Building and managing a team

Introduction

The team building activity is a process of great importance since the team is the organisational unit in which people share different knowledge, skills and experience, to achieve specific objectives.
It is, therefore, of crucial importance that the team building process is guided so that the objectives are achieved efficiently.
The team can have different characteristics, closely related to the needs of the organisation. Here are some types:

• functional team (i.e. sales, production, R&D, other);
• cross-functional team, aimed at sharing knowledge/experiences and managing specific situations;
• team responsible for managing innovation, job order or change project;
• team focused on building or designing partnerships aimed at new market initiatives, in which customers, suppliers and
• different company functions can be involved.

It is easy to understand that these types of teams can represent a rather high number of different kind of teams, very different from each other: to define a training course valid for each circumstance is unrealistic.

In the description of the course, you will find some general project indications since its design must take into account the goals of the team, the organizational context, the role and skills of the people involved.

Aims

To develop knowledge and skills useful to the design and effective/efficient working of a team aimed at achieving specific objectives.

Who should take this course?

The course is aimed at functional managers, people who are part of a team of different kinds or can be, even in a leading role.
The course can also be useful to human resources specialists.

Contents

What is a team?

• Definition
• When you need to set up a team
• Why you must define its mission before its creation

The main types of teams

• Functional
• Cross-functional
• Innovation project
• Job order project
• Change management project
• Partnership/strategic

Participants

• Skills and specific knowledge required by the objectives
• Finding people: functions and roles involved
• The importance of the motivation of people
• When the organisation does not possess the needed knowledge
• Importance, skills and characteristics of the team leader

The objectives of the team

• Defining, communicating, sharing
• Consistency with the goals of the organisation

Key factors that motivate the team and make it work effectively

• Clear and shared information about goals, mission, roles and responsibilities
• Availability of critical resources: operational tools, specific knowledge, adequate skills
• Aptitude for teamwork: cooperation, acceptance of diversity of views, people involvement, shared information
• Engaging decision-making process: search for the best solution, enhancement of the involvement of all participants, clear responsibilities

Identifying and classifying the conflict

• Hidden, latent or visible
• Constructive or destructive
• Personal or functional
• Internal or external to the organisation

Conflict management

• Non-intervention
• Accommodation
• The top-down solution
• The collaborative approach

The team leader

• The skills and characteristics, according to the type of team
• The leadership style
• The management of the decision-making process
• The management of the conflict
• The evaluation of team performance

Evaluating team performance about

• The results reached
• The initial objectives
• The objectives of the organisation
• The team functioning and individual performances
• Lessons learned

What about the learning material?

• • Course slides
  • Exercises
  • Articles about feedback and performance appraisal interview
  • Cartoon strips
  • Recommended movies and books

Teaching method

This course has been designed and structured to promote complete immersion in the topic and the individual experience.
The participants will face situations through exercises and video clips that reproduce moments similar to the ones they face daily.
Would you like to know more about the teaching method? Click here.

Final test and certificate

At the end of the course, participants take a test; after passing it, they can download their certificate of attendance.

Duration

Sixteen hours or more.