Team Building Activities

Contents

  1. Teamwork Methodology
  2. Activity: Team Building
  3. Team Roles
    1. Captain
    2. Reflector
    3. Recorder
    4. Spokesperson
    5. Optimist
    6. Skeptic
    7. Explorer
  4. Using Team Roles
  5. Developing  Problem Analysis

 

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Teamwork Methodology

 

1. Define mission                              Establish common vision and goals for the team

2. Recruit members                          Assemble the individuals to meet the needs of the team.

3. Collect resources                          Identify and collect resources available to the team.

4. Build the team                               Assign members to appropriate roles.

5. Create and implement the plan Schedule the resources for identified tasks and perform the plan

6. Assess performance                    Assess the team performance against the plan.

7. Modify the plan                              Make periodic improvements to the plan as new information is presented.

8. Provide closure                             Provide a point to end the team efforts. Celebrate accomplishments

 

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Activity: Team Building

 

Activity type:

Interviewing

 

Focused learning skills:

Listening

Conversing

Writing

 

Objective:

Introductions help participants know each other and provide an opportunity to become familiar with personal objectives and reasons for participating in a project. A quality learning environment requires creating and building a sense of familiarity and trust among the participants. The skills of interviewing, listening and conversing are transferable to other social and professional settings.

 

Learning objectives:

1. Form teams and get to know the other team members

2. Begin the process of team building by reviewing the assigned project

3. Complete a team skills inventory.

 

Performance criterion:

You will be assessed on your knowledge of and ability to relate to the team members

Factor 1: knowing each team member's name and program of study contact information

Factor 2: knowing each team members strengths for the assigned project

Factor 3: knowing each team member's weaknesses

 

Tasks and Sample questions:

1)      Each person on the team introduces himself to the other members.

a)      At a minimum, provide name, program affiliation, class level.

b)      Describe an example of something you designed or planned, or would like to create

c)      Identify a skill or knowledge that you hope to learn from this project.

d)      Name at least two strengths (skills or knowledge) you can contribute to this project.

e)      Name two areas (skills or knowledge) for improvement based on your experience in this project.

2)      As a team, synthesize information about your members to establish a team identity that represents you collectively.

3)      Select a name for your team that reflects that identity.

 

Criteria for success:

Everyone participates and is able to communicate information relevant to the performance criteria.

 

Resources:

15 minutes of time

 

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Team Roles

 

Captain

The Captain ensures that the team achieves its goals on time.

1.       Keep the process enjoyable and rewarding for the team members.

2.       Make sure each team member has a role and performs within that role.

3.       Ensure that all team members can articulate what has been learned.

4.       Manage time, stress and conflict.

5.       Control the process and its pacing; keep members focused.

6.       Contribute to the group and actively learn.

7.       Maintain accountability for the overall performance of the team.

 

Reflector

The Reflector is responsible for the development of the team's process skills.

1.       Observe performance, interactions and the dynamics among team members.

2.       Be a good listener and observer.

3.       Analyses and record strengths, improvements and insights in a "Reflector's Journal."

4.       Maintain accountability for the overall quality of the Reflector's Journal.

5.       Report from the Reflector's Journal, rephrasing assessments positively and constructively.

6.       Intervene with observations about the process and suggest strategies for change

7.       Remind the Captain of his/her duties.

8.       Contribute to the group and actively learn.

 


Criteria for a Written Reflector's Report

·         Concise

·         Clear

·         Accurate

·         Cites specific examples to convey understanding

·         Refers to key skills used by the team

·         Provides supporting documentation in the Reflector's Journal

 

Criteria for an Oral Reflector's Report

·         Speaks loudly enough for all other teams to hear

·         Presented within 30 seconds (unless otherwise specified in advance)

·         Identifies one strength of the team's performance and explains why it is a strength

·         Identifies one area of improvement that the team can focus on and explains how the team can improve.

·         Provides one insight gained about the learning process and explains the significance of the insight.


 

Recorder

The Recorder is responsible for documenting team activities.

1.       Record group roles and instructions at the beginning of a task or activity.

2.       Document legibly and accurately group decisions and discoveries in a Recorder's Journal.

3.       Maintain accountability for the overall quality of the Recorder's Journal.

4.       Control information flow and articulate concepts in alternative forms if necessary

5.       Prepare a report that can be used for discussion purposes; integrate and synthesize when several ideas are presented.

6.       Contribute to the group and actively learn.

 

Criteria for a Written Recorder's Report

·         Records accurate information

·         Identifies the team's most important discoveries

·         Summarizes the processes used by the team and identifies the context.

·         Identifies the concepts, processes, tools and contexts used by the team.

 

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Spokesperson

The Spokesperson is responsible for disseminating the team consensus.

1.       Speak for the team when called upon to do so.

2.       Ask questions posed by the team, or request clarification.

3.       Make oral presentations to the class for the team.

4.       Use the Recorder's Journal to share the team's discoveries and insights.

5.       Collaborate periodically with the Recorder.

6.       Contribute to the group and actively learn.

 

Optimist

1.       Focus on why things will work.

2.       Keep the team in a positive frame of mind.

3.       Look for ways in which team discoveries can be applied or used to the team's advantage

4.      Contribute to the group and actively learn.

 

Skeptic

1.       Question and check the assumptions that are being made.

2.       Determine issues or reasons why quality is not being met at the expected level.

3.       Be constructive in helping the team improve performance.

4.      Contribute to the group and actively learn.

 

Explorer

1.       Expand the team's focus and provide technical assistance.

2.       Provide ideas that are outside the box.

3.       Check to see that enough possibilities have been explored

4.       Check that ideas are technically feasible

5.      Contribute to the group and actively learn

 

 

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Using Team Roles

Activity type:

Planning

Team building

 

Focused learning skills:

Listening

Conversing

Performing within a role

 

Learning objectives:

1.      Participants learn definitions of team member roles and observe how these roles have been performed in their teams.

 

Performance criterion:

For this exercise, focus on your ability to follow and meet at least one of the requirements of your team role:

Factor 1: Captain directs the team to complete the Plan within time constraints

Factor 2: Recorder documents the appropriate information and accurately records team's problem analysis.

Factor 3: Reflector provides an Oral Reflector's report on your team’s performance in their respective roles in this activity if called upon to do so.

Factor 4: Spokesperson is able to clearly articulate the team's problem statement.

 

Tasks and Plan:

Each team member chooses a different team role so that each of the 4 principal roles is assigned: Captain, Recorder, Reflector, Spokesperson. Explorer, Optimist and Skeptic roles can be assigned at a later time. Record the assignments. Each assignment will be two weeks in duration. Assignments will be rotated every two weeks for the remainder of the semester so that each person serves in each role at least one time.

Review the functional roles.

 

Resources:

            15 minutes for team work

            1 minute for Reflector report

            1 minutes for Spokesperson

 

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WORKSHEET

TEAM AND ROLE OBSERVATIONS

 

REPORTER’S REPORT

 

Team Name:

 

Team Members and Role Assignments:

1.

2.

3.

4.

 

 

What role was observed in the previous activity?

 

Describe the evidence of this role:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REFLECTOR’S REPORT

Feedback about the team’s performance in the current activity can be assessed by completing the following statements.

 

An example of effective role performance was:

 

 

 

 

The most difficult role to perform in this activity was:

 

 

 

 

An insight the team gained from this activity is …..

 

 

 

 

 

(An insight is an observation or a learned experience that you can share with others).

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Developing Problem Analysis

Activity type:

Planning

Team building

 

Focused learning skills:

Listening

Conversing

Performing within a role

 

Objective: Develop consensus on the problem facing the team.

 

Learning objectives:

1.      Develop individual problem analysis

2.      Create a “team” problem analysis for the project

 

Performance criterion:

Your ability to follow and meet requirements for performance within your team role:

Factor 1: Captain directs the team to complete the Plan within time constraints

Factor 2: Recorder documents the appropriate information and accurately records team's problem analysis.

Factor 3: Reflector provides an Oral Reflector's report if called upon to do so.

Factor 4: Spokesperson is able to clearly articulate the team's problem statement.

 

Plan:

  • Assign one of the following roles to each team member: Captain, Recorder, Reflector, Spokesperson.
  • As a group, develop a problem formulation statement and synthesize your individual problem analyses into a single macro-problem analysis that can be shared with the class by the Spokesperson.
  • Reflector provides feedback about the team's performance by completing the following:
    • An example of effective role performance was _______.
    • The most difficult role to perform was _______.
    • An insight the team gained from this activity is _______.

 

Resources:

            30 minutes for individual work

            30 minutes for team work

            1 minute for Reflector report

            1 minute for Spokesperson

 

Due:

One week from assignment date