Team Building!!! How to create a cohesive covey of co-workers committed to a common cause OR Not just another name game! Participants will : explore the merits of teambuilding and working as a group. gain an assortment of ready-to-use teambuilding ideas and resources experience the wonder of entertaining teambuilding exercises Teambuilding- an overview A team is an energetic group of people who are committed to achieving common objectives, who work together and enjoy doing so, and who produce high-quality results. Working with teams List here some positive and negative aspects of working with teams. (+) (-) Why are groups effective? --Synergy: What energy is to be the individual, synergy is to groups. The synergy of a group is always potentially greater that the sum of the combined energies of its members. When team concepts are applied to group formation, the result is not only the effective use of energy but also the creation of new energy. --Interdependence: The focus of team efforts is on combining, rather than on coordinating, resources. Interdependence in today’s organizations is a simple reality. Most services and products are so complex and the skills needed to produce them successfully are so specialized, that it is impossible for any individual to accomplish them alone. The team concept provides S:\Leadership Library\Team Building.doc the necessary link to approach organizational objectives from a position of strength and creativity. --Support base: Team members share a common goal and are thus able to provide vital support and encouragement to each other in their work. Also, sometimes it’s simply more fun to work with someone else than to work alone. Group development: Groups naturally go through four stages of development, described by Bruce Tuckerman as: Forming- gaining familiarity with each other and a task Storming- conflict regarding personal stands and issues Norming- compromises are made, clearer expectations formulated Performing- members get on with the task. Teambuilding is the process of deliberately creating a team. Members of a single work group meet to improve interpersonal relationships and task effectiveness. Teambuilding addresses the issues facing a group in each stage of its development. Purposes of teambuilding: Through teambuilding, members gain a better understanding of the team’s purpose increased communication greater mutual support a clear understanding of the group process- how people work together more effectiveness in working through team problems the ability to constructively use conflict a sense of interdependence among team members greater chances of success and group and individual rewards AREAS TO BE ADDRESSED IN CREATING A NEW AND VITAL TEAM! 1. Relationships- based on interpersonal trust, open communication and risk taking. 2. Mission- the team’s purpose, which is discovered by the team. 3. Vision- what it would look like to fulfill the team’s purpose. 4. Goals- specific statements of desired results to which the team is committed. 5. Roles- clearly assigned with stated expectations 6. Procedures- guidelines and procedures for the team’s effective functioning. S:\Leadership Library\Team Building.doc AREAS TO BE ADDRESSED IN ONGOING TEAMS Icebreakers- when people come together Energizers- when people need an energy boost Communication- develop and maintain open lines within the group Value of groups/decision making processes Values clarification Interpersonal relationship building Closure S:\Leadership Library\Team Building.doc TEAM BUILDING EXPERIENCES □□□□□□□□□□□ □□□□□□□□□□□ □□□□□□□□□□□ Unique things- Getting acquainted/relationships In advance, each person in the group confidentially completes the sentence “One thing really unique about me is….” Or “One really unique thing that happened to me is ….” Responses are typed with a line in front of each statement. Participants will then mill around and find out who matches each statement. Index cards- Getting acquainted/relationships Give people index cards. Have them write out the answers questions you ask, i.e., favorite types of food, why they came to this school, what they are most nervous about, the funniest thing that has happened to them, etc. Have the participants hand in the cards, shuffle them, then have the leader read the answers while the participants try to guess who wrote them. Stems- Getting acquainted The facilitator provides an open-ended sentence to start a discussion, i.e., college life- “The thing I am most excited/nervous about is….” “the funniest thing that happened to me getting ready move to UWSP is….” This can be used for discussion or in writing. This can be discussed in pairs, as a group, or used in self-assessment. These stems may be prepared in a booklet, or participants remain with the same partner for all questions on one page, then switch partners for the nest page. Find someone with the same (x) and talk about (y) –Getting acquainted This activity gets people moving and discussing! The leader calls out “Find someone with the same (provide an example) and discuss (give another example).” Examples- birthday in the same month, eye color, number of siblings, similar size hometown, shoe size, hairstyle. Then discuss your summer vacation, favorite food, stress-relievers, fun things the committee could do. S:\Leadership Library\Team Building.doc Informal interview questions- Relationships/new volunteers Meet with new volunteers and discuss the following: Have you been involved with volunteer organizations in the past? If so, what kinds of things did you do? What did you like best about that experience? What did you gain from that experience? Why are you interested in working with (our group) ? Are there special things you would like to gain/increase while working with (our group) ? Are there special talents you would like to share with (our group) ? Puzzle Pieces (icebreaker/mission) Make a puzzle by writing a slogan or group logo on a sheet of heavy weight paper and cut it up into puzzle pieces. Each member of the group gets a piece of the puzzle as they arrive; members try to assemble the puzzle as a group. Treasures (icebreaker/getting acquainted/relationship building) Have people bring something from their room that is symbolic of part of their life (or shows something they value) to the next meeting. People show the group the treasure that they brought and talk a bit about it. Words From Your Partner’s Name (icebreaker/energizer) On a sheet of paper the two partners write out their names and attempt to make other words using only the letters included in both of their names. After a set time limit the group with the most new words wins. Something Unique (icebreaker/getting acquainted) Everyone stands in a straight line side to side. Someone says something they think is unique about themselves (i.e. I spent last summer is Africa.) If others have done the same thing they step forward to. Everyone steps back in place and the next person attempts to find something unique about themselves. S:\Leadership Library\Team Building.doc Yurt Circle (relationships/interpersonal trust/open communication/ risk taking) Note: you’ll need an even number of participants. From a large circle with everyone facing the center of the circle and holding hands. Spread out so that group members are relatively spread apart. Number off—“in” and “out.” At the same time, the “ins” slowly lean in and the “outs” lean out. Each participant needs to keep their feet set in place, their knees locked, and their body as still as a board. Switch. Lap Sit (procedure/interdependence/ relationships/trust/communication) Form a tight circle, shoulder to shoulder. Turn so everyone faces the back of the person ahead of them. Take one side-step toward the center of the circle. Simultaneously sit on the knees of the person behind you. Trust Roll (relationships/risk taking/ interpersonal trust/ goals/introductory) Stand in a tight circle, shoulder to shoulder facing the center. A volunteer stands in the center and is rolled around inside the circle by the members. It is important that the person in the center keep their feet together, their knees locked, their bodies as stiff as a board, their arms folded over their chests, and their eyes closed. Working With Others (relationships/open communication) See handout attached. People complete the form and then discuss it with those they work with most closely. Mission (mission) People write what they believe to be the mission/purpose of the group (people can choose to work individually or in pairs)-15 words or less. Ideas are written on newspaper and shared with the group. The group collectively pulls the best parts of the individual mission statements and writes their own mission statement. If the group has a formal mission statement, the two should be compared and discussed. S:\Leadership Library\Team Building.doc Clarifying Goals (goals) Give people five minutes to think about and respond to the following questions: 1. How would this team function is everything went just as you would hope? 2. What would this team be like if everything went wrong? 3. What actions do you think must be taken to insure the positive outcomes? Each person has an opportunity to share reactions; everyone responds to each question in turn. Try to identify the major concerns people have and list them on a blackboard or newsprint. These concerns should become items on a planning agenda as conditions to take into consideration in order to insure that positive things are achieved. Four Up (communication/energizer) Everyone starts by sitting down. Anyone can stand up whenever he/she wants, but must not remain standing for more than five seconds. As soon as someone sits down, they can stand up again. The goal is to have exactly four people standing at all times. Time requirement: 1 minute. Best group size: eight participants. Formulating Operating Guidelines (procedures) During this team building period, the new team needs to establish guidelines for how it will work during the course of its existence. The guidelines should clarify actions and roles and should reduce the ambiguity or mixed expectations of people as to how things ought to function, which is the basis of a great deal of conflict in a working group. How will we make the decisions? What will be our basic method for work? How do we make sure everyone gets a chance to discuss issues or raise concerns important to him or her? How will we resolve differences? How will we ensure completion of work? Backrubs (energizer) Have participants stand in a circle and put their hands on the backs of the person in front of them. Everyone simultaneously gives a backrub to the person in front of him or her. S:\Leadership Library\Team Building.doc TV Theme Songs (mission/goals/etc.) Distribute cards with the names of characters from classic TV shows with classis theme songs. (i.e. Brady Bunch, Adams Family, Jetsons, Beverly Hillbillies, etc.) List one character name per card, give one card to each participant. Ask people to find the members of their group, but don’t tell the participants that they are members of a TV show, and don’t provide and other details! Once people are in their teams, give them 15 minutes to develop a song about your focus (i.e., orientation, residence hall life, activities) to the tune of their TV show theme song. Gather everyone together again and have each group perform their song. Human Knot (roles/procedures) Divide into groups of 6-10 people. Each group forms a tight circle, standing and facing each other. Everyone extends their hands into the circle and, by intertwining their arms, grasps hands with other members of the group. Instruct people to be sure the two hands they are holding don’t belong to the same person. The group’s goal- untie the resulting knot. Members of the group physically climb over/under/through each other’s arms to untie the knot of bodies. Note: it is RARE but it is possible for a knot to be unsolvable or end in two separate circles. This activity can be used to illustrate transition from new group chaos to organize clear team focus. The Pride Line (relationship building/personal reflection) Have people ponder the following questions and, as much as people are comfortable with it, have them share their responses with the group. The _______________ that I am most proud of is……………….. …skill I learned last year… time I helped someone…. thing I tried for… thing I own… thing I bought most recently… S:\Leadership Library\Team Building.doc thing I did for a friend… thing in all my life… Imaginative Experience (relationship building/personal reflection) Pass out a piece of paper stating the following- “making choices that determine the direction of our lives can be one of our most creative efforts. As in other creative activities, our imagination is as useful and as important to us as our knowledge, since opportunities do not exist for us when we cannot imagine them. If we wish to increase the selection from which to choose meaningful life goals, we need to be imaginative. The deliberate cultivation of our imagination is a positive way to search for meaningful life goals. “ Have people think about the following statements and write down their thoughts. As much as participants are comfortable with it, have them share their thoughts. At this time the happiest part of my life is…. If I could live any way I wanted, I would…. I’ve always dreamed of being…. If I had one week to love live I would…. I frequently daydream about… I am looking forward to … Five years from now I hope to be… Wonderful Circle (closure) Form a circle, standing with your arms around each other’s waists (outside on grass or snow is best.) The whole group takes baby steps to the left until someone says “Stop!” Then that person will say something he/she felt good about in working with the group and the individuals in it. It can be something about yourself, about a positive interaction you had with one group member or about good feelings you had about the group as a whole! One guideline- Don’t talk about the things you did, talk about the people you did them with! When you’re finished sharing, say “Go!” and the group will move again, this time taking baby steps in the opposite direction until someone else says “Stop!” and shares something he or she feels good about. Ending the game- When you sense that everyone who wants to has taken a turn at stopping the circle, someone can say “Stop!” and ask “Are we done yet?” Is someone has something more to share, he or she will say “No! Go!” and the circle will resume moving. If the question is answered by a “Yes” or silence for more than ten seconds, you know the game is over and you should all give yourselves a standing ovation! Special note- If this game is played on grass or snow, have everyone step back and admire the beautiful “alien formation” (I think they mean crop-circles type thing) they all shared in creating. S:\Leadership Library\Team Building.doc Working With Team Members My emotional style- When I am angry, I …. When I am down…. When I am excited I…. What relaxes me is…. What cheers me up is…. When I am stressed I…. My personal preferences- early riser late riser large group 1 to 1 activities talkative quiet study a lot don’t study organized unorganized neat and orderly messy private very open plan ahead wait til the last minute stressed relaxed detail person big picture perfectionist non-perfectionist behind the scenes limelight Reactions: Similarities I see are…. Differences between us are… Potential conflicts are… Areas for compromise are… Teambuilding- Not just Another Name Game.doc S:\Leadership Library\Team Building.doc S:\Leadership Library\Team Building.doc