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Developing Your Team Building Skills

 

The first step in developing your team building skills is to identify your personal team player style. Without knowing what your style is, it is very difficult to form an effective team which will complement your strengths and weaknesses. Once you know what your own style is, it is equally important to identify the styles (and subsequent strengths and weaknesses) of the other members of your team... namely, your employees. Remember, you can always accomplish more as a group than you can as an individual.

Identifying Your Team Player Style

Purpose: The Team Player Survey will help you identify your style as a team player. The results will lead you to an assessment of your current strengths and provide a basis for a plan to increase your effectiveness as a team player. Teams may use the survey to develop a profile of team strengths and to discuss strategies for increasing team effectiveness.

Directions: This is a survey, therefore, there are no right or wrong answers. Please answer each item according to how you honestly feel you function now as a team member rather than how you used to be or how you would like to be. Each sentence has four possible endings.

Rank the endings in the order in which you feel each one applies to you. Click on the number 4 next to the ending which is most like you and continue down to a 1 next to the ending which is least like you. You must answer ALL questions for the test to be accurate.

Each section (A-R) will have one question rated 4, one question rated 3, one question rated 2, and one question rated 1.

A)  During team meetings, I usually:
provide the team with technical data or information. 
keep the team focused on our mission or goals. 
make sure everyone is involved in the discussion. 
raise questions about our goals or methods. 
B)  In relating to the team leader, I:
suggest that our work be goal-directed. 
try to help him/her build a positive team climate. 
am willing to disagree with him/her when necessary. 
offer advice based on my area of expertise. 
C)  Under stress, I sometimes:
overuse humor and other tension reducing devices. 
am too direct in communicating with other team members. 
lose patience with the need to get everyone involved in discussions. 
complain to outsiders about problems facing the team. 
D)  When conflicts arise on the team, I usually:
press for an honest discussion of the differences. 
provide reasons why one side or the other is correct. 
see the differences as a basis for a possible change in team direction. 
try to break the tension with a supportive or humorous remark. 
E)  Other team members usually see me as:
factual. 
flexible. 
encouraging. 
candid. 
F)  At times, I am:
too results oriented. 
too laid back. 
self righteous. 
shortsighted. 
G)  When things go wrong on the team, I usually:
push for increased emphasis on listening, feedback, and participation. 
press for a candid discussion of our problems. 
work hard to provide more and better information. 
suggest that we revisit our basic mission. 
H)  A risky team contribution for me is to:
question some aspect of the team's work. 
push the team to set higher performance standards. 
work outside my defined role or job area. 
provide other team members with feedback on their behavior as team members. 
I)  Sometimes other team members see me as:
a perfectionist. 
unwilling to reassess the team's mission or goals. 
not serious about getting the real job done. 
a nitpicker. 
J)  I believe team problem solving requires:
cooperation by all team members. 
high level listening skills. 
a willingness to ask tough questions. 
good solid data.  4 
K)  When a new team is forming, I usually:
try to meet and get to know other team members. 
ask pointed questions about our goals and methods. 
want to know what is expected of me. 
seek clarity about our basic mission. 
L)  At times, I make other people feel:
dishonest because they are not able to be as confrontational as I am. 
guilty because they don't live up to my standards. 
small minded because they don't think long range. 
heartless because they don't care about how people relate to each other. 
M)  I believe the role of the team leader is to:
ensure the efficient solution of business problems. 
help the team establish long range goals and short term objectives. 
create a participatory decision making climate. 
bring out diverse ideas and challenge assumptions. 
N)  I believe team decisions should be based on:
the team's mission and goals. 
a consensus of team members. 
an open and candid assessment of the issues. 
the weight of the evidence. 
O)  Sometimes I:
see team climate as an end in itself. 
play devil's advocate far too long. 
fail to see the importance of effective team process. 
overemphasize strategic issues and minimize short term task accomplishments. 
P)  People have often described me as:
independent. 
dependable. 
imaginative. 
participative. 
Q)  Most of the time, I am:
responsible and hard working. 
committed and flexible. 
enthusiastic and humorous. 
honest and authentic. 
R)  In relating to other team members, at times I get annoyed because they don't:
revisit team goals to check progress. 
see the importance of working well together. 
object to team actions with which they disagree. 
complete their team assignments on time. 

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*Last Modified: 08-10-2001
Application Version: 2.0.1