Chapter 6
Formation of
teams
Learning objectives
• Be able to discuss the process of
forming an effective team.
Staff Team
Team building and interaction
Teamwork is an essential part of leisure and
tourism organisation
Human beings have selected individuals to
form groups in order to achieve specific tasks
In mid-1990s the most effective and efficient
leisure and tourism organisations, in the
private, public and voluntary sectors, have
recognised that time, money and effort spent
on team building pays dividends
Staff Team
• Decision making by teams of people
rather than individuals
• Team benefit both to the
– Organisation – able to achieve their
objectives (proven to be more
successful)
– Individual employees – benefited from a
more ‘open’ management style and a
more cohesive approach to work
Six stages of an effective team
building
1) Team rationale and objectives
2) Selection of staff
3) Resource provision
4) Developing a team approach
5) Encouraging team development
6) Evaluating team performance
STAGE 1: Team rationale and
objectives
• Managers
– must be skilled at deciding when a team
approach to solving a particular problem
or tackling a job
• Senior management
– should be aware that when they set up a
team to tackle a particular issue, they
should not choose an individual who is
not capable, or unwilling to take
responsibility for making necessary
decisions
STAGE 1: Team rationale and
objectives
The rationale stage of team building
– Concerns with whether it is necessary to
set up a team to achieve a particular
objective
– Tries to answer questions like ‘do we
really needs a team?’ and ‘is there a
better (and cheaper) way of achieving the
same conclusion?’
when team established, there is need to
consider the parameters and
STAGE 1: Team rationale and
objectives
The parameters includes
– Budget allocated (limits of expenditure)
– Maximum number of staff to be invited
to join the team (not to affect normal
operations)
– Specific individuals who cannot join
them (people with full workload at
present and cannot be released by
department)
– The timescale within which the team
STAGE 1: Team rationale and
objectives
Objectives
Leader may be given a broad goal by
the organisation and asked to
develop with the team the specific
objectives that will need to be
achieved in order to reach the goal
THEREFORE, team should organise
itself to work to those objectives
within the timescale and budget
given by the organisation
STAGE 1: Team rationale and
objectives
• Example:
A tour operator, which at present organises holidays only to
Spain, may set up a team with a broad goal ‘to expand
operations into long-haul holidays to West Africa’
Specific objectives:
To achieve a turnover of USD 5 million on holidays
to West Africa sold within 3 years
To sell 1000 holidays to West Africa in the first year
To train all staff on the importance of customer
service
STAGE 1: Team rationale and
objectives
Once rationale and objectives for the
team is developed and everybody is
clear about why it has been set up, the
job of selecting staff can begin.
STAGE 2: Selection of staff
• A leader with great tact and
diplomacy will be needed to ‘win
over’ some members of the team
• Three major concerns
– Size of the team
– Compatibility of team members
– Training the team
STAGE 2: Selection of staff
Size of the team
There is no such thing as ‘best’ size
of team to be applied in all
circumstances
The bigger a team; the more difficult
to control (communication, co-
ordination)
Size of team depends on many
factors
STAGE 2: Selection of staff
The type of task to be undertaken
The size and significance of the task
Factor affecting The length of time it is likely to take to complete
Team sizes
Size of organisation
The time of year
Abilities and skills of the team members
STAGE 2: Selection of staff
Compatibility of team members
Mix of personal characteristics in
members of a team is a major
determinant of its success
Members should be able to interact
Three most important
characteristics that can affect the
team’s performance:
i. Personality
ii. Background
iii. Age & experience of work
STAGE 2: Selection of staff
Training the team
Resources need to be made
available for staff training if team
wants to achieve its objectives
Training teams can take many
forms
• Training in technical skills
• Training in administrative skills
• Training in interpersonal skills
STAGE 3: Resource provision
Any team that is given a specific
task to do should also be given the
‘tools’ to do the job properly
important resources needed by the
team include
The work environment
Equipment
Support staff
STAGE 3: Resource provision
The work environment
• All members work in close proximity
and same location
• If group is too large – communication
means to convey ideas and decisions
• Therefore, working in close proximity
with colleagues, with few physical
barriers, can help teams to perform
particularly well and that a
tremendous team spirit is built up
STAGE 3: Resource provision
Equipment
• Access to necessary communications
equipment and technology will be
vital to the team to meet its
objectives
• Depending on the nature and size of
the team’s task
STAGE 3: Resource provision
• need to have
• Specialist computer software (CRS)
• Technical equipment (e.g. specialist ovens
for kitchen staff)
• Communications equipment (e.g. fax
machine, telex)
• Use of vehicles for transporting people and
equipment
• With the right level of equipment, the
team will feel comfortable about
having sufficient resources to do the
STAGE 3: Resource provision
Support staff
There will be times when team will
need the support from other people
in order to function effectively
These people can be from inside
the organisation, or outside the
organisation
helping to pinpoint any ways in
which it could improve its
effectiveness
STAGE 4: Developing a
team approach
Once team members are selected and
sufficient resources made available,
considerations must be given to factors
that influence the team development
Its include:
• Team leadership and management styles
• Group motivation
• Personnel policies & practices
• External threats
STAGE 5: Encouraging team
development
• FOUR stages of team development
i. Forming
ii. Storming
iii. Norming
iv. Performing
• Tuckman’s work – will further in
next chapter
STAGE 6: Evaluating team
performance
All members will be encouraged to
monitor their activities and the
performance of the team
Evaluation important for management and
team (learn lesson , reward excellence and analyse
mistake)
Evaluation methods and techniques
i. Team review and evaluation
[Link] performance review (interview by
managers)
[Link]-appraisals (evaluate own performance)
[Link] appraisal (evaluate others’)