Effective Teamwork

A Best Practice Guide for the

Construction Industry

Innovation ■ Best Practice ■ Productivity

Constructing Excellence is driving forward productivity improvements in the UK

construction industry through a set of integrated programmes focused on delivering process, product and cultural changes.

The key objectives of Constructing Excellence are to improve performance through increased productivity and competitiveness; to improve the industry’s image by changing its culture, developing its people and engaging better with communities and customers; and to engage and take action with individuals, businesses, organisations and industry associations.

This guide demonstrates how teamwork can be an important tool in achieving Constructing Excellence objectives. Drawing from the management literature on teamwork, together with original research, the guide examines various aspects of setting up and managing teams, with practical examples from the construction industry and a useful team self-assessment tool.

Effective Teamwork was prepared for Constructing Excellence by Eclipse Research Consultants. For details of how to contact the authors see the inside back cover of this guide. Illustrations were by Gerry Armstrong (gerry.armstrong@virgin.net).

For more information about Constructing Excellence, please see: www.constructingexcellence.org.uk

Or call our helpdesk on 08456055556.

2

Effective Teamwork

Contents

Introduction

4

What is teamwork?

5

Selecting team members

6

Leadership

7

Team meetings

8

Chairing team meetings

9

The effective teamwork matrix

10

Team identity

12

Shared vision

13

Communication

14

Collaboration and participation

15

Issue negotiation and resolution

16

Reflection and self-assessment

17

Further reading

18

Innovation ■ Best Practice ■ Productivity 3

Introduction

Construction is a collaborative activity – only by pooling the knowledge and experience of many people can buildings meet the needs of today, let alone tomorrow. But simply bringing people together does not necessarily ensure they will function effectively as a team. Effective teamwork does not occur automatically. It may be undermined by a variety of problems such as lack of organisation, misunderstanding, poor communication and inadequate participation.

This guide suggests ways in which construction teams can ensure they harness the collective energy of all their members. It has been written for those who lead, form or participate in construction teams and it applies to teams formed within organisations and those formed across two or more organisations.

The guide discusses why teamwork is important and the key issues people face when working collaboratively.

Overall it aims to help team members work better together and address many of the interpersonal issues such as trust, respect and leadership that influence how people collaborate successfully.

Actions teams can take to become more effective are suggested throughout the guide, together with illustrative case studies.

A self-assessment matrix is included on pages 10-11 to enable teams to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their approach. The matrix identifies six key elements for effective teamwork: Team identity

Shared vision and team objectives

Communication

Collaboration and participation

Issue negotiation and resolution

Reflection and self-assessment.

Good practice guidance on each of these elements is provided on pages 12-17. The aim is to help teams make progress against each of the elements.

4

Effective Teamwork

What is teamwork?

Teams are groups of people with complementary the open exchange of information within

skills who are committed to a common purpose the team

and hold themselves mutually accountable for its honesty and frankness among team members.

achievement. Ideally, they develop a distinct identity and work together in a co-ordinated and mutually Effective teamwork may be undermined by a variety supportive way to fulfil their goal or purpose. Task of problems, for example: disorganisation, poor effectiveness is the extent to which the team is communication, misunderstandings or inadequate successful in achieving its task-related objectives.

procedures for problem-solving. Team functioning Shared goals are most likely to be achieved can be weakened by obstacles faced by individual through working together and pooling experience members within the team, as well as by difficulties and expertise.

linked to the task.

Successful teams are characterised by a team spirit based around trust, mutual respect, helpfulness and Benefits of successful teams

– at best – friendliness.

Improvements in participants' confidence, attitudes, motivation and Simply bringing people together does not necessarily personal satisfaction

ensure they will function effectively as a team or greater clarity in expressing ideas through group discussion make appropriate decisions. Teams are composed of people who have a variety of emotional and social better understanding by individuals of the nature of their contribution –

needs which the team can either frustrate or help to and of the needs of other team members

meet. Teamwork indifference – failing to take action more efficient use of resources – especially time to promote good teamwork – is a strategy likely to result in mediocre performance.

greater optimism – by focusing on positive outcomes and putting less weight on problems

Effective teamwork results from:

a wider range of ideas rather than individuals working in isolation a team whose membership, size and resources match the task

more effective responses to changes – improved trust and communication help a team to adapt to new circumstances.

good leadership and attention to team-building commitment by team members to understand Potential drawbacks of teamwork

and identify with one another's goals

So-called 'group think' can occur when a team is lulled into a false sense of the development of team goals – a shared vision satisfaction and loses its critical edge. Team members can waste time and energy in disputes and some members may opt out of the process – 'social a sense of common ownership of the task at loafing' – leaving others to do all the work. This can occur particularly when hand and joint responsibility for its achievement people feel they are dispensable.

co-ordinated effort and planned sharing of tasks evenly across the team

Innovation ■ Best Practice ■ Productivity 5

Selecting team members

Team members of high ability contribute most to a team when other members are also of high ability. However, in forming and managing a team, it is important to consider not only individuals' technical skills, knowledge and experience but also their ability to co-ordinate actions and their interpersonal qualities.

In selecting potential members, it is important to look for people who will work constructively with others and have a willingness to grow and develop within the team. Preferably, team members will be selected who are able to: commit to a shared goal

listen and respond to others in an objective and productive way take on different roles in the group in order to accomplish shared ends be open and honest with their ideas, concerns and values avoid carrying hidden agendas into team meetings.

Those unlikely to work well as team members are individuals who seek to maintain their position by protecting their experience or who prefer to work alone and unaided and are unwilling to discuss their assumptions, negotiate options or explain solutions.

Essex County Council Design workshops.

The council has used design workshops to launch some of its primary school projects. The workshops, which are held away from the council offices, bring together the education department, property services department, head-teacher, chairman of the governors and members of the design team (project manager, architect, structural engineer, mechanical and electrical services engineer, interior designer and landscape architect). The aims are typically strategic, rather than concerned with detail.

The workshops are carefully planned two-day events. Team members are chosen for their willingness to work in an interdisciplinary way and an experienced facilitator ensures the event meets its objectives. Break out sessions enable parallel working, with each group reporting back to the whole team regularly. At one workshop, the architect prepared modelling kits which each group used to explore options for the site and building layout.

The workshops have been highly successful in achieving a sense of ownership by the whole team and in helping to ensure that designs benefit from the combined expertise of all those present.

6

Effective Teamwork

Leadership

Leadership is critical to teamwork. The team leader is Overall the leader needs to:

the person responsible for ensuring that members Create a supportive climate of openness, trust and work effectively together to achieve their goal or mutual respect that promotes loyalty and co-objective and must facilitate the co-operation operation and provides a 'blame free' culture necessary for the team to perform well. The leader must also ensure that the team has the resources and Assist the team to forge a clearly articulated vision information necessary to complete its task.

with clear objectives and goals

Identify team goals and objectives that are compatible with individual members' own goals Devise a workplan in which each member is allocated clearly defined tasks that are meaningful and challenging for that individual

Gain commitment from team members to

complete the task and, on occasion, inspire them

“to go the extra mile”

Ensure that all members feel their contribution is visible to, and valued by, the team as a whole Ensure there is regular, clear and accurate feedback to the team on its performance over time Be willing to share credit for the team's successes with the entire team.

A confident and effective team leader looks to the team for answers and welcomes constructive challenges and suggestions for alternative courses of action. He or she needs to be able to deal with The leader should be a role model for the team –

conflict constructively through the processes of good at communicating openly and honestly and mediation or negotiation. On occasion, the leader must winning the respect and trust of all involved. Creating be prepared to take difficult decisions and be willing to opportunities for team members to participate and explain the basis on which they have been taken.

contribute to the task constructs a sense of common Socially, the leader should be aware of participants'

ownership of both the problem and its solution.

loyalties to people or organisations outside the team.

Also, the leader has to be seen as a fair and impartial mediator of interpersonal issues, whose focus is on members co-operating to achieve goals. Without this ability, the leader will fail to gain the respect necessary to help team members.

Innovation ■ Best Practice ■ Productivity 7

Team meetings

Meetings provide face to face contact at regular Minutes should be taken, with decisions and actions intervals. They are valuable for both social and recorded, and distributed as soon after the meeting business purposes. The social value of meetings as possible. Those not present should be advised of should not be underestimated – trust, respect, team meeting outcomes.

identity and familiarity with one another's ways of working are all developed here.

For business purposes, meetings include: French Kier Anglia Partnering workshops

Information-sharing among team members,

As main contractor for the construction of Oakfields School at Wickford, leading to the team agreeing future actions Essex, French Kier Anglia (part of the Kier Group) organised bi-monthly partnering workshops over the one-year construction period. The Decision-making – including assessment of workshops, facilitated by the Managing Director of French Kier, were options as well as final selection

typically attended by up to 20 people involved in the project, from the Work allocation – identifying follow-up actions legal client to key sub-contractors.

and responsibility for them.

Each workshop was highly structured, yet informally run. At the first It may be helpful to differentiate between meeting, the main objective was to prepare a Partnering Charter. After these functions.

round-table introductions the workshop was carefully managed to Meetings can be valuable as a deadline for allow everyone present the opportunity to make a contribution to the individuals to produce information needed by others.

Partnering Charter.

They can also be a waste of time. If there are no Subsequent workshops were run along similar lines – a mixture of overriding social reasons, meetings should be called plenary sessions and breakout groups. The workshops were used to only when decisions and actions are needed. Simply report progress, anticipate problems before they arose, identify conveying information between team members is solutions and finally implement them. Ten goals were identified, best undertaken through other routes.

including 'no accidents', 'no complaints', 'adhere to programme', 'flag A formal agenda circulated in advance will help to up problems at the earliest opportunity', 'propose solutions', 'think of ensure team members are fully prepared and vital the end user' and 'act as one team'. At the end of each workshop, the tasks are not overlooked. Supporting paperwork team rated itself against these goals.

should also be distributed in advance, giving As a result of the partnering approach, the school was completed on members sufficient time to absorb its contents and time, on budget, with no disputes and no surprises. All participants prepare their response. Failure to do so prevents the were positive about both the process and the product. An independent team from getting the full value from meeting time.

survey of the school’s users showed high levels of satisfaction with the If it is deliberate, as a way of preventing the team completed building.

having a proper debate, it will soon result in frustration and a loss of trust among team members.

8

Effective Teamwork

Chairing team meetings

Chairing a meeting is a key skill for a team leader. A chairperson at a meeting will ensure every agenda item is covered and keep the meeting to time, bringing it to a timely conclusion rather than just letting participants drift away towards the end.

Excessively long meetings with insufficient refreshment breaks can lead to fatigue and loss of attention amongst participants.

Effective chairmanship involves ensuring all members have the opportunity to participate, particularly those who are unaccustomed to anticipating problems and who may not push their own views forward unsolicited. Time should also be set aside in meetings to raise issues not on the agenda.

The chair of the meeting should ensure a method is working as a team. They are a reminder that each established to document issues raised, to record person is necessary to complete the task and is decisions made, to identify actions required and to dependent on, and accountable to, the rest of the list who is to be responsible for each action.

group. They help members to focus afresh on the project in hand – which may be particularly Commencing and closing meetings are both valuable for those who are simultaneously important. Launching straight into the agenda as engaged on other projects.

soon as members arrive and closing without any kind of review, can act against team identity. The Closing a meeting by re-stating its purpose, start of a meeting is an opportunity for new summarising the decisions made and the future participants to introduce themselves, for a reiteration actions required, will bring it to a natural end.

of the 'mission', a recap of project objectives and Well-chaired, business-like and highly productive deadlines and a summary of progress so far. These meetings raise enthusiasm and satisfaction among actions will help to re-acclimatise the group to team members.

Innovation ■ Best Practice ■ Productivity 9

The effective teamwork matrix The teamwork matrix opposite has been devised to help teams to The guidance on pages 12-17 of this guide addresses assess themselves against best practice. Simple and quick to use, it each of the column headings and suggests actions to has been piloted successfully with more than 200 users from make your team more effective. Taking these actions will various disciplines within construction and refined over a period of help your team to improve its teamwork profile.

two years.

What is the purpose of the matrix?

This matrix will help assess the effectiveness of your teamworking When to use the matrix

practices. The column headings identify six key aspects of effective As described on page 17, a team that takes time to think teamwork. The rows represent levels of progress towards best consciously about its teamwork practices will be more effective.

practice – with level 0 the lowest.

The matrix is intended to help teams be self-reflective.

Reflecting on the process of teamwork should be a periodic, rather How to complete the matrix

than frequent, activity. Completing the matrix is therefore an activity Decide which column to start with, then find the cell which best to be undertaken occasionally.

describes your teamwork practices. Mark this with a cross. Do this for each of the columns. Joining the crosses will give you a profile What to do next

of team effectiveness. It will help you to assess the balance of your Drawing the profile may give your team new insights into team management and to identify which aspects of teamwork teamwork and help you to identify areas for improvement.

could be improved.

Comparing individual members' matrix assessments with one How to interpret the profiles

another will reveal areas of agreement and disagreement about how well the team is working together.

The examples show a balanced matrix and an unbalanced one.

Peaks indicate where team management is well-developed, troughs Drawing profiles periodically can be used to measure changes in where there is still scope for improvement. Good balance at high teamworking practices over time. Here, it is probably best to agree levels in every column is an indication that your team is well managed.

a profile for the team as a whole each time the assessment is made. This is best done by a round table discussion about progress against each of the six columns. Ideally, the profile will improve over time towards best practice.

If a team makes a conscious decision to improve its teamworking practices, then an initial way to do so is to select one of the column headings for attention. Typically this should be the lowest-rated column, since part of the aim of the matrix is to encourage a balanced profile across all the columns.

balanced

unbalanced

10

Effective Teamwork

Collaboration

Issue negotiation

Reflection and

Team identity

Shared vision

Communication

and participation

and resolution

self-assessment

The team takes

The team has a

Team members

Familiarity, honesty,

Divergent views are

The team regularly

ownership of the

shared vision and set

actively and openly

mutual trust and full

welcomed as a source

reviews members’

problem and accepts

of objectives,

share their knowledge

participation harness

of energy and a spur

roles and their impact

4

joint responsibility for

developed

and ideas around the

the collective expertise

to the team’s creative

on the team and acts

its achievement

collaboratively and

whole team

of the team

problem-solving

on the outcome

Level

regularly reviewed

The team recognises

The team has

Team members

All members are given

Sources of

The effect on the

that its members have

developed for itself

communicate

opportunities to

disagreement are

team of each

individual and team

both a shared vision

information and

contribute and build

addressed openly and

member’s different

3

goals and tasks are

and clear objectives

knowledge freely

on suggestions from

resolved head-on

roles and

framed accordingly

around the team

others

through constructive

responsibilities is

Level

negotiation

clearly recognised and

discussed

The focus of the team

The whole team is

Team members

The team seeks ideas,

Team members are

Different roles and

is on the tasks that

working to a set of

communicate

proposals and

prepared to explain

responsibilities are

individual members

common objectives

information when

solutions from all its

their underlying

discussed from time

2

need to solve

others need it

members

assumptions and

to time

Level

negotiate options

Team members take

Members of the team

Individuals are

Team members prefer

Contentious issues are

The team acknowledges

limited interest in

are clear about their

protective of their own

to work alone and give

skated over or avoided

its members have

issues that lie outside

own objectives but

information and share

more priority to their

completely; conflict is

several roles and

1

their own immediate

the team has no

it reluctantly in

own concerns than to

dealt with only

responsibilities but they

Level

area of responsibility

shared vision

response to specific

those of the team

superficially

are not reviewed

requests

Team members

Team members, both

Information is passed

Insularity, lack of trust

Conflicting opinions

The team places no

concern themselves

individually and

to team members

or power struggles

remain unaddressed

value on considering

0

only with their own

collectively, lack a

strictly on a ‘need to

reduce participation

and consequently

and negotiating how

responsibilities

common vision and

know’ basis

and collaboration

slow progress

they work together

Level

clear objectives

You may photocopy the matrix and distribute it among your team members.

© Eclipse Research Consultants, 2003

Innovation ■ Best Practice ■ Productivity 11

Team identity

How a team behaves and what it achieves is a result of the collective behaviour of its members. It may be difficult to understand how a team works in detail.

However, it can be helpful to think of a team as an amalgam of the personalities, abilities, values, motivations, loyalties and commitment of all members, together with the pressures and constraints placed on them by their task and organisational environments. People and groups acting outside the team play a part in shaping how the team and its members behave. Not surprisingly, effective teamwork faces many challenges.

A key way to help individual members to work together is to encourage them to think of themselves as a unit with a clear identity, that accepts responsibility for, or ownership of, the task at hand and in which the members hold each other accountable for delivering the solution. In turn, this will help to raise individuals'

commitment to their common task.

Ideally, participants come to place the good of the team before their own interests or ambitions, or those of their own organisation or discipline, while still recognising their continuing affiliations both within and outside the team. They develop pride and loyalty to the group and support each other.

Practical steps to promote team

Stability and consistency of core team membership for the duration of a project building and team identity

help to support team identity and cohesiveness. Often, changes to membership Encourage regular contact among team

are at the discretion of those outside the team and arise from commercial or members, particularly where they are drawn project pressures. Understandable though such changes are, sacrificing an from different offices or organisations: established team can generate additional downstream costs arising from: bringing Co-locate team members and team

new team members 'up to speed', plugging gaps in expertise that can open up leader, ideally all in an open plan office when team membership changes and dealing with any antagonism that results from the changes.

Put a representative into each

others' offices to co-ordinate

and resolve problems

Encourage information sharing:

Hold team-building lunches,

Organise well-facilitated team workshops to focus on sources of conflict awayday workshops or social

and how to resolve them, on each member’s aspirations and events

expectations, on the implications of being a team member and on the benefits from improved practices

Arrange individual and/or group

visits to each others' offices,

Ensure regular reporting from each member of what they have been factories or sites.

doing between meetings

Use electronic mailing systems so every team member has access to all project information.

12

Effective Teamwork

Shared visions

Shared visions may vary widely but typically could be concerned Shared vision

with one or more of the following:

a commitment to excellence and effectiveness in the project –

right first time, on time and to budget

efficient and sustainable use of scarce resources through Most people perform better when they have a minimising waste

clearly defined ‘future state’ to work towards –

a vision of the future as the focus for their efforts.

respect for stakeholders, such as the construction team and Similarly, a team will perform better if it takes time neighbours on adjoining sites

to develop a shared vision. The vision should customer focus – improving the business effectiveness of the motivate and inspire team members, commit them client and/or the quality of life of occupants.

to the task and convince them that it will be Practical steps to achieve a shared vision achieved more successfully if they work together rather than as individuals.

Bring all project parties to a meeting or an awayday workshop devoted to the development of a shared vision, including a Teams are more motivated to deliver a vision they mission statement and formal objectives

themselves have developed because the vision has its roots in their own values, skills and beliefs, rather Identify individual tasks and responsibilities and define a plan than coming from outside. When team members with deadlines, actions and objectives for each team member feel they have made a real contribution to a Keep the action plan itself under review for its continuing significant, challenging and attainable vision, they relevance, adequacy, and accuracy

feel a sense of ownership and are likely to work hard Assess and reaffirm or revise the shared vision periodically.

to co-operate and achieve it. The extent to which it is shared depends on how it has been negotiated.

A team vision is often quite loosely defined. A coherent terms. Typically it will express in a short, mission statement, on the other hand, emerges from motivating form of words the principal elements of the team's vision and captures it in clear and the team's vision. Ideally, all team members will express the same vision and the same arguments in its favour. Team meetings are an opportunity for a periodic reminder of the team's vision and for reviewing its continuing appropriateness.

Underpinning the team's vision and the mission statement, will be a set of goals for the team to meet. These need to be stimulating and challenging, yet also attainable. Unattainable goals may have a demotivating effect.

Individual members need to have objectives and clear targets. These, also should be stimulating and challenging, yet attainable. An overall action plan for the whole team places the team members'

objectives and targets on a common basis to ensure they are mutually compatible and consistent with the overall objectives.

Innovation ■ Best Practice ■ Productivity 13

Communication

Communication is the process of transmitting Listening is just as important as speaking and involves and understanding information and ideas

paying attention to the whole of the sender's message and so the team develops shared

seeking to interpret it from the perspective of the sender.

understanding. Good communication

Body language can be used to show full attention and between members is essential if a team is interest. Restating the message in your own words to clarify to collaborate successfully and make best the sender's intended meaning can be helpful. To seek use of its pooled knowledge. Team identity constructive clarification, ask supportive questions focused and group cohesiveness benefit from good on what, where, how and why issues. This allows the communication. Conversely, lack of

speaker to explain the position in more detail.

communication – where members work

too much on their own and lose touch

with how their work relates to others – can Practical steps to promote open communication reduce team effectiveness.

Highlight the importance of open communication Open communication and information sharing: and the mutual benefits for the team

help team members to anticipate what they can expect Set objectives – don't let the team just talk around from one another and when they can expect it the job

eliminate surprises and make it easier for members to Remind team members of the importance of arriving at work together

meetings prepared to communicate ideas and use drawings and diagrams where appropriate

engender trust and familiarity among team members Recognise that not all are good communicators –

allow more forceful group behaviour, including the others on the team should help them to articulate their willingness to question and challenge in the search for views

better solutions.

Ensure everyone has the opportunity to make a Shared understanding means that both the person who contribution or air a grievance

sends a message and the receiver interpret the message and the actions it implies, in the same way. This requires: Try to ensure everyone listens

expressing ideas clearly and using body language –

Organise discussions with all team members about the relaxed posture, good eye contact and occasional best ways to communicate with others: face to face, pauses – to show feedback is welcome

email, web, telephone; and whether line, star, or circular. Most benefit comes from discussions that being flexible enough to take on board others'

make people feel their views are valued

suggestions and to build on others' ideas Encourage a 'direct line' approach – with direct between team meetings, keeping all those who need to communication between parties involved in a decision know regularly informed of individual progress.

Copy information to all those who need to be kept informed.

14

Effective Teamwork

Collaboration and participation Collaboration works best when team members share values Practical steps to promote collaboration and vision, develop a team spirit, absorb the information they Consider taking the team on a retreat to need to perform their task and learn to work well with each allow open discussion of issues in an informal other. Trust, honesty, mutual respect and full participation are setting – this will build in a social dimension vital. Team members need to know that when they pass the to collaboration

ball their team mates will not drop it. In effective teams, members do whatever is needed to get the job done. They Encourage the team to recognise that the keep their ultimate goals and objectives in mind. If they fall project is not just one person's endeavour behind, everyone pitches in to help the group get back on Focus on solutions, not problems, and

schedule. On less effective teams, members work emphasise that reaching a solution quickly is independently and do not concern themselves with tasks to everyone's benefit

outside their area.

Ensure all team members have the opportunity In newly formed teams made up of relative strangers, there is to contribute

a greater tendency to defer to age or seniority and less Encourage team members to leave their home willingness to challenge views and ask for explanations. While discipline at the site entrance/meeting room such deference has its place – if it is to expertise and door and enter as experienced and skilled experience – the most effective decisions usually emerge from individuals

challenge and negotiation. Greater trust and familiarity between team members can allow more forceful group behaviour, more Encourage and/or facilitate a climate in willingness to question in the search for better solutions and, which participants build on others'

ultimately, better outcomes. Team members are most open to suggestions without concern for a particular information from those they feel are their equals.

area of expertise.

AMEC Design training workshops

AMEC Design is committed to interdisciplinary teamwork from the very early stages of design projects. AMEC regularly runs two-day ‘Designing Together’ workshops as part of its staff development programme. Held at a training centre and led by an experienced facilitator, the aims of the workshops are to promote understanding of the various skills owned by the different professions, to develop presentation and teamworking skills and to provide an environment where innovation can be explored without risk.

Typically, fifteen designers attend, working together in three interdisciplinary teams. The teams are set a problem that demands input from all of the professions represented. A review of the proposals is undertaken at the end by senior AMEC staff, though the emphasis is on the process of teamwork, rather than its products. During the course of the workshop, personality types are discussed, negotiating skills developed and the different roles needed to construct an effective team are explored.

Innovation ■ Best Practice ■ Productivity 15

Issue negotiation and resolution

Differing views and opinions among team members Practical steps to promote issue resolution are inevitable. Bringing together contrasting points of Acknowledge that conflict is acceptable, even valuable, when it is view is one of the strengths of a team approach.

dynamic, robust and controlled

Ideally the team will welcome divergence and treat Use constructive questioning to identify the causes of conflict, for its members' expertise and experience as a source of example, non-delivery due to lack of expertise/resources, and to energy and an opportunity for creative problem-help identify potential solutions

solving. The risk of disagreement should not be allowed to discourage team members from making Try to insist on a blame-free culture by getting the team to focus on constructive suggestions.

joint team solutions

Disagreements can arise from:

When problems arise, bring the team together to assess every different competing option and produce the best overall solution –

disputes over scarce resources

taking shared responsibility for its implementation ambiguities about responsibilities and/or Allow all team members to contribute fully deadlines

Call a gathering of the entire team to identify the sources of conflict power struggles, when people compete for a and to allow frustrations to be aired

particular role in the team, such as a leader or ideas-person, progress-chaser or critic

Consider 'off the record' meetings, and/or workshops different expectations, ambitions or priorities When conflicts are resolved, celebrate the success of the resolution.

misunderstandings and poor communication.

Confrontational responses and a 'blame culture' may undermine the team. Interpersonal conflict –

separate out assumptions from facts and explain disagreements between individuals – can become the reasoning behind their views and decisions destructive.

avoid confrontational responses and be

Identifying and resolving issues is an important part non-judgemental of others' opinions

of the team process and it is important to tackle the and assumptions

causes, not just the symptoms. Poor communication avoid recriminations if initial ideas or is often a major cause of conflict and the team guesses, given in good faith,

should encourage communication, negotiation, subsequently need

information-sharing and co-operation. If to be revised.

communication is adequate and opinions can be freely expressed, apparently uncontrolled conflict often disappears.

The team should also encourage members to: discuss competing views, personal preferences, opinions, values, priorities and team roles openly 16

Effective Teamwork

Reflection and self-assessment

Teams often focus exclusively on the task at hand and only rarely on the process of teamwork. There may even be resistance on the part of team members to the notion of self-evaluation and self-examination. But there is value in stepping back in order to examine and reflect on existing ways of doing things. Regular reviews can lead to greater awareness of strengths and skills, as well as weaknesses and problem areas, so they are a useful way of ensuring a team's continuing effectiveness.

A good place to start is with what teamwork means to each of the team members. Defining teamwork can help to shape how team members work together to set common expectations. Although the team may choose not to use the self-assessment matrix on page 9, group discussion could range across the topics raised by the matrix: Is the size, composition and capability of the team well matched to the task?

Do team members see themselves as part of a single unit with joint Practical steps to promote reflection and responsibility for the task at hand?

self-assessment

Agree at the start 'What shall we review when Has the team identified for itself a challenging shared vision and is it assessing how we've performed?'

committed to its delivery?

Review the teamwork process regularly,

Is communication effective within the team and with others beyond potentially at every meeting

the team?

Reflect on the process as a team

Is there trust, respect and full participation by all members?

Try to make sure everyone is honest in the Does the team have a constructive team approach to issue feedback reviews. Apply “Chatham House

resolution?

Rules” that statements go no further than team The team should consider whether it has a cohesive, supportive and members themselves

positive social climate that provides adequate support for skill Hold close-out reviews – to understand what development, training and personal development.

went on, what worked, what didn't. The team As for the task itself, the team should review periodically: should ask itself: 'Did we do well as a team?'

The original objectives and whether they have changed, or will change in the future

How best to achieve current and future objectives The adequacy of the team's methods of working to achieve current and future objectives

Whether the team's outputs meet or exceed the standards expected Whether milestones and deadlines are being met.

Innovation ■ Best Practice ■ Productivity 17

Further reading

Adair, J. Effective Teambuilding: How to Neumann, J. E., Holti, R. & Standing, H.

Manage a Winning Team

Change Everything at Once!

Pan Books, London 1986

Management Books, Oxford, 1995

Belbin, M. Team Roles at Work

Syer, J. & Connolly, C. How Teamwork Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, 1993

Works: the Dynamics of Effective Team

Development

Durcan, J. & Oates, D. The Manager as McGraw-Hill, London, 1996

Coach: Developing Your Team for

Maximum Performance

West, M. Effective Teamwork

Financial Times/Pitman Publishing,

British Psychological Society, Leicester, 1994

London, 1994

Spence, R., Kirby, P. & Macmillan, S.

Heller, R. Managing Teams

Interdisciplinary Design in Practice

Dorling Kindersley, London, 1998

Thomas Telford, London, 2001

Jones, S. The Human Factor: Maximising

Strategic Forum for Construction

Team Efficiency Through Collaborative

Integration Toolkit

Leadership

www.strategicforum.org.uk

Kogan Page, London, 1992

Katzenbach, J. R. & Smith, D. K. The Wisdom of Teams

Harvard Business School Press, Boston, 1993

McGrath, M. Multi-Disciplinary Teamwork

Avebury Press, Aldershot, 1991

Muir, T. & Rance, B. Collaborative Practice in the Built Environment

E&FN Spon, London, 1995

18

Effective Teamwork

©copyright

of photo

This action guide for those who lead, form or participate in construction teams, has been prepared for Constructing Exellence by Eclipse Research Consultants, Cambridge.

The guide is based on two research projects carried out by Eclipse in conjunction with the Department of Architecture at the University of Cambridge.

The research projects: Achieving quality through interdisciplinary teamwork and Measuring the effectiveness of teamwork in construction were funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions under the EPSRC/DETR

LINK Integration and Design and Construction programme. The support of the industrial participants is fully acknowledged.

The self-assessment matrix was devised as part of the second research project. It was refined over a two year period of extensive use in team meetings, workshops and seminars.

The practical steps recommended draw on the experience of workshop and seminar delegates.

Eclipse Research Consultants can be contacted at smacmillan@supanet.com

Innovation ■ Best Practice ■ Productivity 19

For more information about Constructing 7442

Excellence, please see:

729

www.constructingexcellence.org.uk

0118

or call our helpdesk on 08456055556.

reen G

Lillington

by

Designed

First Published: March 2004

Innovation ■ Best Practice ■ Productivity