Build an effective Team
Introduction
Welcome to the WebQuest - Build an effective Team!
During this webquest, you will learn important leadership skills for team success.
"Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much." --Helen Keller
Effective teamwork is key to the successful operation of professional activities in the modern world.
In many careers, the most important key to your success is your ability to collaborate
with others and build effective teams, but what makes an effective team?
In many careers, the most important key to your success is your ability to collaborate
with others and build effective teams, but what makes an effective team?
Would you like to know why some teams work well and others don’t?
Would you like to learn the key characteristics of an effective team?
Would you like to be better at leading and communicating with difficult people and situations
that can arise in teams?
Would you like to learn the key characteristics of an effective team?
Would you like to be better at leading and communicating with difficult people and situations
that can arise in teams?
During this webquest, you will learn important leadership skills for team success.
Task
You want to build an effective team with motivated people, right?
You want to build an effective team with motivated people, right?
This webquest is focused on how to build an effective team. The first and most important step in building an effective team is to understand what makes up an effective team. Through this webQuest, you will become familiar with the main key features of a highly effective team.
Teams have become a central part of our lifestyle, therefore, during your life, you will need to build your own teams for many reasons such as community projects, school projects, online projects, for a new organization, etc. and/or to participate and collaborate with a team.
This webquest prepares you to think effectively and use several strategies to build your own team. During this webquest, you will be familiar with approaches from the area of sports to build and lead your team. One of the first steps to develop leadership skills is to become an effective member of a team.
By the end, you will have the chance to define roles and responsibilities and build your own team. Invest in yourself…teamwork is the key to success….
This webquest is focused on how to build an effective team. The first and most important step in building an effective team is to understand what makes up an effective team. Through this webQuest, you will become familiar with the main key features of a highly effective team.
Teams have become a central part of our lifestyle, therefore, during your life, you will need to build your own teams for many reasons such as community projects, school projects, online projects, for a new organization, etc. and/or to participate and collaborate with a team.
This webquest prepares you to think effectively and use several strategies to build your own team. During this webquest, you will be familiar with approaches from the area of sports to build and lead your team. One of the first steps to develop leadership skills is to become an effective member of a team.
By the end, you will have the chance to define roles and responsibilities and build your own team. Invest in yourself…teamwork is the key to success….
Process
1. Keys to building effective teams
As a first step, it is very important to decide if you want to work individually or if you want to do the following activities with a team. If you have decided to work individually, you need to find peers to give you feedback about your work. (E.g. classmates, friends, colleagues, etc.). If you want to work with a team, create a team that has the maximum number of 6 members.
Let’s get started!
Use the following websites for information gathering.
Effective Team: Meaning, Characteristics and Importance
What Is Teamwork Actually?
5 Key Factors to Managing Successful Teams
How To Build A Winning Team - 5 Best Team Building Practices
Once you have navigated the web and gone through a series of information, try to think about your favourite sport team. You can select your favourite football team, basketball team, volleyball team etc. and then make a list with the key features which describe this team as an effective team. Then, share these features with your team or with your peers to get their feedback.
You can use other resources than the links provided above.
2. Team formation and development
In this step, go through the four phases of the Tuckman’s team development model. The forming-storming-norming-performing model of group development describes all the phases for the team to grow, face up to challenges, tackle problems, find solutions, plan work and deliver results.
Use the following links to continue your research:
Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing: Bruce Tuckman's Team Stages Model Explained
Tuckman’s Stages of Team Development in Sport
The Four Stages of Team Development
Check your knowledge. Decide which stage, from the Tuckman’s model (forming–storming–norming–performing), the next set of behaviours indicate and write it down. (You can find the correct answers in the Resources section).
1. Team members get things done efficiently
2. Facilitator helps the team members to ground the rules
3. All members participate in all team activities
4. Some members demonstrate passive resistance
5. Team members collaborate with each other
6. Members challenge, evaluate, and destroy ideas.
Now let’s begin by applying what you learned. After reviewing the resources, write down a simple example of the four stages in action in relation to your favourite sport team. You can see some examples in the previous resources.
3. Leading a team
So far, you must have figured out ‘’ Keys to building effective teams’ and the forming-storming-norming-performing model. In this step, look at the different approaches to lead teams in continuous improvement of their process.
The qualities of a leader inspire the trust and respect of the team and leverage influence of the team. Without a doubt, the communication skills, passion, positivity are some of the characteristics in order to lead a team.
How To Be A Leader - The 7 Great Leadership Traits
Now, select the leader or the captain of your favourite sport team and make a list with his/her key characteristics. Based on your experience, identify weaknesses of this person and make a list with suggestions for improvement.
4. Defining your team
Like in a basketball or football team, who works together to win a game, all players have their positions, roles and responsibilities to achieve a goal. The same thing happens everywhere. A vital component that can hinder the effectiveness of teams is the lack of clarity about the roles, responsibilities, and expectations of the individuals who compose the team.
Who is to do what with whom and when?
In this step, focus on the importance of defining roles and responsibilities.
Use the following links to help you understand what are roles and responsibilities’ and what is the difference between roles and responsibilities.
Importance of Defining Roles and Rsponsabilities in an organzation
Defining Employees' Roles and Responsibilities
Team Roles and Responsibilities
How to Use a RACI Matrix | RACI Model
RACI Made Simple
It is now time to define your team. Use the RACI matrix to agree team roles and responsibilities. After reviewing the information from the previous steps, use the following template to build your own effective team. Do not forget that you can create a team for different reasons. In this case, use the template to define team roles and responsibilities for your favourite team that you have identified in the previous step.
1. Identify the tasks or activities of the team. Make sure your team knows their tasks.
For example: Player 1: Support other players, Player 2: score and block, Coach: training and strategic planning. Think about other people’s tasks.
2. Determine the activities in the chart. For example, Task 1: Point guard (basketball), Task 2: Defender (football)
3. Prepare a list of people involved in those tasks.
4. Develop a RACI chart. R- Responsible (works on), A- Accountable, C- Consulted, I- Informed, Q –Quality Reviewer, Responsible (Player). For example, as for the Accountable, you can add the coach of the team. Think in this way for the rest of positions.
Once your RACI matrix is complete, you can share it with your team or your peers to get feedback. Create a presentation with the following headings and present the case study of your favourite team.
1. Key Characteristics of an effective team
2. The forming-storming-norming-performing model of group development
3. How to define roles and responsibilities
4. The key characteristic for good leadership
As a first step, it is very important to decide if you want to work individually or if you want to do the following activities with a team. If you have decided to work individually, you need to find peers to give you feedback about your work. (E.g. classmates, friends, colleagues, etc.). If you want to work with a team, create a team that has the maximum number of 6 members.
Let’s get started!
Use the following websites for information gathering.
Effective Team: Meaning, Characteristics and Importance
What Is Teamwork Actually?
5 Key Factors to Managing Successful Teams
How To Build A Winning Team - 5 Best Team Building Practices
Once you have navigated the web and gone through a series of information, try to think about your favourite sport team. You can select your favourite football team, basketball team, volleyball team etc. and then make a list with the key features which describe this team as an effective team. Then, share these features with your team or with your peers to get their feedback.
You can use other resources than the links provided above.
2. Team formation and development
In this step, go through the four phases of the Tuckman’s team development model. The forming-storming-norming-performing model of group development describes all the phases for the team to grow, face up to challenges, tackle problems, find solutions, plan work and deliver results.
Use the following links to continue your research:
Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing: Bruce Tuckman's Team Stages Model Explained
Tuckman’s Stages of Team Development in Sport
The Four Stages of Team Development
Check your knowledge. Decide which stage, from the Tuckman’s model (forming–storming–norming–performing), the next set of behaviours indicate and write it down. (You can find the correct answers in the Resources section).
1. Team members get things done efficiently
2. Facilitator helps the team members to ground the rules
3. All members participate in all team activities
4. Some members demonstrate passive resistance
5. Team members collaborate with each other
6. Members challenge, evaluate, and destroy ideas.
Now let’s begin by applying what you learned. After reviewing the resources, write down a simple example of the four stages in action in relation to your favourite sport team. You can see some examples in the previous resources.
| Forming | |
| Stroming | |
| Norming | |
| Performing |
3. Leading a team
So far, you must have figured out ‘’ Keys to building effective teams’ and the forming-storming-norming-performing model. In this step, look at the different approaches to lead teams in continuous improvement of their process.
The qualities of a leader inspire the trust and respect of the team and leverage influence of the team. Without a doubt, the communication skills, passion, positivity are some of the characteristics in order to lead a team.
How To Be A Leader - The 7 Great Leadership Traits
Now, select the leader or the captain of your favourite sport team and make a list with his/her key characteristics. Based on your experience, identify weaknesses of this person and make a list with suggestions for improvement.
4. Defining your team
Like in a basketball or football team, who works together to win a game, all players have their positions, roles and responsibilities to achieve a goal. The same thing happens everywhere. A vital component that can hinder the effectiveness of teams is the lack of clarity about the roles, responsibilities, and expectations of the individuals who compose the team.
Who is to do what with whom and when?
In this step, focus on the importance of defining roles and responsibilities.
Use the following links to help you understand what are roles and responsibilities’ and what is the difference between roles and responsibilities.
Importance of Defining Roles and Rsponsabilities in an organzation
Defining Employees' Roles and Responsibilities
Team Roles and Responsibilities
How to Use a RACI Matrix | RACI Model
RACI Made Simple
It is now time to define your team. Use the RACI matrix to agree team roles and responsibilities. After reviewing the information from the previous steps, use the following template to build your own effective team. Do not forget that you can create a team for different reasons. In this case, use the template to define team roles and responsibilities for your favourite team that you have identified in the previous step.
1. Identify the tasks or activities of the team. Make sure your team knows their tasks.
For example: Player 1: Support other players, Player 2: score and block, Coach: training and strategic planning. Think about other people’s tasks.
2. Determine the activities in the chart. For example, Task 1: Point guard (basketball), Task 2: Defender (football)
3. Prepare a list of people involved in those tasks.
4. Develop a RACI chart. R- Responsible (works on), A- Accountable, C- Consulted, I- Informed, Q –Quality Reviewer, Responsible (Player). For example, as for the Accountable, you can add the coach of the team. Think in this way for the rest of positions.
| Role 1 | Role 2 | Role 3 | Role 4 | |
| Task 1 | ||||
| Task 2 | ||||
| Task3 | ||||
| Task 4 | ||||
| Task 5 |
Once your RACI matrix is complete, you can share it with your team or your peers to get feedback. Create a presentation with the following headings and present the case study of your favourite team.
1. Key Characteristics of an effective team
2. The forming-storming-norming-performing model of group development
3. How to define roles and responsibilities
4. The key characteristic for good leadership
Evaluation and Learning Outcomes
After the completion of this webquest, learners will be able to:
| Knowledge | Skills | Attitudes |
| · fundamental knowledge of the characteristics of an effective team · fundamental knowledge of Tuckman’s Team Development Model · basic knowledge of how to define/build a team and each member’s roles and responsibilities · basic knowledge of the key characteristics for a good leadership |
· describe the steps for building an effective team · select and integrate information from various resources to build an effective team · build an effective team to achieve a particular goal · use different techniques to define roles and responsibilities |
· demonstrate ability to follow a process to build an effective team · assign roles and responsibilities to team members |
Conclusion
Through this WebQuest you have learned what teamwork is and what its characteristics are. You have learned how to develop a team that collaborates effectively. An effective team is important for a reason…it delivers results.
Just one tip:
Don’t forget to never give up! You are not ALONE; you have a whole team with you to support you!
Useful links
Definition of effective teamwork (1)
Definition of effective teamwork (2)
Characteristics of the team (1)
Importance of a team
Characteristics of the team (2)
Steps to Building an Effective Team
Build a successful team
Effective leader-problem solving
Problem solving
Correct answers for step 2 under the Process section:
1. Performing
2. Norming
3. Performing
4. Storming
5. Performing
6. Storming
Definition of effective teamwork (2)
Characteristics of the team (1)
Importance of a team
Characteristics of the team (2)
Steps to Building an Effective Team
Build a successful team
Effective leader-problem solving
Problem solving
Correct answers for step 2 under the Process section:
1. Performing
2. Norming
3. Performing
4. Storming
5. Performing
6. Storming
Videos
