Topic of this short talk: team / group dynamics. The point is that you need to be aware of any dynamics happening in your team / group!
Contents of the presentation:
Slide 1: Intro video (ants)
Nice illustration of actual teamwork 🙂
Slide 2: Teamwork
- Teamwork is the corner stone of any successful undertaking.
- Teamwork is an individual skill.
- The purpose of this presentation is to make you aware of the importance of team dynamics.
- We will look at some examples, and how we can explore team dynamics.
Slide 3: How does a high-performing team look like?
- Diverse members
- Diversity of viewpoints, opinions
- Open and clear communication
- Managing conflict
- Clear objectives
- Trust
- Participative leadership
- Positive atmosphere
- Engagement
- …
The list is long! It’s not so obvious to become a high-performing team.
Slide 4: Putting a group of people together does not make a team.
In case you didn’t know. Just putting people together and hoping “team” magic will appear, or self-organisation will occur; is most of the time wishful thinking. (I have witnessed this in projects …)
Slide 5: Model of group/team development: Tuckman (1965)
One of the basic models about team/group formation. Note the different phases of growing as a team are necessary to become “performing”.
Slide 6: Belbin team roles (1981)
9 team roles: an effective team has members that cover the 9 key roles in managing the team. (cf. Belbin website)
Slide 7: Communication inside the team is a key indicator of whether they are performing or not.
The quality of communication in the team will also directly affect the communication with the stakeholders! Do you want your team to communicate with stakeholders in this way?!
Slide 8: One bad apple can cause rot in the entire cart by altering the behaviour of everyone.
Yes, this is outcome of scientific research.
Examples of bad apples in a group: the passive-aggressive group eroder, the blunt/rude dominant, the controller, the slacker, the anti-establishment guy, the divide-and-conquer schemer, the arrogant fat head
Slide 9: Groupthink
Groupthink is a term coined by social psychologist Irving Janis (1972), occurs when a group makes faulty decisions because group pressures lead to a deterioration of “mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment”.
Groups affected by groupthink ignore alternatives and tend to take irrational actions that dehumanise other groups. A group is especially vulnerable to groupthink when its members are similar in background, when the group is insulated from outside opinions, and when there are no clear rules for decision making.
Cf. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupthink
Slide 10: How to explore team dynamics?
- Listen to the way team members are communicating
- Observe behaviours: can you recognise certain team roles? Who has an introvert personality, who’s extrovert?
- Observe how conflict is managed
Slide 11: Don’t be a Scrum Zombie (Thanks to Henrik Kniberg)
Please don’t!
Slide 12: How to explore team dynamics?
I suggest for team building: a classic scrum.
Slide 13, 14, 15: How to explore team dynamics? Team drawer
Slide 16: Improv theatre exercises
There’s a book about improv for agile teams.
Slide 17: Quote by Henry Ford
“Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is success.”
Slide 18: Be aware of the dynamics in your team!
