Team Operating Principles

I will respect myself and each member of the team by:

• Being direct, honest and open in my communication • Listening carefully and completely too each person’s point of view. • Being on time, prepared and ready to contribute. • Working to achieve positive results in a timely manner. • Sharing and explaining my point of view, as well as providing alternatives when I disagree with a team member’s suggestion. • Acknowledging my feelings and validating the feelings of others.
Reference: Ciaburri Associates, Inc., 1991

Model for Group Decision-Making

Consensus is achieved when:

• I believe I understand my team members’ point(s) of view.

• I believe that my team members understand my point of view.

• I will support our group’s decision because it was arrived at in an open and fair manner, whether or not it reflects my point of view.

Reference: Ciaburri Associates, Inc., 1991

Team Tools

In today’s workplace, people are routinely called upon to work in teams. Businesses have discovered that through cooperative efforts, employees contribute more ideas, generate better solutions, and produce a higher quality final product. In addition to enjoying these greater levels of productivity, many employees are grateful for the opportunity to work with other people.

Effective teamwork requires that special consideration be given to other people feelings and ideas. The following section contains suggestions for constructive group efforts, please keep them in mind when working with others.

Team Tools and Techniques:

Input:

Brainstorming: A technique that generates verbal information from the team. DOVE • D: defer Judgment • O: offbeat idea • V: variety of input • E: encourage building

Options: 1) Wait time for silent review before starting 2) Random tem input 3) Round Robin input (with parameters i.e. time limit) 4) Press Round Robin until everyone passes 5) Gallery of ideas using “post its” and/or newsprint

Brain Writing: A writing process for generating ideas on index cards after the problem statement of idea is presented.

Options:

1) Group members write individual responses and hand them in to the recorder with or without names. 2) Group members write out individual responses on index cards and exchange them with each other building on the response. After the time limit, the cards are read. 3) Group members write out individual responses on index cards and pass them to the left. After all the cards are read, each group member has the option to write more and the process can again be repeated.

Team Tools and Techniques:

Analysis:

Cause and Effect: A technique that is designed to assist a team in analyzing the contributing elements to a particular result. This technique is also known as fish boning and Ishikawa Diagramming.
How to: A fish skeleton is drawn with the head representing either • the problem / issue • the result The team offers information. Ideas are chunked (grouped) together by creating smaller bones off larger ones.

Balance Sheet: Three columns are drawn on newsprint using words or symbols for positives (+), drawbacks (-) and interesting (!). Information is recorded accordingly.

How to: Create three columns on newsprint using words or symbols for positives (+), drawbacks (-) and interesting (!). Teams use a round robin technique as a method for generating information.

Weighted Voting: Each group member is given a specified number of votes which can be cast for any option. The votes may be cast for just one option or spend out over several options.
Options:
Team members cast votes in a round robin format and a recorder collects and tabulates the data on newsprint. Team members individually cast votes on index cards and pass them to the recorder. The data is tabulated and recorded on newsprint.

Team Tools and Techniques:

Analysis: (continued)

List Reduction: A two-step criterion based team selection strategy: • A decision making criterion is established • Team evaluates options based on the stated criteria

How to: Team members vote yes (+), no (-) or possible (?) for each option and the recorder indicates the response on newsprint.

5/ 4/ 3/ 2/ 1 Vote: Techniques that help teams to support for an idea. The numbers refer to: 1) Strongly Agree 2) Agree 3) Not sure / need more time 4) Disagree 5) Strongly Disagree
How to: Team members raise hand showing number or fingers to indicate support.

Implementation:

Action Item Chart or Action – A strategy developed by Henry Ganatt, used to detail the implementation aspects of a decision or task by documenting relevant information.
How to: The Team Minutes Taker records the Action Item on the Action Register. The appropriate information is recorded on the chart. The Chart is regularly reviewed and updated to keep all team members informed.[pic]