executive MBA subject 03

Team Skills

Pre-programme, open term. 3.5 ECTS, about 88 hours, 4 chapters. Free for everyone.

task, condition, standard

What you will be able to do

Task, condition and standard

Task

Agree a team charter and run a fair peer review for a four-week team task.

Condition

Given a team of four to six people, at least two of them in other time zones.

Standard

The charter has roles, meeting rules and a conflict step, and the peer review scores are explained with examples.

Who it is for: Anyone who will work in study groups, project teams or remote teams during the programme.

how this subject works

Free entry, voice and your learning style

Free for everyone. This pre-programme subject is open to all, with no payment and no sign-in needed. It is a good first step if you are new to study or to computers.

Listen. Every part has a Listen button that reads it aloud.
Speak or type. Answer each part by talking (press Speak) or by typing. Your answers stay on this device only.
Learn your way. Every part has a See, Hear, Do and Read-and-write route. Not sure which suits you? Take the eight-question learning-style check.

4 chapters

The chapters, with worked examples

Chapter 1 Team formation and roles 22 hUnderstand: explain

New teams go through forming, testing each other, settling and performing. Clear roles shorten the testing stage.

Name a leader for each task, not one boss for everything
Give every role a clear output
Agree how decisions are made: vote, consensus or owner decides

Worked example: Worked-example figures, in your currency. A team of 5 has 10 possible pairs to talk to each other (5 x 4 / 2 = 10). A team of 8 has 28 pairs. That is why bigger teams need clearer roles and fewer meetings.

Activity: Write the roles for your study team with one output each.

Standard: Every member has a role and a clear output, and the decision rule is written.

Learn your way

See. Sketch "team formation and roles" as a picture: boxes, arrows and the key number.
Hear. Press Listen, or explain the worked example aloud to someone.
Do. Do the activity with your own work or a practice case.
Read and write. Write the idea in three lines in your own words below.

Your answer. Write the roles for your study team with one output each.

Chapter 2 Conflict and negotiation in teams 22 hApply: resolve

Conflict about tasks can improve work; conflict about people damages it. Move arguments back to facts and shared goals.

Separate the person from the problem
Find the interest behind each position
Look for an option that meets both interests

Worked example: Worked-example figures, in your currency. Two members argue: one wants to start writing now, one wants more research. Interests: the first fears the deadline, the second fears weak evidence. Option: split 3 days research, 4 days writing within the 7-day deadline, with a mid-point check.

Activity: Describe a past team disagreement and write the interests behind each side.

Standard: Both interests stated fairly and one option that serves both.

Learn your way

See. Sketch "conflict and negotiation in teams" as a picture: boxes, arrows and the key number.
Hear. Press Listen, or explain the worked example aloud to someone.
Do. Do the activity with your own work or a practice case.
Read and write. Write the idea in three lines in your own words below.

Your answer. Describe a past team disagreement and write the interests behind each side.

Chapter 3 Virtual and cross-cultural teams 22 hApply: organise

Remote teams lose the quick chat in the corridor. Replace it with written updates, clear time zones and respect for different working styles.

Publish a shared time-zone table and a core overlap hour
Write decisions down in one shared place
Agree how direct feedback should be

Worked example: Worked-example figures, in your currency. Members are in Dubai (UTC+4), London (UTC+0) and Singapore (UTC+8). 12:00 in Dubai is 08:00 in London and 16:00 in Singapore: a fair overlap hour for all three.

Activity: Build a time-zone table for your team and pick one overlap hour.

Standard: All members listed with correct offsets and an overlap hour inside 08:00 to 18:00 for everyone.

Learn your way

See. Sketch "virtual and cross-cultural teams" as a picture: boxes, arrows and the key number.
Hear. Press Listen, or explain the worked example aloud to someone.
Do. Do the activity with your own work or a practice case.
Read and write. Write the idea in three lines in your own words below.

Your answer. Build a time-zone table for your team and pick one overlap hour.

Chapter 4 Team charter and peer review 22 hCreate: agree and review

A charter is a one-page agreement written at the start. Peer review at the end is fairer when it uses the charter as the yardstick.

Charter: goal, roles, meeting rules, conflict step, quality bar
Peer review: score each person on agreed criteria with examples
Discuss the scores, do not just send them

Worked example: Worked-example figures, in your currency. Four criteria scored 1 to 5: on time 4, quality 5, helping others 3, communication 4. Total 16 of 20, or 80%. The example under "helping others" shows what to improve.

Activity: Write your team charter on one page and agree it with the team.

Standard: One page, all five parts included and agreed by every member.

Learn your way

See. Sketch "team charter and peer review" as a picture: boxes, arrows and the key number.
Hear. Press Listen, or explain the worked example aloud to someone.
Do. Do the activity with your own work or a practice case.
Read and write. Write the idea in three lines in your own words below.

Your answer. Write your team charter on one page and agree it with the team.

ten checks

Check yourself

Say or write your answer first, then read the model answer.

Q1. How many pairs are there in a team of 5?
Model answer: 10. (Covered in chapter 1: Team formation and roles.)
Q2. Why do larger teams need clearer roles?
Model answer: The number of links grows fast, so confusion grows too. (Covered in chapter 1: Team formation and roles.)
Q3. Name three ways a team can decide.
Model answer: Vote, consensus, or the owner decides. (Covered in chapter 1: Team formation and roles.)
Q4. Which kind of conflict helps work?
Model answer: Conflict about the task, not about people. (Covered in chapter 2: Conflict and negotiation in teams.)
Q5. What is an interest?
Model answer: The need or fear behind a stated position. (Covered in chapter 2: Conflict and negotiation in teams.)
Q6. 12:00 in Dubai (UTC+4) is what time in London (UTC+0)?
Model answer: 08:00. (Covered in chapter 3: Virtual and cross-cultural teams.)
Q7. Where should remote teams record decisions?
Model answer: In one shared written place. (Covered in chapter 3: Virtual and cross-cultural teams.)
Q8. Name the five parts of a charter.
Model answer: Goal, roles, meeting rules, conflict step, quality bar. (Covered in chapter 4: Team charter and peer review.)
Q9. Scores of 4, 5, 3 and 4 out of 5: what percentage?
Model answer: 16 of 20, 80%. (Covered in chapter 4: Team charter and peer review.)
Q10. Why use the charter in peer review?
Model answer: It gives an agreed, fair yardstick. (Covered in chapter 4: Team charter and peer review.)

slides L1 to L7

The seven-level ladder, slide by slide

Slide 1: L1 What a team is. People with one goal who depend on each other. Speaker note: Say: put "what a team is" in one sentence and give one example from work. Check: ask one learner to say it back in their own words. Mistake: moving on before the numbers are clear.
Slide 2: L2 Roles and outputs. Each person owns a clear output. Speaker note: Say: put "roles and outputs" in one sentence and give one example from work. Check: ask one learner to say it back in their own words. Mistake: moving on before the numbers are clear.
Slide 3: L3 Healthy conflict. Argue about tasks using interests. Speaker note: Say: put "healthy conflict" in one sentence and give one example from work. Check: ask one learner to say it back in their own words. Mistake: moving on before the numbers are clear.
Slide 4: L4 Remote work. Time zones, overlap hour, written decisions. Speaker note: Say: put "remote work" in one sentence and give one example from work. Check: ask one learner to say it back in their own words. Mistake: moving on before the numbers are clear.
Slide 5: L5 Charters. One page agreed at the start. Speaker note: Say: put "charters" in one sentence and give one example from work. Check: ask one learner to say it back in their own words. Mistake: moving on before the numbers are clear.
Slide 6: L6 Fair review. Score against the charter with examples. Speaker note: Say: put "fair review" in one sentence and give one example from work. Check: ask one learner to say it back in their own words. Mistake: moving on before the numbers are clear.
Slide 7: L7 Building teams. Design teams and coach new leaders to run them. Speaker note: Say: put "building teams" in one sentence and give one example from work. Check: ask one learner to say it back in their own words. Mistake: moving on before the numbers are clear.

how it is judged

Marking rubric

Marking rubric (Not yet, Meets, Exceeds)
Criterion	Not yet	Meets	Exceeds
Accuracy	Several figures or facts are wrong.	Main figures are correct and the working is shown.	Figures are correct and checked a second way.
Use of team skills tools	Tools are named but not used.	The right tools are used for each step.	Tools are adapted to the case and their limits are stated.
Recommendation	No clear answer.	A clear answer backed by the analysis.	A clear answer that also says what would change it.
Communication	Hard to follow.	Answer first, clear and short.	Clear, short and persuasive under questions.

jobs this leads to

Where this takes you

Project team lead. Runs a cross-functional team to a deadline.
Remote team manager. Leads people across time zones.
Scrum master or delivery lead. Keeps a team working well and removes blockers.

language

Choose your language

This subject is in English first. Choose any language and the page is translated for you by machine, with the English kept as the official text.

Keep going

All subjects Previous: Individual Skills Next: Global Management

Draft for review. Not live. Credit values are aligned with the European credit system for orientation only and are not an accreditation.