Kyambogo university

Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering (BEE)

Concepts of Project
Year 4 , SEMESTER I, 2023 Planning and
Management
TEEE4107: PROJECT PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT

LECTURE 5: Team Building

• JULIUS PLUCKER
• 0705666065
• [email protected]
 What is Teamwork & Team
Building
Teamwork
• Concept of people working together as a team

Team player

• A team player is someone who is able to get along with their

colleagues and work together in a cohesive group

Team Building

• Process of establishing and developing a greater sense of

collaboration and trust between members
 Teamwork
“Create A Story”
Why Should We Be a Team?
• When staff use their skills and knowledge together,
the result is a stronger agency that can fulfill its
mission

“To provide accurate information that would assist

individuals in achieving a better quality of life.”

• People working together can sustain the enthusiasm

and lend support needed to complete the work of
each program.
How does a Team Work Best?
A Teams succeeds when its members
have:
• a commitment to common objectives
• defined roles and responsibilities
• effective decision systems,
communication and work procedures
• good personal relationships
 How does a Team Work Best
According to Bob Mendonsa and Associates’ web page;
• 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 differently
•Have poor leadership
•Have communications difficulties
•Have competition between members
Team Morale Depends On

Support
Resources
Communication
Personalities
 Teamwork Skills
• Listen
• Question
• Persuade
• Respect
• Help
• Share
• Participate
Stages in Team Building

Forming
Storming
Norming

Performing
 Stage 1: FORMING

The Team
❑ defines the problem

❑ agrees on goals and formulates strategies for

tackling the tasks

❑ determines the challenges and identifies

information needed

❑ Individuals take on certain roles

❑ develops trust and communication

 Stage 1: FORMING

• 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

 Team Roles - Leader

Encourages and maintains open

communication
Leads by setting a good example
Motivates and inspires team members
Helps the team focus on the task
Facilitates problem solving and collaboration
Maintains healthy group dynamics
Encourages creativity and risk-taking
Recognizes and celebrates team member
contributions
 Other Team Roles – Members Can Formally
or Informally Take on These Roles
Initiator - Someone who suggests new ideas. One or more people can have this
role at a time.

Recorder - This person records whatever ideas a team member may have. It is
important that this person quote a team member accurately and not "edit"
or evaluate them.
Devil's Advocate/Skeptic - This is someone whose responsibility is to look for
potential flaws in an idea.
Optimist - This is someone who tries to maintain a positive frame of mind and
facilitates the search for solutions.
Timekeeper - Someone who tracks time spent on each portion of the meeting.
Gate Keeper - This person works to ensure that each member gives input on an
issue. One strategy to do this is to ask everyone to voice their opinion one at
a time. Another is to cast votes.
Summarizer - Someone who summarizes a list of options.
From Individuals A Group Forms

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,
ENTJ…INFP
 From Individuals A Group Forms
• 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 Jung’s book, adopted his model and
interested her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers in the theory. Myers
and Briggs built on Jung’s 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.
 From Individuals A Group Forms
• 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 • Introverts
– Need to think – Need time to
aloud process
– Great explainers – Great
– May overwhelm concentration
others – May not be
heard
Relevance to Teams (E/I)
To be an effective team member:
Extraverts should
•Be prepared to stop before you fall into redundancy and overkill
•Control your tendency to speak
•Make a special effort to listen carefully, avoid interrupting
•Stop, Look and Listen
Introverts:
•Share more quickly and spontaneously thoughts and ideas
•Rule out nothing as being too trivial and meaningless
•Don’t hold others to the first words out of their mouths. Push for
meaning and clarity
 Relevance to Teams (N/S)
• iNtuitive • Sensor
– Great at big – Great executors
picture
– May miss big
– See connections picture, relative
– May make importance
mistakes in
carrying out
plans
Relevance to Teams (N/S)
To be an effective team member:
iNtuitive’s should:
•Use your imagination to show others
•Keep as many alternatives on the table as possible
•Don’t let facts stifle your creativity

Sensor’s should:
•Express the problem in real, tangible and specific terms.
•Demand that terms be defined and described accurately
and quoted facts are real
•Continue to push for common sense
 Relevance to Teams (T/F)
• Thinker • Feeler
– Skillful at – Knows why
understanding something
how anything matters
works
 Relevance to Teams (J/P)
• Judger • Perceiver
– Good at – Always curious,
schedules, plans, wants more
completion knowledge
– Makes decisions
easily (quickly) – May not get
around to acting
– May overlook
vital issues
 Stage 2: STORMING
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.
 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
⚫have poor collaboration
 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?
 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.
 Negotiating Conflict
• 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 aren’t
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 hasn’t worked)
• Problem Solving – Win-win approach. Personal goals and group
relationships are highly valued. Purpose to find a path forward that
meets everyone’s goals and preserves group relationships.
 Addressing the Problem
• State your views in clear non-
judgmental language.
• Clarify the core issues.
• Listen carefully to each person’s point
of view.
• Check understanding by restating the
core issues.
 Stage 3: NORMING
• During this stage members accept:
– their team
– team rules and procedures
– their roles in the team
– the individuality of fellow members

• Team members realize that they are

not going to crash-and-burn and start
helping each other.
 Stage 3: NORMING
• 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.
• During this stage, you should encourage team members to:
• do detailed planning
• develop criteria for completion of goals
• build on positive norms and change unhealthy norms
• encourage 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.
 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.
 Giving Constructive Feedback
• Be descriptive

• Don't use labels

• Don’t exaggerate

• Don’t be judgmental

• Speak for yourself

 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.
 Receiving Feedback

• Listen carefully.
• Ask questions for clarity.
• Acknowledge the feedback.
• Acknowledge the valid points.
• Take time to sort out what you heard.
 Receiving Feedback
• Listen carefully. Don’t interrupt. Don’t 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 person’s point of view and
try to understand their reaction. Agreeing with what’s true or
possible doesn’t 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
irresponsible
• Take 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. Don’t 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 other’s
strengths and weaknesses
✓gained the ability to prevent or work
through group conflict and resolve
differences
✓developed a close attachment to the
team
 Stage 4: PERFORMING
• During the performing stage, the team is now an effective and
cohesive unit. As a team, the emphasize quality work; utilize each
member’s 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. Don’t panic. With patience and effort the assembly
of independent individuals will grow into a team.
 Recipe for Successful Team
• Commitment to shared goals and
objectives

• Clearly define roles and responsibilities

Use best skills of each
Allows each to develop in all areas
Recipe for Successful Team
• 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 team’s
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 research
• Clearly defined role: Uses each member’s 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
 Recipe for Successful Team
• Clear communication: Speak with clarity and be succinct. Listen
actively; explore rather than debate each speaker’s 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 digressing
• Well-defined decision procedures: discuss how decisions will be made;
use data as a basis of decisions; explore important issues by polling
• Balanced participation: Everyone should participate in discussions and
decisions, share commitment to the project’s success and contribute
their talents
• Established ground rules: Establish ground rules for what will and will not
be tolerated in the team
• Awareness of group process: Be sensitive to nonverbal communication;
be aware of the group process and how the team works together
• Use 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
The Results of Team Work
Every Team Member Can Help!
Everyone Has to Hang in There!
Enjoy your Game!