Unit 3 Teamworking
Effective meetings: fact or fiction?
Teamwork, or the ability of a group of people to work well together to accomplish a common goal, is one of the fundamentals of the world of work. Teams spend a large part of their working lives in meetings. However, meetings might not always be the best use of the team's time. According to study in America senior and middle managers spent more that three-quarters of their time in meetings, but only 12% of them thought their meetings were productive, for others it’s waste of time.
Some managers think that small meetings are the most efficient sort, because they tend to be spontaneous and quick. For example, there are 4 alternative types of such meetings:
The cafe meeting - if sessions in the meeting room tend to last too long, brainstorming in particular can take place elsewhere, for example over coffee or a snack, to provide a relaxed and creative atmosphere.
The stand-up meeting - everyone in the team stands in a circle and gives updates oh work, conveys solutions to problems and asks for help if necessary. Because people are standing up, they are more concise and to the point.
The egg-timer meeting - when it is possible to have people sitting comfortably, as they may need to refer to notes, an egg-timer is useful to make sure nobody speaks for too long. Participants conduct the meeting in a precise and time-efficient manner.
The walking meeting - this is when two or three members of the team take a 10-15 minute walk outside the office complex to discuss confidential matters in an informal context.
But professionalism and efficiency of the team are often measured in terms of how good one is as a team player or how much one contributes to team spirit. So there are different team roles.
The team leader should provide an environment that helps teams to get their work done. The leader organizes locations and times for meetings and is responsible for providing resources required by the team to carry out their tasks. It is the job of the leader to remind the team what result the organization expects of them and how their tasks fit in with the overall goals and mission of the company. He/she works closely with the facilitator in planning the agenda of a meeting, setting outcomes and ensuring next steps are assigned, as well as communicating on the team's progress with other members of the organization.
The team facilitator helps to develop and apply the procedure for teamwork. He/she establishes the ground rules and then makes sure that they are respected. If, for example, it is agreed at the outset that all members should give their input, it is the role of the facilitator to make sure decision-making is not dominated by strong personalities in the team. As the role of facilitator in decision-making is neutral, it is a good idea to rotate from team member to team member.
The team recorder is responsible for writing down key points, ideas and decisions at meetings. Recorders need to prepare for meetings by reviewing the agenda carefully. Recording ideas is particularly important, and the recorded text should be as close to the actual words used as possible. The recorder's notes are very different from the minutes of meeting, which are a summary of what was said at the meeting.
The timekeeper's job is to monitor how long the team is taking to accomplish its tasks and provide regular updates to the team on how well or poorly they are using their time. He/she also collaborates with the team leader and facilitator and other team members to determine new time schedules if these are necessary.
In conclusion, I'd like to give some recommendations to make the work of the team effective. So all team members must be enthusiastic and committed to the team's purpose. They should be willing to share responsibility and to accept different roles such as facilitator or leader. They must share knowledge and expertise and never keep information to themselves. They should respect the opinions and positions of others in the team.
Successful teams accomplish their objectives because they are committed, respect the various roles within the team and meet their deadlines.
Tips for successful meeting:
Set common goals with challenging targets (goals should be achievable)
Open communication. Members must be able to express their opinions freely without fear of retribution.
Involvment of all team members. You need to ensure that every member has an opportunity to add his/her thoughts to discussion. They are equal to contribute.
Conflict resolution. Disagreements are natural and, in fact, debate should be encouraged.
Measuring progress against goals.
The leadership. A good leader is critical. It should be someone who can act as a catalyst. The leader must be skilled in sharing responsibility and delegating work to others.
Most high-perfoming teams have team players with certain roles.