‘What Makes an Effective Team’ : ‘What Makes an Effective Team’ Welling School & Kemnal Technology College
Middle Leader Training
23rd April 2009 Defining ‘Team’ : Defining ‘Team’ "A team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they are mutually accountable."
(Katzenbach and Smith, 1993) "People working together in a committed way to achieve a common goal or mission. The work is interdependent and team members share responsibility and hold themselves accountable for attaining the results." Do you agree? Is there anything you would add? What makes an ‘Effective’ Team? : What makes an ‘Effective’ Team? On a Post-it note write your own personal definition of an ‘Effective-team’ and be prepared to share your responses.
Here’s what your colleagues think: Video Hopefully your definitions will share some of these commonly held beliefs about effective teams: : Teams work together interdependently
Teams work together to develop and clarify intended learning outcomes
Teams develop a shared set of values – a vision
They collaboratively analyse student achievement data
Establish, reflect and re-define team improvement goals
Share strategies, knowledge, ideas and materials (Best Practices)
Engage in collective inquiry and action research regarding student learning and achievement
Work together to creatively problem solve
Support, nurture and care “In a professional learning community, collaboration is EMBEDDED into every aspect of the school culture and there is a shift from belief to behaviors.” Hopefully your definitions will share some of these commonly held beliefs about effective teams: Slide 6: A Need for a Collaborative Culture “If schools want to enhance their capacity to boost student learning, they should work on building a collaborative culture…When teams, rather than individuals, are seen as the main units for implementing curriculum, instruction, and assessment, they facilitate development of shared purposes for student learning and collective responsibility to achieve it.”
Fred Newman Some ‘Post-Break’ Theory : Some ‘Post-Break’ Theory Meredith Belbin from the University of Ediburgh has undertaken research into ‘Effective Teams’ and suggests that in order to be effective, a team needs a balance of the following types of people:
Leadership Roles – Shapers & Coordinators
Planters – Resource Investigators
Others – Monitor/Evaluator
Which category do you fit into? Using the sheet (on next Powerpoint), mark your team role profile. Can you identify any of these other roles in colleagues in your team? Slide 10: An example of a ‘Pledge’ In the Media and Film Department we accept learning as the fundamental purpose of our role and therefore are willing to examine all practices in light of their impact on learning.
We are committed to working together to achieve our collective purpose, shared vision and creative ambitions for our subject and the children whom we teach. We cultivate a collaborative culture through the sharing of skills, best practice, knowledge and ideas.
We assess our effectiveness on the basis of results rather than intentions. As a team, we seek relevant data and information and use that information to promote continuous improvement that is sustainable and impactful enabling us, and our students to realise success. From this session we hope you will have developed: : From this session we hope you will have developed: Insight into your own team role in order to work on your our own strengths and weaknesses
A knowledge of team roles to help you to build balanced teams
A knowledge of team roles to help you build more EFFECTIVE TEAMS.
A knowledge of Creative Brainstorming as a technique that can aid creative problem solving in teams. All resources will be on Post-ithttp://wellingpost-it.blogspot.com : All resources will be on Post-ithttp://wellingpost-it.blogspot.com