Team-building
When you're required to work in a group over a period of time, you have
to work at building a team. During the process team members can develop
key practical and interpersonal skills, and the result can be a team that
operates effectively and achieves success.
In the early stages of the project
- Get to know one another. You could:
- spend time on introductions and, perhaps, ice-breaking activities
(eg each person in turn could make a claim to fame such as, 'I once
sat next to X on a train', or tell the group of a hidden talent)
- do something social together
- carry out a task together, eg create something.
- Address any anxieties directly. You might:
- find out how everybody feels about being in the group, including
any concerns they had before they arrived
- discuss ways in which the group could transform worries into challenges
/ opportunities.
- Clarify your aims and objectives for the:
- development of the team
- completion of the task.
- Find out the range of experience and skills in the group:
- ask each member to identify individual strengths
- if appropriate, identify potential shortcomings.
- Find out individual preferences:
- in what ways do people like to work with others?
- which roles would they like to practise?
- who prefers to organise, write, illustrate?
- Draw up ground rules:
- these should be negotiated and agreed by everyone
- everyone should have a copy.
- Make sure you have everyone's contact details.
Throughout the project
- Check that:
- people have a shared understanding of the task and progress towards
achieving it
- tasks are allocated fairly
- group members participate fully
- individual needs are taken into account where possible
- ground rules are followed - amend them if necessary.
- Deal with difficult moments openly and appropriately.
- Periodically allow feedback and review how well the group is working.
See also Working in a group: ground rules (word doc), a document for you to download, print and use as the basis for discussion in your group. |
