Brief History of Teams

Century Work done in small groups 18^th-19^th (master and apprentice)

1940's, documented increase in productivity when teams used

1960's, General Motors finds work teams equals higher quality product and increased job satisfaction

1970's, Saab and Volvo find 25% reduction in production costs and improved morale. By 1972, 5 million workers in U.S. in Quality Circles or teams.

1980's, Honeywell, Xerox, Cheseborough, Pond's, Volvo (defects reduced 90%), Westinghouse finds productivity increased 74% in 3 years

1990's, 1/4 of all organizations in North America are experimenting with self-directed work teams

2000’s, Teams exist across a broad range of organizations

Teams: Instructor Notes

We Can Do Anything...Together!

• Ask class members to think of their class as a team
• Brainstorm the goals of their class team—make sure learners are specific about their goals
• Explain the different types of teams in workplaces
• Explain that teams in a workplace often work together to solve problems and that the class will be divided into teams and asked to solve a problem
• Make sure learners have a good understanding of what skills would be involved in each role a team member plays (speaking, writing, presenting, etc.)
• Put the learners into groups of 4 or 5. Assign a team leader
• Make sure that learners know that everyone on the team must participate—this is something that the instructor should monitor and give feedback on
• Note that the class teams will be practising only some of the basic team skills in a rather structured setting—depending on the learners’ skills and interest, you could research and try out the many other team techniques
• Read the problem as a group; check for understanding
• Go through the steps that the teams will follow to make sure everyone understands key vocabulary and concepts
• Consider using a “feedback” form for learners on their participation