Principles of Successful Team Interaction

I have been thinking a lot about effective teamwork, lately. I believe that the norms and attitudes of the people in a team or group have a deep impact on the success of the work within the group. All work can be accomplished in positive, fulfilling ways and below are what I believe to be some of the key principles for effective teamwork. I have written these as affirmative statements and as principles within an organization.

Principles of Successful Team Interaction

• Purposeful – we focus on our goals. We are not distracted by the ancillary.
• Respect – we respect one another. We avoid useless gossip and disrespectful language and focus on success.
• Openness – there are no secrets. We work together in an open, positive manner to achieve our goals.
• Collaboration – we work as a team. We work to support one another in our work in the program.
• Constructive – we are proactive and focus on solutions. We focus on reaching goals and fixing problems.

What do you think? Would you add anything else to the list?

Day 3 - Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy

This post is part of a series reporting on my experiences at the the Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy. Click here to read more on this conference. #2014CHEP

Session - Effectiveness of Student Teams

The final session that I attended at the conference was a session on how to help student teams work effectively. It was presented and facilitated by Eric Rice and Richard Parsons.They did a good job facilitating the sessions, and one thing I really liked was that they hung posters that seemed to categorize effective teamwork into 5 general themes. I'll show these posters below and discuss how I think they can be implemented effectively into a team environment.

 

1. Formation of Groups

Teams need to be formed in the class. Groups seem to be most effective at around 4 group members. Be sure that they are composed of a variety of strengths and capacities. Keep in mind that these individuals may have had a history of working together.

2. Workload Distribution

Teams need to ensure that their work is distributed effectively so they can accomplish the tasks required. This distribution should consider the following components:

• Balance of the Quantity of work assigned
• Expectations and standards of Quality for the output desired
• Selection of Tasks related to the work
• Assignment of Ownership of each component of the work assigned
• Create mechanisms to control or penalize Social Loafing and Disengagement

3. Scheduling

Student teams must function efficiently, and having an effective schedule can help them to do this. The schedule should enable the students to complete each component within the time required. Schedules should include (a) when/how often to meet as a group, and (b) when to draft, revise, and submit work to the instructor.

4. Resolving Conflict

Sometimes conflict arises in a team environment. Students and instructors must establish methods for resolving this conflict.

5. Grading and Evaluation

When working with student teams, it is important that their work be effectively evaluated. This should include the following components:

• Peer Evaluation - have students evaluate one another so that you can understand how each individual contributed throughout the teamwork. This evaluation should occur frequently so that everyone has a feel for how they are doing and how they can improve.
• Individual Contributions - evaluation of each student should include an evaluation of what each individual contributed to the work completed. This will help you see how that individual contributed and see the quality of their work.
• Overall Grade - evaluation of the overall grade for the team is also key. This helps in the grading of the team as a whole.
• Rubrics and Standards - all evaluation should be based on rubrics and standards that are established from the beginning. This will help the students and teams see the end from the beginning and have something to work toward.

This was a great Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy, and I was very glad to have been able to attend it with my friends and coworkers at Franklin University. I cam away with ideas on how I can improve my own work. If possible, I hope to attend the conference again in the future.

5 Principles for Working as a Successful Team

Working in teams is a normal part of life, and I believe that all work can be accomplished in positive, fulfilling ways. However, sometimes we work with people who do not work in positive ways, and it can truly destroy the effectiveness of the team. Based on my own experience, the following principles should guide all work interactions within a team. Using these principles will yield a greater likelihood of success.  

• Purposeful – we must focus on our goals. We cannot be distracted by the ancillary. If there is no focused purpose, there is no success.
• Respectful – we must be respectful of one another. We avoid useless gossip and focus on success.
• Open – we must have no secrets. We must share knowledge openly and work together in an open, positive manner to achieve our goals. 
• Collaborative – we must build off our teammates strengths and successes. We work to support one another in our work in the program. 
• Constructive – we are proactive and focus on solutions. We focus on reaching goals and fixing problems. 

To use these principles effectively, each team member must work to build a level of self-confidence and inner assurance, which will act as a foundation for these principles. If you have found yourself struggling within your team, I recommend that you take a close look at yourself and make sure that you are using these principles effectively to achieve success in your work.