Academic Skills - Group and Team Leadership Skills

Group and Team Leadership Skills

Business School Dr Andy Clegg

Group and Team Leadership Skills: Introduction

Group Skills: An Introduction The emphasis on the development of team skills is an important feature of degree programmes within the Business School, whether through class-based practical exercises, small-group projects or through group-based assessment. However, more significantly, group skills are an essential component of professional life, and after graduation you will frequently be expected to participate as a team member or leader. The aim of this manual is to provide an introduction to group and team leadership skills via a number of topics including building effective teams, creating team roles, assessing group effectiveness, and how to organise and run committees and meetings. To get the most out of this manual you will need to read through the sections independently and complete the different activities. Use the manual constructively and take time to reflect on your own performance in group situations.

Acknowledgements This handbook is based on, and adapted from, material produced by Prof Brian Chalkley, at the Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Plymouth. Thanks also to Isabel Cherrett for information on how to run effective meetings.

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Group and Team Leadership Skills: Group Skills

I. 0

Group Skills

I. I

What is a Group?

A group can be defined as two or more people who have: 11

A common task or objective;

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An awareness of the group's identity and boundaries;

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A level of independence;

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A minimum set of agreed values and norms which regulate their interaction and conduct.

Groups can be created for a number of different reasons. Handy (1993) identifies the following reasons for group formation: 11

For the distribution of work

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For the management and control of work

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For problem-solving and decision-making

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For processing information

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For testing and ratifying decisions

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For co-ordination and liaison

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For increasing commitment and involvement

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For negotiation and conflict resolution

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For inquest or enquiry into the past

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Types of Groups

1.2. I

Formal and Informal Formal groups are those whose purpose is to achieve a specific and clearly stated task or objective. In the world of work most organisations or companies are divided into formal groups or departments with a particular role. As Bowman and Jarrett (1996) point out, staff can be grouped together for a number of reasons, for example: 11 11

They are all working on the same products or projects; They all have the same skills even though they may be working on separate projects. The advantages here are that they can share the same resources, have a common supervisor and they can exchange information and expertise;

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Group and Team Leadership Skills: Group Skills

1.3

The Beneffts of Group Work Activity I: In the box below, make a list of the possible benefits of actually working in a group.

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Group and Team Leadership Skills: Group Skills

1.4

The Dangers of Group Work Activity 2: Many students often resist or are cautious of group work and often prefer working individually. In the box below, identify the possible dangers of groupwork. To start, list concerns that you might have had about group work.

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Group and Team Leadership Skills: leadership Skills

3.4

Understanding Leadership: The Personal Quality Approach Earlier this century there was a widely-held belief that leaders possessed certain personal characteristics which led them to positions ofauthority and which fitted them well for this kind ofrole. Such personal qualities were generally seen as inherent rather than developed through training. Many believed that leaders are born and not made, and that great leaders are discovered, not developed (Johnson and Johnson, 1982).

The notion that leaders have special qualities is associated in part with what is known as "the great man theory ofhistory". This argues the case that the course ofhistory has been profoundly influenced by the force of personality ofkey figures such as Alexander the Great, Napoleon or Churchill. Such people, it is argued, are simply born with exceptional potential and later emerge to take power and mould events. By analogy, it can be argued that the fate of organisations depends heavily on certain key personalities who through their energy, intellect and charisma reach positions where they take the key decisions, shape the direction of the company and influence the work of those under them.

This line ofargument suggests that leaders at various levels possess to varying degrees particular personality traits. Foremost amongst these are: • SELF-CONFIDENCE • A NEED FOR RECOGNITION AND STATUS • ASSERTIVENESS • ENERGY • CAPACITY FOR CLEAR GOAL SETTING • AMBITION • CHARISMA • SINGLE-MINDEDNESS • COMPETITIVENESS

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Group and Team Leadership Skills: Further Reading

4.0 Further Reading ADAIR, J. (2009) Effective Teambuilding: How to Make a Winning Team, London: Pan BELBIN, R.M. (2010) Team Roles at Work, Second Edition, London: Routledge.

CAMERON, S. (2009) The Business Student’s Handbook: Skills for Study and Employment, Fith Edition, Harlow: Pearson.

MCMAHON, P. (2013) Group Work: Work Together for Academic Success, London: Collins.

PARKER, G. (2008) Team Players and Team Work: New Strategies for Developing Successful Collaboration, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

THOMSON, R. (1997) Managing People, London: Butterworth Heinemann.

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Business School Dr Andy Clegg Email: a.clegg@chi.ac.uk