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ICE - Key Skills - Teamwork
USE THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THESE PAGES TO THINK ABOUT YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES ANALYTICALLY BEFORE COMPLETING YOUR KEY SKILLS TEMPLATE
Working with others can sometimes be difficult, as is describing what it takes to make a success of it. The first thing to be aware of is that every new group goes through a process of settling down before people are comfortable and ready to work together. This process can be described in four stages as follows:
1. FORMING - the group comes to together
2. STORMING - tension, arguments
3. NORMING - people get to know each other
4. PERFORMING - Only when the group has passed through stages 1-3 will its members begin to work effectively together.
“Ice breakers” are often used at assessment centres or workshops as a means of reaching the final stage of this process as quickly as possible.
To be successful, a team needs a clear objective and a balance of different types of people who undertake different roles to achieve that objective. No team that has 20 different people who want to be the leader is going to achieve much! This means that although you may have a natural preference for one role, be that Leader, Implementer or Co-ordinator, you will sometimes have to perform different roles. It is being able to do this effectively that determines whether you are a good team-worker or not.
Finally, for the team to achieve its purpose, the needs of the individual, team and the task need to be balanced.
If too much attention is placed on the needs of one or several individuals the team will not gel together properly. If too much emphasis is placed on the team getting on well together the task will get neglected. If too much pressure is placed on everyone to achieve the task, then the group will feel stressed and individuals may be marginalised. It is the task of every member of the group to ensure that the balance is maintained.
SOME USEFUL WORDS WHEN TALKING ABOUT
TEAM-WORK:
Communication
Group
Consensus
Discussion
Co-operation
Participation
Collaborative
Colleagues
Balance