Student Guide

Enhancing Teamwork in the Classroom

Module 2: Team Processes

Module 2: Team Processes

Student teams tend to just let things happen. This module encourages
teams to be more proactive in managing their own processes by creating a
structure and adopting tools and processes that increase effectiveness.
For this module your team will complete two (2) activities:

Activity #1: Mission, Roles and Rules

Read: Who We Are Creating a Mission, Roles, and Ground Rules (attached
to this document)
Follow the instructions at the end of Who We Are Creating a Mission, Roles,
and Ground Rules:

The team will create its own mission statement and post that
statement to the team website
The team will decide on roles to be adopted by team members and
post those roles to the team website
The team will develop its operational ground rules and post those
ground rules to the team website

Activity #2: Meetings and Decisions

Read: Managing Meetings and Making Decisions (attached to this document)
Each team will develop a written meeting agenda and conduct a meeting
based on that agenda; the team will submit that agenda to the instructor via
course email.

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Enhancing Teamwork in the Classroom
Module 2: Team Processes

Who We Are Creating a Mission, Roles,

and Ground Rules
Creating a Team Mission Statement
A mission statement is a brief description of a company's fundamental
purpose. A mission statement answers the question, "Why do we exist?" The
same is true for a teams mission statement.
A mission statement can guide your team through this semester, in good
times and bad. A meaningful mission can act as a moral compass, and it can
help you make decisions that align with your teams values and goals.
A mission statement is a concise statement that describes your team: who
you believe yourselves to be, at your very core. It should be a simple
statement that can be easily understood by almost anyone, so refrain from
using technical jargon. It does not have to be earth-shattering it can be
simple and to the point, but it should also inspire and energize.
Perhaps more than anything, a mission statement should reflect the teams
core values and purpose for existence. Move beyond the ubiquitous to make
an A in this class. Of course you want to make a good grade, but thats not
who you are as a team and it doesnt reflect how, as a team, you are
different than any other team in any other class - the core essence of your
team should reflect something of greater value than a grade at the end of
the semester.
Sample Mission Statements:
The Elephant Sanctuary: "A Natural-Habitat Refuge Where Sick, Old and
Needy Elephants Can Once Again Walk The Earth In Peace and Dignity." One
powerful statement that evokes emotion and instant attachment to the
cause of this organization.
Sun Microsystems: "Solve complex network computing problems for
governments, enterprises, and service providers." A simple mission
statement identifying who their market is and what they do.

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Enhancing Teamwork in the Classroom
Module 2: Team Processes

Ben & Jerrys Ice Cream: A product mission stated as: "To make, distribute
& sell the finest quality all natural ice cream & euphoric concoctions with a
continued commitment to incorporating wholesome, natural ingredients and
promoting business practices that respect the Earth and the Environment."
This mission inspired Ben and Jerry to build a cause-related company.
Joe Boxer: "JOE BOXER is dedicated to bringing new and creative ideas to
the market place, both in our product offerings as well as our marketing
events. We will continue to develop our unique brand positioning, to maintain
and grow our solid brand recognition, and to adhere to high quality design
standards. Because everyone wants to have fun everyday, JOE BOXER will
continue to offer something for everyone with fun always in mind."
Each sample mission statement conveys the business founder's core beliefs
and values.
[Note: Some of this information was adapted from: http://sbinformation.about.com/cs/businessplans/a/mission.htm
and http://sbinfocanada.about.com/od/businessplanning/g/missionstatemen.htm]

Adopting Team Roles

All effective teams have mechanisms for coordination and support --- the
most important of these are specific "roles." Quite simply, a role is what
members expect those in a particular position to do in relation to the
team's operational processes.

Student teams often waste time because roles are ambiguous and it is
unclear who will complete the duties of certain roles. This is particularly
evident at meetings --- especially the early ones.
Here are some of the critical roles for meetings. You should specify who
would perform them, at least for the first few meetings (you can always
modify as needed and might need additional ones for a specific project):
Coordinator Sets and distributes agenda in advance (often based on input from team
members), manages the work tasks or "business" of the meeting by keeping
members on-track

Scribe Records and distributes results of meetings

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Enhancing Teamwork in the Classroom
Module 2: Team Processes

Timekeeper Tracks the time set for agenda items - helps team keep on schedule

Facilitator Helping people work together smoothly; the "how" of teamwork

Helps people communicate and cooperate; at a minimum checks to see that

all points of view are expressed and everyone has a chance to participate.
Devils Advocate
This person can legitimately challenge team decisions in search of missed
alternatives or opportunities

Team Member (includes everyone) Contribute fair share, support others, work for the best of the team - not just

own opinion
Here are some other roles you may want to fill to operate effectively in your
projects (modify or add your own as needed):
a. Project manager
b. Editor and production coordinator
c. Graphics and Presentation manager
d. Research manager

Developing Team Ground Rules

As the text suggests, group norms are those behaviors the team accepts
and deems appropriate (although not all norms reflect positive behaviors;
some teams engage in negative or dysfunctional behaviors that become the
accepted norm, for example, it may become acceptable to be tardy for
meetings). Often, these norms develop slowly over time. It can be very
useful for a team to develop certain norms more quickly in order to
become more efficient and effective. One way to promote the development
of positive team norms is to state explicit rules the team agrees are
necessary to function well.
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Module 2: Team Processes

These rules state how you intend to work together as a team. Although
they are often viewed as superfluous and unnecessary, explicit ground rules
help the team function more efficiently and effectively. All teams should be
quite clear on how they want to hold meetings, make decisions, and interact
with one another. Unfortunately, most teams simply let these processes
evolve rather than manage them effectively.
A team can have a ground rule for almost any process. The only stipulation in
forming ground rules is that all team members must agree the rule be
included.
It may be useful to divide your ground rules into these three categories:
a. Administrative / Meeting Management
b. Task / Participation and Decision-Making
c. Interpersonal
Here are some examples of team ground rules (from past teams):
Team - 1
Administrative
1. Team 1 will conduct weekly conference callsThursdays at 6:30 pm and
Sundays at 5:00 pm. Regular attendance is mandatory.
2. If member cannot attend meeting, then the member is responsible for
posting his or her share of notes, ideas, and feedback prior to the meeting
under the appropriate discussion thread.
3. Active participation on discussion boards is required of all team members.
4. Once assigned a role, each group member is responsible for fulfilling
requirements of his or her role.
5. Members will follow schedule of tasks to best of their ability.
Task
1. All members (100%) must have input on course deliverables with overall
grade weight of 10% or more of total course grade.
2. For course deliverables with overall grade weight less than 10% of total
course grade, participation of 84% of team is required. In other words, 5 out
of 6 members must have participated in a given task in order for it to be
eligible to be turned in.
3. If a rapid decision must be reached about a given idea or task, a majority of
67% must agree before idea is incorporated into team deliverable.

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Module 2: Team Processes
4. Disagreements among team members will be discussed and settled in team
meetings. If dispute is between 2 team members and becomes problematic
to team as a whole, team facilitator will step in to mediate dispute and bring
it to resolution.
5. Team facilitator will call absent members if team deliverables due date is
imminent, and the required quorum is not available.
Interpersonal
1. Respect and courtesy are our codes of conduct.
2. Criticism is to be constructive and to target specific behaviors; we will not
make personal criticisms
3. Humor is to be used as often as possible.
Team 2
Administrative
1. Team Members are required to attend all regularly scheduled meetings,
currently planned for twice per week.
2. Team members are required to complete assignments as agreed upon during
these team meetings.
3. Team members are encouraged to ask for help if they are having difficulties
before assigned due dates.
4. Team Members are expected to actively participate in discussions.
5. Team Members are required to assess the team and meeting dynamics twice
a week.
Decisions:
1. Decisions will be made by consensus or majority rule, each person is
encouraged to provide input with justification to be considered
2. There are no winners or losers in any decision.
3. Every attempt will be made to discuss motivational factors, justification, and
possible pitfalls of each decision
Interpersonal
1. Each Person is to be treated in a professional manner with respect.
2. Feedback is to be provided based on behavior and in a timely manner.
3. There are no bad ideas, every suggestion is to be considered.
Team 3
Administrative:
1. All members must attend meetings and arrive on time. In the event that a
member will be absent or tardy, they should contact the Coordinator to
inform.
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Enhancing Teamwork in the Classroom
Module 2: Team Processes
2. All members must check the discussion board at least once per day.
3. All members must meet deadlines set.
4. All members must fulfill their assigned roles.
Task Oriented:
1. All decisions will derive from group discussions. If group cannot come to an
agreement for the decision, majority vote will be second resort.
2. All members will review the meeting agenda before attending the meeting so
they will have a clear understanding of the topic(s) and will be prepared for
discussions.
3. Each member must participate in all tasks, meetings, and projects. If the
group feels that a member is not participating or committed, an initial
warning will be given. If they continue with the misconduct, a group decision
will be made regarding appropriate measures.
4. Surveys will be conducted and evaluated on a bi-monthly basis in efforts to
measure progress.
5. All members must give their own opinions and view on all team tasks and
discussions.
6. All documents and tasks will be posted on the discussion board and saved on
a hard drive, once completed.
7. All members must give 110% efforts toward group and individual tasks.
Interpersonal:
1. All team members must show respectful behavior toward other teammates.
2. Negative feedback will not be targeted toward an individual, but rather
toward a specific situation.
3. All members will cooperate with each other in order to establish and maintain
a positive atmosphere.
4. Team - 3 will have a circle of trust among each other.
5. Each member should keep a focus on building relationships with each other
throughout the semester.

Instructions
Step 1:
Create a team mission statement. Post that statement to your team website.
Step 2:
Decide which team roles might be useful for your team, and who should (at
least initially) assume each role. Post these roles to your team website.
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Enhancing Teamwork in the Classroom
Module 2: Team Processes

Step 3:
Decide which team ground rules might be useful for your team. Post these
ground rules to your team website.

Remember, a team represents a living, dynamic process. Situations and

circumstances may change, and the team may want to re-visit its mission,
roles and ground rules. Feel free to modify any of these as the semester
progresses.

Managing Meetings and Making Decisions

People always complain that meetings
are a waste of time.

So what's the problem with meetings?

The discussion getting off the subject

Lack of results, decisions, assignments
No stated goals, purpose or agenda
Meeting starts late; members tardy
Inadequate preparation by participants
Too many irrelevant topics covered
Interruptions to the meeting
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Module 2: Team Processes

Too much talking, not enough listening

Meetings last too long
Lack of participation

The Good News?

Your team can have very
productive and efficient meetings!
Heres What to Do...
Before, During, and After a Meeting

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Enhancing Teamwork in the Classroom
Module 2: Team Processes

Before the Scheduled Meeting Begins:

Plan
If at all possible, plan the meeting well in advance. Let all participants
know when (date and time) and where. Send a reminder one day
before the meeting even for weekly meetings that have a set
schedule (people can forget!)

Identify Meeting Goals

Ever hear the phrase, Who called this meeting? It typically indicates
the purpose of the meeting is not well understood. Someone should
clearly articulate the high-level goal(s) of the meeting and
communicate these goals so everyone will arrive at the meeting
knowing what it is all about.

Create an agenda
The team coordinator or project lead should develop an agenda before
the meeting. Circulate this agenda to all team members at least two
days before the meeting.

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Enhancing Teamwork in the Classroom
Module 2: Team Processes

During the Meeting:

Begin Promptly
The scheduled start time has been announced via the agenda. Start
the meeting on time.

Follow the Agenda

The agenda should list all topics for discussion and time allotted for
each topic. Keep the meeting on track by following the agenda. Do
not allow the meeting to be hijacked by side-conversations or off-topic
discussions.

Participate!
Actively encourage (but dont force) everyones participation. The
assumption is people wouldnt be at the meeting if they didnt have
something to offer.

Make Decisions
Have an agreed upon method of decision-making. For example, will the
team vote (majority rule) or try to reach a consensus?

Summarize and Review

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Module 2: Team Processes

At the end of the meeting, summarize all decisions and action items.
Make sure everyone knows their responsibilities. Remind everyone of
the next scheduled meeting.

After the Meeting:

Follow-Up
Distribute the minutes of the meeting, or a written summary of topics
discussed, decisions made, and action items.

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Enhancing Teamwork in the Classroom
Module 2: Team Processes

Creating an Agenda
An agenda provides structure for a team meeting. It
should include:

Date, time and location of the meeting

Names of all present / absent
Overall goals/objectives of this meeting
Specific topics to be discussed
Time allotted for each topic
Name of individual who will lead the discussion for
each topic
Brief description of any decision made by the team
Action items assigned to participants
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Module 2: Team Processes

Time meeting adjourned

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Student Guide
Enhancing Teamwork in the Classroom
Module 2: Team Processes

Team Decision-Making

Good team decisions dont just happen. Team members

must be:

Willing to express their ideas forcefully but with

respect for others
Willing to listen to the various opinions and
perspectives of others
Willing to search for common goals and find
common ground
Willing to seek understanding and show
support

When making decisions, most teams are

concerned about reaching agreement.
That is, do all team members agree with the
decision that is under discussion?

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Module 2: Team Processes

There may be a better approach...

Team Decision-Making Strategies

Agreement or Support?
When making decisions, we tend to think in terms of
agreement:
Do I agree with this decision?
But it is often better to think in terms of

support rather than agreement:

Can I support this agreement?
Why? Because I can support a decision I dont necessarily
agree with. This is critical when it comes to reaching a
team consensus.
Obviously, it would be great if each team member felt the
decision being made was the one they would also make
as an individual. But, often you will find yourself in a
position of support rather than agreement. That is, the
decision may not be exactly the same as you would make
if it were left up to you, but it is close enough that you
can support it as a team decision.

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Enhancing Teamwork in the Classroom
Module 2: Team Processes

So, the key issue in reaching a team consensus is

not whether everyone agrees with the decision,
but:

Can all members SUPPORT the decision?

Team Decision-Making Strategies

Guidelines for Reaching Consensus

Consensus implies support, not total agreement.
Can every team member support the decision that
is about to be made?
If there is enough disagreement so that some team
members feel they will not be able to support the
decision, consensus has not been reached - keep talking
until it is!

Make sure everyone is heard from and feels heard.

DO NOT VOTE - your aim is to talk through the issue
until you have reached an agreement everyone can
support.

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Enhancing Teamwork in the Classroom
Module 2: Team Processes

Do not give in just to reach agreement controversy

and differences of opinion are good.
Be open-minded and flexible. Present your position,
but listen to others' positions also.
Be an effective communicator - listen, probe, seek
clarification and examples, encourage participation.
Team Decision-Making Strategies

Consensus Checklist
The team has reached consensus when each team
member can agree to the following 4 statements:
1)I have shared my knowledge, thoughts and feelings
about this decision with the team.
2)I have listened to others in the team and I
understand (but may or may not agree with) what
they say.
3)Although this decision may not reflect all of my
personal preferences, I can represent it as my own.
4)I will support the implementation of this decision.
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Enhancing Teamwork in the Classroom
Module 2: Team Processes

One final hint regarding making team decisions...

The team should agree which decision-making strategy will be
used PRIOR to the discussion. Be specific. For example, the team
might agree that Decision X will be made by consensus. If, after
45 minutes of quality discussion, the team cannot reach
consensus on Decision X (that is, not all team members can
support the decision), the team will resort to voting. The outcome
of that vote will be considered final, and all discussion regarding
the decision will end.

Be a Good Meeting Participant

To be an effective meeting participant

Review the agenda prior to the meeting; know how

you can contribute
Be prepared; do your homework!
Arrive on time; once there, don't leave
Don't allow cell phones or laptops to be a distraction
Avoid side conversations; actively listen to the
discussion

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Enhancing Teamwork in the Classroom
Module 2: Team Processes

Participate when appropriate

Encourage others to participate
Remain open to new ideas
Clarify any action items you are responsible for

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