How good are you and your team at teamwork

and team building?

Instructions
For each statement, click the button in the column that best describes you.
Please answer questions as you actually are (rather than how you think you
should be), and don't worry if some questions seem to score in the 'wrong
direction'. When you are finished, please click the 'Calculate My Total' button
at the bottom of the test.

Not
15 Statements to at Rarely Sometimes Often Very Often
Answer All

1My team is
knowledgeable about
the stages of
development teams
can be expected to go
through.

2Team members are

provided with a great
deal of feedback
regarding their
performance.

3Team members are

encouraged to work
for the common good
of the organization.

4There are many

complaints, and
morale is low on my
team.
 Not
15 Statements to at Rarely Sometimes Often Very Often
Answer All

5Team members
don't understand the
decisions that are
made, or don't agree
with them.

6People are
encouraged to be
good team members,
and build good
relationships.

7Team members are

provided with
development
opportunities.

8Meetings are
inefficient and there
is a lot of role
overlap.

9Team members are

encouraged to
commit to the team
vision, and leaders
help them understand
how their role fits
into the big picture.

10Team members are

often given a chance
to work on
interesting tasks and
stretch their
knowledge and
 Not
15 Statements to at Rarely Sometimes Often Very Often
Answer All

capabilities.

11The team
understands what it
needs to accomplish
and has the resources
needed to be
successful.

12Conflict and
hostility between
members is a
pervasive issue that
doesn't seem to get
better.

13People feel that

good work is not
rewarded and they
are not sure what is
expected of them.

14Team members
balance their
individual needs for
autonomy with the
benefits of mutual
interdependence.

15Working
relationships across
units or functions is
poor, and there is a
lack of coordination.
Calculate My Total
Total = 0

Score Interpretation

Score Comment

This is worrying. The good news is that you've got a great opportunity to improve
your effectiveness as a team member, and the effectiveness of your team.
15-30 (Readbelow to start.)

Your effectiveness as a team player and your team's effectiveness are patchy. You're
good at some things, but there's room for improvement elsewhere. Focus on the
serious issues below, and you'll most likely find that you and your team are soon
31-45 achieving more. (Read below to start.)

You're a solid team member working well as part of an effective team. Lower scores
in this range show that there is room for improvement, though. Read the following
summaries of key teamwork functions and determine which of the tools will help you
46-75 become a better team player and build a stronger team. (Readbelow to start.)

Team Development
(Questions 1, 11)

Teams do not become effective overnight. Team building is a process that

requires due attention and care. If you try to skip over important
development stages, you risk not forming the solid foundation needed
when trouble or setbacks occur.

To build, lead, or participate in a team requires an understanding of the

stages of team development. Through extensive research, it has been found
that successful teams have certain aspects of their development paths in
common. The one that most people are aware of is Bruce
Tuckman's Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing model .
Two other factors that significantly increase a team's chances of being
effective are having a well thought out team orientation process, and
developing a clear team charter. Both of these help you establish clear
guidelines and set clear expectations. When the individuals on a team all
know what they are supposed to be doing and how they are to go about
doing it, you give the team a good start on maximizing performance. To
read more about these processes see the Mind Tools articles onSuccessful
Induction and Team Charters .

Feedback
(Questions 2, 13)

One of the best ways of improving people's performance is by providing

information to team members about their individual performance, as well
as the overall team performance. After all, how do you know what is
working and what isn't if no one gives you an objective summary?

There are usually plenty of people around who are ready and willing to
give you their opinions on this. Unfortunately, this information is often
conveyed in a manner that causes resentment and animosity.

Participation and Articulating Vision

(Questions 3, 9, 10)

Articulating the team's vision is fundamental to developing a high

performing team. It's the vision that motivates and directs a team to reach
its goal.

The best teams invest a great deal of time and energy into exploring and
understanding the overall purpose and vision of the team. From this vision,
a set of goals and objectives emerges that helps the team stay focused and
on track.
The key to using vision successfully is making the process of discovering
it a participative one. You can tell a team what the vision is and team
members may or may not agree that the cause is worth working hard for.
If, however, you allow the team to explore the vision, to see how their
specific roles fit into the big picture, and provide meaningful opportunities
for team members to assist in the team's success, then you have the basis
for a high performing team.

Managing Conflict
(Questions 4, 12, 14)

Conflict can be an inevitable consequence of working with other people.

Opinions, values, styles, and a whole host of other differences provide
more than enough grounds for disagreement. This disagreement is actually
part of the reason why teams can be so effective the more perspectives
that go into a process, the better the end result. Usually!

Allowing the differences to get out of hand, though, causes unnecessary

disruption and leads to breakdowns in working relationships. Team
members and leaders should take it upon themselves to understand the
basics of conflict management and also learn more about different styles
and ways of thinking and working.

For more information on effectively managing conflict, see Managing

Conflict ,Theory X and Theory Y and Role Playing .

Group Roles and Structure

(Questions 6, 8, 15)

The differences between how people work and view the world make for
interesting conversations and dynamic teams. An effective team capitalizes
on these natural differences and maximizes performance by putting the
right people in the right roles.
The articles on RACI and Task Allocation discuss this exact issue
and provide practical methods for getting the most out of your team.
Some research has also been done on the different types of roles people
play within teams. While the jury is still out on the detail of this research,
having insight into the types of roles that are taken on in teams can help
you see which roles and behaviors are constructive and which ones aren't.
Mind Tools has featured two such models of team roles: Belbin's Team
Roles and Benne and Sheats' Team Roles .

Team Member Development

(Questions 7)

No matter what role a person plays in a team, or what tasks he or she has
been assigned to, there is almost always room for personal improvement.
When the individuals on a team are functioning at high capacity, the team
can flourish as well.

This is a critical understanding in team performance. Although there is no

"I" in "Team" you have to remember there is no team without individuals.
You have to build and foster the skills in the individuals that are congruent
with the needs of the team.

To do this, requires a solid understanding of training methods and ways of

identifying the needs of the team members. The article on Successful
Induction talks about setting out a training needs analysis from day one.
The articles on Understanding Developmental Needs and Training
Needs Assessment provide practical tips for identifying areas that need
improvement.

Understanding and Collaboration

(Questions 5)

The last area of team functioning explored by this quiz covers how well
you and your team are able to collaborate and understand the key issues
facing the team. Again, this goes back to the idea of cohesion. Members of
successful teams all head in the same direction, and work for the same
purpose.

When priorities and goals diverge, tensions appear within the team, and the
whole is often no longer greater than the sum of its parts. This is a
fundamental issue for high performing teams. Consensus, consistency and
agreement are vital for effective teamwork.

Even if your test score didn't point to this aspect of teamwork, the articles
onConcept Attainment and the Delphi Technique are highly
recommended.
Key Points
An effective team is much more than a bunch of people thrown together to
accomplish a goal. Because teams are such an inherent part of how we
work, it is easy to believe we know what makes a team perform well,
however this is often not the case.

Using this test, you can uncover areas of improvement that will help you
become a better overall team member and team builder.