WEEK 5: TEAM-BUILDING FOR YOUTH ORGANIZATION

Team Development
- process by which teams come together and organize themselves to achieve their objectives through progressing tasks and developing
effective relationships both within and outside the team.

Youth Organization
- Youth organization is a collection of teams composed of young people. The success of a youth organization depends on the ability of the
teams within it to work together to attain the commonly held objectives.

Factors Contributing to Team Development and Effectiveness

Four factors

1. Shared goals and objectives - The team must state its goals and objectives.
2. Utilization of resources – the team must effectively use all resources at its disposal.
3. Trust and conflict resolution – the ability to openly recognize conflict and seek to resolve it through discussion is critical to the team’s
success.
4. Shared leadership – individuals will not function as a team if they are brought together simply to “rubber stamp’ decisions made by the
team’s formal leader or others not in the team.

Team Relationship and Management

1. A team is a number of persons associated together in work or activity.
2. In their relationship in an organization or movement, people have various expectations of each other.
3. The management of the organization depends on proper coordination.

Building a Better Team

The following aspects are necessary for building a better team:
1. Teamwork reflects camaraderie - Mutual trust and friendship
2. Teamwork reflects unity
3. Teamwork divides effort and multiplies success.

The characteristics of an effective team

1. The team members share a sense of purpose or common goals, and each team member is willing to work towards achieving these goals.
2. The team is aware of and interested in its own processes and examines norms operating within the group.
3. The team identifies its own resources and uses them, depending on its needs.
4. The team members continue to listen to and clarify what is said, and show interest in what others say and feel.
5. Differences of opinion are encouraged and freely expressed.
6. The team is willing to unravel any conflict and focus on it until it is resolved or managed in a way that does not reduce the effectiveness
of those involved.
7. The team exerts energy towards problem-solving rather than allowing it to be drained by interpersonal issues or competitive struggles.
8. Roles are balanced and shared to facilitate both the accomplishment of tasks and feelings of team cohesion and morals.
9. To encourage risk-taking and creativity, mistakes are treated as sources of learning rather than reasons for punishment.
10. The team is responsive to the changing needs of its members and to the external environment to which it is related.
11. Team members are committed to periodical evaluation of the team’s performance.
12. The team is attractive to its members, who identify with it and consider it as a source of both professional and personal growth.
13. Developing a climate of trust is recognized as the crucial element for facilitating all of the aforementioned elements.

The Characteristics of Effective Team Leaders

Effective team leaders:

1. Communicate 13. Criticize constructively and address problems

2. Are open, honest, and fair 14. Develop plans
3. Make decisions with inputs from others 15. Share their mission and goals
4. Act consistently 16. Display tolerance and flexibility
5. Give the team members the info they need to do their 17. Demonstrate assertiveness
jobs 18. Exhibit a willingness to change
6. Set goals and emphasize them 19. Treat team members with respect
7. Keep focused through follow-up 20. Make themselves available and accessible
8. Listen to feedback and ask questions 21. Want to take charge
9. Show loyalty to the organization, the team, and team 22. Accept ownership for team decisions
members 23. Set guidelines for the appropriate treatment of team
10. Create an atmosphere of growth members with one another
11. Have wide visibility 24. Represent the team and lead a “good fight” when
12. Give praise and recognition appropriate
A DREAM TEAM LEADER

Dictators Facilitators

1. Hoard or monopolize decisions 1. Push decisions down the line.

2. Make decisions alone or restrict them to an elite 2. Involve others, as much as possible, in key
group decisions and give people space to make those
decisions.
3. View truth and wisdom as their domains since they
3. View truth and wisdom as being accessible to
are the leaders. everyone throughout the organization.
4. Surprise their workers with edicts from above. 4. Let those responsible decide how the jobs will be
5. Guard their own interests done.
6. Take things for themselves 5. Serve everyone’s interest by developing people
6. Give to the organization

The Characteristics of Effective Team Members

Effective team members:

1. Support the team leader 17. Show loyalty to the organization, the team leader, and the
2. Help the team leader to succeed team
3. Ensure that all viewpoints are explored 18. View criticism
4. Express opinions, both for and against 19. State problems, along with alternative solutions/options
5. Compliment the team leader on team efforts 20. Give praise and recognition when warranted
6. Provide open, honest, and accurate information 21. Operate within the parameters of team rules
7. Support, protect, and defend both the team and the team 22. Confront the team leader when his/her behavior does not
leader help the team
8. Act in a positive and constructive manner 23. Share ideas freely and enthusiastically
9. Provide appropriate feedback 24. Encourage others to express their ideas fully
10. Understand personal and team roles 25. Ask one another for opinions and listen to them
11. Bring problems to the team (upward feedback) 26. Criticize ideas, not people
12. Accept ownership for team decisions 27. Avoid disruptive behavior such as side conversations and
13. Recognize that they individually serve as a team leader inside jokes
14. Balance appropriate levels of participation 28. Avoid defensiveness when fellow team members disagree
15. Participate voluntarily with their ideas
16. Maintain confidentiality 29. Attend meetings regularly and promptly

Common Team Problems

Symptoms Description Explanation

Backbiting and complaining Members of the team openly complain Team members are not clear about
about and find fault with one another standards, leading to the loss of control
over one another

Presence of a “spy of the owner” Members of the team suspect and distrust New members have difficulty breaking
new members into the established team

Two conditions The team has two factions, one of which The team experiences lack of
has very little influence or power cohesiveness

Combative behavior Team members resort to yelling and to Team members express conflict
combative behavior in the process of through the use of threats, attacks, and
playing the devil’s advocate outright in fighting

Infinite details Team members scrutinize every detail and Team members distrust one another
check on all aspects of minor or major and fear being penalized for errors
decisions

Amount of time to make decisions Decisions on minor issues are brought to Team members feel lack of trust
the top of the organization, requiring too directly related to team
much time problem-solving

Shifting and changing decisions Decisions are often changed shortly after Team members are not willing to
being made commit the team to a unified course of
action.
Seven Team Well-being secrets

1. Purpose (Are we committed to the same purpose?)

2. Role (How will we contribute to fulfill our purpose?)
3. Strategy (What will we do to achieve our purpose?)
4. Processes (How will we work together?)
5. People (How will we care for one another?)
6. Feedback (How will we obtain the use information about our performance?)
7. Interface (How will we manage the team’s relationships?)

Decision-making - decision making skills and techniques underpin most aspects of arrangement.

Importance of Decision –making

- deciding something means making a choice or arriving at a conclusion and neither of these things is easy. Decision is a choice between
two or more options / alternatives.

Kinds of decisions.(Thompson, 1997)

1. Operational decision - this is concerned with how the different functions of the organization such as marketing, production, finance, etc.
will contribute to its strategic plan

2. Strategic decision - the decision at this level is likely concerned with the scope of the organization’s activities.

3. Routine decision -this is an ordinary decision on a wide range of issues. The decision is left to one person, usually the leader.

4. Urgent decision - this is a decision intended for some problems that occur suddenly and may cause serious consequences of not dealt
with urgency.

5. Problematic decision - this decision must be taken when a difficulty has emerged and there is no obvious solution. Experts from outside
the team may be called to give advice.

6. Consultative decision - this is a decision that involves those who are affected by the results of the decision. Consulting other people from
outside the organization means inviting others to serve as consultants.

Decision Making Approaches

➢ Authoritarian approach - leaders assume that they have the authority to make decisions alone and to pass them down the line for
implementation.

➢ Democratic approach - the responsibility for decision-making is shared between the leader and members of the team.

Key steps in decision-making using the systematic Approach.

1. Setting objectives - define the purpose of the decision and consider what outcomes or objectives it will achieve.

2. Collecting information - have sufficient information for the choices you need to make.

3. Identifying alternative solutions - look at all possible options: some are obvious, a number has to be logically deduced, and others
require a more creative approach.

4. Evaluating options - this involves determining the extent to which the options meet the decision objectives.

5. Selecting the best options - after the evaluation, the “best” option is selected using of the techniques or approaches

Involvement in decisions
Here are the decisions made based on how many people get involved in the process of the decision- making;

1. The plop -the group makes a decision by not making a decision.

2. The one - person decision- this is quickly made, but later when the decision-maker depends on free or voluntary support from others to
implement it, he/ she might find himself/herself carrying it out alone.
3. The handclasp - one person makes a suggestion, another says, “what a marvelous idea,” and without further discussion, the matter is
decided.
4. The clique - this decision is made by a small group who plans beforehand to get their way.
5. The minority - these decisions are not consciously organized as those of the clique, but a few powerful personalities dominate the
group, often unconsciously, and then later they wonder why the others are apathetic.
6. The majority vote - in big groups, this is often the most effective way to make a decision.
7. The silent consensus - some groups aim at unanimous decisions.
8. The consensus - this is an agreement, often involving compromise or the combination of various possibilities, after all opinions have been
heard

Difficulties in Decision-making
1. Fear of the consensus 4. Hidden agenda 7. Clash of interest.
2. Conflicting loyalties 5. Blundering methods
3. Interpersonal conflict 6. Inadequate leadership
Simple Guide for making Decisions by Consensus
1. What are we trying to decide?( be sure this is clear to everyone)
2. What are the different possibilities?(consider as many as possible. Brainstorming may be useful)
3. How many possibilities work?( consider the pros and cons)
4. What suggestion or a combination of suggestions do we choose?
5. What do we need to do to carry out the decision?
6. Who will do what, when, where and how?

Factors which helps in decision-making

1. Clear goal
2. Clear understanding of who is responsible for the decision.
3. Good means of stimulating and sharing ideas (e.g. code, film, or diagram.)
4. Effective leadership and structures to deal with the size of the group
5. Effective way of testing different suggestions offered.
6. Commitment of the leader to genuine group involvement in making the decision.
7. Agreement beforehand on what procedures will be most appropriate (e.g. consensus, majority vote, secret ballot, etc.)

Implementing and monitoring the decision

A decision is not the end of the process. Act on it and check whether things are working out as you anticipated. The important reasons
for implementing and monitoring the decision are as follows:

1. Monitoring makes your actions as effective as possible.

2. Decisions often have unforeseen consequences
3. Monitoring enables the decision-maker to learn from mistakes as well as from success
4. Decision-making ability grows with experience
5. Monitoring helps to improve decision-making skills.
How effective are your decisions? (Smith, 1997)
So many skills and techniques are used in decision-making. The table below might help you identify the how effective
you are in decision- making. Check one of the options provided for each item that applies to you.

DO YOU often sometimes never

1. Select the right method of making a decision?

2. Involve members of your team whenever you can?
3. Stop and think about what you want the decision to achieve?
4. Take steps to collect all the information you need to make an
important decision?
5. Know how to apply logical thinking when appropriate?
6. Know how to apply creative thinking when appropriate?
7. Use effective ways of weighing up the options and selecting
the most suitable one?
8. Make sure everyone knows about a decision that affects
them?
9. Check to see whether a decision is bringing the required
results?
10. Admit that you are wrong if the decision turns out to be a bad
one?

If you check “sometimes” or “never” for:

1. Questions 1 and 2, you have to look carefully for information on different styles of decision-making.
2. Question 3 and 4, you have to find out more about setting objectives and collecting information.
3. Questions 5 and 6, you have to find out how to generate a range of options to arrive at a decision
4. Questions 7, 8, 9 and 10, you have to find out how to evaluate options and implement decisions.