INDIVIDUAL COMMITMENT

TO A COMMON GOAL OF
ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE
IN PUBLIC SERVICE

JOCELYN B. QUINTO
Activity Plan

1) The Self in A Team and Elements of a Successful Team

Group Agreements
Learning Objectives
Resistance to Teams in Organizations
Team Development, Behaviors and Performance
Effective and Ineffective Teams
Team Decision Making and Consensus Building
Questions and Comments
1) Building Excellence and Group Activity (Outdoor
Activity)
The Self in A Team and Elements of a
Successful Team
Reflection and Self-assessment
Teams often focus exclusively on the task at hand and only rarely
on the process of teamwork. There may even be resistance on the
part of team members to the notion of self-evaluation and self-
examination. But there is value in stepping back in order to
examine and reflect on existing ways of doing things. Regular
reviews can lead to greater awareness of strengths and skills, as
well as weaknesses and problem areas, so they are a useful way
of ensuring a team's continuing effectiveness.
Reflection and Self-assessment
The team should consider whether it has a cohesive, supportive
and positive social climate that provides adequate support for skill
development, training and personal development. As for the task
itself, the team should review periodically:

• The original objectives and whether they have changed, or will

change in the future
• How best to achieve current and future objectives
• The adequacy of the team's methods of working to achieve
current and future objectives
• Whether the team's outputs meet or exceed the standards
expected
• Whether milestones and deadlines are being met.
Group Agreements
ALL IDEAS AND POINTS OF VIEW HAVE VALUE
You may hear something you do not agree with or you think is "silly" or
"wrong." Please remember that one of the goals of this meeting is to
share ideas. All ideas have value in this setting. Also share YOUR ideas
and thoughts and avoid editorials of another colleague’s comments.

SAFE SPACE
What is shared and discussed with one another should “stay here” –
apart from ideas and solutions that will help your own work and agency.

USE COMMON CONVERSATIONAL COURTESY

Please don't interrupt; use appropriate language, avoid third party/ side
bar discussions, etc.
Group Agreements
HUMOR IS WELCOME
BUT humor should never be at someone else's expense.

HONOR TIME
We have an ambitious agenda, so it will be important to follow the time
guidelines for the next two days.

CELL PHONE / TEXTING / E-MAIL COURTESY

Please turn cell phones, or any other communication item with an on/off
switch to “silent. If you need to respond, kindly step outside

BE COMFORTABLE
Please feel free to take personal breaks as needed

ANY OTHERS AGREEMENTS TO ADD?

 Learning Objective
• To gain a greater understanding of how teams develop,
behave and perform.

• To utilize this knowledge to develop high performing

teams in centers and programs.
TEAM BUILDING
Group: A collection of two or more interacting
individuals with a stable pattern of
relationships among them, who share
common goals and who perceive themselves
as being a group.

Essentials of a group
1. Social interaction
2. Stable structure
3. Common interests
4. Perceive themselves as part of group
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GROUP AND TEAM
GROUP
• Strong, clearly focused.
• Individual accountability.
• The group’s purpose is the
same as the broader
organizational mission.
• Individual work products.
• Runs efficient meetings.
• Measures performance
indirectly by its influence on
others.
• Discusses, decides, and
delegates.
TEAM
• Shared leadership roles.
• Individual and mutual
accountability.
• Specific team purpose that the
team delivers.
• Collective work products.
• Encourages open-ended
discussions, active problem
solving meetings.
• Measures its effectiveness
direct by collective work
products.
• Discusses, decides, & does real
work together.
TEAM WORK

Very often we use the word team work in our

organizational context without perhaps fully
understanding what we mean by team work.
Team work is an abstract concept. It
represents a set of values that:
• Encourages behaviors such as listening &
responding to view points of others, giving
benefit of doubt to others.
• Providing support to those who need it.
• Recognizing the interests & achievements of
others.
• Also promote performance as individuals and
the performance of the entire organization.
RESISTANCE TO TEAMS IN ORGANIZATIONS
Though a very large number of people believe in the argument for
greater focus on teams, yet when it comes to using the team
approach, the people are reluctant to rely on teams. Three primary
sources for people’s reluctance about teams that stand out are:
• Lack of conviction: Some people do not believe that teams, really
do perform better than individuals. Others think that teams are
probably useful, from a human relations point of view, but are
hindrance when it comes to work productivity and decisive action.
• Personal discomfort & risk: Many people fear or do not like to work
in teams. Most people’s discomfort with teams, however is because
they find the team approach; too time consuming, too uncertain or too
risky.
• Weak performance ethics: Some organizations lack compelling
purpose that would appeal rationally and emotionally to their people.
At worst, the environment of internal politics or external public
relationship undermines the mutual trust and openness upon which
teams depend.
CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE TEAMS
• Team members should feel that their participation is
important and personally beneficial to them.
• Teams should only remain intact as single entities so long
they are working on a particular problem.
• Whenever possible, the team should include some of the
persons who will be responsible for implementing the
decision.
• Members of a team must possess the appropriate
balance or mix of skills and traits.
• A team should be around of 5 to 15 members maximum.
• Members of the teams should have knowledge and
information that is relevant to the problem and task.
• It is necessary for the team to select a leader.
• The influence of members on decisions in teams should
be based on their capacity to contribute ( relevant
expertise) and not on the authority they possess in the
organization.
• Team decisions should be integrated with the normal or
regular decisions of the departments or units from which
the members are drawn.
• Conflicts that develop within should be confronted and
resolved with a problem solving approach, instead of
being avoided or smoothed over.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF INEFFECTIVE TEAMS
• You cannot easily describe the team’s mission.
• The meetings are formal, stuffy, or tense. People do not do
their best in an uncomfortable atmosphere.
• There is a great deal of participation but little accomplishment.
Some teams exhibit to talk but much action.
• There is talk but not much communication. Many teams are
composed of very talented people who enjoy talking but not
listen to the contributions of others.
• Disagreements are aired in private conversations.
• Decisions tend to be made by the formal leader with little
meaningful involvement of other team members.
• Members are not open with each other because trust is low.
• There is confusion or disagreement about roles or work.
• People in other parts of the organization who are critical
to the success of the team are not cooperating. There is
rarely a period in a team’s history when external relations
are not important.
• The team is over loaded with people who have the same
team player style. Style diversity leads to looking at all
aspects of team effectiveness.
• The team has been in existence for at least three months
and has never assessed its functioning. Periodically ,
teams need to assess progress towards goals and to
evaluate team process.
CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE TEAM MEMBERS
Besides seeing the characteristics of an effective team as
well as an ineffective team, it would be prudent to
examine the characteristics of effective team members. It
will be observed that organizational failures often are not
a result of poor leadership but of poor follower ship. An
effective team member is, therefore, on who:

• Understands and is committed to group goals.

• Is friendly, concerned and interested in others.
• Acknowledges and confronts conflict openly.
• Listens to others with understanding.
• Includes others in the decision making process.
• Recognizes and respects individual differences.
ASPECTS OF CONFLICT
DESTRUCTIVE
• Diverts energy from more
important activities and issue.
• Destroys the morale of people
or reinforces poor self-
concepts.
• Polarizes differences in values.
• Deepens differences in values.
• Produces irresponsible and
regrettable behavior such as
name calling and fighting.
CONSTRUCTIVE
• Opens up issues of importance
resulting in their clarification.
• Results in the solution of the
problems.
• Increases the involvement of
individuals and internal
cohesiveness.
• Causes authentic
communication to occur.
• Serves as a release for pent up
emotion, anxiety and stress.
• Helps build cohesiveness
among people sharing the
conflict, celebrating in its
settlement, and learning about
each other.
 Building Excellence and
Group Activity (Outdoor Activity)
TEAM DEVELOPMENT & PERFORMANCE
“Great people don’t equal great teams.” –Tom Peters

Stages of team building:

1. Stage 1- Forming :Team acquaints & establishes
ground rules.
2. Stage 2 – Storming : Members resist control by group
leaders and show hostility.
3. Stage 3 – Norming : Members work together
developing close relationships & feelings of
camaraderie.
4. Stage 4 – Performing : Team members work toward
getting their job done.
5. Stage 5 – Adjourning : Team may disband on
achieving their goals or because members leave.
Shared Visions
Shared visions may vary widely but typically could be concerned
with one or more of the following:

• a commitment to excellence and effectiveness in the project –

right first time, on time and to budget
• efficient and sustainable use of scarce resources through
minimising waste
• respect for stakeholders, such as the construction team and
neighbours on adjoining sites
• customer focus – improving the business effectiveness of the
client and/or the quality of life of occupants.
Shared Visions
Practical steps to achieve a shared vision
• Bring all project parties to a meeting or an awayday workshop
devoted to the development of a shared vision, including a
mission statement and formal objectives
• Identify individual tasks and responsibilities and define a plan
with deadlines, actions and objectives for each team member
• Keep the action plan itself under review for its continuing
relevance, adequacy, and accuracy
• Assess and reaffirm or revise the shared vision periodically.
THANK YOU!