At the end of this course, the participants should be able to:
- Clearly define what constitutes a team and teamwork and distinguish it from collective work.
- Understand the stages of team development and comprehend the roles and responsibilities within a team.
- Utilize effective communication techniques and overcome common barriers to team communication.
- Recognize and engage in constructive behaviors while addressing and mitigating destructive behaviors within the team.
- Conduct self-assessments to identify areas for improvement and commit to ongoing personal and professional development.
- Apply the knowledge and skills gained from the course to foster a more collaborative and productive team environment, leading to higher team productivity and achievement of organizational goals.
Introduction to Teamwork
- Definition of a team and teamwork
- Differences between collective work and teamwork
- Benefits of effective teamwork
- The need for teamwork in an increasingly competitive business environment
Characteristics and Value of High Performing Teams
- Importance of teamwork to organizational excellence and maintaining a competitive advantage
- Cost of not working as a team
- Characteristics of high performing teams
- Achieving positive synergy through teamwork
- There is no “I’ in “T-E-A-M”
Understanding Team Dynamics
- Stages of team development
- Forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning
- Team identity, mutual trust, and camaraderie
- Roles and responsibilities inside a team
Communication among Team Members
- Effective Communication
- The importance of effective communication for the success of a team
- Verbal and non-verbal team communication
- Active listening and constructive feedback
- Overcoming Barriers to Team Communication
- Most common barriers:
- Language differences
- Differing backgrounds and perceptions
- Personal biases
- Cultural norms affecting communication styles
- Strategies to overcome barriers:
- Clarify and confirm understanding
- Be aware of cultural differences
- Address personal biases
- Deicing and working together
- Most common barriers:
- Giving and Receiving Effective Feedback
- Techniques for providing constructive feedback
- Harnessing received feedback
- Strategies for handling criticism constructively
Constructive vs. Destructive Team Member Behaviors
- Constructive Behaviors
- Active participation
- Respecting differences
- Maintaining a positive attitude
- Willingness to help others
- Giving priority to the good of the team
- Destructive Behaviors
- Focusing on negatives
- Personalization
- Stubbornness
- Conditional cooperation
- Subjectivity
- Giving destructive criticism
- Assigning blame
- Unwillingness to cooperate
- Not communicating
- Addressing Destructive Behaviors
- Recognize destructive behaviors
- Seek to clarify roles and expectations (norming)
- Communicate assertively, frankly, objectively and diplomatically
- Avoid personalization (focus on issues and not people)
- Develop strategies to address behavioral improvement
Actions to Boost Personal Teamwork Skills and Cooperativeness
- Self-Assessment
- Assess personal teamwork skills
- Seek feedback from team members
- Identify areas for improvement
- Developing Interpersonal Skills
- Improve communication and empathy
- Build strong win-win relationships with team members
- Resolve any misunderstanding promptly
- Continuous Learning
- Commit to ongoing learning and development
- Acquire a growth mindset
- Stay updated with the best practices in teamwork
-