Management Communication for Undergraduates Guidelines for Effective Teamwork

So What Will You Get Out of the Team Experience? • • • • Practice in teamwork skills Friendships A grade A richer sense of your – Skills – Propensities – Style relative to others Communication for Managers Agenda • It’s all about communication • Three concrete tips • Where teams can get into trouble – Individual behaviors – Group social psychology Communication for Managers It’s All About Communication Practicing good communication skills + Refraining from communication roadblocks Engaging in dialogue Building trust Being productive! Communication for Managers To Communicate Well . . . • Listen well • Observe carefully • Give feedback constructively Communication for Managers Communication Behaviors to Observe • Who participates • Who doesn’t • How do people take turns? • Who talks to whom? • Who responds to whom? • How are interruptions handled? • Is silence O.K.? • Is anyone dominating the conversation? • How are decisions made? – By consensus? – By voting? – By one person? Communication for Managers And be sure to observe your own feelings, reactions, and behaviors Communication for Managers Communication Can Go Awry If We . . . • • • • • Order or command Warn or threaten Preach or moralize Cross examine Label, evaluate, or judge • Tease or make light of • Respond with sarcasm • Avoid discussing an issue • Assume instead of listen • Forget differences in communication style may be related to gender or cultural differences Communication for Managers Four Principles of Communication • All communication takes place on the content and relationship level • We cannot not communicate • Often the problem with communication is the assumption of it • Metacommunication is very useful Communication for Managers When You Have Built Trust, You Have . . . • Acted with consistency and coherence • Demonstrated concern • Treated others with a sense of fairness • Fulfilled obligations and commitments Communication for Managers When You Are Engaging in Dialogue, You Are . . . • Seeing things from the other person’s perspective • Really listening • Expressing your concerns as your concerns, not as another person’s problem • Giving others a stake in the process or outcome Communication for Managers Three Concrete Tips • Use a facilitator/coordinator • Delegate tasks effectively, using a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) • Set some ground rules Communication for Managers Work Breakdown Structure • Way to organize a series of tasks to accomplish a project objective. Consists of: – – – – Hierarchical diagram of tasks Person responsible for executing the task Deadline to have the task completed Interdependencies with other tasks • Each task in a WBS should contribute to the goal of delivering the required material on time and done well Sample WBS--Planning a Vacation Trip to Florida Christmas Break 12/26-1/2 Research and buy tickets George--11/1 Research places to stay and make reservations Find out about things to do Sheryl--11/5 Water related Selina--12/1 Restaurants Vikram--12/1 Facilitator/Coordinator • Why? If everyone is responsible, no one is • The coordinator/facilitator should – – – – – – Focus the team toward the task Get all team members to participate Keep the team to its agreed-upon time frame Suggest alternatives Help team members confront problems Summarize team decisions Communication for Managers Setting Ground Rules • • • • • • Goals and expectations Work norms Facilitator norms Communication norms Meeting norms Consideration norms Communication for Managers What Makes Teams Troublesome* • Individual behaviors • Group social psychology *Even people with good intentions can get into trouble. Communication for Managers Individual Behaviors • • • • “Ego integrity” Self-interest versus group interest Inability to observe self and/or use feedback Different styles of – Learning – Interaction – Expression Communication for Managers Group Behaviors • • • • • “Defensive routines” Us versus them Reluctance to test assumptions publicly Getting “off task” Lack of boundaries – Ill defined roles – Unclear objectives and/or expectations Communication for Managers