Reference no: EM132312078

The process

The process of creating a team contract requires lots of dialogue and discussion, and some documentation. The materials that follow will guide you through a team contracting process. Please use these ideas as thought-starters, then write out your agreements as you develop your contract. Once done, your team charter can become the basis for effective work together. In reality, it is just a starting point. It will need to be reviewed and adjusted as circumstances

1. Preliminary information

This step develops the basic background information that will allow a group to function. You should share the following information with each other at your first meeting. Representative information in this section

• Member names, phone numbers, e-mail

• Current schedule (e.g., classes, work, family

• Special skills (e.g. presentation graphics), resources (e.g. access to a color printer), and weaknesses (e.g., fear of

2. Guiding

Guiding principles are a general code of conduct that you establish together. These principles are typically descriptions of behaviors and attitudes you feel members should respect and live by for the group to be successful. They become the basis of agreements for handling more specific issues such as conflict, dealing with non-performance, distributing rewards, etc. Each member should be willing to make a pledge to abide by these guiding principles by the time you finish your

1. We will work proactively and make it certain that issues and concerns regarding each other task will be addressed throughout our group

2. Keep all members informed on any information regarding the team

3. Be honest and respectful about ideas that may work best for the team

4. Send each other reminders to make sure everyone has completed tasks before the

3. Preliminary focus on

All groups have a global reason or purpose. To the extent that you can focus on a common purpose, you will enhance your group effectiveness. At a global level, you should assess your task and deadlines to complete the Meet deadlines set by group in order to have time to edit and "polish" work before turning assignment Work evenly and efficiently to complete

4. Dividing up the teamwork: Group

All groups need a clear division of group labor to be efficient. Although there may be a number of changes during the work life of the team, a number of fundamental decisions should be agreed upon to insure effective team functioning. Representative information in this section

• How is power to be shared (hierarchical chain of command? equal influence? impact by expertise? rotating roles leadership)? Do we want to have a leader or all

• How should we do role assignments? (rotate? fixed? voluntary? skill-based?

• What roles do we need and what should be the jobs of

5. Dividing up the task: The division of

As with group roles, all groups need a clear division of task labor to be efficient. Here too there may be of changes during the worklife of the team, but supplanting assumptions with team decisions will help insure effective team functioning. In sum, how should we divide up the

6. Developing a Team

Using the information collected in determining roles, responsibilities and division of labor, develop a detailed plan for accomplishing the team's

7. Meeting

All too often meetings are unproductive. Effective meetings require planning, preparation, shared responsibility & cooperation. Establishing meeting guidelines helps this come together. Representative information in this section

• Frequency: How often? Regular, as needed, emergency?

• Scheduling: Common calendar, fixed

• Attendance: Mandatory, as needed, notification, allowances for late or missing

• Communication: One person at a time talks, everyone has a responsibility to contribute, everyone pays attention, stick topics at

• Decision making: Consensus, supermajority, majority rule, equal vote, non-attendee

• Conflict management: Negotiate, decide upon power resolution, use 3rd party resolution, confront members who fail to compromise or who compromise too

8. Accountability

Frequently persons in teams either mis-understand assignments or simply fail to follow through on what is requested. A management control system, even a simple one, can help to insure the team gets what it wants. How often do team members need to check up on

Before assignment is begun we check to make sure we are all on the same page -> check work when we put it all together (do edits and

9. Rewards and

Lots of team member tensions arise over the distribution of rewards as well as punishments for non-compliance with team norms. A major set of tensions can surface over the final allocation of rewards, unless the team plans for this in advance. Ultimately you will be asked to determine relative contributions of members. A good way to build a record along the way is to regularly collect member judgements. How do we handle non-performance and failure to meet

Talk to member

Will result in a low evaluation on group

10. Even with well thought out team contracts, it is impossible to plan for all contingencies. Additional agreements are needed and new problems arise or as individual members face new constraints. The team contract should be a living contract which you revisit and revise. In order not to have revisions buried under the crunch of task activities, it is important to schedule revisits in

Representative information in this section

What will be our schedule for revisiting our

Every assignment, when new issues occur that have not been

How does a member call "time out" for important issues which arise which are not covered under the

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