Teams and Teamwork
Teams are the mortar that holds an organisation together. They require a balance between task and process to be fully effective, yet they are often task-mesmerised. This booklet explores team processes, starting with help to pinpoint the characteristics that are critical for your team. It contains questionnaires examining the different roles played by the people in your team (with guidance and suggestions on how to achieve an effective balance of roles) and a questionnaire on the way in which your team operates (with a step-by-step guide to maximise its effectiveness and suggestions for action).
The booklet can be used by individuals to become more effective team-members or (preferably) by groups as part of a communal team-building process.
Buyers Guide
What is the purpose of this booklet?
This booklet aims to improve awareness within teams and to explore team roles and processes to facilitate the creation of fully integrated, successful teams.
Is it for me? What is the target population for this booklet?
The booklet is aimed at people who have an interest in creating a successful team, this could be a consultant, manager, trainer or facilitator working through the material with team members as part of a team-building process. It could also be used by an interested individual looking to become a more effective participant in a team they belong to.
Who wrote the booklet?
Dr Peter Honey is a chartered occupational psychologist, management consultant and author of numerous publications about learning and personal development. For over 30 years his primary interest has been helping people to learn effectively from work-based experiences. He is a Patron of the Campaign for Learning and a trustee of the Lifelong Learning Foundation and the Prisoners’ Education Trust. He is also a Fellow of the RSA, CIPD and ITOL. He was also one of the founder members of the distinguished group that produced A Declaration on Learning.
What difference will it make?
Besides giving you an overview of how successful teams operate, working through the booklet will help you or your team:
- know what you consider to be the characteristics of a successful team
- work together to live up to the characteristics you choose
- establish whether your team is at, the chaotic, formal or skilful stage
- work out specific guidelines for effective team meetings
- understand the role of team leader
- understand the role of team member
- discover how team roles can affect your team’s performance
- discover the importance of verbal and non-verbal behaviour.
In how many ways could I use the booklet?
You could:
- work through the booklet as part of a team-building exercise.
- work through the booklet to improve your own performance as a team member
- use the Characteristics of an Effective Team checklist to agree a collective vision
- use the Team Roles Questionnaire to highlight any imbalances in your team
- achieve a better mix of roles within your team by using the suggestions for action
- use the suggestions on how best to structure reviews of your team’s performance
- use the specific advice on verbal and non-verbal behaviour and its impact on your team’s performance.
- design more effective and successful team building programmes.
So, why should I but it?
It will provide a wealth of information which is equally applicable to an individual team member or an established team. It helps you agree the vision and provides practical guidance on the best ways of turning that vision into a reality.
Copyright and Photocopying
All rights reserved. This booklet is the copyright of Dr Peter Honey. It may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise without prior permission of Peter Honey Publications Ltd.