- In the eyes of a team leader, what makes a good team?
- In the eyes of a team member, what makes a good team?
- At Newark Valley, what are the benefits of working in a team and what are some roadblocks that might be encountered?
Monday, April 4, 2011
Chapter 3- Building a Team
Chapter 3 deals with the development of a team and the way in which the team works together. Here are some questions for consideration:
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Effectiveness, cooperation, and clear goals are, I believe, common goals that team leaders and team members would have when functioning as a unit. Team leaders, however, may be more interested in how to share responsibilities with a group to improve efficiency, while team members are concerned with having an active voice and seeing measureable results from the thoughts and opinions of the group.
ReplyDeleteIn Newark Valley our greatest challenge seems to be common planning time to work together as teams. Remembering our brief morning symposium with the members of this group before school, I look back and realize that everyone took something away from the conversation, even if it was just a better understanding of the people involved in our book group. Working as a team provided unique views to a common problem, and enabled us to move forward quickly and with a clearer view of what was to come. We should do that more often.
In a true team structure as it is used here, I think that the important qualities of a team will overlap quite a bit. Effective & constructive relationships and an accurate & clear shared goal at the top. Change is hard without clearly & correctly addressing the issue, choosing direction, and being able to work together. Then is the group leader's ability to maximize the experience/knowledge/creativity of the members and to guide them and keep them on relevant matters. Last but not least would be the members' shared commitment to the group problem & willingness to be open & communicate.
ReplyDeleteAt Newark Valley, I think our greatest attribute is the relationships of our faculty. I have always experienced a feeling of shared responsibility & goals for student betterment from every staff member I have ever worked with or spoken with about a student. I believe that these relationships & commitment make possible honest sharing & working toward a common goal in ways that are beyond the norm. The difficulties come from differing schedules and little time to meet & plan through the school day.
From a team leaders perspective, a good team is created when individuals with a common goal collaborate together to achieve their objective. Each individual must take ownership of their role and fulfill their assigned task in a timely fashion. Our text describes a good team as a group of individuals who, “come together to engage in common work and to think of participation and follow-through as a matter of professional pride.” (Burgess/Bates, pg. 43)
ReplyDeleteFrom the viewpoint of a team member, a good team can be developed by defining clear purpose. Once clear purpose has been identified, team members should work together to create goals and set achievable deadlines.
The one of the biggest benefits of working in a team, is it provides an opportunity to increase members' professional connection to one another. I believe the biggest roadblock we’ve encountered, is a common time to meet and discuss. Personally, I believe this could take place face to face or through a social media site. For an online team to be successful members must adhere to guidelines and time frames established by the team members.
A good team shares common goals with specific end results in mind. This could include prioritizing those goals and setting the tone/pace for accomplishing them. A good team leader sets the tone and pace for the meetings, develops a workable agenda, and establishes the ground rules so that every member's opinion is heard and respected.
ReplyDeleteOur faculty has a wonderful working relationship. Our APPR team, from different departments, clearly has a common goal: student achievement. The APPR meeting that we had was a way to connect and we proved we could work effectively as a team. We set common goals/deadlines and even tackled issues in a short period of time. Even though coordinating calendars is sometimes an issue, especially as the school year winds down, we still find time to share ideas. This could include a five minute visit to a coworker's class room or simply chatting for a moment in the hall. Personally, I feel that the connection we have with each other is extremely important and beneficial and I'm happy to be a part of this endeavor.
A team leader needs to communicate the goal. Hopefully the team members are in agreement of their purpose, the right people have been asked to be a part of that team, and members will feel accountable for the success of that team. The leader also needs to communicate the timeline for completion of their work. Once this is established, members can begin to work collaboratively to achieve the goal. The team leader should also provide feedback on what is working and not working so adjustments can be made.
ReplyDeleteView from a team member: Team leader communicates goal to team members. Team members have the opportunity to brainstorm strategies and share their input on how to accomplish that goal. Members should feel comfortable in expressing their thoughts and ideas freely.
Overall at Newark Valley, I think my colleagues work very well together. Teachers are normally very helpful and willing to help in resolving issues at hand. We did hit a roadblock on getting the blog going. All of us are very busy throughout the day and after school. So we decided to meet first thing one morning to brainstorm how we could resolve the issue with the blog. The problem was resolved very quickly by team members taking on a role. It’s working!
For me, a team is identified as a good team when they have successfully worked together to achieve a goal. As a team leader, I appreciate a team that is committed and willing to work with others. As a team member, I hope that my team leader is fair and a good listener. I hope that my teammates are willing to grow as a group and not just try to implement their own ideas.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Burton’s statement about the challenges here at Newark Valley. It is EXTREMELY difficult to find common time to meet. We are all so busy and involved in so much that it is nearly impossible sometimes to just catch someone to say hello! With that said, there are immense benefits to working with a team. Teams make individuals stronger and they help you to see things you might never have been able to identify yourself.
Many of the thoughts I initially had mirrored what the group has already indicated. A team leader should be organized, efficient and clearly set the outcomes that the group is striving for. Team members all want to feel their input is important. that they are valued, and that they are contributing to an important goal. I think the key here at Newark Valley has always been our willingness to collaborate on projects and provide input to decisions when asked. One of our greatest strengths is that we are a cooperative group of individuals and see that we all are hoping to improve student achievement. Even when we disagree, somehow we have persevered and been able to put in place the changes we feel are necessary to help our students. In an era of increasingly being squeezed by cost constraints, I think this cooperative atmosphere and "can do" attitude will be even more necessary to help us address our goals.
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