Modern Whig Party of America Whig Academy Leadership Course Lesson 7: Team Dynamics

Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................... 3 In this Lesson................................................................................................................................. 3 Group and Team Differences ....................................................................................................... 3 Stages of Team Development ...................................................................................................... 3 Stages of Team Development: Forming...................................................................................... 4 Stages of Team Development: Storming .................................................................................... 4 Stages of Team Development: Norming ..................................................................................... 5 Stages of Team Development: Performing................................................................................. 5 Stages of Team Development: Transforming............................................................................. 6 Team Roles..................................................................................................................................... 6 Team Roles..................................................................................................................................... 6 Team Roles..................................................................................................................................... 6 Individual Role Tendencies .......................................................................................................... 7 Individual Role Tendencies Assessment.................................................................................... 7 Key Points ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Key Points ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Review Exercises .......................................................................................................................... 8 Summary ........................................................................................................................................ 9

MWP Academy Leadership Course - Lesson 7

Introduction
Welcome to the lesson Team Dynamics. The MWP relies heavily on project teams in our organizational structure. We are still a volunteer organization and strive to be decentralized, hence the use of teams around a specific project. The purpose of this lesson is to discuss how teams develop, the various roles team members assume, and how your own interpersonal style factor into the success of that team.

In this Lesson
This lesson explains the differences between a group and a team, stages of team development, team roles and individual role tendencies. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to: Discuss the various stages of team development. Define team roles and their impact on team cohesion. Discuss individual interpersonal style and how to be a supportive team member.

Group and Team Differences

Many times we seem to use the terms groups and teams interchangeably, but there is a difference between the two.

A group is a number of individuals assembled together or having some unifying relationship.

A team is a group of individuals who share work activities and the responsibility for specific outcomes. Team members need the work of other members to achieve shared goals. Teams dont just happen. Theres a lot of growth and development that takes place for a group of individuals to become a team. As a member of a team, its important to understand the different dynamics that take place within a team. Many of these dynamics will be observed when the group forms and as the group develops into a functioning team.

Stages of Team Development

As a team member, it will be very beneficial if you have a good understanding of the various developmental stages that groups go through in becoming a team.

The stages of team development are: Forming.

MWP Academy Leadership Course - Lesson 7

 Storming. Norming. Performing. Transforming. Lets take a more detailed look at each of the stages of team development.

Stages of Team Development: Forming

Forming: The team first comes together. Team member characteristics and whats going on: Hesitant participation, but feeling optimistic. Wondering who the key people are. Trying to figure out what this group is about, how they fit in the group, what the group wants from them, and what they will get out of their involvement. Serious topics and personal feelings are avoided. Some suspicion and fear of the team situation. Desiring acceptance by the team. Closely watching other team members behaviors for similarities and differences. (minimal work is accomplished)

Once the members are feeling a little more comfortable with one another and the group, they will then move onto the second stage of team development, which is called the Storming Stage.

Stages of Team Development: Storming

Storming: Conflict between team members begins to show. Team member characteristics and whats going on: Team members express discontent and personalities clash. Becoming testy, blameful, or overzealous. Relying on personal experience and resisting collaborating with other team members. Confusion about team members roles. Jockeying for positions within the group. Some members become silent; others attempt to dominate.

(minimal work is accomplished)

Just remember that at times this battleground may seem a little extreme for groups. But like any storm, it too shall pass and the end result will be emerging leaders, new ideas, and members assuming various roles and tasks within the group. Things will settle down, issues will be

MWP Academy Leadership Course - Lesson 7

resolved, and you will see the team begin to gel. In other words, the team is starting to come together.

Stages of Team Development: Norming

Norming: Greater team cohesiveness develops. Team member characteristics and whats going on: Members feel secure in expressing personal opinions and listening to others. Conflicts reduced and members are trying out how to best work with one another. Members are willing to change their own ideas and opinions based on facts presented by other team members. Work methods become established and recognized by the team as a whole. Members take on leadership roles. Cliques begin to dissolve. Accepting team ground rules (norms). Accepting their roles within the team.
(moderate levels of work are accomplished)

We now have a team that is communicating openly and supporting one another in accomplishing the teams goals and tasks.

Stages of Team Development: Performing

Performing: Team behavior becomes the norm and the team is self-functioning. Team member characteristics and whats going on: Team identity is complete. Supporting one another. Communicatingopenly. Team members become more confident. Accepting each others strengths and weaknesses. Intense loyalty among team members develops. Members are highly task oriented. Teams become more innovative and make things happen. Team morale is high.

(high level of work accomplished)

Remember, just because a team is performing well at a given point is no assurance that it will continue to do so. Effective teams can become stagnant. Initial enthusiasm may give way to apathy. Teams do not automatically stay at the performing stage.

MWP Academy Leadership Course - Lesson 7

Stages of Team Development: Transforming

Transforming: Transitioning due to changes in leadership, task, new group members or there is stagnation due to lack of motivation or enthusiasm. Team member characteristics and whats going on: Members may be nervous, apprehensive, and asking themselves how the group should interpret and respond to change. Sadness about conclusion of task or members leaving the team. Questioning communication, how changing roles will influence current team members, and how these implications will be handled. Excitement about the new challenge. Preparing to do it again. Reverting to the characteristics described in the forming stage. (minimal work is accomplished)

Remember, teams that are characterized by ongoing change will experience frequent transformation. Such teams display flexibility and are capable of change. In some cases, these teams are constantly reinventing themselves. As an active member of a team, you can help the team in its transformation and its continued success.

Team Roles
As the team evolves through the process of the five stages of team development, members will take on roles within that team. There are many roles and sub-roles that members can assume when involved with teams. For the purpose of this lesson, we will discuss two key roles we will see individuals assume when working on teams: Task roles and Maintenance roles. Task roles help the team achieve its aims and goals, and maintenance roles help the team to remain focused and harmonious. Task roles become significant as a team tries to solve a problem or progresses toward a goal. Teams also have members who play maintenance or social roles. These maintenance roles help build team cohesion. Maintenance roles become significant in building team relationships, easing tension, offering praise, encouragement, and making others feel their contributions are important to the team.

Team Roles
Click on each team role for characteristic, action, and behavior details.

Team Roles
Team members can be both task and maintenance oriented. Usually team members take more than one role or play different roles in different groups.

MWP Academy Leadership Course - Lesson 7

In addition, the roles that members find themselves playing can vary from task to task. This leads to a delicate balancing act. Team members need to be task oriented, yet they also need to promote strong team relationships. Both roles are important to the development of a team. The roles balance each other; taskoriented people help to get the job done while maintenance-oriented people help build relationships. Because the roles are focusing on different tasks, conflict can occur between these two roles. For example, task-oriented people might get impatient because they think maintenance-oriented people are wasting time and maintenance oriented-people may think task-oriented people dont care about people. It is important to understand that these dynamics can occur when working in a group or on a team.

Individual Role Tendencies

Now lets perform an individual role tendency assessment.

Each of the following statements describes an action and an attitude needed to support effective team building. Think about when you are interacting with others as a member of a team. As you read the two choices for each numbered item, decide which statement (in column I or column 2) best describes your tendency in a group. Which would you most likely do? There are no right or wrong answers.

Individual Role Tendencies Assessment

Column I Column II

1.

_____ I offer facts and give my opinions, thoughts, ideas, feelings, and information in order to help the teams discussion.

_____ I encourage all members of the team to participate and let them know I value their contributions to the team.

2.

_____ I solicit ideas, facts, information, opinions and feelings from fellow team members to help the team discussion.

_____ I help communication among team members by making sure that each member understands what the others say.

3.

_____ I provide direction to the team by calling _____ I tell jokes and suggest interesting attention to the tasks that need to be completed ways of doing work in order to reduce tension and assigning responsibilities to different team in the team and increase the fun the team has members. working together.

4.

_____ I pull together related ideas or _____ I observe the way the group is working suggestions made by team members and discuss how the team can work together better summarize the major point discussed by the team.

5.

_____ I encourage team members to work hard to achieve their goals.

_____ I promote open discussion of conflicts among team members to help resolve disagreements and increase team cohesiveness.

Key Points
The key is to remember that each of you can make a huge impact on any team with which you serve; therefore, its important to know yourself as well as understanding which team dynamics will take place around you and how you can work with those dynamics. Knowing your own strengths, areas for improvement, and how you relate to others is an important factor in any teams success. Something to keep in mind is that you cant always change your environment or the people with whom you work. But what can you change? Your own attitude. Even if you are the most junior person on the team, you can have a profound effect on those around you. Grab every opportunity you find. Look for the opportunities and be persistent and remember to be patient, as things do not change overnight.

Key Points
Find the excitement in what you do, share that enthusiasm, and you will find that your enthusiastic attitude is infectious and will spread to those around you. Use this Team Member Checklist as a resource to ensure you are supporting your team and playing an integral part in its development and success. You are never as powerless as you may believe you are! As a member of a team, you can be the initiator helping to make that team great.

Review Exercises
1. A group of individuals who share work activities and the responsibility for specific an outcome is the definition of: a. A t m a e b. A g p u o r

2. Which stage of team development is made of a transition due to leadership, task, new group members, or stagnation due to lack of motivation or enthusiasm? a. Forming b. Storming c. Norming d. Performing e. Transforming

3. In which stage of team development is a high level of work accomplished? a. Performing b. Forming c. Norming d. Storming e. Transforming

4. What are the characteristics of the Maintenance team role? Bold all that apply. a. Listensactively b. Encourages c. Compromises and harmonizes d. Offers information and opinions e. Starts the group working

5. What are the actions and behaviors of the Task team role? Bold all that apply. a. Initiates action by proposing goals and tasks b. Develops plans for approaching the task and sharing responsibilities; helps group Focus on task c. Offers facts, opinions, ideas, suggestions, and relevant information d. Receptive to others ideas and gives verbal and non-verbal feedback e. Tries to reconcile disagreements when opinions differ or conflict arises

Summary
Congratulations! This completes the lesson Team Dynamics. In this lesson, you learned about the differences between a group and a team, stages of team development, team roles, and individual role tendencies.

You should now be able to: Discuss the various stages of team development. Define team roles and their impact on team cohesion. Discuss individual interpersonal style and how to be a supportive team member.

This document is property of the MWP PAC and is not part of any political campaign or specific candidacy.

MWP Academy Leadership Course - Lesson 7