Team Development

Analysis of development needs and learning styles
Using our current annual appraisal system for members of staff I have identified a gap in the development needs for me and a member of my team. The development needs were identified by on the job skills gaps with regards to populating databases on the computer etc. I then matched the criteria from the job descriptions and personal specifications and identified the areas for development. My development need was to learn the new revised information governance policy which is one of the requirements of my role. It had been identified that the other team member had a gap in her Information Technology training, a lot of database population is now required within her role, which she felt she did
not have a clear understanding/competence of.
I then set about identifying my own and the other member of the teams learning styles; this was done using the learning styles questionnaire (40-item version) published by Peter Honey. After answering all the questions and checking the results I had a strong preference as a theorist learner and the other member of the team a pragmatist. The difference in the learning styles is as follows:
Theorist
A theorist will learn most easily form activities where (The following list is not exhaustive) * They have time to be methodical and to explore the associations and inter-relationships between ideas, events and situations * They have the chance to question and probe the basic methodology, assumptions or logic behind something, e.g. by taking part in a question and answer session * They are in structured situations with a clear purpose * They are require to understand and participate in complex situations * They are offered interesting ideas and concepts, even though they may not be immediately relevant A theorist will find it more difficult to learn from activities where (The following list is not exhaustive) * They are required to do something without enough background information or an apparent purpose * They have to participate in situations emphasising emotions or feelings * They are asked to act, or decide, without proper guidelines * They find the subject matter banal, shallow or gimmicky * They feel there self out of tune with other participants, e.g. when lots of Activists or people with lower intellectual calibre
Key questions for strong theorist preferences * Will there be lots of opportunities to ask questions? * Will there be clear objectives and a plan/structure to achieve them? * Will I encounter complex ideas and concepts that are likely to stretch me? * Will the approaches used and concepts explored be ‘respectable’, i.e. sound and valid? * Will I be with people of a similar calibre to myself? * Will this experience give me the chance to develop a general view or model?
Pragmatist
A pragmatist will learn most easily from activities where (The following list is not exhaustive) * There is an obvious link between the subject matter and a current problem or opportunity at work * They are show techniques for doing things with obvious practical advantages, e.g. how to make a good first impression, how to deal with awkward people * They have the chance to try out and practice techniques with coaching from someone they trust, who is successful an do the techniques themselves * They are show techniques that apply to what they are trying to achieve * They are given immediate opportunities to implement what they have learnt
A pragmatist will find it more difficult to learn from activities where (The following list is not exhaustive) * The learning style is not related to an immediate need they recognise/see or an immediate relevance/practical benefit * There is no practice or clear guidelines on how to do it * There are political, managerial or personal obstacles to implementation * They can’t see sufficient reward from the learning activity
Key questions for strong pragmatist preferences * Will there be ample opportunities to practice the experiment? * Will there be lots of practical tips and techniques? * Will I be exposed to experts who know how to/can do it themselves? * Will this really improve my immediate performance?
Development options to meet development needs
There are a range of development options available to help implement mine and the other member of the teams development needs, some of the options available are as follows:
Mentoring
Mentoring refers to a process whereby a staff member partners with a (typically) more senior, or longer serving member of staff to seek advice, council, opinion, knowledge, perspective or development in one or a number of topics, or for a number of reasons.
The focus of a mentoring partnership is very much centred on developing the mentee according to their needs and goals.
The mentor's role is to provide guidance, knowledge, expertise and, if appropriate, training that works towards achieving the learning goals of the mentee. Mentees may seek a mentor for a number of reasons ranging from a desire to learn more about an organisation upon induction, through to guidance about achieving desired career paths.
Mentoring partnerships often exist for a determined period of time, but with the agreement of both mentor and mentee can continue over an extended period of time. Some mentoring partnerships may cease when the mentee feels they have achieved their goals, but be revived again later if the mentee feels that they could be developed in another area by the same
mentor.
Coaching
Coaching is a more structured partnership that aims to develop a staff member in a very specific skill or task.
Where a mentor may be engaged by a staff member to assist with a range of topics, a coach is engaged as an expert and teacher to develop a staff member in a skill that is necessary for the effective undertaking of their current or future role. Development is focused on the individual, but is used to meet both a personal and organisational need.
A coaching partnership lasts for a very specific length of time, and is not usually an ongoing relationship. A coach can also be engaged to identify and work towards some specific and achievable goals designed to stretch you in an area that you may already have some knowledge and experience, but in which you wish to advance even further. Once an official coaching relationship has ceased, the partnership may, at the agreement of the staff member and the coach, take on the form of a mentoring relationship. The coach can then serve as a mentor to the staff member in the implementation, practice and use of the new skill they have been coached in.
E-learning
E-learning is education via the Internet, network, or standalone computer. E-learning is essentially the network-enabled transfer of skills and knowledge. E-learning refers to using electronic applications and processes to learn. E-learning applications and processes include Web-based learning, computer-based learning, virtual classrooms and digital collaboration. Content is delivered via the Internet, intranet/extranet, audio or video tape, satellite TV, and CD-ROM.
The most effective method for me to use would be the E-learning one, access to the new revised information governance policy is available via the hospitals intranet this is followed by a short competency test.
Some of the barriers I may face would be trying to complete the test in the office which gets rather busy and may cause distractions, ad-hoc jobs and time management.
I would overcome these barriers by speaking to my line manager and work colleagues and setting time out for myself in a quiet room to digest the information governance policy and then complete the short online e-learning test.
The most effective methods for the other member of my team to use would be coaching and E-learning, I would advise her of the best in house Information Technology course that would suite her needs, ask her to gain approval from our line manager to attend the course. I would also help to coach the member of staff to gain a better knowledge and understanding of the databases we need to populate on a daily basis to fulfil the workload required.
Some of the barriers the team member may face are time constraints around work release for training, unwillingness to learn new skills and a lack of support from work colleagues.
The team member could overcome these barriers by gaining approval from her line manager for the course and her line manager arranging sufficient cover for the shift to ensure that there is no pressure or time constraint in place, also the team member could shadow others whilst they complete the
tasks.
Support and monitoring
The support mechanisms that are available for I and the other member of the team are support from line managers and the training department, also other work colleagues would help to support us.
The monitoring mechanisms that are in place are our annual appraisals which are completed on a one to one basis with our line managers, also the aspen e-learning system which ties in with the training department and monitors and logs the process of completed and outstanding training needs/requirements.
Any gaps identified would be brought to our attention either by our line manager or the training department and monitored by them accordingly.