The Pfeiffer Book of Successful Team-Building Tools: Best of the Annuals

513 Pages·2007·2.52 MB·English

by  Elaine Biech

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Pfeiffer
The Book of
Successful
Team-Building
Tools
Best of the Annuals
Second Edition
Elaine Biech, Editor
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About This Book
Why is this topic important?
Teamwork is critical to almost everything we do. Whether in the workplace, a
social setting, a civic duty, or a family situation, we frequently desire a more
efficiently functioning team. A dynamic, finely-tuned, productive team that is
generating what is required—whether a winning score or a winning product—
is the sign of success. But the question for many is, “how can we build a team
that achieves the ultimate goal?”
What can you achieve with this book?
In your hands is a team-building toolkit, a valuable source of knowledge for
improving teamwork. This book takes the mystery out of team building by in-
troducing ten critical aspects that must be present to ensure a successfully
functioning team. The book takes you one step further and introduces a proven
collection of activities, articles, and instruments to assist you to improve each
of the ten aspects on the teams you work with. The collection is a rich source of
ideas and approaches that have a proven track record of success. Some are new,
some are classics, and all will help you take the mystery out of team-building.
How is this book organized?
The book is presented in thirteen Chapters. Chapter One discusses the concepts
and importance of teamwork. Chapter Two introduces a Ten-Block Model for
building a team. Chapters Three through Twelve illustrate how you can address
each of the ten blocks in the model and build your team through the use of ac-
tivities, concept articles, and evaluation tools. Finally, Chapter Thirteen provides
you with more general team-building tools and thought-provoking articles.
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About Pfeiffer
Pfeiffer serves the professional development and hands-on resource needs of
training and human resource practitioners and gives them products to do their
jobs better. We deliver proven ideas and solutions from experts in HR devel-
opment and HR management, and we offer effective and customizable tools
to improve workplace performance. From novice to seasoned professional,
Pfeiffer is the source you can trust to make yourself and your organization
more successful.
Essential Knowledge Pfeiffer produces insightful, practical, and
comprehensive materials on topics that matter the most to training and
HR professionals. Our Essential Knowledge resources translate the expertise of
seasoned professionals into practical, how-to guidance on critical workplace
issues and problems. These resources are supported by case studies, worksheets,
and job aids and are frequently supplemented with CD-ROMs, websites, and
other means of making the content easier to read, understand, and use.
Essential Tools Pfeiffer’s Essential Tools resources save time and
expense by offering proven, ready-to-use materials—including exercises,
activities, games, instruments, and assessments—for use during a training
orteam-learning event. These resources are frequently offered in looseleaf or
CD-ROM format to facilitate copying and customization of the material.
Pfeiffer also recognizes the remarkable power of new technologies in ex-
panding the reach and effectiveness of training. While e-hype has often cre-
ated whizbang solutions in search of a problem, we are dedicated to bringing
convenience and enhancements to proven training solutions. All our e-tools
comply with rigorous functionality standards. The most appropriate technol-
ogy wrapped around essential content yields the perfect solution for today’s
on-the-go trainers and human resource professionals.
Essential resources for training and HR professionals
www.pfeiffer.com
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Pfeiffer
The Book of
Successful
Team-Building
Tools
Best of the Annuals
Second Edition
Elaine Biech, Editor
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Copyright © 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Published by Pfeiffer
A Wiley Imprint
989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-1741 www.pfeiffer.com
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or oth-
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Certain pages from this book are designed for use in a group setting and may be reproduced
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lowing copyright notice at the foot of the page:
The Pfeiffer Book of Successful Team-Building Tools. Edited by Elaine Biech.
Copyright © 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Reproduced by permission of Pfeiffer,
an Imprint of Wiley. www.pfeiffer.com
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
CIP data has been applied for.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7879-9736-6 (pbk.)
Acquiring Editor: Martin Delahoussaye Manufacturing Supervisor: Becky Morgan
Production Editor: Michael Kay Composition: Leigh McLellan Design
Printed in the United States of America
Printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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C
ONTENTS
Introduction xi
1 What Is Teamwork? 1
2 A Model for Building Teamwork 13
3 Clear Goals 27
TeamScores: Measuring and Communicating Performance 29
Peter R. Garber
High Jump: Illustrating the Impact of Expectations 35
Steven B. Hollwarth
Team Identity 43
John E. Jones
4 Defined Roles 49
The Hats We Wear: Understanding Team Roles 51
Kristin Arnold
No Strings Attached: Learning How Groups Organize
to Complete Tasks 55
Jeyakar Vedamanickam
Scope of Control: Taking Initiative in Problem Solving 63
Steve Sphar
Yours, Mine, and Ours: Clarifying Team Responsibilities 71
Mike M. Milstein
Symbols: Sharing Role Perceptions 77
Patrick Doyle
The Search for Balance: Team Effectiveness 87
Tom Noonan
5 Open and Clear Communication 95
Hit the Target Fast: Designing a Communication System
for Teams 97
Lynn A. Baker, Sr.
Rope Trick: Experiencing How Groups Function 103
Meredith Cash
Levels of Dialogue: Analyzing Communications in Conflict 111
Gary Copeland
Strengths and Needs: Using Feedback for Group
Development 121
Terri Burchett
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Analyzing and Increasing Open Behavior:
The Johari Window 133
Philip G. Hanson
6 Effective Decision Making 143
News Room: A Group-Consensus Task 145
Heidi Ann Campbell & Heather Jean Campbell
Broken Triangles: Experimenting with Group
Problem Solving 149
Janet Mills
Lutts and Mipps: Team Problem Solving 155
Editors
Performance Unlimited: Solving Problems as a Team 161
James W. Kinneer
Lost at Sea: A Consensus-Seeking Task 165
Paul M. Nemiroff & William A. Pasmore
Making Team Decisions 173
Kristin Arnold
7 Balanced Participation 181
Egg Drop: Using Human Resources Effectively 183
Douglas Bryant
Comfort Zones: Establishing Team Norms 193
Chris C. Hoffman
The Car: Feedback on Group Membership Styles 203
Alfred A. Wells
8 Valued Diversity 209
Unearned Privilege: Understanding Dominant-Culture
Advantage 211
Julie O’Mara & Aja Oakman
The Forest vs. the Trees: Understanding Preferences for
the Big Picture or the Details 219
Bonnie Jameson
Fourteen Dimensions of Diversity: Understanding and
Appreciating Differences in the Work Place 225
Sunny Bradford
Diversity and Team Development 235
Claire B. Halverson & Guillermo Cuéllar
9 Managed Conflict 245
The M&M®Game: Learning to Resolve Conflict 247
Gerald V. Miller
viii Contents