Communication in Teams

Chowdhury Golam Kibria

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 Teams
• A team is a unit of two or more people who
share a mission and the responsibility for
working together to achieve a common
goal.

• Teams are established by organizations,

and they can be formal or informal

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 Formal and Informal Teams
• Informal teams are teams assembled to
resolve specific issues and then disband
once their goal has been accomplished.
For example, task force.
• Formal teams usually have a long life span
and can become permanent part of the
organizational structure. For example,
committees.

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 Advantages of Team
• Teams can bring more information and knowledge to
decision making process.

• Team members bring a variety of perspectives to the

decision making process.

• Because of participation, team members are more likely

to accept a solution reached by the team.

• Team may result in increased level of creativity and

energy among team members.

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 Disadvantages of Team
• Peer pressure

• Groupthink

• Hidden Agenda

• Free Riders

• Cost
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 Collaborating in Teams
• Collaborating in teams require flexible and open minded
participation in teams with focus on team objectives
rather than on individual objectives.
• Guidelines for effective collaborators
– Select Collaborators Carefully
– Agree on Project Goals before start
– Give team time to bond
– Clarify individual responsibility
– Establish clear processes
– Make sure tools and techniques are ready and compatible
across the team
– Avoid writing in a group
– Check to see how things are going along the way

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 Group Dynamics
• The interactions and processes that take
place between the members of a team are
called group dynamics.

• Informal rules, undocumented or unstated,

that team members develop and follow are
known as group norms.

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 Team Roles
• Self-oriented Roles
– Dominating others
– Withdrawing
– Attention seeking
– Diverting
• Team Maintenance Roles
– Encouraging
– Harmonizing
– Compromising
• Task Facilitating Roles
– Initiating
– Information giving
– Coordinating
– Procedure setting
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 Team Evolution
• Teams can not be expected to jump right to work
and start making decisions; rather they are to be
allowed time to evolve through phases.
• Five phases for team evolution:
– Orientation
– Conflict
– Brainstorming
– Emergence
– Reinforcement

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 Resolving Conflict
• Conflicts can be constructive and destructive to a team’s
effectiveness. Constructive conflicts are win-win
situations while destructive conflicts are win-loose or
loose-loose situation.
• The following measures can help improve conflict
resolution:
– Be Proactive
– Communicate
– Openness
– Research
– Flexibility
– Fair Play
– Alliance
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 Overcoming Resistance
• Resistance to accept a solution may be irrational
or logical. However, in both cases they need to
be overcome.
• The following measures can help overcome
resistance:
– Express understanding
– Bring resistance out in the open
– Evaluate others objections fairly
– Hold your arguments until other person is ready for
them
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 Etiquettes in Team Setting
• Etiquette, is a code of conduct, agreed
upon by the members of a society, social
class, or group, regarding social behavior
in that particular society, social class or
group.

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 Etiquette in Workplace
• Take care of your personal appearance. If you
are not sure about the norms of the social
settings you are working with, adopt a moderate
and simple appearance.
• Pay close attention to cleanliness.
• Avoid soaps, colognes, shampoos and after-
shave lotions with strong scents.
• If necessary, use mouthwash and keep your
hands and nails clean.
• Take care of your hairstyle.
• Avoid fake smiles or fake friendliness.

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 Etiquettes during Phone Calls
• Plan your phone calls
• Don’t call too early in the morning or near the
end of working hours, unless it is very urgent.
• Start your phone call by clearly identifying
yourself and verify that you are not interrupting
the receivers busy schedule.
• Silence your cell phone when you are in a
meeting
• Close in a positive manner

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 Etiquettes in Social Settings
• Be moderate in greetings
• When introducing two persons, speak both their
first and last names clearly and then add
something of professional interest so that they
can engage into a conversation.
• Always introduce the lower-ranking person to the
senior-ranking person first.
• Choose foods that are easy to eat.
• Avoid discussions on politics, religion, or any
other topics that are emotionally disturbing.

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 Discussions
• Questions and Answers

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 End of Class

Thank You.

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