Sarah manages a team of nurses. She holds daily meetings with the team to build focus, share knowledge to limit mistakes, and identify who needs help. Sarah also builds engagement through transparency by sharing monthly performance numbers for the overall unit and each clinic to create performance pressure.
Sarah manages a team of nurses. She holds daily meetings with the team to build focus, share knowledge to limit mistakes, and identify who needs help. Sarah also builds engagement through transparency by sharing monthly performance numbers for the overall unit and each clinic to create performance pressure.
Sarah manages a team of nurses. She holds daily meetings with the team to build focus, share knowledge to limit mistakes, and identify who needs help. Sarah also builds engagement through transparency by sharing monthly performance numbers for the overall unit and each clinic to create performance pressure.
Sarah manages a team of nurses. She holds daily meetings with the team to build focus, share knowledge to limit mistakes, and identify who needs help. Sarah also builds engagement through transparency by sharing monthly performance numbers for the overall unit and each clinic to create performance pressure.
- Teams In some (but not all) situations, tasks can be achieved more easily by teams with a common purpose rather than by individuals. Of course, it's important to develop teamwork through team building so as to get the best from the team. The.level of engagement and commitment is the degree to which team members feel involved with the team. Here are some frequent combinations with 'team':
leader the person in charge of the team
effort the work done together by the team performance the results that the team produces team dynamics the way the team works together effectiveness the degree to which the team produces results learning when people learn in teams rather than individually . Team players Meredith Belbin* has identified these type's of team rriembers or Team Roles: a The Implementer converts the team\ plah into"so�ething achievable. b The cqordinator is a confident member who sets objectives and defines team members' roles. c The Shaper defines issues, shapes ideas and leads�the action. d The Plant is a creative and imaginative perion who supplies original ideas and solves problems. e The Resource Investigator communicate} witnth� outside world and explores opportunities. f The Monitor Evaluator sees all the possiqilitie� evaluates situations objectively and sees what is realist�cally achievable. . . g The Team Worker builds the team, suppo:rts others. and reduces conflict. h The Completer Finisher meets deaqti12es, corrects,mistakes and makes sure nothing is forgotten.
Stages-of team life
'= ,;, - The typical team goes through a seriesbf;stages: .::: a Formi!lg The group is anxious and feel� dependenJ oq a leader. The group tri.e s to discover how it is going to operate and what the 'normal' waysiof working will be. b StormingThe atmosphere may be C>.n� of conflict petwe�n members, who may resist control from any onie person. There may be the f�eling'that the task cannot be achieved. c Norming At this stage, members of the group f�el closer together and the conflicts are forgotten. Mef'T'!bers of the group will start to sup�qrt- eac� other. - There is increasingly the feeling that it is possi�te to achieve the task. d Perfor;ming The group is carrying ot.Jt the task (or 'Which it was formed. Members feel safe enough to express differences of opinion, in relati�n to 0th�rs: . e Mourning The group's work is finisffed, apd .its m�mbers begin to have pleasant memories of their activities and achievements., · - ce;· ·.·c "'. c· .•
*Monogem!nt Teams: Why They Succeed or Fail, But1;erworth.,.�infmann, 1996.
26 Business Vocabulary in Use Advahced
9.1 Look at A opposite. Then read the article and answer the questions.
In many manufacturing industries, a daily meeting is used to keep the plant running smoothly; but this level of daily communication is seldom employed in knowledge work or administration. Sarah manages a team of nurses. Sitting together in the morning and building positive emotion, energy, and shared tasks for the day helps build their focus on the work of the whole unit. Shared knowledge helps limit mistakes and keep people engaged in learning. And knowing who may need help distributes the work of the unit across the formal team structures. The practice of daily meeting and discussion of tasks is another crucial way in which Sarah builds engagement. Sarah's transparency in terms of performance requirements is another leadership practice that reinforces engagement. Once a month, Sarah shares information with the group that shows the unit's overall productivity numbers and their clinic-by-clinic performance. This monthly meeting, to discuss the unit's performance and the breakdown of each team's performance, creates performance pressure for all members of the team.
1 What is Sarah's job?
2 Two types of meeting are mentioned. How often does each of them happen? 3 How are knowledge work and administration different from manufacturing? 4 What are the advantages of regular meetings? 5 What negative things can regular meetings prevent? 6 What is the advantage of the monthly meetings?
9.2 Look at the types of team members in B opposite and say if these statements are true or false. 1 Implementers are not interested in final results. 2 Coordinators tend to take a leading, organizing role. 3 Shapers tend to follow what other people say. 4 Plants can be useful in providing new ideas when the team has run out of steam. 5 Some Resource Investigators probably need to use the internet. 6 Monitor Evaluators are not good at seeing all sides of a problem. 7 Team Workers may help to defuse arguments between members. 8 Completer Finishers are bad at finishing things on time.
9.3 Members of a team brought together to work on a design project said the following things. Match what they said (1-5) with the stages (a-e) in C opposite. 1 We had such a great time working together. 2 We need to appoint a leader. 3
4 Who does Ana think she is, taking over and behaving like she's in charge? 5 We're really making progress now and we get on so well together.
Over to ������:l�'tl:t,."N"t
• What teams have you worked in or are you working in?
• Do you recognize the types in B opposite in your team? • What role do you usually play?
