Great TeamsThe Way to Meet the AiS Supercomputing Challenge

AiS Challenge

2001 Kick-off Conference

Glorieta, NM

Paula Avery

Why Teams?

Completing an AiS Challenge project is time consuming and intellectually challenging. When several people use their skills and knowledge together, the result should be a better project. People working together can sustain the enthusiasm and lend support needed to complete the project.

How do Teams Work Best?

Teams succeed when members have:

commitment to common objectives;defined roles and responsibilities;effective decision systems, communication and work procedures; and,good personal relationships.

According to Bob Mendonsa and Associates web page

http://www. trainingplus.com on Team building :

Team Building is a process and not an event. Team Building is about both willingness and ability. Sometimes teams problems occur because team members lack important skills. Sometimes there are trust issues. Team Building must address individual and group issues. People do not disappear when they choose to belong to a group. Any team building effort must address the strengths and development needs of individual team members that impact the group as a whole.

Of course the corollary is true and groups or teams fail when they:

Think differentlyHave poor leadershipHave communications difficultiesHave competition between members

Stages in Team Building

Forming

Storming

Norming

Performing

As the team matures, members gradually learn to cope with each other and the pressures that they face. As a result, the team goes through the fairly predictable stages noted on the slide.

Stage 1: FORMING

Team Building

Define team

Determine individual roles

Develop trust and communication

Develop norms

Task

Define problem and strategy

Identify information needed

To help the students adapt to their team, it might be wise to have them to simple activities to build trust and establish communication between the members. However, in the context of the computational science project many of the forming actions are undertaken as the team determines what their project topic will be and narrows the focus to reach their project goal. Teachers can help students as they "form" their teams by making sure that they understand the process they will go through to get their topic.

You may want to include some activities to illustrate trust and/or communication skills in a team.

Team Roles - Leader

Encourage and maintain open communication.

Help the team develop and follow team norms.

Help the team focus on the task.

Deal constructively with conflict.

Team Roles - Recorder

Keep a record of team meetings.

Maintain a record of team assignments

Maintain a record of the team's work.

Team Roles PR Person

Contact resource people outside of the team.

Correspond with the team's mentor.

Work to maintain good communication among team members.

Team Norms

How do we support each other?

What do we do when we have problems?

What are my responsibilities to the team?

From Individuals A Group

Help members understand each other:

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

Extraverts ------------------ Introverts

Sensors --------------------- iNtuitive

Thinker --------------------- Feelers

Judger ---------------------- Perceiver

By selecting one from each category, we define our personality type, ESTJ, ENTJINFP

Team members need to understand and appreciate the other individuals or personality types in their group.

History of type

In 1921, Carl Jung a psychoanalyst and disciple of Sigmund Freud realized that behavior that seemed unpredictable could be anticipated if one understood the underlying mental functions and attitudes people preferred and published his theory in a book called Psychological Types.

In 1923, Katharine Briggs read Jungs book, adopted his model and interested her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers in the theory. Myers and Briggs built on Jungs work, expanded it and gave it a practical application. They determined that there were four personality preference scales and 16 distinct personality types. They developed and began giving their Myer-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test instrument in the 1940s. The four scales are listed on the slide and the definitions of each end of a dimension is:

Extraverts focus their attention and energy on the world outside of themselves; need to experience the world to understand it.

Introverts focus their attention and energy on the world inside of themselves; need to understand world before experiencing it.

Sensors Concentrate on what can be seen, heard, felt, smelled and tasted; focus on what is real and concrete

iNtuitives interested in meanings, relationships, and possibilities based on facts; focus on implications and inferences

Thinkers prefer decisions that make sense logically; make decisions by analyzing and weighing the evidence

Feelers make decisions on how much they care or what they feel is right; view themselves as empathetic and compassionate

Judgers seek to regulate and control life; like to have issues resolved

Perceivers seek to understand life rather than controlling it; like to stay open to all kinds of possibilities.

Relevance to Teams (E/I)

Extraverts

Need to think aloud

Great explainers

May overwhelm others

Introverts

Need time to process

Great concentration

May not be heard

To be an effective team member:

Extraverts should

Be prepared to stop before you fall into redundancy and overkillControl your tendency to speakMake a special effort to listen carefully, avoid interruptingStop, Look and Listen

Introverts:

Share more quickly and spontaneously thoughts and ideasRule out nothing as being too trivial and meaninglessDont hold others to the first words out of their mouths. Push for meaning and clarity

Relevance to Teams (N/S)

iNtuitive

Great at big picture

See connections

May make mistakes in carrying out plans

Sensor

Great executors

May miss big picture, relative importance

To be an effective team member:

iNtuitives should:

Use your imagination to show others Keep as many alternatives on the table as possibleDont let facts stifle your creativity

Sensors should:

Express the problem in real, tangible and specific terms.Demand that terms be defined and described accurately and quoted facts are realContinue to push for common sense

Relevance to Teams (T/F)

Thinker

Skillful at understanding how anything works

Feeler

Knows why something matters

In order to be an effective team member:

Thinkers should:

Help others sort out where and when they become too attached to the problem.Continue to push for precision. Redefine and rephrase the idea

Feelers should:

Admit when your personal values are clouding an issueMake sure everyone gets a chance to speak, is listened to and is affirmed in their ideas, but dont overemphasize harmony.

Relevance to Teams (J/P)

Judger

Good at schedules, plans, completion

Makes decisions easily (quickly)

May overlook vital issues

Perceiver

Always curious, wants more knowledge

May not get around to acting

To be an effective team member:

Judgers should:

Keep the process or task orientedHelp bring definition to the processMake sure that the goals are turned into action

Perceivers should:

Help keep everyone from going with the first solutionPlay the devils advocateDont keep offering new ideas once the group has defined a solution

What Type are You?

Online Personality Tests

Jung types http://www.allhealth.com/onlinepsych/personality/olpgen/0,6103,7119_127651,00.htmlKeirsey types http://www.keirsey.com/cgi-bin/keirsey/newkts.cgi

There are several online tests that the participants can take to help them identify their personalities. If time permits you may want to pause here and have the participants take one of the tests and discuss the results

Its these personality types that individuals bring to their team during the forming stage. Helping understanding the different types will help the individuals begin to work together.

Stage 2: STORMING

During the Storming stage team members:

realize that the task is more difficult than they imagined;

have fluctuations in attitude about chances of success;

may be resistant to the task; and,

have poor collaboration.

This is probably the most difficult stage for the team. They may be floundering trying to find a project topic that is narrow enough to study or a mentor to help them. They begin to realize that this project is different than other ones that they have done in the past. Teachers can help students through this stage by encouraging members to use their individual skills and assume more responsibilities.

Understanding how personality types interact can ease some of the tensions in the storming stage.

Storming Diagnosis

Do we have common goals and objectives?Do we agree on roles and responsibilities? Do our task, communication, and decision systems work?Do we have adequate interpersonal skills?

As a teacher, you can help your students when they are in the storming stage, by focusing their attention on the questions above. The students may want to answer the first question both in general terms and more specifically, in conjunction with their project goals.

Negotiating Conflict

Separate problem issues from people issues.Be soft on people, hard on problem.Look for underlying needs, goals of each party rather than specific solutions.

See The Team Book by Peter R. Scholtes, Brian L. Joiner and Barbara Streibel for more background on the various ways people or teams deal with conflict .

Avoiding Conflict you must avoid both the issues likely to lead to conflict and the people with whom you are likely to conflict with

Smooth the conflict minimizing conflict so that group relationships arent strained.

Forcing the conflict attempts to overpower others and force them to accept your position.

Compromising tries to get others to give up some of what they want in exchange for giving up some of what you want. Sounds good, but this can be lose-lose strategy because no one achieves their goals. Underlying assumption: everyone should accept less than they want because that is the best that they can hope for. (Should be tried after problem solving hasnt worked)

Problem Solving Win-win approach. Personal goals and group relationships are highly valued. Purpose to find a path forward that meets everyones goals and preserves group relationships. Continued on next slide

Addressing the Problem

State your views in clear non-judgmental language.Clarify the core issues. Listen carefully to each persons point of view.Check understanding by restating the core issues.

Problem solving includes strategies aimed at taking diverse viewpoints into account, clarifying the issues, clearing the air constructively and enabling everyone to move forward together.

You can clarify core issues by sorting out areas of agreement from areas of disagreementWhen listening to each persons point of view

Accept that they believe/want this even if you dont!!

Look for the reasons (maybe something would be good for both)

Stage 3: Norming

During this stage members accept:

their team;

team rules and procedures;

their roles in the team; and,

the individuality of fellow members.

Team members realize that they are not going to crash-and-burn and start helping each other.

During this stage, team members begin to work out their differences and now have more time and energy to spend on their work. Thus they are able to start making significant progress.

In the context of the computational science project, the students have probably found a mentor who is helping them and have narrowed their project focus.

Behaviors

Competitive relationships become more cooperative.There is a willingness to confront issues

and solve problems.

Teams develop the ability to express criticism constructively.There is a sense of team spirit.

During this stage, you should encourage team members to:

do detailed planningdevelop criteria for completion of goalsbuild on positive norms and change unhealthy normsencourage continued team spirit

Now that the team is working well, it is important for team members to learn to communicate with each other including how to constructively criticize when necessary.

Giving Constructive Feedback

Be descriptive. Don't use labels.Dont exaggerate.Dont be judgmental.Speak for yourself.Be descriptive -- relate what you saw or heard the other person do. Give specific recent examplesDont use labels -- Be specific and unambiguous. Dont use words like immature, unprofessional, irresponsible which are labels attached to behavior. For example, say You missed the deadline we had agreed to meet rather than, Youre being irresponsible and I want to know what you are going to do about it.Dont exaggerate. Be exact. To say, Youre always late for deadlines is probably untrue and unfair. It invites the receiver to argue with exaggeration rather than respond to real issueDont be judgmental. Dont use words like good, better, bad, worst or should which place you in the role of controlling parent. This invites the receiver to respond as a child.Speak for yourself. Dont refer to absent, anonymous people. Avoid references like A lot of people here dont like it when you Encourage others to speak for themselves

Giving Constructive Feedback

Use I messages.Restrict your feedback to things you know for certain.Help people hear and accept your compliments when giving positive feedback.Talk first about yourself, not about the other person. Use a statement with with I as the subject not you. People are more likely to remain open to your message when an I statement is used.Phrase the issue as a statement, not a question. I statements allows the receiver to see what effect the behavior had on you.Restrict your feedback. Dont present your opinions as facts.Help people hear and receive positive feedback. Many people fell awkward when told good things about themselves. It may be important to reinforce the positive feedback and help the person hear it, acknowledge it and accept it.

Receiving Feedback

Listen carefully.Ask questions for clarity.Acknowledge the feedback.Acknowledge the valid points.Take time to sort out what you heard.Listen carefully. Dont interrupt. Dont discourage the feedback-giver. Ask questions for clarity. You have the right to receive clear feedback. Ask for specific examples.Acknowledge the feedback. Paraphrase the message in your own words to let the person know what you have heard and understood what was said.Acknowledge the valid points. Agree with what is true. Agree with what is possible. Acknowledge the other persons point of view and try to understand their reaction. Agreeing with whats true or possible doesnt mean you agree to change your behavior or mean agreeing with any value judgment about you. You can agree that your reports are late with out thereby agreeing that your are irresponsibleTake time to sort out what you heard. You may need time for sorting out or checking with others before responding to feedback. It is reasonable to ask the feedback-giver for time to think about what was said and how you feel about it. Dont use this time as an excuse to avoid the issue.

Stage 4: PERFORMING

Team members have:

gained insight into personal and team processes;

a better understanding of each others strengths and weaknesses;

gained the ability to prevent or work through group conflict and resolve differences; and,

developed a close attachment to the team.

During the performing stage, the team is now an effective and cohesive unit. As a team, the emphasize quality work; utilize each members talents; meet deadlines; and continue to work on team commitment.

Examples of the results of good team work can be seen on the Video tapes and CDs from the National Expos. The presentation itself is an example of team work.

The duration and intensity of these stages vary from team to team. Sometimes Stage 4 is achieved in a meeting or two; other times it takes months. Understanding the stages of growth will keep you from overreacting to normal problems and setting unrealistic expectations. Dont panic. With patience and effort the assembly of independent individuals will grow into a team.

Recipe for Successful Team

Commitment to shared goals and objectivesClearly define roles and responsibilities

Use best skills of each

Allows each to develop in all areas

To summarize, even though these points are addressing teams in the workplace, they are applicable in the classroom setting. They can also form part of the rubric to evaluate the teams performance.

Clarity in team goals: has a clear vision and can progress steadily toward its goals. A work plan: helps team determine what advice, assistance, and other resources they need from teachers, mentors or researchClearly defined role: Uses each members talents and involves everyone in team activities so no one feels left out.

Recipe for Successful Team

Effective systems and processes

Clear communication

Beneficial team behaviors; well-defined decision procedures and ground rules

Balanced participation

Awareness of the group process

Good personal relationships

Clear communication: Speak with clarity and be succinct. Listen actively; explore rather than debate each speakers ideas. Avoid interrupting.Beneficial team behaviors: Should encourage all members to use the skills and practices that make discussions and meetings more effective; suggest procedures for meeting goals, clarify or elaborate on ideas; keep the discussion from digressingWell-defined decision procedures: discuss how decisions will be made; use data as a basis of decisions; explore important issues by pollingBalanced participation: Everyone should participate in discussions and decisions, share commitment to the projects success and contribute their talentsEstablished ground rules: Establish ground rules for what will and will not be tolerated in the teamAwareness of group process: Be sensitive to nonverbal communication; be aware of the group process and how the team works togetherUse the scientific approach: Of course this is the underlying assumption in a project development, but in team building it helps members avoid team problems and disagreements. Opinions must be supported by data

Project Process Important Dates

There are several milestones throughout the year designed to help you organize and evaluate your project development process. Please check them out on the AiS Challenge Web site.

Resources

The Team Book by Peter R. Scholtes, Brian L. Joiner and Barbara StreibelWeb-based Text chapter 3 TeamingBob Mendonsa and Associates web page http://www. trainingplus.comJung types http://www.allhealth.com/onlinepsych/personality/olpgen/0,6103,7119_127651,00.htmlKeirsey types http://www.keirsey.com/cgibin/keirsey/newkts.cgi