Page 327 - Effective Communication Soft Skills Strategies For Success by Nitin Bhatnagar, Mamta Bhatnagar

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Team-building Skills | 315

same time make members feel valued, respected, included, and energized.
Members leave the meeting saying, ‘We were very productive and I surely
like being a member of this team’. When there is an imbalance between task
and relationship needs satisfaction, or not enough attention paid to either,
the team’s process is dysfunctional. If you hear members saying, ‘We got a lot
of things accomplished, but I can’t stand the way members treat each other’,
it is an obvious sign that the team has not paid enough attention to its rela-
tionship needs. And if you hear, ‘We are so cohesive; just like a family. But we
sure didn’t get much done’, the team has slipped on the task side. And if ever
you should hear, ‘Another waste of two hours - nothing accomplished. Why
can’t people at least be civil to each other?’, you know there is much work to
be done on both the task and relationship sides of the equation.
Learning how to observe your team’s process and intervene appropri-
ately takes time and practice. If you randomly try to watch everything, you
will see nothing. The key is to train your eyes and ears so that you can focus
your observations. A good way to start focusing is to become acquainted
with a few specific team facilitation roles, also known as intervention behav-
iours. Then look for the appropriate situations during your meeting to apply
them. In other words, first learn what the helping behaviours are, and why
and how they help.
‘Take SOFI HAGE to your meeting. Put her to work and I guarantee
she will make a significant contribution to your team’s progress and success.’
Exhibit 1 introduces SOFI HAGE. The name comes from the first letter of
each of the task and relationship roles.

Exhibit 15.1
Team Facilitation Roles
Task Relationship
Summarizer Harmonizer
Orienter Analyser
Gatekeeper Fact Seeker
Encourager Initiator

It is important that all team members understand and employ each of the
four task and relationship roles listed in the exhibit.
The Summarizer urges the group to acknowledge consensus and reach
a decision. When team members are wound up like the Energizer Bunny,
the Summarizer breaks in with, ‘It seems like we’re all in agreement with the
parts of the programme that need to be changed; can we move off that topic
and discuss specific changes to be proposed?’. By asking for verbal agreement
with the summary, the Summarizer helps the team get past one decision and
onto the next decision point.

Bhatnagar_Chapter 15.indd 315 2011-06-23 8:00:13 PM
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