What is teamwork and

Why is it important?
Merjalyn DL. Jadie, RSW
Definition of a work team, in various textbooks and when searching in
internet, usually include certain elements, such as being a group of
people who:
• Are interdependent;
• Have complimentary skills and roles;
• Work collaboratively towards a common purpose, aims and
objectives;
• Ultimately achieve agreed tasks or results
 Team Size
There is a formula to work out the number of possible interactions
in any group:
N x N-1 (N is the number of members in the team)
2
Example: 15 x 14 (15 - 1) = 210 2 = 105
Thus, in a team of 15 people, there are 105 possible relationships
that influence communication, interdependence and collaboration.
SYNERGY
• Comes from the Greek root “synergos”
meaning working together
• Similarly, synergy is the ability of a team to
perform better that its best individual
member
• The combined action of team members
having a good range of relevant team working
skills will contribute to team effectiveness.
THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS
• Unconscious processes that
influence meaning
• Transference – how past
relationships affect the present
• Defense mechanisms that we use
as a barrier or self-protection
TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS
Suggests that our personalities consist of ‘ego states’ or frames of mind
that develop through early upbringing and subsequent experiences.

Three (3) Basic Ego States:

o Parent (P) – tendency within us to nurture and discipline others
o Adult (A) – our logical and objective outlook in life
o Child (C) – involving infantile feelings
Figure 2.1
Figure 2.2
Nurturing Caring, encouraging,
Parent sympathetic, concerned, NP CP NP CP
(NP) protective, setting boundaries
Controlling Judgmental, disparaging,
(or Critical) demanding, condescending,
Parent (CP) patronizing, angry, blaming
Free (or Open, trusting, spontaneous, A A
Natural) curious, playful, creative,
Child intuitive, enthusiastic
(FC)
Adopted Resentful, complaining,
Child helpless, reluctant,
(AC) apologetic, fearful, inferior, AC FC AC FC
unsure

Figure 2.3
Figure 2.4 (Drama Triangle of Karpman)
Persecutor

Rescuer Victim
ECOLOGICAL AND SYSTEMS THEORY
• Macro Level
• Meso Level
• Micro Level
Team as Systems
• Permeable Boundaries
• Positive belief systems
• Homeostasis (Equability, Stability)
• Conforming
• Flexible
• Chaotic
The Life of Teams
1. Forming
2. Storming
3. Norming
4. Performing
5. Ending
RELATIONAL MODEL
Formulated by psychotherapist Linda Schiller influenced by
feminist thinkers.
1. Pre-affiliation
2. Establishing a relational base
3. Mutuality and interpersonal empathy
4. Challenge and change
5. Separation and termination
Power Issues and Styles in Responding to Conflict

• Competing
• Accommodating
• Avoiding
• Compromising
• Collaborating
Three Sets of Needs – Task, Team, Individual

TASK

TEAM INDIVIDUAL
The needs related to achieving the task include having:
• A clear purpose and task for the team
• Agreed aims and objectives
• Clarity about the individual responsibilities of team members
• A plan to work towards agreed objectives setting out realistic
targets and priorities
• Support and resources such as appropriate working conditions,
training and supervision
The needs related to building and maintaining the team
include:
• Opportunities for building teamwork and collaboration
into individual job opportunities
• Genuine consultation, information sharing and good
communication
• Regular discussion of the team’s aims and objectives
• Regular team meetings
• Agreed informal gatherings and social events
• Acceptable team norms
• Ways of enabling the team to progress
• Strong team morale and cohesion
• Support and resources such as appropriate team size, mix of
complementary skills and roles, and access to management
decision-making
The needs of individual team members include:
• Being clear about their role, responsibilities and
expected contribution to the team
• Recognition of successful work undertaken and being
given constructive feedback
• Knowing their level of authority and how they fit into
team interdependence
• Regular supervision
• Personal satisfaction and sense of fulfilment
• Support and resources such as induction for new team
members, regular appraisal, training and fair
employment conditions and facilities
Team Membership
Belbin’s Team Roles and their Characteristics
TEAM ROLE CONTRIBUTIONS ALLOWABLE WEAKNESSES
PLANT Creative, imaginative, unorthodox Ignores incidentals
Solves difficult problems Too preoccupied to communicate
effectively
MONITOR Sober, strategic and discerning Lacks drive and ability to inspire
EVALUATOR See all options others
Makes accurate judgements
COORDINATOR Mature, confident, good Can be seen as manipulative
chairperson Offloads personal work
Clarifies goals, promotes decision-
making, delegates well
RESOURCE Extravert, enthusiastic, good Over-optimistic
INVESTIGATOR communicator Loses interest once initial
Explores opportunities enthusiasm has passed
Develops contacts
IMPLEMENTER Disciplined, reliable, conservative Somewhat inflexible
and efficient Slow to respond to new
Turns ideas into practical solutions possibilities
COMPLETER Painstaking, conscientious, anxious Inclined to worry unduly
FINISHER Searches out errors and omissions Reluctant to delegate
Delivers on time
TEAMWORKER Cooperative, mild, perceptive and Indecisive in crunch situations
diplomatic
Listens, builds, averts friction
SHAPER Challenging, dynamic, thrives on Prone to provocation
pressure Offends people’s feelings
Has the drive and courage to
overcome obstacles
SPECIALIST Single-minded, self-starting, Contributes only on a narrow
dedicated front
Provides knowledge and skills in Dwells on technicalities
particular areas
REFLECTION:
• Do you recognize yourself in one
or more of them? Which ones?

• Have you come across these roles

in individuals within teams which
you have been a part?
 Team Leadership
Leadership has traditionally been studied and written about
focusing on:
• the personal qualities needed by a leader
• the situations in which leaders find themselves
• the actions that leaders need to take and the skills they
require
Start-up principles that leaders can take to make a team
work effectively:

1. Preparing individuals for team membership

2. Ensuring ‘baseline functioning’
3. Agreeing objectives and performance measures
Team Membership
• Team members can learn from experience, both
successes and failures, what works well and what
does not, by evaluating and reviewing performance.
Teams need to meet regularly to assess their
workload and circumstances facing them, plan ways
forward and review progress.
Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Resilience
-The subset of social intelligence that involves the
ability to monitor one’s owns and other’s feelings and
emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this
information to guide one’s thinking and actions.
a. Perceiving Emotions b. Understanding Emotions
c. Clear Thinking d. Managing Emotions
Teams resilience involves aspects of teamworking that we
have already considered, including:
• Good, open communication
• Interdependence and collaboration
• Appreciating each other’s contributions
• Mutual support and managing stress
• Balancing hard work with enjoyable social events
• Anticipating busy and difficult times and preparing for them.
 SELF-LEADERSHIP
• Involves self-awareness and self-management, setting
personal goals, using emotional intelligence, being self-
critical and learning from mistakes in a process of
influencing, facilitating and enabling oneself to succeed in
life and work.
• Involves succeeding through collaborating with others
including learning to be a good team member.
Reference:

Martin, R. (2013). Teamworking Skills For Social

Workers. Open University Press, England.

THANK YOU!