kevin kampa-team leader heather kennedy seth karkela jana kemmet

Teamwork Foundations

Kevin Kampa-Team LeaderHeather Kennedy

Seth KarkelaJana Kemmet

Goals:

Understand the role of teamwork in an organization

Recognize similarities\differences of teamwork in various industries

Build teamwork and communications skills in a virtual setting

Organizations & Contacts

UnitedHealth Group (Joann Dornhecker, Site Director)

Peterson Regional Medical Center (Sheila Kampa, R.N.)

Buca, Inc. (Frank Beaton, General Manager)

Andover Fire Department (Dan Winkel, Fire Chief)

Questions: 1When building a group/team, how do you

determine the number of participants?How do you determine the length of time to

keep teams together?Do you take personality types into

consideration when selecting participants?How are participants of a group selected?In general, are teams more productive than a

manager assigning individual tasks?

Questions: 2When are teams more productive than

assigning individual tasks?How often do you have conflicts within

teams?How do you manage the conflicts within

teams?What do you find are the pros of working in

teams?What do you find are the cons of working in

teams?Do you feel the benefits outweigh the

downfalls of teams?Why do you feel that is?

Questions: 3Do you find that the same people do most of

the work in teams?How do you make sure all of the team

member’s participate in the team?How do you handle situations where

members are still not participating after those measures?

Do you find that teams need to be motivated?How do you motivate teams?What kind of advice would you give to new

managers about working in teams?

Medical TeamsInterviewee: Sheila Kampa, R.N.

Peterson Regional Medical Center

Why teams

Team members are usually very motivated

Team support allows a more efficient use of member’s time

Teams are better able to fill voids in emergency situations

Interdependence of tasks keeps all team members participating

Diversity of knowledge, abilities, and ideas allow teams to solve a variety of problems



Setting up a team

Design teams with balance

Weigh team needs against an individual’s strengths

Have enough members to accomplish the team goal

Look for leadership qualities in team members

Keep team together as long as progress is being made



Team challenges

Communication is through gestures, talk, and meetings

Medical teams are cohesive with little conflict

Downfalls are overcome through diverse knowledge base

Must put trust in others

Reconfirming importance of team motivates a team

Interviewed by Kevin Kampa

Insurance TeamsInterviewee: Joann Dornhecker, Site Director

UnitedHealth Group

Why teams?

Working in teams enhances employee involvement

Encourage out-of-the-box thinking

Teams provide more global view

Slower but better results


UnitedHealth Group

Building the team

Participants are selected by : skill set, availability, and willing to participate

Ground rules and a good team leader encourage the team members

Make the effort to include everyone

Enforce the importance of task

Constant encouragement


UnitedHealth Group

Challenges and conflicts

Teams communicate verbally and virtuallyThrough email, instant messenger, and

WebExTeam leaders settle team conflictNegotiations settle team conflict

Interviewed by Heather Kennedy

Food and Beverage TeamsInterviewee: Frank Beaton, General Manager Buca, Inc.

Reasons for Teams

More efficient service

Enhanced guest satisfaction

Well equipped to handle a variety of

situations

Building the Team

Members Participate for short periods of time, but many times per night

Leader is liaison between management and team members

Members selected with complimentary skill sets and personalities in mind

Leader may assign members many different roles


Motivation and Participation

Income is a key motivator in participation Participation can increase future

involvement in large party service Tight social bonds encourage and reduce

conflict Self-policing, requiring less motivation by

management

Interviewed by Seth Karkela, Duluth Business University


Emergency TeamsInterviewee: Dan Winkel, Fire Chief

Andover Fire Department

Why Teams?

Quicker results to the goal

Support system to stay focused on the task

Learning from one another as a team

Sense of community

Building the Team

Need to work well under pressure, no room

for conflict

Who is available, rely on volunteers and those involved within the community

Capability to handle the tasks given on short

notice



Challenges & Conflicts

Good team leaders take charge to solve issues

Different viewpoints on how to complete tasks and moving forward to complete the task

Little conflict with this type of

team/organization

Interviewed by Jana Kemmet



SimilaritiesTeams produce better results

Team leaders play key role

Teams are adaptable, with an internal balance

Teams should be built with a complimentary skill set

Generally the teams were self motivated and offered a diverse knowledge base

DifferencesMethods of motivation varied slightly

The time spent in teams varied among the industries

Teams are built for a variety of reasons

Virtual communication was found in the insurance industry

Lessons LearnedComplimentary skill sets and similar goals

reduce conflict

Teams are used frequently across different industries

Team management/participation techniques

Overall, teams are a useful way to accomplish goals

All communication types have a large impact

ImplicationsTeamwork affects our everyday lives

Employee bonds are strengthened through teamwork

Teamwork extends and strengthens our communication skills

Teamwork has a positive effect on our social bonds

Final ThoughtsTeamwork is found in many settings

Teamwork is a foundation for communication and success

Virtual teams are just as productive if properly managed

Virtual teams need creative members

kevin kampa-team leader heather kennedy seth karkela jana kemmet

Documents