Team Building Model

Our model is developed for the use of student chemical engineers in order to form a group and complete a common project. This model focuses on the use of previous interactions with fellow students so that the team may be closer on a personal level from the start, creating a more enjoyable team experience.

Model Break Down:

Major Steps:

1. Socialization:

   This step focuses on developing ties with students before the goal is announced, creating personal ties with one another. This step also helps people acknowledge who is better to work with and create relationships that may be beneficial in the future.

   • Compressor:

     Confirm relationships with other students, and develop closer ties with those who connect better than other students

2. Create and Assess:

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   This step is about creating a team, where all members have been introduced and know a little bit about each other. This is a short process, due to the step before, where social ties were formed already. This step also brings together the group and clearly defines what the goal is. By combining everyone’s individual thoughts, the group can move forward together.

3. Compressor:

   Review the goal individually, taking notes of what to do, so that you can share with the group. Looking over the goal, brainstorm ways of sharing the workload in correspondence with everyone’s strengths.

   • Throttle:

     If the group created does not seem to feel comfortable, then go back and try to deepen relationships with each other to make a stronger team. Also, if the assessments made by the group members do not seem to agree, try and meet to develop a more common solution.

4. Divide and Develop:

   Now the team must focus on breaking the work evenly amongst itself so that the work may be done in time, and in respect to everyone’s strengths. Not only is it divided, but also the team will schedule a set time table for when work must be completed and when to meet to check everyone’s progress. Each member is encouraged to make sure they all do their parts so that the project may come together in later stages and meet the set deadlines in their schedule.

5. Compressor:

   After receiving the individual assignment, each member should review their part. As each team member nears completion of their part, keep in mind to review your work before showing it to the group.

6. Throttle:

   If the individual assignments do not seem to work, simply try to reassign the tasks, or change them. If team members begin to fall behind in their work the task may be too much for one person to bear, so simply try and split it. It is possible to underestimate a task in the earlier stage and not realize it until actual work is being put in.

7. Merge:

   In this step, the team meets to combine the individual parts of the project so that they have a rough copy of what they wanted as their final project. This step is done when all the deadlines for each person has been met.

8. Compressor:

   Even though everything is now in place, do not forget it is still a rough draft and must be proof read and corrected by everyone

9. Throttle:

   If the individual part is not completed to the satisfaction of the other members, then the member responsible must continue on their part until it is ready

10. Conquer:

    This is the last step in the model. Simply put, this step is after the project has been double checked and accepted as finished by all team members and can now be handed in.

11. Throttle:

    If something is still not right with the project then the team must go back and continue to work on it until it is corrected

Meeting Components of Critical Thought:

Clarity:

Our thesis statement is properly stated in the beginning and labeled. Our model is clearly labeled and color coded, to make it organized and easy for the reader to find the corresponding definitions.

Accuracy:

The information and components of the model were based off of the Drexler, Sibbet and Forrester Model, and also the Tuckerman Model. These models are cited at the end of the report.

Precision:

Each step in the model is clearly described in the flowchart. The whole process is based off of our team’s personal experience. As you go through a step the compressors help explain the steps that can push you forward and if there is trouble in one step you can go back and reflect on what may have been wrong using the throttle steps.

Relevance:

This project focused on a group working through a Triple E project. Triple E calls for a limited amount of time for a lot of work to be produced.

Depth:

The research was sufficient because it was based off the creation of our own group. It is thoughtful and convincing because it was formed by the group and thus tailored to our own group. This model also differs from the Tuckman model because our model’s first step is applied anytime before the team making process is applied. We also include steps that go back to previous steps in case of any trouble with the group.

Breadth:

Points on social interaction, teamwork, and other topics were explored. Each member contributed their ideas and views towards the final product. We kept the final process because it embodies each member’s ideas than the others before.

Logic:

Our model is a completely autonomous process. The model is a complete embodiment of our ideas and expresses our thesis and point of view the way we feel is best.