Story: The Football Game
It was a bright sunny morning and the football ground was shining with yellow rays from the sun.
Seeing this, a group of boys nearby decided that we will play a football match and each one of us can bring something used for the matches. One can bring a football, another the corner flag, others the goalkeeper gloves, marking chalk, goalposts, etc.,
After some time everyone gathered on the ground and started picking the teams. Soon there was a slight argument about who would pick the team. They decided that the person who had bought the most important object to play the game would pick the team.
Time passed by and they couldn’t decide which was the most important thing.
Then they decided, they will start playing the game with all the objects the boys have bought and one by one will get rid of objects and finally see which is more important for playing the game.
When the game started, the first thing they got rid of was the whistle, because they thought the referee could shout instead of whistling. Then the goalkeeper removed his gloves and started saving the ball without the gloves. Then they replaced the goalpost with a couple of bins on each side.
And finally, they replaced football with old tin and kept playing.
While they were playing the game, a father and son were passing nearby. Seeing this, the father said to his son “Son, see the boys, and learn from the kids. Without football, they were managing to play football, even though they were never going to be able to improve the game by playing with those objects”.
The boys nearby heard him saying this and soon realized that because of their personal ego and individual pride they were not able to enjoy themselves and play a proper football match even though they had all the necessary kits for playing.
At that moment all the boys decided that we will push their ego and selfishness aside and start playing the match again with proper football kits.
The match really went well, with each one of them concentrating on enjoying and improving their game.
Moral:
“In our life, everyone has an individual goal which we want to achieve but what is more important is the team’s goal. When you work as a team, it’s very important to set aside your individual pride and ego and work towards the team goals. In this process, you will also achieve your individual goal like improving your game, promotion in office, learning a new process, etc.,”
What is team:
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A number of people
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With complementary skills
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Who share a common purpose and goal
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A commitment with a common vision of progress
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And mutual responsibility
What is teamwork:
The ability to cooperate and communicate effectively with others to achieve a common goal.
Guidelines for teamwork in a professional setting
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Effective communication
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Communicate openly & supportively
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Listen openly
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Interpret nonverbal messages
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Give useful feedback
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Receive feedback effectively
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Teamwork Agreement
What is it?
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Effectively a contract which all team members sign up to… each team member is expected to abide by that contract
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Expectations each team has for its members
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Designed specifically for your team
Key points:
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Tailored to meet the specific needs of your team members
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Each team member needs give inputs
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A chance for all members to voice their opinions
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All members will be accountable for statements in the agreement
Sample:
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EVERY member is responsible for the team’s progress and success
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Attend all team meetings; be on time
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Listen to & show respect for the views of members
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Criticize ideas, not people
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Use & expect constructive feedback
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Resolve conflicts constructively
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Always strive for win-win situations
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Avoid destructive behaviour
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Ask questions when you do not understand
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Effective meetings
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Project meetings will be held every .
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Meetings will be called by .
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Meetings will begin and end on time.
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Decisions will be made by consensus/ majority rule/anarchy.
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The role of scribe will rotate.
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Minutes will be issued by e-mail within 24 hours of each meeting.
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Project management
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Start with consensus on the project GOAL
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Then work to a project PLAN with clear responsibilities, timelines and milestones
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Conflict management
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People typically fear and avoid conflict
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Most people believe conflict does not belong in the workplace
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Mutually find a solution for win-win situation
Activity: Teamwork- Advantages and Disadvantages
When: during session
How: as per trainer’s instructions, write benefits and challenges of working in teams
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Benefits |
Challenges |
Quiz:
1) Rajesh, Seema and Aditya are preparing for a presentation. But Rajesh is the one who is making the presentation & practising while Seema and Aditya are doing nothing productive. This is an example of _____________?
a) Poor Teamwork
b) Good Teamwork
c) One man work
d) Ideal Teamwork
2) Shanta, Rohan and Sumit are making a group project. Shanta is researching for the topic, Rohan is making the presentation while Sumit is working on content. This is an example of _____________?
a) Unique Work
b) Good Teamwork
c) Bad Teamwork
d) No Teamwork
3) Which of the following forms of Nature gives us a perfect example of teamwork?
a) Snakes
b) Birds
c) Cow
d) Ants
4) Mark among the following, the correct benefit of Teamwork.
a) Less Work Pressure
b) More work distribution
c) Extra time to complete the task
d) Less Efficiency
5) Good team work leads to _____________?
a) Increased Tension
b) Increased Workload
c) Increased stress
d) Increased Productivity
Answers
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a (A poor teamwork is when all the members of a team are not dedicated equally towards a common goal)
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b (Good teamwork is when all the team members are aware of their responsibilities, they take ownership of the task and work in collaboration)
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d (From nature the best example and motivation towards Teamwork can be seen in Ants. They are tiny but with teamwork they can lift a way more weight than their own)
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a (Teamwork has many benefits and one such benefit is that it helps us to reduce the work pressure.
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d (If a team is working efficiently, this directly impacts the productivity of the work)