Chapter 5Working in Teams 183OBAT WORK1 0.Discourage the clash of personalities.An effective
meeting is characterized by the critical assessment of
ideas, not attacks on people. When running a meet-
ing, you must quickly intercede to stop personal
attacks or other forms of verbal insult.
11 .Be an effective listener.You need to listen with
intensity, empathy, and objectivity, and do whatever
is necessary to get the full intended meaning from
each participant’s comments.
1 2.Bring proper closure.You should close a meeting by
summarizing the group’s accomplishments; clarifying
what actions, if any, need to follow the meeting;
and allocating follow-up assignments. If any deci-
sions are made, you also need to determine who will
be responsible for communicating and implement-
ing them.Assessing Skills
After you’ve read this chapter, take the following Self-
Assessment on your enclosed CD-ROM:
31. Do I Trust Others?- Do Others See Me as Trustworthy?
Practising Skills
Jameel Saumur is the leader of a five-member project team
that has been assigned the task of moving his engineering
firm into the booming area of high-speed intercity rail con-
struction. Saumur and his team members have been
researching the field, identifying specific business opportu-
nities, negotiating alliances with equipment vendors, and
evaluating high-speed rail experts and consultants from
around the world. Throughout the process, Tonya Eckler, a
highly qualified and respected engineer, has challenged a
number of things Saumur has said during team meetings
and in the workplace. For example, at a meeting two
weeks ago, Saumur presented the team with a list of 10
possible high-speed rail projects and started evaluating the
company’s ability to compete for them. Eckler contradicted
virtually all of Saumur’s comments, questioned his statistics,
and was quite pessimistic about the possibility of getting
contracts on these projects. After this latest display of dis-
pleasure, two other group members, Bryan Worth and
Maggie Ames, are complaining that Eckler’s actions are
damaging the team’s effectiveness. Eckler was originally
assigned to the team for her unique expertise and insight.
If you had to advise this team, what suggestions would
you make to get the team on the right track to achieve its
fullest potential?Reinforcing Skills
1 .Interview three managers at different organiza-
tions. Ask them about their experiences in manag-
ing teams. Have each describe teams that they
thought were effective and why they succeeded.
Have each also describe teams that they thought
were ineffective and the reasons that might have
caused this.
2.Contrast a team you have been in where members
trusted one another with another team you have
been in where members lacked trust in one another.
How did the conditions in each team develop?
What were the consequences in terms of interaction
patterns and performance?