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Team and Coalition Building. Class 7 August 1, 2010. Forming and Working with Teams. How can managers work collaboratively with others both internally and outside the agency Collaborative relationships: Teams Task Forces Working with Collateral Organizations. Importance of team building.
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Team and Coalition Building Class 7 August 1, 2010
Forming and Working with Teams • How can managers work collaboratively with others both internally and outside the agency • Collaborative relationships: • Teams • Task Forces • Working with Collateral Organizations
Importance of team building • Agencies move away from top-down to bottom-up decision making • Forming a team is one of the most effective methods of developing staff commitment • Team can produce results that are quantitatively better what an individual can produce
Creating Effective Teams Characteristics of effective teams: • Communicate a shared vision • Deemphasize hierarchy • Encourage open communication • Develop trust in one another • Establish rules and behavioral norms • Make decisions by consensus
Effective team leaders Characteristics that make good team leaders: **negotiating **communicating **agenda setting **goal development and action planning **creates a safe environment
Handling Conflict on Teams • Avoid “groupthink” • Most conflict relates to tasks and roles • Uneven division of work • Individuals forming cliques within the team • Leaders determine the source of the conflict • Encourage the airing of differences • Use ground rules
Individual Styles and Team Development • Contributor: task oriented; provides team with information • Collaborator: goal-oriented; open to new ideas; sees the big picture • Communicator: process-oriented; able to solve conflict and build relationships • Challenger: openly questions the goals and methods of team; encourages risk- taking and being open to new ideas Parker (1990)
Stages of Team Development • Forming: establish a sense of security and direction • Conforming: becoming united and identifying roles; members become content with team membership • Storming: differentiation occurs and leads to conflict • Performing: functions at a highly effective level (Tuckman, 1965; Cameron & Whetten, 1991)
Improving Team Effectiveness • US Department of Labor Guidelines: • Have clarity on goals of the team • Clearly define roles • Communicate clearly • Be mindful of personality styles and stages • Develop a plan for improvement
Team Building Exercise • Identify a target population (e.g., street children, the elderly, the disabled, mentally ill) that need better social services • Come up with 3 major recommendations for government organizations in order to improve services for target population
Team Building Exercise Continued • Reflect on Group Process: -leader or self-led? -was consensus used to come up with recommendations? -were you aware of the stage of the group? -were there different personality types operating in the group; did members take on different roles? -what made your group successful in achieving its goals? -how might the group process be improved?
Task Forces • Carry out a specific assignment on a time-limited basis • Important to clarify tasks and roles • Staff involvement must be meaningful • If several task forces are organized need to be well-organized • Need to reintegrate staff once work is complete
Coalition BuildingCollateral Relationships • Good compatibility • Development of shared resources • Cultural compatibility • Common domain of activities and target population • Communicative infrastructure • Trust!
Areas of CollaborationJoint Planning • Administrative services • Service Coordination • Personnel Coordination • Financial Coordination
Questions for Discussion • You are a neighborhood grassroots advocacy organization dedicated to changing living conditions in your community. Recently, you have been invited to join a coalition of agencies from the community to address the problem of overcrowding in urban areas. • What are the pros and cons of joining the coalition? • If you join, how will you preserve your autonomy?
Questions for Discussion • Several business and community leaders have proposed creating a community coalition to conduct a community needs assessment in Hanoi’s Old Quarter. • Based on results, the coalition would develop the community’s agenda for addressing the highest priorities. • What are the pros and cons of participating in a process that determines the community’s focus and resource allocation?