 3) will guide invited team members into taking agreed-upon actions before the next scheduled meeting and will lay the foundation for more effective meetings throughout the team’s existence. (Action planning is discussed in more detail in Section 3 of this guide.)

Section One


Figure 3: Sample Action Plan Form

ACTION PLAN FOR ______________________DATE DEVELOPED _______________________

ACTION PERSONRESPONSIBLE

COMPLETIONDATE STATUS

11Everson and Guillory, 2002 Section One


Once team facilitators have nalized all meeting logistics, they will need to distribute the information to all invited participants. Materials may be mailed or e-mailed to arrive at least two weeks in advance of the scheduled meeting and should include: a) notice of the meeting date, time, and location; b) a copy of the agenda; and c) a copy of any relevant information or materials that will help participants prepare for the meeting.

The meeting facilitators should plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before the scheduled starting time of the rst meeting in order

to attend to any unforeseen problems with accessing the meeting space, arranging seating, coordinating parking, coordinating support and audiovisual services, and/or preparing refreshments.

An important goal of the initial, organizational meeting is to conrm invited participants’ interest in joining the newly forming team and to secure commitment to attend at least three additional follow-up meetings over the next two to seven months. Thus, the initial, organizational meeting should conclude with: a) the development of an action plan identifying any actions that team members need to take before a second meeting; b) development of a draft agenda for the second meeting; c) conrmation of a preliminary membership list with names, afliations, and contact information; and d) conrmation of a date, time, and location for a second, follow-up meeting.

#3: Planning and Holding Additional, Follow-up Meetings during the Forming Stage

What are the critical team development and organizational activities that an interagency team needs to address during the forming stage? A newly forming team will spend most of its time during the three or more meetings following the initial, organizational meeting getting to know each other and discussing and planning the team’s goals, roles, and processes. Team meeting agendas will vary tremendously according to each team’s preliminary needs, geographic catchment areas, meeting schedules, and teaming skills of members; however, Figure 4 offers an example of a meeting agenda developed by one interagency team. This agenda is offered as an example only and should be modied by team facilitators and members as appropriate.

Eagerness and politeness are predictable characteristics of an interagency team during the forming stage. Team members will need to spend time together in order to get to know each other. First impressions will be made


Figure 4: Sample Agenda for Follow-up Meeting

Second Meeting

I. Welcome and Introductions of New MembersII. Purpose/Goal of MeetingIII. Proposed Roles for Second MeetingIV. Review of AgendaV. Review of Action Plan from First MeetingVI. Icebreaker ActivityVII. Consensus of Need(s) to be Addressed by TeamVIII. Consensus of Target PopulationIX. Consensus of Team’s Geographic Catchment AreaX. Consensus of MembershipXI. Discussion of Preliminary Goals Suggested at Initial MeetingXII. General Announcements/Information SharingXIII. Discussion of Next Steps, including Draft Agenda and Logistics for Third MeetingXIV. Review of Action Plan/Summary

and, unfortunately, may become set in stone! Most everyone will want to be viewed by his or her peers as willing, competent, and helpful. As members get to know each other, they will begin the long process of learning to trust each other and to communicate effectively.

Members will want to learn how to t into this new group. Thus, some team members may ask many questions and offer many suggestions. Other team members will refrain from giving too much information. As members learn more about other individual members, they will begin seeking those members with similar interests and goals with whom to form alliances. During the forming stage, these alliances may range from joining forces with other cigarette smokers during breaks to sitting next to other parents during meetings. In later stages, these alliances will become more focused on common values, needs, and goals specic to the team’s work.

Icebreaker activities help a team address this need to get to know each other and to develop alliances. An icebreaker is any relatively simple and quick activity that assists people in getting to know something about themselves and other team members. Many team facilitators and team members nd it helpful to include an icebreaker activity as a part of every team meeting during the forming stage.

Section One



For example, team members might be asked to spend a few minutes at the beginning of the meeting completing a “Scavenger Hunt” worksheet that has been prepared by team facilitators before the meeting. The goal of this activity is to have participants talk among themselves in order to complete the worksheet with the names of team members with specic characteristics. For example, someone who was born in a specied city or state, someone who was born during a specied month, someone who has an unusual pet, someone who has traveled to a specied exotic location for a vacation, someone who has held more than ve different jobs, and so forth.

As another example, team members might be asked to pair off with one other person whom they do not know well. Working in pairs, the goal of this activity is for each participant to identify three things they have in common with their new partner and then to introduce their new friend to the rest of the team by describing the newly discovered things they have in common.

Icebreakers can also be used to facilitate the team’s discussion about common goals and desired roles and processes. For example, team facilitators may lead team members through a “Magic Wand” activity where each member imagines waving a magic wand to identify three things he or she would change about a current job, a boss, the identied community need, or something else appropriate to the team’s discussion and activities. Participants are next asked to share their ideas with other team members, resulting in a group discussion of common needs.

As another example, team facilitators might lead team members through an activity titled “Marooned”. In this activity, participants work as a team to identify ve items they value enough as a team to take with them if they were marooned on a deserted island. The goal of this activity is to identify common values and to discuss the team process the group used to reach consensus.

There are literally hundreds of books and Internet sites available that include suggestions of virtually thousands of icebreaker activities that might be appropriate for a newly forming interagency team. A specic icebreaker should be selected and included as part of a team’s agenda because the team facilitators are comfortable leading it and because its goal and time requirements t within the team’s meeting agenda goals and timeframes.

Section One



Along with getting to know each other as individuals, team members will also begin to understand each other’s needs and goals during the forming stage. As they become more familiar with each other’s needs and goals, they will begin to feel some sense of team purpose. They will begin to develop a feeling of commitment toward the team and a feeling of ownership over the team’s preliminary needs and goals. As teams reach this level of commitment and ownership, they will begin to move into the next stage, the storming stage.

During the forming stage, team facilitators should facilitate icebreakers and team discussions that encourage individual team members, and the team as a whole, to think about and discuss the newly forming team’s preliminary needs, agencies’ needs, and personal needs, and to begin identifying potential goals to address these needs. At this stage, team facilitators should encourage discussion of common needs and goals, but refrain from nalizing either one until all forming activities have been completed and the team is ready to move to the next stage.

During the next stage, the storming stage, the team will conduct more comprehensive needs assessment activities and be able to nalize the goals it wishes to pursue. Goals are statements of desired, measurable outcomes to be observed in the team’s functioning and, in turn, in the delivery of needed services to the target population. They are written statements of a desirable future state of affairs. Goals are behavioral, measurable, and attainable, and they have timeframes. There should be a direct relationship between identied needs and desired goals.

It is never too early in a team’s development to begin addressing effective team meeting processes. Team meeting agendas during the forming stages should include discussion of these issues, but not necessarily resolution.

Instead, these discussions will be pursued more aggressively during the storming stage.

During the forming stage, most interagency teams will nd that the team facilitators (i.e., the people who initiated the teams) will need to assume leadership roles. The team facilitators likely will need to chair or co-chair meetings, prepare and distribute agendas and materials, facilitate discussions and decisions, manage conicts, and organize all meeting

logistics. Even at this stage, when members are still feeling hesitant about each other and about the team, team facilitators

can encourage members to assume roles such as that of timekeeper,

Section One



recorder or secretary, and, in some cases, even serving as co-chair of the team with a team facilitator. These roles may be dened as temporary, perhaps for a period of four to six months, until the team has completed all forming activities and is ready to move into the next stage.

Ineffective meeting processes are generally not noticed until there is a problem. Starting and ending meetings late, ineffective notication of meeting dates, times, and locations, and unprepared team facilitators are all signs that a team needs to review meeting procedures. The solution to many team problems is a strategy known as “Goals, Roles,

and Process”. This simple strategy requires team facilitators to begin each meeting with a statement of the expected goal(s) for the meeting, followed by afrmation or assignment of roles (chair, timekeeper, recorder, interpreter, etc.) and the process (overview of the agenda). Following this golden rule of effective meetings will accomplish three purposes. First, it helps team facilitators prepare for meetings. Second, it helps all team members prepare for and participate in meetings. Third, it lays a foundation for future, effective meetings and team leaders.

#4: Conrming the Team’s Membership

How can an interagency team secure commitment from individuals and member agencies regarding their continued membership? The nal activity of the forming stage is conrmation of the team’s membership. This is a critical forming activity because it says “We exist!” and tells other people who is and who is not a member. Further, clearly dened membership encourages commitment to the team and ownership over team activities. Without this commitment, attendance at team meetings can become a problem. Consequently, accountability becomes a problem when the team begins setting goals and pursuing action plan items during later stages.

Conrming a team’s membership requires more than just developing a written list of names, afliations, and contact information. Conrming membership requires obtaining a commitment from team members’ supervisors or agency heads. Many interagency teams nd it useful to have agency heads write a letter on agency letterhead appointing a staff member to serve on the team. This letter serves two purposes. First, it legitimizes the person’s role on the team and the agency resources he or she brings to the team. Second, if the appointed person assumes another position, retires, or moves, it provides leverage to have the agency appoint a replacement.

Section One



Once membership is conrmed, team facilitators should develop a dated membership list with names, afliations, and contact

information and disseminate it to all team members. The team membership list will likely need to be reviewed and updated at least annually, as agency personnel change, as

family and self-advocacy groups evolve, and as the identied community needs and goals change. Membership revisions

may be as simple as replacing one member with the person who assumed his or her place within an agency or organization, or as

complex as adding or eliminating an agency or organization as the community’s needs and goals change.

Summary

Teams facilitators are advised to remember the golden rule of “Goals, Roles, and Process” as they guide an interagency

team through the organizational activities associated with the forming stage. Assuming that newly forming interagency teams meet monthly or every other month, most will need between four and eight months and at least four meetings to complete all suggested forming activities. By the fourth meeting, most teams will be well on their way to beginning the storming stage. Successful completion of the activities suggested in this section of the manual will lay the foundation for accomplishing more effective team activities during this stage, as well as the later stages of teaming.

Section One



Section TwoThe Storming Stage of Interagency Team Development

Goal

Team facilitators will be able to guide an interagency team through the planning activities and outcomes associated with the storming stage of team development.

Competencies

Upon completion of this section, team facilitators will be able to:1. Guide the team to develop values and mission statements;2. Guide the team to conduct needs assessment activities;3. Guide the team to set team goals and develop team action plans;4. Guide the team to develop team structural and operating procedures; and5. Guide the team to practice effective meeting processes, communication

skills, and conict management skills.

Team Timelines for Completing the Storming Stage

Assuming that interagency teams have completed all forming activities and continue to meet monthly or every other month, most will need approximately ten meetings and between ten and twenty months to complete all suggested storming activities. However, these timelines are only suggested guidelines; some teams will need more or less time and/or meetings to accomplish all suggested activities. Interestingly, Robbins and Finley (2001) estimate that most teams will spend three-fths of their time together, from the team’s initiation to completion of all of the team’s desired activities, in the forming and storming stages. Thus, the activities and timelines associated with the storming stage are critical, and teams are advised not to rush either one.

The Storming Stage of Interagency Team Development

Section Two



Section Two

Characteristics of the Storming Stage

The storming stage is a period of planning and negotiation for a team and, often, a period of role changes for team facilitators. Robbins and Finley (2001) humorously summarize, “Rank with individual emotion, group conflict, and

change, storming is not for the squeamish. The best that can be said for it is, it is necessary, and it gets things out of the way. What a team fails to settle during storming will surely return to haunt it at a later date — and probably to return the team, kicking and screaming, to the eye of its own storm” (p. 8). For most team members, this will be the first time they understand and appreciate the organizational activities they dedicated so much time and energy to during the forming stage, for to

survive this stage, a team must build upon the solid foundation it laid during the forming stage.

During the storming stage, a team will refine many of the organizational activities it began during the forming stage. Specifically, the team will begin addressing new planning activities associated with needs assessments, goal setting, and action planning. In addition, the team will continue addressing role development activities begun during the forming stage, especially those associated with leadership growth within team members other than the team facilitators. Lastly, team members will practice and refine those activities associated with effective meeting processes, effective communication, and conflict management.

Storming Stage Activities

The authors of this guide suggest that team facilitators guide a newly formed team through completion of five major activities during the storming stage: 1) developing values and mission statements; 2) conducting needs assessment activities; 3) setting team goals and developing team action plans; 4) developing team structural and operating procedures; and 5) practicing effective meeting processes, communication skills, and conflict management skills.

#1: Developing Values/Mission Statements

What do we value as a team? Why do we exist? Team facilitators must assist the team in answering both of these questions in order to develop two written team statements during the storming stage. These statements are: 1) a values statement and 2) a mission statement.



Section Two

What do we value as a team? A value may be defined as something to which one or more people assign worth, merit, or importance. Thus, a values statement is a statement of the driving principles that are viewed by team members as being worthy, meritorious, or important. A values statement enables team members to explore and reach consensus on issues of importance with respect to the needs of the target population in the target community. Further, a values statement lets people who are not members of the team know what the team believes about services and supports for the target population. Finally, a values statement can help minimize typical storming problems, such as disagreement, conflict, and competition, by focusing the team’s discussions on its beliefs when problems arise, as they inevitably will, during the storming stage.

Values statements often begin with the opening, “We believe…”. For example, when teams have come together to address needs important to individuals with disabilities and their families, they may begin their values statement, “We believe that people with disabilities and their families have

the right to choose from an array of education, living, and employment options.”

Values statements typically take a team approximately two to two and one-half hours during one or sometimes two team meetings to develop. It is important that all team members participate in brainstorming suggested values and in writing the statement. To assist a team in developing a values statement, team facilitators may find it useful to follow the steps outlined in Figure 1. In addition, some team facilitators have also found it useful to include a “Values Auction” icebreaker activity, as detailed in Figure 2, to stimulate the brainstorming and discussion necessary for steps #4 - #5 of the process outlined in Figure 1. Figure 3 is an example of a complete values statement developed by one interagency team formed to address a lack of transition services for youth with disabilities in its local community.

Why do we exist? Once a team has written and adopted a values statement, it is ready to define its mission and to capture it in a written statement. A mission statement is a statement of the team’s overarching purpose or goal. It lets team members, as well as people who are not members of the team, know why the team exists. Further, a mission statement describes why a group has committed to a team approach and provides the newly formed team with an identity. Just as values statements do, mission statements can also help minimize typical storming problems by focusing a team’s discussion



Section Two

Figure 1: A Step-by-Step Process for Team Facilitators for Developing Values Statements

1. State the goal of the activity and the amount of time to be dedicated to the activity. (It is suggested that a minimum of two and one-half hours be dedicated to this activity.)

2. Identify a timekeeper and a recorder.

3. Provide team members with a denition of a value and state the purpose of having a values statement.

4. Dedicate approximately 20 minutes to brainstorming and discussing desired team values. List brainstormed values on ipchart paper as they are suggested. Ensure that the recorder and all team members understand the meaning of the value being suggested.

5. Attempt to categorize similar values to reduce the number of brainstormed values to a smaller, more manageable number. Facilitate discussion to prioritize and rank suggested values.1 Dedicate approximately 40 minutes to this step in the activity.

6. Dedicate approximately one and one-half hours to writing the statement. Consider using this time period for the team to develop a draft statement, and then asking all team members to reect upon it between this meeting and the next meeting, when nal revisions will be made and the statement adopted by the team. Use ipchart paper to write suggested components of the statement. Use active listening skills to facilitate understanding, reach agreement, minimize conict, and summarize the team’s work.

7. Suggest an opening sentence, such as “We believe that…”.

8. Conclude the activity by summarizing the goal and the process and by dening next steps.

__________________________1As discussed in the narrative, team facilitators may choose to guide the team through a “Values Auction” (Figure 2), in lieu of step #5, as an icebreaker. This activity may be used with one large team of 8 or more people divided into two teams. It may also be used as part of a team retreat where multiple teams are brought together for a training session.



Section Two

Figure 2: “Values Auction”

Goal of Activity:To stimulate team discussion about the values associated with a specic need.

Time Required:45-60 minutes

Materials Required:Flipchart paper, markers, one pre-counted pile of play money for each team (e.g., $50,000 of bills in a variety of denominations), bidding paddles made from brightly colored index cards glued to Popsicle sticks for each team to use, pre-written list of bidding rules, pre-written list of values

Roles:Auctioneer, team bankers, team bidders, team spokespersons

Process:1. State the goal of the activity.2. Divide the group into smaller teams of at least three people, and ask each of the smaller

teams to select a team name.3. Indicate that the team facilitator will serve as the auctioneer. Describe the various other

roles (i.e., bankers to hold/monitor the money; bidders to indicate bids from each team; spokespersons to share each team’s activities with the other teams) and ask each team to choose one person to ll each role.

4. Distribute the piles of money to the banker for each team. Distribute the bidding paddles to the bidder for each team.

5. Describe the rules of the activity. (e.g., opening bids must be for a minimum of $20; team members may talk among themselves during the auction, but only the assigned bidder may speak/raise the bidding paddle; a team may spend all its money on one or a few values or bid on all of the values as long as the team agrees; etc.)

6. Briey summarize the pre-written list of values. (This should be a list of values that have previously been brainstormed by the team.)

7. Allow each team 15 minutes to reach consensus on: what values they wish to purchase; how much they want to bid for each; and how they want the bidder to proceed when, and if, other teams compete with their bids.

8. Working through the list of values, begin the auction process with the rst value, recognizing bids and accepting the bid money from the bankers as each value is sold. As each value is sold, write the name of the team that purchased it and the amount it sold for on the ipchart paper listing the values.

9. Conclude the activity with a group discussion among the teams. How did the team members decide which values to purchase? How did they interact as a team during the auction process?



Section Two

on desired goals and activities that address agreed-upon needs and values. Mission statements often begin with openings such as, “We are…” or “We exist in order to…” or “Our goal is…”.

Similar to values statements, mission statements typically take a team approximately two to two and one-half hours during one or sometimes two team meetings to develop. To assist a team in developing a mission statement, team facilitators may find it useful to post three questions on chart paper: 1) Who are we? 2) Why are we working together? and 3) What is our goal? A mission statement answers these three questions. For example, “The goal of the River Falls Interagency Team is to address the lack of affordable and accessible housing options for our citizens with disabilities and low incomes.”

Rees (1997) notes that a quality mission statement should be brief, clear, and inspiring. She goes on to note that a team’s mission statement must be challenging enough to energize the team, but not so grand or so broad that it is impossible to achieve. Figure 4 is an example of a complete mission statement developed by one interagency team formed to address a lack of transition services for youth with disabilities in its local community.

Figure 3: Example of a Values Statement Developed by an Interagency Team

“We believe that every individual has unique choices and dreams. We further believe that every individual has unique gifts and abilities to offer his/her family and community. To this end, we believe it is the responsibility of human service agencies in (name of community) to work collaboratively to empower every individual to maximize his/her full potential.”

Figure 4: Example of a Mission Statement Developed by an Interagency Team

“The mission of (name of team) is to support the transition of youth with disabilities from high school to adult life by providing them, their families, and the personnel who serve them with information about and accessibility to all available resources. We will provide students and their families with the information and skills necessary to participate in their Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings. We will provide students and their families with teachers and adult service providers who are knowledgeable in their respective areas of interagency transition services. We will provide community businesses with a well-informed, well-trained, and employable workforce.”



Section Two

Once a team has developed its values and mission statements, members should publicly display them and refer to them during future team meetings and activities. For example, some teams find it useful to develop team letterhead and/or brochures that include their values and mission statements. Other teams display large posters delineating their statements on the wall during team meetings or display them when they make presentations for professional conferences or for family and self-advocacy groups. Some teams even find it advantageous for team members to recite their statements as an opening activity for their team meetings. At the very least, these statements must be part of an orientation packet provided to new members as the team grows and evolves.

Regardless of how a team chooses to display its statements, members must also choose to use them. Both statements must be used to anchor a team’s discussions about needs, goals, activities, and practices during future meetings of the storming stage and other future stages. When a team’s discussion seems unfocused, when team members express disagreement, or when discussions become volatile, team facilitators may want to remind the team of its values and mission: “Will adoption of this practice support what we believe about services for the target population?” or “Will accomplishment of this goal help us accomplish the work we came together to do?”

In addition, periodically, the team should review, and either re-commit or update, both statements. The authors of this

guide recommend that a team do so at least annually. According to Everson and Rachal (1996), an effective team uses its values and mission statements to ask itself, “Are we doing what we believe and are we doing what we came together to do?” If the answers to these questions are

negative or uncertain, they suggest that the team must either change its values and mission statements or change its goals.

#2: Conducting Needs Assessments

What are the specific needs faced by the target population in our community? Before undertaking any further planning activities, a newly formed team must further define and assess its identified, preliminary needs. As time-consuming as these activities may seem to a team eager to begin addressing the needs that brought it together, the time spent clearly defining and assessing the specific needs to be addressed in a community will enhance long-term systems change.



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Hasenfeld (1974) suggests that comprehensive needs assessments make it easier to mobilize community support for planned change and assist with the development of clear, objective-based annual and long-range plans for systems change. Thus, needs assessments provide an interagency team with the information it needs to mobilize resources and to set preliminary annual and long-range plans to address the needs.

The purpose of needs assessment activities is to provide the team with additional information to confirm, expand, and/or clarify the preliminary needs. Collected data provide the team with baseline or pre-intervention data on the status of services and the target population. Among other things, needs assessment data identify: a) gaps in service delivery; b) duplication of service delivery; c) discrepancies between values statements and services; d) reliable numbers of present and future target populations; and e) specific supports and services desired by target populations. Figure 5 summarizes the specific questions frequently answered by needs assessments.

Figure 5: Questions Frequently Answered by Needs Assessments

1. (From the perspective of a variety of stakeholders,) what are the most pressing needs?2. Are services addressing these needs?3. How do services compare with “best practices”?4. Are services meeting consumers’ needs?5. Are consumers satised with services and outcomes?6. Are services meeting the needs of personnel?7. Are personnel satised with services and outcomes?8. What are the values and missions of the programs providing services?9. Are resources sufcient to meet the needs?10. Are budget decisions based on the needs of target populations and program evaluation

data?11. How will needs assessment data be used to make program decisions?

The key to any successful needs assessment activity is not how much it costs, who does it, how long it takes, or even the findings. Instead, a successful needs assessment is one that provides all team members with the data needed to fully understand the needs of the community and target population and to identify goals and actions necessary and appropriate to address the needs.

Warheit and colleagues (1984) categorize needs assessment approaches into five specific approaches, summarized in Figure 6. An interagency team



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Figure 6: Common Needs Assessment Approaches (Warheit et al., 1984)

1. Key Informant ApproachThe team identies those individuals in the community who are in the best position to know about the community’s needs. Key individuals might include: agency directors and other leadership personnel; members of advisory boards; parent and self-advocate leaders; as well as legislators and other policy makers. A major disadvantage of the key informant approach is that the people who are identied as key informants may very well be the team members themselves or the supervisors and funders of the team members. This built-in bias may make it difcult for them to accurately represent the full needs of the community. In addition, the key informant approach requires careful attention to ensure that the perspectives of all community members are addressed. For example, unless careful attention is paid, the perspectives of persons with disabilities, persons with low incomes, persons who live in rural or inner-city communities, minorities, etc., may be under-represented. The advantage of this approach is that is relatively simple and inexpensive. Once key informants have been identied, they may be interviewed in person, by telephone, or through the mail using a standardized set of questions.2. Community Forum ApproachThe community forum approach is similar to the key informant approach in that it requires the team to identify people who know and understand the community’s needs. Some of the potential for bias and under-representation are reduced because a larger number of people are identied. A team using this approach typically invites people to attend one of a series of community forums, public meetings, or focus groups. The primary advantage of this approach is that a larger and more diverse number of people can be involved. The openness of the meetings is an additional advantage, allowing people to share and expand on each other’s ideas and experiences. The major disadvantage is the difculty in recording information; the team may need to secure the services of a court reporter or other transcriber to capture everything that is said and to prepare a nal report. 3. Rates Under Treatment ApproachThe rates under treatment approach requires a team to identify a sample of service recipients from the target population, to survey them, and then to generalize the survey results to the larger community and target population. There are time-consuming steps associated with this approach: obtaining lists of the target population; determining an adequate sample; and developing procedures to guarantee the anonymity of the respondents. Unless a sample is carefully determined, an additional disadvantage is the assumption that the sample accurately reects the needs of the entire population. An advantage of the approach is that it allows the team to develop a standardized survey or assessment instrument and then to collect numerical, quantiable data. 4. Field Survey ApproachThe eld survey begins with the development of a standardized set of questions that can be distributed to a large number of people, enabling them to respond to mailed questionnaires or through telephone interviews. Surveys can contain open-ended questions, such as “My biggest need is…”, forced-choice questions with multiple-choice responses, or both. The eld survey approach is relatively time and cost efcient and data may be easily quantied. The major disadvantage is the need to draw an adequate and accurate sample of people to respond to the survey.5. Social Indicators ApproachThe social indicators approach requires the team to use public documents and records to learn about the needs. In this approach, the team uses existing data to make inferences, instead of collecting additional and new data. For example, the team might review unemployment records, program admission and discharge records, IEPs (Individualized Education Programs), high school dropout rates, program policy and procedure manuals, copies of local interagency agreements, etc. The primary advantage of this approach is that it enables the team to draw upon an existing database. The primary disadvantages are the time commitment required to read and research the documents and the assumption that the databases accurately reect the community’s needs.



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might consider using one of these approaches or a combination of several approaches.

How does a team decide what approach or approaches to use? Each approach has distinct advantages and disadvantages. They vary in their objectives, implementation costs and timelines, and target audiences. Therefore, there is no one correct answer. Figure 7 presents some questions interagency teams might consider in order to chose and design one of the needs assessment approaches suggested in Figure 6.

Figure 7: Choosing and Using Needs Assessment Approaches

1. What is the preliminary need?2. What are the goals of the proposed needs assessment? How will we use the collected data?3. What programs, organizations, or agencies do we need to assess?4. Who are the people (e.g., funders, policy makers, leadership personnel, direct support

professionals, recipients of services) we need to assess? 5. How much money and time do we have to commit to needs assessment activities?6. Does the team have all of the resources and expertise necessary to conduct the proposed

needs assessment activities?7. Have other comparable needs assessments been conducted in our community recently? If

so, how might we use these data?

Regardless of the approach(es) selected and implemented, once needs data have been collected, they must be tabulated, presented to all team members, and discussed during a subsequent team meeting. To prepare the team for a discussion of the collected data, team facilitators may want to remind members that the purpose of needs assessment activities is to provide the team with additional information to confirm, expand, and/or clarify the preliminary needs, that is, the needs that brought the team together. Further, goal setting is the desired outcome of needs assessment activities. Thus, the team should review and discuss the collected data in order to develop a brief, clear problem statement that all team members can understand and with which they can agree.

To facilitate the team’s understanding of the data and to focus discussion toward goal setting, team facilitators might consider posing questions to team members as they review data:• Specifically, what do stakeholders say is the problem? What does it look

like?



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• Why is the problem a problem? For example, does it result from the way organizations are set up, policies are written, services are funded, people behave, or information is shared?

• When did the problem begin?• What happens to the target population because of the problem?• What would services look like if the problem did not exist?• What solutions to the problem would stakeholders like to see?• What are some clearly defined and quantifiable solutions to the problem?• Of these solutions, which ones are most aligned with our team’s values

and mission?

During this discussion, some team facilitators may find it helpful to use chart paper to create a two-column table for the team to view. Label one column “Needs” and label the second column “Potential Solutions”. As needs are identified from the discussed data, list them in the appropriate column. As potential solutions are identified, likewise, list them in the appropriate column. This activity works best if brainstorming techniques are followed. That is, all identified needs and suggested solutions are listed on the chart paper without spending time discussing the pros and cons of each in detail. Later, when goal setting begins, solutions can be explored, prioritized, discarded, and agreed upon.

#3: Setting Team Goals/Developing Team Action Plans

What future, desired outcomes will our team pursue in order to address the identified needs of the target population? How will our team monitor and document our progress towards these outcomes? During the forming stage, when the team discussed the preliminary needs, it also will have discussed some potential goals to address the needs. Now that the team more fully understands the specific needs of the target population and the community, team members must reach consensus on a manageable number of attainable goals to address over a specified timeframe.

Common goals are essential to an effective team. A common goal is a future state or condition that a majority of the team’s members wishes to see occur for the target population and community and that they agree to work on with the other members of the team. That is, common goals describe solutions that team members believe are reasonable solutions to the problem, as well as solutions that team members believe will meet their individual goals and their



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team’s goals. Thus, common goals are not simply a composite of individual goals. Instead, common goals are a delicately negotiated balance among the individual goals of all team members.

As previously defined, goals are statements of future, desired outcomes to be pursued by the team in order to address the identified needs of the target population. Thus, there should be a direct relationship between a team’s goals and the community’s assessed needs. Further, goals are behavioral, measurable, and attainable, and they have timeframes.

The authors of this guide suggest that a team set between three and six goals each year. Of these, some should be short-term (that is, goals that can be attained in one year or less), while others should be long-term (that is, goals that may not be attained for two to three years).

Everson (1993) further suggests that annual and long-range plans developed by an interagency team include two distinctly different types of goals.

Outcome goals are goals that focus the team’s actions towards one or more members of the target population. For example, “By June 2004, eight high school students with physical or sensory disabilities will be safely and efficiently using the metro bus service to travel to and from their jobs.” Process goals are goals that enable a team to identify and address the specific planning and teaming activities that are necessary in order for it to meet its outcome goals. For

example, “By September 2003, we will set at least three goals, develop a working action plan, and establish team operating procedures.” Both types of goals are important for a team to consider; the combination enables a team to address teaming issues and concerns and to focus its work on making measurable changes in the target population. A team operating in the storming stage may find that several of its goals are process goals, whereas a team operating in the norming or performing stage will find that most, if not all, of its goals are outcome goals.

Goal setting can be both time-consuming and difficult to facilitate. Following the meeting spent discussing needs data, plan on a minimum of one meeting to identify and reach consensus on common goals. Some team facilitators have found it helpful to use one or more of these techniques:• Develop or review a list of brainstormed “Needs” and “Potential

Solutions”. Look for common themes and attempt to reduce or consolidate the list to three or fewer needs and solutions.



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• Fully explore all potential solutions. Does each potential solution support the team’s values and mission? Can resources be made available to support each potential solution? Does each potential solution reflect the preferences of the target population? What are the pros and cons of pursuing each potential solution? Discard any potential solutions that all team members agree are no longer appropriate.

• Prioritize the remaining potential solutions. This may be done by taking a team vote or by asking individuals to rank their top three and then taking a group vote. Another option is to facilitate further consensus-building discussions until remaining solutions can be reworded, expanded, reduced, combined, or otherwise agreed upon by all team members. Of these options, consensus building is the most time-consuming, but it is also the one most likely to truly reflect the common goals of all team members.• When consensus building or voting raises disagreement, team facilitators may find it helpful to simply ask the disagreeing team member(s) a question: “I understand that you disagree with this specific solution to

the problem, but if the team elects to pursue this solution, can you live with it and remain a team member?”

• As solutions are agreed upon, list each one on a separate sheet of chart paper and post them in the front of the room. For each desired solution, identify the goal, that is, the measurable and behavioral future state of affairs. Good test questions to ask are: “How will we know the solution is in place? How will we measure it or count it? How long will it last?”

• Lastly, for each goal, identify a specific short-term or long-term timeframe for its accomplishment.

Figure 8 lists some examples of goals set by various interagency teams. These examples are only examples and should not be adopted by a team without careful attention to all of the activities described thus far in this manual.

Once a team has reached consensus on common goals, the next step is to develop action plans to guide pursuit of its goals. Action plans are written planning documents that a team will find useful to complete the remaining activities associated with the storming stage, as well to complete implementation activities associated with the remaining two stages (the norming and performing stages).



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Figure 9 is an example of an action plan form that many teams have found useful. This form is presented only as an example and may be modified by team facilitators and team members, as appropriate. In addition, many books on teaming include examples of action planning forms that teams may wish to investigate.

Regardless of the form that is selected or designed, a good action plan should include adequate space for teams to list: 1) goals; 2) short-term actions or steps necessary to accomplish the goals; 3) the names of team members responsible for completing actions; 4) projected timelines for accomplishing actions; and 5) mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating completion of the actions. In addition, many teams find it helpful to include space to list the team’s values and mission statements and, perhaps, space to include a statement of the community’s needs.

The Dartnell Corporation (2001) suggests 10 guidelines for developing and using action plans effectively (p.9):1. Identify your goal. This is the solution you hope to achieve. Write this

down so that people can refer to it as necessary. Make sure the group shares the same understanding of this goal.

2. List constraints. Write down anything (budgets, due dates, the approval required) that could affect your goal.

Figure 8: Examples of Interagency Team Goals

• Conduct ve needs assessment focus groups of at least 20 people each in various regions of the state by November of 2002. (Process Goal)

• Secure supported employment placements for 15 students with severe or multiple disabilities who are scheduled to exit Highpoint High School in June of 2003. (Outcome Goal)

• Develop written team roles and responsibilities for the team co-leaders and the team recorder by our next scheduled meeting. (Process Goal)

• Decrease the dropout rate from 27 percent to 15 percent among high school students with labels of emotional or behavioral disabilities in Union County by June of 2004. (Outcome Goal)

• Hold two workshops to train 75 high school teachers to implement the NEXT S.T.E.P. self-determination curriculum by September of 2003. (Process Goal)

• Develop a written and signed interagency agreement among the core agencies represented on this team by December of 2003. (Process Goal)



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Figure 9: Sample Action Plan Form

ACTION PLAN FOR ______________________DATE DEVELOPED _______________________

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------NEED(S):

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------GOAL(S):



3. Examine your assumptions. Most plans are contingent upon certain assumptions being met, for example, getting the budget approved within a specic time or certain materials being available. Write down all the assumptions upon which your goal depends. Examine these to see how likely they are to happen and what would be the consequences if they didn’t.

4. Think of everything. Brainstorm a list of every task that must be done in order to meet your goal. Put these in the necessary order.

5. Assign the tasks. First, ask for volunteers; however, the team facilitator should be ready to designate tasks if people prove reluctant to step up to the plate. List each person’s name next to the task he or she has been given.



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6. Set the deadlines. Determine the time required to complete each task. (Be realistic.) Indicate this next to each task, along with the start and nish dates.

7. Determine progress checks. To keep a project from stalling or wandering off course, you’ll need to check up on your team’s progress at regular intervals. Decide at which point these checks will take place and write this down.

8. Take another look. Give your plan an objective, nal review to see that all bases are covered and that the plan is sound.

9. Poll your team. Make sure that everyone shares a common commitment and understanding and that they can live with the deadlines.

10. Pass it out. Make sure that everyone on the team has a copy of the nal action plan.

Action plans serve a number of important team functions. First, they formalize a team’s commitment to collaborate and to pursue

its mission statement. Second, they enable a team to break goals into smaller, incremental steps necessary to accomplish desired goals. As a team begins to pursue its work on goals that may take a year or even multiple years to accomplish, action plans enable members to see progress and to remain enthusiastic. Third, they document actions and assignments discussed during team meetings, thus ensuring both forward movement toward goals and accountability. As a result, action plans can form the cornerstone of the monitoring and evaluation activities that become so critical during the norming and performing stages.

#4: Developing Team Structural/Operating Procedures

Who will be in charge of running our team meetings? How often will we meet? How will we develop our agendas? How will we accomplish our work efciently? How will we make decisions? These are just some of the structural and operating questions that a newly formed team must answer during the storming stage.

There are ve tasks that teams must address to complete this activity:1. Establish ground rules. The purpose of ground rules is to clarify for all



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members the standards or behaviors the team wishes to uphold. Ground rules help to establish trust and communication, thus they are an important activity to accomplish early in the storming stage. Ground rules should be specic and brief, so that members may easily remember them. And, just like values and mission statements, they should be posted during team meetings and included in the orientation packets provided to new team members. Figure 10 provides some examples of ground rules typically adopted by teams. Rees (1997) cautions teams not to simply adopt another team’s ground rules, as this negates the importance of the team making a “verbal contract”.

Figure 10: Typical Team Ground Rules

• Team members will arrange their schedules to attend all team meetings. • Come to meetings on time and prepared to address the agenda.• Begin and end meetings on time.• Use active listening skills to communicate effectively.• Offer suggestions and ask questions instead of criticizing.• Be open to different views and experiences. • Don’t make and don’t allow personal attacks.• Silence indicates agreement.• Agreement by 51 percent of our members means 100 percent commitment from our team.• Be careful not to use acronyms.• If someone says something you do not understand, ask questions!• Ask for help when you need it.• What is discussed in our meetings remains in our meetings.• Don’t engage in side discussions.• Recognize and appreciate the value of every member’s efforts!• Have fun!

2. Dene and assign team roles. Every member of the team has an important role to play and the team will function more effectively if everyone understands his or her own role, as well as the roles assumed by other members. An effective team typically has a team leader or co-leaders, a recorder, a timekeeper, and team members. It is critical that team members spend some time dening the roles they want and need for their team and the duties they expect people assuming these roles to ll. After all, who would apply for a job without knowing the expectations! The authors of this guide suggest that a team consider using a co-leader, chair and assistant chair or team leader and team facilitator, model to



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enable two persons to share the team’s organizational and facilitative functions. Further, Everson and Rachal (1996) suggest that any team comprised of families, persons with disabilities, or other members of the target population encourage and nurture these individuals to assume leadership roles within the team. Figure 11 summarizes the various duties that might be assumed by people accepting these roles. Robbins and Finley (2001) note an important peculiarity of the storming stage: “During forming, the leader’s role was essentially directive — he or she pointed out where people were headed until the group could congure its own bearings. During storming, the leader continues to direct trafc, but he or she takes on the additional role of the coach — the person who not only tells you what to do, but helps out with suggestions on how to get there” (p.8). They go on to note, “The worst news of all for leaders is that storming extracts a terrible toll from them personally. Among the many charming occurrences in mid-storm is a rash of blaming that generally trashes leadership at all levels” (p.8). Thus, it is important for team initiators to recognize this common characteristic of the storming stage and to not take it personally if, when roles and responsibilities are dened and voting occurs, they are ousted from the informal leadership roles they so willingly assumed during the forming stage. On the other hand, the authors of this manual have just as frequently observed situations where team members beg the facilitators to assume the leadership roles. The important thing is for clearly dened roles and leaders to emerge. When this occurs, a team will know that it is well on its way to safely navigating its path through the remainder of the storming stage.

3. Establish the team’s structure. Once a team has developed its annual and long-range plans, the next decision is to decide how to best tackle

the team’s workscope. For example, will the entire team work on all of the goals? Or, does it make more sense to identify work teams or subcommittees to address each of the team’s goals? If work teams are developed, will they meet concurrently as part of the larger team’s regularly scheduled meetings? Who will chair these smaller committees? How will communication with the team’s leaders be ensured?

Work teams or subcommittees can be an effective way to manage and achieve goals when a team is very large and/or has a large number of diverse goals. However, their use necessitates even more careful attention to the remaining guidelines in this section, as well as to the activities in the next section of this manual (Section Three: Norming Stage), than if the large team structure remains the primary structure.



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Figure 11: Team Roles and Responsibilities

Team Chair or Leader• Organizes annual team meeting schedule, noties team members of changes, reserves

meeting space, and secures supplies.• Finalizes agendas and action plans and ensures that they are distributed to all members.• Serves as spokesperson for the team outside of meetings.• Keeps the team focused on its values, mission, and agenda during meetings.• Models effective communication during meetings.• Minimizes and resolves conict during meetings.• Suggests and facilitates effective team processes.• Ensures that all team members understand and assume their roles.• Contributes to the team without dominating.

Team Co-Chair or Co-Leader• Helps the chair or leader organize annual team meeting schedule, notify team members of

changes, reserve meeting space, and secure supplies.• Helps the chair or leader nalize agendas and action plans and ensure that they are

distributed to all members.• Models effective communication and helps ensure effective communication among all

members during meetings. • Ensures that the team’s ground rules are followed.• Assists the leader or chair in minimizing conict.• With the leader or chair, suggests and facilitates effective team processes.• (If there is no designated timekeeper) serves as the timekeeper or asks for a volunteer at the

beginning of each meeting to do so.

Team Recorder• Maintains the team’s membership list and meeting attendance lists.• Maintains contact between meetings with any members who are unable to attend.• Ensures that all team members receive a copy of the agenda for upcoming meetings.• Models effective communication and actively listens to all team discussions during

meetings.• Records all agreed-upon actions, tasks, timelines, and monitoring and evaluation procedures

on the action plan.• Ensures that all team members receive copies of the action plans resulting from the

meetings.



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4. Establish operating procedures. Operating procedures describe how the team will work as a team (and/or as work teams) and how it will accomplish the work dened by its annual and long-range plans. Among other things, operating procedures:• describe how frequently teams will meet;• explain attendance policies;• dene how agendas will be developed;• describe how/when team roles will be nominated/voted on;• dene how team decisions will be made (voting, consensus

building);• explain how problems will be identied and how conict will be

addressed and managed; • describe how action plans will be updated and monitored;• explain how communication will occur between meetings (and, as

appropriate, among work teams); and• describe how progress will be celebrated and monitored/evaluated.

5. Set annual meeting schedule. Team members are more likely to attend team meetings if they can plan for them well in advance. If a team waits

Figure 11: Continued

Timekeeper• Noties leader when it is time to begin and end meetings.• Noties team when it is time for breaks to begin and end.• Noties team when the time period dedicated to a specic agenda item has been completed

and helps team determine whether to add more time or to table the item for a future meeting.

Member • Attends all team meetings.• Contributes to team discussions, problem-solving, and decision-making in a productive

manner. • Models effective communication.• Minimizes conicts.• Follows ground rules.• Completes all assigned tasks or activities as promised to the team in the action plan.• Offers support to all other team members.



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to set its meeting dates from one meeting to the next, the likelihood is increased that there will be scheduling conicts in terms of obligations already reected on the calendars of some team members. An effective strategy in order to avoid such scheduling conicts is to agree upon a set day to meet within the predetermined meeting cycle. For example, if a team meets monthly, members may agree to target the last Tuesday of each month as its meeting dates for that year. Setting an annual meeting schedule can go a long way towards improving attendance at team meetings.

#5: Practicing Effective Meeting Processes, Communication Skills, and Conict Management Skills

How will our team conduct itself before, during, and after meetings? How can we ensure that our communications as a team enhance our efforts rather than detract from them? How will team members ensure that we continue to pull in the same direction rather than in different directions? During the storming stage, a team will benet from skill development in effective meeting processes, communication skills, and conict management skills. These skills will take on immediate importance during this stage because most teams will be experiencing needs in these areas. However, all too often, a team does not explore these areas until problems occur. At this point, in the best of scenarios, the team may seek the service of an external consultant or facilitator. In the worse of scenarios, the team may recognize its problems, be unable to face them head on, and even disband.

During the storming stage, the authors of this guide recommend that a team spend time learning about and practicing effective meeting

processes, communication skills, and conict management skills. Further, the authors recommend that the team address these

issues in its annual and/or long-range plans as process goals and that the team commit to continual renement of these skills as it enters the norming stage.

Learning about and practicing effective meeting processes enable team leaders to plan and to lead meetings that address

all agenda items, that begin and end on time, and that are highly evaluated by team members. Leadership Designs, Inc.

(1990) suggests a model that asks a team to consider meeting processes that need to be addressed before, during, and after meetings. (See Figure 12.)



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Effective communication skills are the cornerstone of all human relationships. Learning about and practicing effective communication skills during the storming stage are critical. It is during the storming stage that a team is most likely to propose new ideas and activities, to make decisions that require reaching agreement or consensus, and to experience the potential for conict. Leadership Designs, Inc. (1990) suggests that a team consider adopting a model that clusters 13 communication behaviors into four broad categories. The model they suggest, “Interactive Behavior Skills”, is outlined in Figure 13.

The “Interactive Behavior Skills” model is one of literally dozens of examples of communication models described in teaming literature. The authors of this guide nd it useful for an interagency team to consider adopting this one because of its simplicity and its effectiveness and because of its applicability to the characteristics of Tuckman’s (1965) teaming stages.

Figure 12: Effective Meeting Processes

Before the meeting…• Dene the goals, roles, and processes of the meeting.• Schedule the meeting location and equipment.• Finalize the agenda.• Distribute the agenda.• Arrange for assistive services and supports (as needed).• Arrange for refreshments.

During the meeting…• Begin on time.• Introduce any new members or visitors.• Describe the goals, roles, and process.• Summarize the agenda.• Follow the agenda.• Use effective communication skills.• Manage conict.• Complete action plan.• Develop agenda for next meeting.• Summarize discussions, decisions, next steps.

After the meeting…• Evaluate the effectiveness of the meeting.• Make contact with any member(s) unable to attend the meeting.• Distribute the action plan and any necessary related materials in a timely fashion.



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For example, during the forming stage, team initiators may use a lot of informing behaviors to describe their ideas about an interagency team and the potential activities that the team might pursue. During the forming stage, team members are likely to evidence a lot of inquiring behaviors as they ask questions and evidence a lot of proposing behaviors as they excitedly recommend potential team members and activities. Team leaders may need to use testing for understanding frequently and to bring in more reticent team members. Ideas proposed during these early team meetings may not be explored fully, as team members may be on their best behavior and more likely to agree than disagree with each other.

During the storming stage, all team members are likely to evidence more

Figure 13: Interactive Behavior Skills (Leadership Designs, Inc., 1990)

Initiating Behaviors• Proposing a new idea or action to the team• Expanding upon an idea or action previously proposed by another team member

Active Listening Behaviors• Informing other team members of facts or information• Inquiring of other team members by asking a question• Reecting upon the emotion of another team member by commenting on an observed

behavior or a comment• Testing for Understanding by asking a question of another team member in order to

attempt to clarify one’s understanding of a previously made comment• Summarizing or recounting previous discussion or comments in order to conclude the

topic

Responding Behaviors• Agreeing or supporting another team member’s ideas• Disagreeing or expressing lack of support for another team member’s ideas• Attacking a person – not his or her ideas – by making sarcastic or personal comments (This

behavior is to be discouraged or avoided.)• Defending oneself by responding to a perceived attack (This behavior is more likely to

occur if attacking behavior occurs.)

Process Behaviors• Bringing in a reticent member of the team by encouraging him/her to communicate• Shutting out the participation of another team member by summarizing what has been said

or by bringing in another team member



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agreeing and disagreeing behaviors and, in some teams, personal attacks may even occur. Team leaders may need to shut out some team members. They may also need to test for understanding more frequently and to be careful to summarize discussions and action plan points.

An interagency team may nd it useful to list denitions and examples of the 13 “Interactive Behavior Skills” on chart paper in the front of the room during team meetings. The team may also nd it helpful to use them to create icebreaker activities, such as developing skits using all 13 behaviors or playing card games where members give examples of specic behaviors (Leadership Designs, Inc., 1990). They may also assign one member the task of tallying examples of behaviors evidenced during team meetings and then refer to them when evaluating their meetings (Leadership Designs, Inc., 1990).

Conict management skills become essential during the storming stage and team leaders, as well as other team members, must be able to use them effectively. The rst step is to differentiate between disagreement and conict.

Disagreement occurs when two or more team members cannot agree about a proposed idea, an identied need, a suggested next step, or a proposed solution. It occurs when there is a gap between what two or more people want and expect and what they actually get. Disagreement is about ideas and opinions. It is a positive component of any team discussion because it enables team members to fully discuss ideas before reaching agreement and making decisions.

Conict occurs when disagreement is allowed to escalate. Disagreement becomes conict when comments are directed at people instead of ideas, are turned into accusations or

threats, are directed at many general issues instead of one specic issue, or are expressed as statements that begin with “you” or “your”.

Effective conict management begins with not letting conict occur. Team leaders can use various active listening behaviors to facilitate

discussion. For example:• How many of you agree with the idea of conducting eld surveys? How

many of you disagree with this idea?• Do you disagree with the entire idea of conducting community forums or

just with the location and target participants we have discussed thus far?



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• Let me make certain that I understand your concern with Marta’s proposal. You agree that we need to set a team goal of increasing supported employment outcomes, but you disagree with limiting the goal to high school students. Is this accurate?

• To summarize, seven team members agree with the idea of meeting monthly and three team members disagree, proposing instead that we meet every other month.

Once team leaders have mediated discussion, there are a number of additional strategies that might be used to reach compromise or consensus before the discussion escalates into conict. For example:• We understand that you object to the proposed idea of setting a goal to secure supported employment outcomes for 25 high school students by the close of this school year.

Even though you disagree with the goal, if the team commits to it, can you support it?

• If we agree to hold ve focus groups instead of three and to ensure that minorities are actively recruited to participate in all focus groups, can we move on to the next agenda item?

• If families and persons with disabilities tell us that transportation is their number one need, can you support addressing transportation as a team goal?

• We agree that affordable housing is the number one need in our community, but we disagree on whether the most desirable solution is more affordable rental housing options or more opportunities for home ownership. Are there any acceptable solutions to our disagreement?

Decision-making is an important part of teamwork and effective decision-making strategies can be used to manage conict. During the storming stage, a team will need to explore and agree upon preferred methods of decision-making as part of its operating procedures. The two most common methods of decision-making are voting and consensus.

Voting is the fastest method of decision-making and may be used a number of ways. First, team leaders ensure that all team members understand a proposal. Next, members vote to either accept or reject it by a show of hands, by voice, or by written ballots. If more than one proposal is being considered, team members rst ensure that all proposals are understood. Next, team members may vote by ranking most to least preferred options or by choosing a small number of options from the proposals. A second vote may be needed



Section Two

to choose from the top two options. Generally, a vote of 50 percent of members plus one is considered an appropriate number to carry an afrmative vote.

Consensus is a more time-consuming method of decision-making, but is generally a preferred method. Consensus enables a team to nd a proposal or solution that is acceptable to enough members so that the team can support it and so that no one member actively opposes it. Consensus is time-consuming and requires active listening and conict management skills from all team members.

Consensus requires team leaders to state the goal of the decision-making activity. Next, team leaders must help the team identify a time period

for the activity and a process for discussing potential proposals or solutions to the problem. For example:

• Let’s take 15 minutes to go around the table and give everyone the chance to suggest a solution. We will keep going around the table until we run out of time or suggestions. I will record each person’s ideas on chart paper.• Lets take 10 minutes to explore potential solutions. I

will give everyone a stack of index cards. Write one solution on each index card and when I call time, give me your index cards. While the team takes a break, I will record all suggested ideas on chart paper.

• We have 12 potential solutions listed on the chart paper. Let’s go around the table, giving each team member a chance to state one thing that is a plus about each, one thing that is a minus about each, and one thing that is neither a minus nor a plus, but is simply interesting about each. I will record the comments beside each proposal.

As necessary, building consensus requires team leaders to bring in silent members and to shut out more vocal members. It requires a lot of active listening skills, especially testing for understanding and summarizing behaviors. It requires creativity and leadership on the part of team leaders and trust among all team members. Lastly, it may also require setting discussions aside and returning to them at a later time in the meeting or, even, at a future meeting.

Summary

Once a team nalizes its goals and its method for action planning and develops



Section Two

its structural and operating procedures, it has completed the major planning activities associated with the storming stage. Assuming that interagency teams continue to meet monthly or every other month, most will need approximately ten meetings and between ten and twenty months to complete all suggested storming activities. Along the way, team members will propose and discuss ideas, argue their points, agree and disagree with each other, ask questions, clarify misunderstandings, seek solutions, and resolve conicts. For most teams, the journey will not be an easy one. As Robbins and Finley (2001) summarize the end of the storming stage, “…the storm has broken. Roles clarify. A team style begins to materialize. The sun returns to the sky, and a calmer new day dawns for everyone” (p. 15).


The Norming Stage of Interagency Team Development

Section Three

Section ThreeThe Norming Stage of Interagency Team Development

Goal

Team facilitators will be able to guide an interagency team through the implementation activities associated with the norming stage.

Competencies

Upon completion of this section, team facilitators will be able to:1. Guide the team through implementation, revision, and updating of its

action plans;2. Guide the team through the use of a case study approach to focus on both

outcome goals and process goals; 3. Guide the team through eld-testing of targeted policies and procedures,

evaluating their effectiveness, and revising them accordingly; and4. Guide the team through the development of an interagency agreement.

Team Timelines for Completing the Norming Stage

If teams have systematically addressed the activities associated with the forming and storming stages and have continued to meet regularly, most will reach the norming stage by the end of fourteen to eighteen meetings or within fourteen to thirty months of their formation. The norming stage is where real systems change work rst begins to be accomplished. For the rst time, the team is a truly a team, as the term was dened in Section One.

Many teams will spend the rest of their time together functioning at the norming stage. That is, they will never attain the performing stage; instead, they will address the needs they set out to address, accomplish their goals, and feel great satisfaction with their goals, roles, and processes while remaining



Section Three

at the norming stage. Thus, the norming stage may last as long as the team continues to meet and function as a team, ending only if the team reaches the performing stage or if the team disbands.

Characteristics of the Norming Stage

Hard work and results characterize the norming stage. Goals, roles, and processes will be clear and operational. Conicts and tensions will diminish as members begin to feel loyalty and affection for each other and for the team. The team will work on implementing, revising, and updating its action plans. As it does so, it will identify and eld-test targeted policies and procedures to address the community’s needs. The team will identify and adopt strategies to help it monitor and evaluate its efforts and results. As they work together, the team members will continue to practice and rene effective meeting processes, communication skills, and conict management skills. Perhaps most central to the norming stage, they will enjoy their work and each other.

Norming Stage Activities

The authors of this guide suggest that team facilitators guide the team through completion of four major activities during the norming stage: 1) implementing, revising, and updating its action plans; 2) using a case study approach to focus on both outcome goals and process goals; 3) eld-testing

targeted policies and procedures, evaluating their effectiveness, and revising them accordingly; and 4) developing interagency agreements.

#1: Using Action Plans

How will our team know and track the status of our efforts? How will we determine “next steps” and any needed changes? As discussed in Section Two, action planning is a critical component of effective team processes. During the norming stage, initial action plans must be revised and updated as roadblocks are identied, as potential solutions are agreed upon, as new information and resources become available, and as short- and long-term goals are accomplished. A team’s action plans are living documents, ever changing and moving forward.

In addition to the sample forms and guidelines suggested in Section Two, a team might consider these additional guidelines as it moves into the norming stage:



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1. Use action plans to open and close team meetings. Team facilitators who use action plan updates to open meetings will encourage team members to come to meetings with their assigned tasks accomplished and to be prepared to discuss their actions. Likewise, if action plans are summarized and distributed at the close of team meetings, members will quickly learn to test for understanding if an assigned task or timeline is unmanageable. Using the team’s action plan in this manner will enable every team member to know what tasks have been completed and what tasks still remain to be completed. When team members realize that some actions have been completed and others are moving forward, they are motivated to continue working on their tasks. Other team members have an opportunity to request additional resources or time if necessary. Finally, the team’s facilitators have a clear and timely idea of the team’s progress and pitfalls on all action plan items.

2. Use action plans to guide meeting agendas. During each meeting, as action plan items are updated and discussed, those items that need additional time for information sharing, discussion, or decision-making can be used to identify agenda items for future meetings or to make potential revisions to the current meeting’s agenda. During the norming stage, meeting agendas will vary across teams as widely as do their goals. Nevertheless, Figure 1 is an example of a typical meeting agenda for

Figure 1: Sample Meeting Agenda

9AM Introduction of New Members or Guests Goals, Roles, and Process of Meeting Case Study Updates

9:30AM Report from Subcommittee #1: Personnel Training Action Planning Update Vote on Approval of Training Agenda/Location

10:15AM Break

10:30AM Report from Subcommittee #2: Policies and Procedures Action Planning Update

Discussion of Next Steps for Field-testing Suggested Policy Revisions

11:45 News and Sharing Conrmation of Date/Location for Next Meeting Draft Agenda for Next Meeting Action Plan Distribution

12:15PM Adjourn for Lunch



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a team during the norming stage, illustrating the change in focus from teaming activities to goal-oriented activities.

3. Be willing to revise goals. As the team begins working on its initial goals, it may nd that some (or even all of them!) need revision. They may be too large, too unclear, or simply unattainable. As necessary, a team must be willing to break a large goal into smaller goals, adjust desired quantities or timelines, revise desired quality, or increase the resources dedicated to attaining the goal. In some rare cases, it may even be necessary to discard one or more goals and to set entirely new ones.

4. Use additional planning tools. As the team works on its action plan, its members may nd it helpful to use proven tools to guide their scheduling.

For example, Figure 2 is an example of a “Gant Chart” form. “Gant Charts” are especially useful for documenting long-term goals across

multiple months. Rees (1997) also suggests using a “Planning Timeline”, created by having the facilitator draw a long line

(this serves as the timeline) across the middle of several pieces of ipchart paper and posting them on the meeting room wall. The goal is written at one end of the timeline. As team members identify tasks necessary to accomplish

the goal, the facilitator writes them along the timeline and records the person(s) responsible for each task’s completion.

5. Meet regularly and be willing to revise the team’s structures and schedules, as needed. During the storming stage, the team will have agreed upon a team structure and meeting schedule, but as members begin working on their action plan items, they may nd it helpful to organize new or additional work teams or subcommittees. These smaller teams and/or the larger team may also nd it helpful to meet more or less frequently. Many teams nd it helpful to hold regularly scheduled full- team meetings every other month (and in rare cases, only three or four times a year) where work groups or subcommittees can deliver full action plan reports to the entire team and address tasks impacting the entire team. Between these meetings, the smaller teams or subcommittees meet more frequently to pursue their specic assigned goals and action plans.

6. Communicate, communicate, and communicate. Team facilitators should encourage team members to use effective communication strategies to communicate with each other and with facilitators between team meetings. (See Section Two: Storming Stage.) For example, increased



Section Three

Figure 2: Examples of Gant Chart Forms

Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4QUARTERLY GANT CHART PROJECT: _________________________

Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4

Scheduled start - end Completed Not Completed - Time Extended


TWO WEEK GANT CHART PROJECT: _______________

Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri.



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communication may be essential when members become aware of a potentially useful resource or a potential barrier or pitfall, when members need to update others of their progress or pitfalls on assigned action plan items, when members need to share completed tasks so that others can move forward, or when members are unable to attend a team meeting. E-mail has become an excellent way for members to communicate between meetings. Team facilitators should also encourage members to be aware of communication needs outside of the team. Questions to consider include: Who needs to be informed of what our team is accomplishing? Do we need to hear about the activities of other teams? Do we need updated information from key stakeholders on legislation, policies, procedures, budgets, or other resources?

7. Celebrate team milestones. During the norming stage, the team should be mindful of taking time to recognize and to celebrate milestones along the way. Some goals will take two to three years to fully attain; for these goals, celebrating milestones with applause, cheers, or stickers placed on action plans enables members to remain motivated. Likewise, reaching consensus on a difcult problem and completing a major activity are both good times to celebrate with specially designed tee shirts, coffee mugs, or ballpoint pens. Lastly, a team might schedule an annual meeting for a celebratory luncheon, for a cake cutting celebration, or for a social outing outside of the meeting.

#2: Using a Case Study Approach

How can we maintain a focus on achieving outcome goals? How can we ensure that we are addressing the assessed needs of the target population?

One lingering characteristic of the storming stage, and a potential pitfall of the norming stage, is focusing so much on the team’s growth and development that members lose focus of the outcomes desired for the target population. This happens when certain things, such as meeting regularly, feeling positive about the team, and completing action plan tasks, become more important to team members than the attainment of goals and evaluation of results. During the norming stage, team facilitators must continually remind members of an important golden rule, “Teams that accomplish work as a team, but who do not address the target population’s needs, the very needs that brought the team together, are not effective teams.”



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As discussed in Section Two, teams should identify and set two types of goals: 1) process goals that target the team’s growth and development and 2) outcome goals that specically address the assessed needs of the target population. During the storming stage, most of the team’s work focused on tasks associated with process goals. During the norming stage, the focus changes and the team dedicates most of its work to tasks associated with outcome goals.

Everson and Rachal (1996) suggest that a team adopt a specic strategy, a “case study approach”, to help members make the transition from working on process goals to working on outcome goals and to help them evaluate the impact of activities on the assessed needs of the target population.

A “case study approach” enables a team to get to know people and how a community’s systems and services impact these same people. An interagency team does not commit to serving case study persons; this work remains the responsibility of service delivery teams, such as IEP (Individualized Education Program) teams. Instead, the interagency team identies systemic barriers by getting to know how people are impacted by the barriers, and then the team tracks and evaluates changes in systems regarding their impact on these same people.

A “case study approach” provides a team with a structured way of collecting and analyzing data about the target population in order

to make decisions and to take actions that will result in changes in people’s lives and outcomes. The authors of this guide

further expand upon the use of a “case study approach” by suggesting that teams follow four distinct steps:

1. Select between three and six members of the target population for the case study. The number of individuals selected should be small enough to enable team members

to get to know each individual’s unique story as he or she navigates through the systems that serve and support his/her

needs. Equally as important, the number of individuals selected should be large enough to compensate for people dropping out of systems,

as well as for diversity within the population. Thus, the number of individuals selected will depend upon the size of the community and

the target population, the breadth of the community’s identied needs, and the diversity of the community and the target population. Specic case study individuals should be identied according to

the team’s identied needs. For example, if a team is addressing the



Section Three

employment needs of transition-age individuals in an urban community, members will want to select teenagers who represent the diverse characteristics of urban teenagers who are potential future employees. If a team is addressing the transportation needs of persons with disabilities and the elderly, members will want to select working adults, persons needing medical treatments, as well as people desiring social and recreational transportation. They will want to choose people needing accessible options, people needing evening and weekend options, people having diverse destinations and routes of travel, and people of diverse ages and incomes.

2. Present the case study individuals to the team. Next, one or more persons who know the individuals well should present relevant information about the selected individuals to the team. The goal of this step is to provide

team members with unique and relevant information about each individual. Presented information should be limited to information that will enable team members to understand the focus person’s specic needs within the framework of the identied community needs being addressed by the team. Presented information should also be structured in such a way that team members are able to appreciate the unique personalities, gifts, talents, dreams, and support needs of each focus person. Many teams have found it useful to ask the

persons who are presenting the cases to use “person-centered planning” values and tools to organize their cases. Specically, teams might consider asking the persons presenting the cases to prepare: 1) a “Capacity Statement”; 2) a “Background Map”; and 3) a “Future Vision Map”. (See, for example, Baird & Everson, 2001 in the reference list.)

3. Discuss systemic needs faced by each case study individual. Either as each case is being discussed or once all cases have been discussed, the team should identify the systemic obstacles and opportunities faced by the case study individuals. Are there common obstacles or themes? Some teams have found it helpful to develop an “Obstacles and Opportunities Map” for each case study. (See Figure 3.) This map will help a team identify those needs unique to each case study individual, as well as those needs common to the entire group.

4. As action plans are being implemented, continue to track and discuss case study individuals. Periodically, the persons most knowledgeable about each case study should update the team on each individual’s progress.



Section Three

Figure 3: Case Study Obstacles and Opportunities Map

Date of Update: ______________

(Name of Case Study)’s Future Vision or Dream: ____________________________________

Progress Towards Future Vision or Dream: __________________________________________

Obstacles Opportunities

As these updates are presented, the team should ask itself two questions: “As a result of our team’s collaborative activities, how are we impacting the lives of individuals?” and “Given what we have accomplished at today’s meeting, what are we learning about our community’s needs, systems, and services?” By responding to the rst question, the team will begin to explore how it is accomplishing its outcome goals, whereas by responding to the second question, the team will begin to explore how it is accomplishing its process goals. During the norming stage, an effective team will be able to cite specic examples of how outreach, policy and procedural changes, scal changes, or other actions pursued by the team have positively impacted individuals. Many teams nd that mapping members’ responses to these questions is also helpful. (See Figure 4.)

Figure 4: Case Studies: Monitoring Worksheet

Date of Monitoring: _____________ Focus of Case Studies: __________________________

As a result of our team’s collaborative activities, how are we impacting the lives of individuals?

Given what we have accomplished at today’s meeting, what are we learning about our community’s needs, systems, and services?



Section Three

#3: Field-testing, Evaluating, and Revising Policies and Procedures

Based upon our case studies, what policies and/or procedures may need to be changed or developed? How can we study and document the potential effects of these changes or additions? Based on our eld-test, what policy and/or procedural revisions or additions are supported or warranted? Most interagency teams will quickly nd that addressing the identied needs of the target population requires them to pursue one or two specic types of systems change activities. These activities usually include the development and dissemination of outreach activities and the revision of policies and procedures.

For most teams, addressing outreach activities is fairly straightforward. As part of needs assessment activities, the team identies key stakeholders who need information and/or skills related to the identied need. For example, high school teachers may need to know the legislative

mandates of the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) specic to individualized transition planning. Supported employment personnel may need more effective skills in developing jobs for

persons with multiple disabilities. Mortgage personnel may need both information and skills for communicating effectively with persons with disabilities. Teenagers with disabilities may need opportunities to practice effective self-determination

behaviors. All of these and other related needs may be addressed through the development and dissemination of written materials, establishment of toll-free telephone help lines, creation of Internet websites, and provision of

workshops and seminars.

However, most teams nd that addressing revision of policies and procedures is signicantly more challenging. Policies are written statements articulated by an agency or organization that describe a course of action to be followed by the agency or organization. Social service policies frequently are derived from federal and state legislation or mandates. Procedures are sets of written guidelines that describe in specic detail how particular policies should be implemented. Policies and procedures may impact every aspect of social services, from how personnel are hired and trained, how clients are referred and assessed, how funds and services are distributed, how service plans are written and implemented, how services are evaluated, and how clients are discharged to how clients may seek mediation. Policies and procedures are



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necessary and important, but as any client or family member of a client knows, they are also the most likely source of barriers and obstacles. Thus, for most teams, addressing policies and procedures will be a major focus of the norming stage.

A team will want to identify and use a process that will allow it to address targeted policies and procedures both in terms of eld-testing and in terms of any corresponding revisions and/or additions. By using a process that involves addressing a series of questions, a team can outline the specic information and actions that will be required. The guidelines that follow can be used as a point of reference for a team to consider when developing such a process.1. Are there any current written policies and/or procedures that address

the targeted community need?• If so, based on the information from our case studies, are these

policies and/or procedures supportive or detrimental? If detrimental, what specically is negatively impacting the desired outcomes?

• If not, based on the information from our case studies, what needed policies and/or procedures could support the desired outcomes?

2. To which agency or organization do these policies and/or procedures relate?• Regarding existing policies and/or procedures, when were they

developed or updated? On what are they based? If based on legislation, is it at the federal, state, regional, or local level?

• Regarding needed policies and/or procedures, what would be required to establish them? Would this have to take place at the federal, state, regional, or local level?

3. What will our plan of action be in order to approach the appropriate agency or organization?• If there is sufcient information available from our case studies to

specify proposed policy and/or procedural changes or additions, with whom, how, and when will we share this information? Are there

opportunities to submit comments during public forums or hearings? Is there an existing council or committee whose mission and/or workscope could address this? Will an individual meeting for this specic purpose have to be arranged?• If there is not sufcient information available from our case studies to specify proposed policy and/or procedural



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changes or additions, how can we investigate related successful policies and/or procedures in use in other communities or states? Once identied, with whom, how, and when will we share this information? Are there opportunities to submit comments during public forums or hearings? Is there an existing council or committee whose mission and/or workscope could address this? Will an individual meeting for this specic purpose have to be arranged?

4. Will we need to seek permission to eld-test, collect data, and present and/or share results?

• Based on collaboration with the appropriate agency or organization, what will be the parameters and protocol for

conducting the eld-test, collecting data, and presenting and/or sharing results? Will waivers and/or special permission be required from the agency or organization if the policies and/or procedures being eld-tested “violate”

existing ones? Will consent forms be required for the eld-test participants?

5. Based on our eld-test, what recommendation(s) regarding written revision(s) and/or additions to existing policies and/or procedures can we make?• Based on eld-test results, can warranted policy and/or procedural

changes and/or additions that support the desired outcomes be identied? If so, when and how will they be addressed in writing? If not, based on collaboration with the appropriate agency or organization, what are the appropriate next steps? Is a more extensive eld-test required?

Using similar guidelines, one interagency team was successful in addressing an existing State Department of Education procedure regarding required forms to use as part of the transition planning process within the IEP (Individualized Education Program). The results of this interagency team working in collaboration with its State Department of Education to develop, eld-test, and evaluate an alternative to the existing forms had a statewide impact; this team, as well as other interested teams in the state, were granted permission through a state-level procedural change to use the eld-tested version, or any comparable version meeting the same criteria, as part of the transition planning process.

Similarly, another interagency team used case study and eld-test data to



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successfully advocate with a mortgage lender to revise its credit evaluations of persons with disabilities and low-incomes. The newly-revised policies were later extended to applicants statewide.

#4: Developing Interagency Agreements

Do we want and need to formalize our values, mission, goals, and agreed-upon responsibilities in an interagency agreement? What would be the benets of doing this? Are there any disadvantages to consider? The authors of this guide have found that most teams, but not all, benet from developing interagency agreements among the agencies and organizations represented on the teams. The primary advantage of an interagency agreement is that it lives on beyond the life of the team. An additional advantage of an interagency agreement is that it delineates the responsibilities of each participating agency or organization. The primary disadvantage of an interagency agreement is its formality. That is, it may limit what agencies do to what they actually said they would do in the agreement, thus the oft quoted, “But we didn’t agree to do that!” The bottom line is an interagency agreement is only as good as the teaming skills of the people involved in its development and implementation. However, if a team does decide to develop an interagency agreement, Figure 5 provides some guidelines to consider.

Figure 5: Guidelines for Developing an Interagency Agreement

1. The mission or purpose of the agreement is clearly stated.

2. The names of all participating agencies and organizations are accurate and inclusive.

3. The goals and outcomes to be accomplished by the agreement are clearly stated.

4. Terminology is clearly dened.

5. Roles and responsibilities of all participating agencies and organizations are clearly described.

6. Commitment to the interagency team’s continuation is evident.

7. Available service options are specied.

8. Resource sharing is described (e.g., personnel, scal).

9. Procedures and timelines for dissemination and implementation of the agreement are specied.

10. Procedures and timelines for updating the agreement are specied.



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Summary

Norming is a time of hard work and results for an interagency team. A norming team will build upon the foundation it laid during the forming and storming stages to use action planning effectively to accomplish its goals and actions. A norming team will embrace various implementation strategies such as the use of a case study approach, eld-testing of policies and procedures, and the development of an interagency agreement to makes its work more efcient and rewarding.


The Performing Stage of Interagency Team Development

Section Four

Section FourThe Performing Stage of Interagency Team Development

Goal

Team facilitators will be able to guide an interagency team through the implementation activities and the monitoring and evaluation activities associated with the performing stage.

Competencies

Upon completion of this section, team facilitators will be able to:1. Guide the team through the use of various planning strategies to help

maintain the team’s direction and focus;2. Guide the team through the use of various self-monitoring and evaluation

strategies to help maintain the team’s direction and focus; and3. (As appropriate) Guide the team through disbanding (i.e., Tuckman’s

adjourning stage) when the community’s needs have been met or when the team’s work has been completed.

Team Timelines for Completing the Performing Stage

As previously noted in Section Three, following the storming stage, many teams will spend all of their remaining time together functioning in the norming stage. These teams will never attain the performing stage, but instead they will address the needs they set out to address, accomplish their goals, and feel great satisfaction with their goals, roles, and processes while remaining in the norming stage. For these teams, the norming stage will only end if they slip back to the storming stage or if the team disbands.

However, other teams will attain the performing stage. These teams will spend their remaining time together in this stage, ending only if the team slips back to an earlier stage or if the team disbands.


Characteristics of the Performing Stage

Performing is the highest level of team functioning. At this stage, a team is able and willing to maintain, and potentially expand, its efforts, even in the absence of scal incentives (e.g., supplementary grant funding to conduct teaming activities) or mandates (e.g., state regulations to operate teams). The performing stage is

characterized by continued personal growth among individual team members, continued development of team loyalty, and

deeper relationships among team members. As work continues and as results begin to emerge from norming stage activities, a performing team is able to self-monitor and self-evaluate its efforts. As a result, the team continues to develop and implement new and

revised action plans and, in some cases, eventually agrees to disband once the team’s work has been accomplished.

Performing Stage Activities

The authors of this guide suggest that team facilitators guide the team through completion of three major activities during the performing stage: 1) using various planning strategies to maintain the team’s direction and focus; 2) using various self-monitoring and evaluation strategies to maintain the team’s direction and focus; and 3) (as appropriate) guiding the team through disbanding when the community’s needs have been met or the team’s work has been accomplished.

#1: Using Planning Strategies to Maintain a Team’s Direction and Focus

How can our team avoid becoming too specialized or too isolated within the larger community? How can we systematically and effectively address external resistance so that we can continue to maintain our team’s direction and focus? A team faces challenges at every step of the teaming and systems change process. Action plans provide the team with direction and focus from one meeting to the next, but additional strategies are frequently needed for a team to reach the performing stage and to continue to function effectively. Among the planning strategies to consider during the performing stage, Everson (1993) suggests that a team consider coalition building, exercising inuence, and managing resistance. Further, Rees (1997) suggests that a team address and become comfortable with diversity.


Section Four


Building coalitions. Although it is important for a team not to lose sight of the target population it decided to serve, it is equally important for the team not to isolate its efforts with the target population from other populations and communities that might enhance its efforts. Thus, as a team implements its

action plans, explores its case studies, and begins to realize results, team members should look outside of the core team’s membership

for additional support, as appropriate. For example, a team originally convened to address the needs of students and adults who are deafblind may, over time, realize benets from expanding the team’s membership and activities in order to address persons with a wider array of disabilities who

have comparable needs. Likewise, a team originally convened to address the housing needs of people with disabilities and low incomes may, over time, decide to expand its efforts to

target all of the community’s residents with low incomes and unmet housing needs. A team that annually sponsors a career and

employment fair for high school students with disabilities may wish to broaden its membership and activities in order to offer a fair that targets all high school students.

Support may come from building alliances with specic disability advocacy groups, state and national parent or family groups, professional organizations, as well as with various political, religious, civic, or economic groups. Coalition building may include expanding a team’s membership to include members from these new groups. It may also include expanding outreach efforts to these groups by inviting them to participate in team-sponsored workshops and seminars. Coalition building may also include: negotiating with corporations or local celebrities to jointly sponsor initiatives or to oversee public relations campaigns to underserved populations; developing regional or statewide networks of teams to share activities and ndings; and jointly responding to state or federal requests for grant proposals.

Exercising inuence. Inuence is a broad concept that includes a range of activities that enable a team to better mobilize all available resources in order to bring about desired solutions. In human services, desired solutions are often driven more by values and positive client outcomes than by cost benets. Therefore, most teams will nd that educative, rather than coercive, techniques are most effective. These techniques include, for example, organizing parents, families, clients, and other advocates to request funding or policy changes and making data-based presentations highlighting improved client outcomes to key stakeholders.


Section Four


Managing resistance. Change, even when it is planned and anticipated, upsets the equilibrium of the target community and

systems (Everson, 1993). Thus, the team should anticipate some resistance to its activities and desired goals. As was discussed in Section Two, during the storming stage, this resistance is most likely to come from within the team. During the norming and performing stages, however, this resistance is more likely to come from external forces.

Resistance to change from external forces can be problematic if it is unexpected and if there is no plan for how to address

it. Key stakeholders — agency directors, family members, and advocates who are not team members — are likely sources of resistance. A team can minimize this source of resistance by ensuring adequate membership during the forming stage, by collecting representative needs data during the storming stage, and by engaging in proactive outreach and public relations about the team’s values, mission, and goals during the storming and norming stages.

When these techniques fail to reduce external resistance, performing teams must be prepared to understand and address this resistance. “Force Field Analysis” (Lewin, 1951) is a planning strategy that many teams have found useful in addressing both external and internal resistance. Force eld analysis is based on systems theory. Systems theory (e.g., Bronfenbrenner, 1989) emphasizes the importance of viewing any department, program, agency, organization, community, or even team as an open model with numerous interdependent parts. These parts constantly seek stability, but stability is dynamic rather than static. This is because stability is continuously impacted by a series of opposing and counteracting forces known as “driving forces” (resources) and “restraining forces” (barriers). Lewin (1951) suggests that systems become stuck in a force eld when these driving and restraining forces press against each other. Systems change can only occur when these forces shift and the systems once again achieve stability.

A team can use modied force eld analysis activities to solve problems caused by this resistance. These activities force teams to move forward, by focusing energies on strengthening resources to overcome resistance.

There are ve steps (Everson, 1993) a team should follow when using force eld analysis to manage resistance. First, the team should review, conrm, and, if necessary, revise its identied needs and desired solutions. Second, the team should review, conrm, and, if necessary, revise its goals and


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Section Four

activities. If a team commits to these original plans, it may need to consider a public relations campaign to ensure that external forces understand its values, mission, desired solutions, goals, and activities. These rst two steps may, in and of themselves, reduce resistance, but they may also return the team, kicking and screaming, to the storming stage.

If these steps do return the team to the storming stage, team facilitators should take a deep breath, express some humor, and, as needed, revise needs, solutions, membership, goals, activities, as well as team structure and operating procedures.

If a team does commit to its original needs, solutions, goals, and activities and external resistance is still of concern, team facilitators should guide the team through the next step. Step three requires the team to brainstorm a list of restraining forces (barriers) and driving forces (resources) that are creating resistance to its goals and activities. Restraining forces are any barriers or problems that the team identies as reasons a desired solution is not currently in place. Restraining forces may include personnel — not enough personnel or not enough personnel with knowledge or skills in a specic area. They may include policies or procedures that inhibit a desired practice. They may include inaccessible buildings, communication or cultural barriers, limited transportation routes, limited affordable housing, and so forth. Whenever appropriate, facilitators should attempt to expand members’ responses. For example, “money” should be expanded to indicate the service or outcome for which money is needed. Driving forces are any resources, supports, and reinforcers that a team can potentially use to achieve desired solutions.

Driving forces may include existing personnel, potential funding sources, supportive key stakeholders, existing policies and procedures, underutilized services, local family and advocacy groups, and so forth.

Fourth, the team should discuss and reach consensus on actions that team members may take in order to increase the driving forces (resources), thus reducing the opposing forces (barriers). Taking these agreed-upon actions will break the force eld, thus reducing resistance. The fth and nal step

is for the team to revise its action plans to reect these new actions and to implement the revised action plans. Figure 1 is

an example of a planning form that a team may use when engaging in force eld analysis.


Kettner, Daley, and Nichols (1985) suggest that the key to managing resistance is simply to expect it and to systematically plan how to address it. Open discussions between team members and external stakeholders may be warranted. Specically, they suggest that a team consider whether personnel may feel threatened or devalued by proposed changes. If so, personnel training may be warranted. Further, proposed changes may threaten established job positions, disrupt working relations, and alter the balance of scarce resources. If so, these issues should be addressed as part of the team’s actions.

As part of force eld analysis, when a team is developing revised action plans to increase driving forces, it may want to consider a conict resolution approach suggested by Filley, House, and Kerr (1976). This approach, described as a “win-win” and “lose-lose” approach, uses negotiation, bargaining, and compromise to enable all parties to acknowledge potential gains and losses from adopted goals and actions. Teams should ask themselves: “What are we winning and losing? What are our external forces winning and losing? Can we live with these wins and losses?”

Becoming comfortable with diversity. Groups of people working together to solve problems are more effective than individuals working alone, because


Section Four

Figure 1: Force Field Analysis Worksheet

The identied need is: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The desired solution is: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Restraining Forces (Barriers) Driving Forces (Resources)



Section Four

of the variety of values, experiences, and behaviors they bring to the group. A performing team celebrates this diversity throughout the forming, storming, and norming stages and is able to draw upon, and even further develop, individual talents to accomplish team goals. During the performing stage, the team is better prepared than during earlier stages to address diversity, because of enhanced relationships among its team members and because of its use of effective communication skills. Rees (1997) suggests that a team periodically consider eight guidelines to assist its members to become comfortable with diversity (pp. 173-174).• Do not assume that other team members think, feel, hear, or see things the

way you do. • Do not be intimidated by difference.• If other team members offer information on hobbies or family, ask

questions to learn more about them.• Learn to ask open-ended questions to draw out other team members.• Find out what other team members’ work experiences have been.• Learn what other team members would like to get out of being on the

team.• Make it your goal to learn ways that each team member is unique.• Learn to dwell on ways you are similar to others on the team.

#2: Using Self-monitoring and Evaluation Strategies to Maintain a Team’s Direction and Focus

How does our team periodically assess whether we are doing what we set out to do? How does our team assess whether our actions are making positive differences in the lives of our target population? Monitoring and evaluation activities enable a team to assess the progress and impact of its actions. Most teams recognize the importance and usefulness of these activities, but time constraints, scal limitations, as well as the overwhelming thought of conducting the activities, cause many teams to avoid them until forced to do so. While it is true that collecting and using data from these activities can be overwhelming, it is equally true that collecting and using monitoring and evaluation data can be rewarding.

During the storming and norming stages, a team often uses external evaluators to assess its work. Team members may perceive these activities as being punitive — activities that will determine whether grants or other funding


awards are received or whether supervisors or constituents perceive their work as being productive. During the performing stage,

the team has developed the relationships and the processes necessary to self-monitor and evaluate its work. Thus, it is able to check itself periodically to assess whether it is doing

what it set out to do and whether its actions are making positive differences in the lives of its target population.

Kettner and colleagues (1985) describe monitoring activities as “early warning systems” designed to provide a team with information that is useful in keeping its activities on course. Monitoring activities are formative; they provide a team with

periodic internal checks so that goals, roles, and processes may be continued as is or be revised. They assess self-regulatory processes, such as team functioning, team roles, and team processes. In contrast,

evaluation activities assess intended and unintended impacts of the team’s activities. They are summative; they provide a team with external checks of completed actions by measuring outcomes. They assess changes in target populations, personnel, families, policies and procedures, and so forth. Thus, they are distinctly different in their purpose and use, but they are also interrelated in their design and usefulness to teams.

Comparable to needs assessment activities, described in Section Two, monitoring and evaluation activities can be both costly and time-consuming. It is, therefore, essential that a team spend time discussing and designing a set of activities that provide all of the information it needs to make formative and summative decisions, but that do not require more resources than it is able to commit.

Kaizen. Kaizen (pronounced ky´zen) is one of the most frequently used words in business and everyday Japanese life (Imai, 1986). Kaizen, according to Imai, means gradual, unending improvement. It suggests that people seek every day to achieve higher standards by involving everyone in doing even the little things better. Imai (1986) further comments that pursuit of kaizen values and strategies is what most clearly differentiates Japanese business approaches from the United States’ approach of pursuing outcomes and its results orientation.

Kaizen values and strategies embrace teamwork because they promote communication and feedback, information and resource sharing, and goal setting. Kaizen strategies include, for example:• suggestion boxes;


Section Four


• brainstorming techniques;• focus groups; and• team action planning.

Kaizen values and strategies enable a performing team to continually self-monitor its actions. One simple kaizen strategy that many teams have found useful is to close each team meeting with a ve-minute activity, Figure 2. This activity enables all team members and leaders to share feedback about the meeting in order for the team to improve, at the next meeting, any things that need improvement.

Figure 2: Meeting Kaizen Form

Date of Meeting: _______________________

These things worked well... These things are opportunities for improvement...

Monitoring strategies. Many interagency teams have found it helpful to conduct monitoring activities on a quarterly, biannual, or annual basis. The authors of this manual suggest that teams set aside one meeting date on an agreed-upon schedule to conduct monitoring activities. During this meeting, teams should assess their goals, roles, and processes.

For example, team facilitators might distribute a worksheet listing each of the team’s goals (Figure 3) to all team members. Next to each goal, the worksheet should list indicators of goal accomplishment from which team members may select. Team facilitators should instruct team members to, rst, individually complete the worksheet and, second, after tallying the results for the entire team, engage the entire team in a discussion of ndings and next steps. Another strategy for teams to consider is use of the “Gant Chart” as


Section Four



Section Four

a monitoring form. (See Section Three: Norming Stage.) Because the “Gant Chart” (Figure 4) identies desired goals and actions by timelines, team facilitators can use the form to record whether or not actions were completed according to projected timelines. As a third example, team facilitators might initiate a broader team discussion, using brainstorming to complete the worksheet in Figure 5.

Regardless of the mechanism(s) used to gather monitoring data, once the data are collected, team facilitators must lead the team through a discussion of the results. Questions to consider include: 1) Are we headed in the right direction for meeting our goals? 2) Are we making progress towards our goals? 3) Do our current roles enable us to work as effectively as possible? 4) Do our current processes enable us to work as efciently as possible? and 5) What is working well and what is not working well?

Name of Team: ____________________________Date of Monitoring Activity: _________________Working individually, review each goal and place a checkmark in the most appropriate column. Next, tally each individual’s results and discuss the collective results as a full team.

Figure 3: Worksheet for Monitoring Team Goals

Goal(s) This goal has been accomplished.

Activities to accomplish this

goal are in process, but have not been

completed.


goal have not been initiated.

1.

2.

3.

4.



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Figure 4: Examples of Gant Chart Forms

Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4QUARTERLY GANT CHART PROJECT: _________________________

Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4



TWO WEEK GANT CHART PROJECT: _______________

Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri.



Section Four

Goals

Roles

Processes

Figure 5: Worksheet for Monitoring Team Goals, Roles, and Processes

Things That Are Working Things That Are Not Working

Evaluation strategies. Evaluation strategies enable a team to make decisions about the value and worth of the team’s activities and the results it achieved. Specically, evaluation data assist the team in determining whether completed activities achieved the desired goals and outcomes and whether the team should consider expanding or replicating its ndings with other communities or target populations.

To meet these needs, evaluation strategies should yield data that enable a team to assess: (1) effort or the type and amount of resources needed to accomplish goals; (2) performance outcomes; (3) efciency of outcomes with respect to effort; and (4) process or information on how the team attained the results (Suchman, 1967). Soloman (1977) suggests several evaluation planning strategies for a team to consider when designing evaluation activities: (1) build evaluation activities into action planning and monitoring activities; (2) set clear and measurable goals; (3) dene outcomes; (4) select appropriate procedures and tools; and (5) collect and use the data.

Figure 6 provides a team with some evaluation questions and examples of useful data to consider collecting. These questions, procedures, and tools are presented only as examples of activities used by other interagency teams. Actual teams will want and need to individualize their own activities to address their unique goals, activities, and constraints.

#3: Guiding a Team through Disbandment

Once our team has accomplished what we set out to do, what happens next? If our team decides to disband, how should we go about it? The old familiar



Section Four

Figure 6: Evaluation Considerations

Potential Evaluation Questions Potential Procedures/Tools Considerations

What are the characteristics of the target population before and after the team’s activities?

• Pre-/post-intervention surveys or questionnaires to assess changes in knowledge, attitudes, opinions, skills, satisfaction, and/or behaviors of target population

• Pre-/post-intervention performance reviews of employees

• Pre-/post-changes in waiting lists, costs, service delivery outcomes

• Multi-year follow-up studies of high school students with disabilities

• Document reviews of individualized service plans developed for target population (e.g., IEPs)

• Case study reports of target population

• Time?• Costs?• Availability of data?• Subject condentiality?• Data analysis?• Usefulness of data?• Target audience to

receive data?• Potential uses of data?

What was the process of the team’s activities?

• Review and documentation of team’s agendas, action plans, and monitoring activities

• Surveys or questionnaires to assess experiences, attitudes, opinions, satisfaction, and/or behaviors of team members

• Review of Force Field Analysis activities to identify resources and barriers

• Team functioning checklists or questionnaires



What were the outcomes of the team’s activities?

• Benet and cost studies• Pre-/post-intervention questionnaires

and surveys of dened variables• Case study reports of target population





Section Four

Neil Sedaka song states, “Breaking up is hard to do.” This fact holds as true for performing teams as it does for personal relationships. Some teams, far too many in fact, will break up during the forming or storming stages. Those that do are likely to have mixed feelings about their teaming experiences — some regrets and some relief that it is all over. However, those teams that break up during the performing stage do so because they have accomplished what they set out to do. Woodring and Zigami (1997) suggest that teams that break up during the performing stage need some form of ritual or event to mark this transition, for example, a formal and nal meeting where members

socialize, celebrate, and share what they have learned from being a part of the team. Some teams even nd it important to hold “alumni” team meetings. Lastly, Woodring and Zigami (1997) caution that it is important to honor past

teaming experiences when these members join a new team. One way to do this is for team facilitators to organize a

simple icebreaker activity where every team member shares the positive experiences and qualities that he/she would like to bring from a former team to the newly forming team.

Summary

A performing team is a team that functions at the highest level of teaming. It is productive, efcient, loyal, and caring. Members are able to engage in self-monitoring and evaluation activities. They use their monitoring and evaluation data to celebrate what is working well and to remediate what is not working well. They are able to make important decisions about their goals, roles, and processes, even when threatened by external forces. Lastly, they are able to make difcult decisions about staying together or disbanding when they have addressed the needs that brought them together in the rst place.

72Everson and Guillory, 2002 Appendices


AppendicesA. Common Questions for Interagency Teams

to Address during the Four Stages of Team Development: Forming, Storming, Norming, andPerforming ........................................................................................... 73

B. Sample Forms and Documents ....................................................... 74

C. References ........................................................................................... 75


Appendix ACommon Questions for Interagency Teams to Address during the Four Stages of Team Development: Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing

Appendix A

Common Questions for Interagency Teams to Address during the Four Stages of Team Development

Everson and Guillory, 2002 Appendix A


#1: Initiating a Team• What is our community need?• How could an interagency team address this need better than individual

agencies or organizations?

#2: Planning and Holding an Initial, Organizational Meeting• Who is the target population to be impacted by the identied needs?• What is the geographic area or community to be served by the proposed

team?• Which core agencies or stakeholders will serve as members of the

proposed team?

#3: Planning and Holding Additional, Follow-up Meetings during the Forming Stage• What are the critical team development and organizational activities that

an interagency team needs to address during the forming stage?

#4: Conrming the Team’s Membership• How can an interagency team secure commitment from individuals and

member agencies regarding their continued membership?




#1: Developing Values/Mission Statements• What do we value as a team?• Why do we exist?

#2: Conducting Needs Assessments• What are the specic needs faced by the target population in our

community?

#3: Setting Team Goals/Developing Team Action Plans• What future, desired outcomes will our team pursue in order to address

the identied needs of the target population?• How will our team monitor and document our progress towards these

outcomes?

#4: Developing Team Structural/Operating Procedures• Who will be in charge of running our team meetings?• How often will we meet?• How will we develop our agendas?• How will we accomplish our work efciently?• How will we make decisions?

#5: Practicing Effective Meeting Processes, Communication Skills, and Conict Management Skills• How will our team conduct itself before, during, and after meetings?• How can we ensure that our communications as a team enhance our

efforts rather than detract from them?• How will team members ensure that we continue to pull in the same

direction rather than in different directions?




#1: Using Action Plans• How will our team know and track the status of our efforts?• How will we determine “next steps” and any needed changes?

#2: Using a Case Study Approach• How can we maintain a focus on achieving outcome goals?• How can we ensure that we are addressing the assessed needs of the

target population?

#3: Field-testing, Evaluating and Revising Policies and Procedures• Based upon our case studies, what policies and/or procedures may need

to be changed or developed?• How can we study and document the potential effects of these changes or

additions?• Based on our eld-test, what policy and/or procedural revisions or

additions are supported or warranted?

#4: Developing Interagency Agreements• Do we want and need to formalize our values, mission, goals, and agreed-

upon responsibilities in an interagency agreement?• What would be the benets of doing this?• Are there any disadvantages to consider?




#1: Using Planning Strategies to Maintain a Team’s Direction and Focus• How can our team avoid becoming too specialized or too isolated within

the larger community?• How can we systematically and effectively address external resistance so

that we can continue to maintain our team’s direction and focus?

#2: Using Self-monitoring and Evaluation Strategies to Maintain a Team’s Direction and Focus• How does our team periodically assess whether we are doing what we set

out to do?• How does our team assess whether our actions are making positive

differences in the lives of our target population?

#3: Guiding a Team through Disbandment• Once our team has accomplished what we set out to do, what happens

next?• If our team decides to disband, how should we go about it?


74Everson and Guillory, 2002 Appendix B

Sample Forms and Documents

Appendix BSample Forms and Documents

Introduction• Interagency Team Self-Assessment Instrument• Interagency Team Consultant Assessment Instrument

Section 1: Forming• Sample Planning Worksheet to Identify Potential Member Agencies and

Stakeholders• Sample Agenda for Initial, Organizational Meeting• Sample Action Plan Form• Sample Agenda for Follow-up Meeting

Section 2: Storming• Sample Action Plan Form• Typical Team Ground Rules• Team Roles and Responsibilities• Effective Meeting Processes

Section 3: Norming• Quarterly Gant Chart Form• Two Week Gant Chart Form• Case Study Obstacles and Opportunities Map• Case Studies: Monitoring Worksheet

Section 4: Performing• Force Field Analysis Worksheet• Sample Meeting Kaizen Form• Worksheet for Monitoring Team Goals• Worksheet for Monitoring Team Goals, Roles, and Processes

Interagency Teaming: Strategies for Facilitating Teams from Forming through Performing; Everson and Guillory; 2002.

Interagency Team Self-Assessment Instrument

Names of Team Members Completing Assessment: (Please list team facilitator/leader rst.)_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Telephone Number for Team Facilitator/Leader: __________________ E-mail: _________________


As a member of this interagency team, please indicate the extent to which you agree that your team has addressed the following activities.


1. We can dene the concept “team” and can describe the characteristics of effective teams.


No Data/Evidence

2. We have identied the preliminary need to be addressed by the proposed team.

3. We have identied the target population to be impacted by the proposed team.

4. We have identied the geographic area to be served by the proposed team.

5. We have identied the core agencies and stakeholders to serve as members of the proposed team.

6. We have planned and held an initial, organizational meeting.

7. We have planned and held at least three additional, follow-up meetings.

8. We have facilitated an initial discussion of the team’s goals, roles, and processes.

9. We have conrmed the team’s membership.


1. We have developed values and mission statements.


No Data/Evidence

2. We have conducted needs assessment activities.

3. We have set team goals and developed team action plans.

4. We have team structural and operating procedures.

5. We practice effective meeting processes, communication skills, and conict management skills.


Comments: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


1. We implement, revise, and update our action plans.


No Data/Evidence

2. We use a case study approach to focus on both outcome goals and process goals.

3. We eld-test targeted policies and procedures, evaluate their effectiveness, and revise them accordingly.

4. We developed an interagency agreement.


1. We use various planning strategies to help maintain the team’s direction and focus.


No Data/Evidence

2. We use various self-monitoring and evaluation strategies to help maintain the team’s direction and focus.

3. (As appropriate) We are prepared to disband when the community’s needs have been met or the team’s work has been completed.


Interagency Team Consultant Assessment Instrument

Name(s) of Consultant(s) Completing Assessment: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Telephone Number of Consultant: _________________________ E-mail: _____________________


As a consultant to this interagency team, please indicate the extent to which you agree that it has addressed the following activities.


1. The team can dene the concept “team” and can describe the characteristics of effective teams.


No Data/Evidence

2. The team identied the preliminary need to be addressed by the proposed team.

3. The team identied the target population to be impacted by the proposed team.

4. The team identied the geographic area to be served by the proposed team.

5. The team identied the core agencies and stakeholders to serve as members of the proposed team.

6. The team planned and held an initial, organizational meeting.

7. The team planned and held at least three additional, follow-up meetings.

8. The team facilitated an initial discussion of the team’s goals, roles, and processes.

9. The team conrmed the team’s membership.


1. The team developed values and mission statements.


No Data/Evidence

2. The team conducted needs assessment activities.

3. The team set team goals and developed team action plans.

4. The team developed team structural and operating procedures.

5. The team practices effective meeting processes, communication skills, and conict management skills.


Comments: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


1. The team implements, revises, and updates its action plans.


No Data/Evidence

2. The team uses a case study approach to focus on both outcome goals and process goals.

3. The team eld-tests targeted policies and procedures, evaluates their effectiveness, and revises them accordingly.

4. The team developed an interagency agreement.


1. The team uses various planning strategies to help maintain the team’s direction and focus.


No Data/Evidence

2. The team uses various self-monitoring and evaluation strategies to help maintain the team’s direction and focus.

3. (As appropriate) The team is prepared to disband when the community’s needs have been met or the team’s work has been completed.

MEMBERSHIP PLANNING WORKSHEET

Our preliminary community need is __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________ __________________ __________________ __________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________


I. Welcome and IntroductionsII. Purpose/Goal of MeetingIII. Proposed Roles for Initial MeetingIV. Review of AgendaV. Rationale for Organization of TeamVI. Overview of Preliminary Need(s) and Target PopulationVII. Description of Geographic Catchment Area of Proposed TeamVIII. Rationale for Involvement of Invited Agencies/StakeholdersIX. Introductory Icebreaker ActivityX. Discussion of Similar Team Efforts in Other CommunitiesXI. Preliminary Discussion of Needs, Goals, and MembershipXII. General Announcements/Information SharingXIII. Discussion of Next Steps, including Draft Agenda and Logistics for Second MeetingXIV. Review of Action Plan/Summary


Initial Meeting Agenda

ACTION PLAN FOR _________________________________________DATE DEVELOPED _________________________________________




I. Welcome and Introductions of New MembersII. Purpose/Goal of MeetingIII. Proposed Roles for Second MeetingIV. Review of AgendaV. Review of Action Plan from First MeetingVI. Icebreaker ActivityVII. Consensus of Need(s) to be Addressed by TeamVIII. Consensus of Target PopulationIX. Consensus of Team’s Geographic Catchment AreaX. Consensus of MembershipXI. Discussion of Preliminary Goals Suggested at Initial MeetingXII. General Announcements/Information SharingXIII. Discussion of Next Steps, including Draft Agenda and Logistics for Third MeetingXIV. Review of Action Plan/Summary


Second Meeting Agenda




ACTION PLAN FOR _________________________________________DATE DEVELOPED _________________________________________

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------NEED(S): ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------GOAL(S): ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• Team members will arrange their schedules to attend all team meetings. • Come to meetings on time and prepared to address the agenda.• Begin and end meetings on time.• Use active listening skills to communicate effectively.• Offer suggestions and ask questions instead of criticizing.• Be open to different views and experiences. • Don’t make and don’t allow personal attacks.• Silence indicates agreement.• Agreement by 51 percent of our members means 100 percent commitment from our team.• Be careful not to use acronyms.• If someone says something you do not understand, ask questions!• Ask for help when you need it.• What is discussed in our meetings remains in our meetings.• Don’t engage in side discussions.• Recognize and appreciate the value of every member’s efforts!• Have fun!


Typical Team Ground Rules

Team Chair or Leader• Organizes annual team meeting schedule, notifies team members of changes, reserves meeting space,

and secures supplies.• Finalizes agendas and action plans and ensures that they are distributed to all members.• Serves as spokesperson for the team outside of meetings.• Keeps the team focused on its values, mission, and agenda during meetings.• Models effective communication during meetings.• Minimizes and resolves conflict during meetings.• Suggests and facilitates effective team processes.• Ensures that all team members understand and assume their roles.• Contributes to the team without dominating.

Team Co-Chair or Co-Leader• Helps the chair or leader organize annual team meeting schedule, notify team members of changes,

reserve meeting space, and secure supplies.• Helps the chair or leader finalize agendas and action plans and ensure that they are distributed to all

members.• Models effective communication and helps ensure effective communication among all members during

meetings. • Ensures that the team’s ground rules are followed.• Assists the leader or chair in minimizing conflict.• With the leader or chair, suggests and facilitates effective team processes.• (If there is no designated timekeeper) serves as the timekeeper or asks for a volunteer at the beginning

of each meeting to do so.

Team Recorder• Maintains the team’s membership list and meeting attendance lists.• Maintains contact between meetings with any members who are unable to attend.• Ensures that all team members receive a copy of the agenda for upcoming meetings.• Models effective communication and actively listens to all team discussions during meetings.• Records all agreed-upon actions, tasks, timelines, and monitoring and evaluation procedures on the

action plan.• Ensures that all team members receive copies of the action plans resulting from the meetings.

Timekeeper• Notifies leader when it is time to begin and end meetings.• Notifies team when it is time for breaks to begin and end.• Notifies team when the time period dedicated to a specific agenda item has been completed and helps

team determine whether to add more time or to table the item for a future meeting.

Member • Attends all team meetings.• Contributes to team discussions, problem-solving, and decision-making in a productive manner. • Models effective communication.• Minimizes conflicts.• Follows ground rules.• Completes all assigned tasks or activities as promised to the team in the action plan.• Offers support to all other team members.


Team Roles and Responsibilities

Before the meeting…• Dene the goals, roles, and processes of the meeting.• Schedule the meeting location and equipment.• Finalize the agenda.• Distribute the agenda.• Arrange for assistive services and supports (as needed).• Arrange for refreshments.

During the meeting…• Begin on time.• Introduce any new members or visitors.• Describe the goals, roles, and process.• Summarize the agenda.• Follow the agenda.• Use effective communication skills.• Manage conict.• Complete action plan.• Develop agenda for next meeting.• Summarize discussions, decisions, next steps.

After the meeting…• Evaluate the effectiveness of the meeting.• Make contact with any member(s) unable to attend the meeting.• Distribute the action plan and any necessary related materials in a timely fashion.


Effective Meeting Processes

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Case Study Obstacles and Oppourtuinities Map

Date of Update: __________________________

(Name of Case Study)’s Future Vision or Dream: ____________________________________

Progress Towards Future Vision or Dream: _________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Obstacles Opportunities

Date of Monitoring: _____________ Focus of Case Studies: ___________________________

Case Studies: Monitoring Worksheet


As a result of our team’s collaborative activities, how are we impacting the lives of individuals?

Given what we have accomplished at today’s meeting, what are we learning about our community’s needs, systems, and services?


The identied need is: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The desired solution is: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Restraining Forces (Barriers) Driving Forces (Resources)

Force Field Analysis Worksheet


Date of Meeting: ___________________________

Meeting Kaizen

These things worked well... These things are opportunities for improvement...

Name of Team: _______________________________________________________________Date of Monitoring Activity: _____________________________________________________Working individually, review each goal and place a checkmark in the most appropriate column. Next, tally each individual’s results and discuss the collective results as a full team.

Goal(s) This goal has been accomplished.


goal are in process, but have not been

completed.


goal have not been initiated.


Team Goals Monitoring Worksheet

Things That Are Working Things That Are Not Working

Goals

Roles

Processes


Team Goals, Roles, and Processes Monitoring Worksheet

75Everson and Guillory, 2002 Appendix C

References

Appendix CReferences

Everson and Guillory, 2002 Appendix C

References

Baird, P. & Everson, J.M. (2001, December). Person-centered planning: A guide for facilitators and participants (2nd edition). New Orleans, LA: Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, School of Allied Health Professions, Human Development Center.

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1989). Ecological systems theory. In R. Vasta (Ed.), Annals of Child Development (Vol 6, pp 187-249). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

Dartnell Corporation (November 9, 2001). Turn ideas into action with 10-step plan. In Teamwork, 8 (17), p.9 Chicago, IL: Dartnell.

Everson, J.M. (1993). Transition from school to adult life. Strategies for interagency collaboration. Austin, TX: Pro Ed Publishing Co.

Everson, J.M. & Guillory, J.D. (1998). Building statewide transition services through collaborative teamwork. In F.R. Rusch and J.G. Chadsey (Eds.), Beyond High School. Transition from School to Work. (pp. 299-318). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co.

Everson, J.M. & Rachal, P. (1996). What are we learning about state and local interagency partnerships? An analysis of statewide interagency activities for students who are deaf-blind in seventeen states. Sands Point, NY: Helen Keller National Center, Technical Assistance Center.

Filley, A.C., House, R.E., & Kerr, S. (1976). Managerial process and organizational behavior. Glenview, IL: Scott Forsman.

Hasenfeld, Y. (1974). Program development. In F.M. Cox, J.L. Erlich, J. Rothman, & J.E. Tropman (Eds.), Strategies of Community Practice. Itaska, IL: F.E. Peacock Publishing Co.

Imai, M. (1986). Kaizen: The key to Japan’s competitive success. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company.

Kettner, P., Daley, J.M., Nichols, A.W. (1985). Initiating change in organizations and communities. Belmont, CA: Brookes/Cole Publishing Co.

Leadership Designs, Inc. (1990).

Everson and Guillory, 2002 Appendix C

References

Lewin, K. (1951). Field theory in social sciences. New York, NY: Harper & Row.

Rees, F. (1997). Teamwork from start to nish. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Robbins, H. & Finley, M. (2001). The new why teams don’t work. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Soloman, D.D. (1977) Evaluating community programs. In F.M. Cox, J.L. Erlich, J. Rothman, & J.E. Tropman (Eds.), Tactics and Techniques of Community Practice. Itasca, IL: F.E. Peacock Publishing Co.

Suchman, E. (1967). Evaluative research. New York: Russel Sage Foundation.

Tuckman, D.W. (1965). Developmental sequence in small groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63, pp. 384-399.

Varney, G.H. (1989). Building productive teams. An action guide and resource book. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Warheit, G.J., Bell, R.A., Schuab, J.J. (1984). Selecting the needs assessment approach. In F.M. Cox, J.L. Erlich, J.Rothman, & J.E. Tropman (Eds.), Tactics and Techniques of Community Practice (2nd edition). Itaska, IL: Peacock Publishing Co.

Woodring, S.F. & Zigami, D. (1997). The team leader’s idea-a-day guide: 250 ways to make your team more effective and productive – every working day of the year. Chicago, IL: Dartnell.

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