Working in Groups

Name of presenter

Aims of the session Recognise how groups form and

function Identify the inter-personal skills

developed through group work Relate your knowledge of groups to

team projects and other study groups Evaluate your developing inter-

personal skills and action plan for change

How is a group different to a team? Reflect individually on groups you

have worked in socially, academically or in a work situation

What made some groups feel like being part of a team?

Be ready to share your thoughts in one minute

Teams Are a group of people who have

specific task(s) or goals(s) Effective teams will be organised Members will have specific

allocated tasks and roles: leader/coordinator, coach/mentor,

achiever, doer, thinker/reflector, timekeeper, note taker, progress monitor, finisher/completer, carer

Teams – Action centred leadership model (John Adair, 1986)

Maintaining the TEAMDeveloping the INDIVIDUAL

Achieving the TASK

Task orientated behaviour Identifying aims, resources, people,

methods for the task Creating a plan to achieve the task Seeking information/opinions – about

plans, ideas Giving information/opinions about the task Allocating work responsibilities and

resources Checking performance against the plan

and adjusting the plan if needed

Team building behaviour Encouraging others towards the group goals Enable effective internal communications Develop collective maturity and capability Maintaining group discipline, ethics Harmonising – reducing tension and

building team spirit Problem solving –listening to others Expressing group feelings

Individual needs behaviour Recognising own skills/abilities and using

them Assisting and supporting individuals Understanding team members as

individuals, listening to them Giving feedback to individuals Withdrawing, being very quiet in

discussion Being aggressive/dominating

communication

Stages in team/group development

Forming when the group begins to discuss the task(s) and

orientate towards a work plan Storming

conflicts and tensions emerge when there are different working styles, differing expectations and different work ethics

Norming beginning to develop mutual trust and effective

ways of working Performing

when effective work patterns are producing the required results

Action planning for team skills development List the teams you currently work within

(seminars, tutorials, fieldwork, project team, study group, peer learning group)

What could you do to make these teams more effective? Which roles would you like to develop?

Set some time targets and review dates Complete an assessment on your team

skills

Academic Skills Guides Guides available are: Learning styles Reading academically Writing effectively Referencing your work Getting the most from lectures Working in groups Giving a talk Preparing effectively for examinations Search strategy Writing your dissertation EndNote - software that helps you manage references Approaching Mathematical Problems Systematically