APC Series: The importance of teamworking

Teamworking fits into the mandatory APC competency: diversity, inclusion and teamworking. Here we look at how commercial property surveyors may work with other construction and property professionals, according to the structure of the RIBA Plan of Work 2020. The construction and property industries are based around the collaboration of different professionals, each with a variety of skills, knowledge and experience. Commercial property surveyors are, therefore, only a small part of the wider industry. What is teamwork? Effective teamwork is essential to bring together consultant and professional teams, enabling positive collaboration and dynamic teamwork. Constructing Excellence defines six key elements for effective teamwork in its Effective Teamwork best practice guide: team identity; shared vision and team objectives; communication; collaboration and participation; issue negotiation and resolution; and reflection and self-assessment. In 1965, psychologist, Bruce Tuckman, created the Tuckman Model relating to high performing team development and behaviour. It involves the following stages: Forming – when team members tend to work as individuals and not cohesively as a team. Storming – when conflict arises as teams become more aggressive internally, externally and in relation to the team rules and requirements. Norming – when a team starts to achieve its potential using self-formed processes. Performing – when a team is working open and flexibly, focusing on the development of team members. Emotions at this stage tend to be kept apart from team performance. Adjourning (added in the 1970s) – at the end of the task when a team is able to celebrate its positive achievements. When working in teams, Dr Meredith Belbin’s theory relating to team roles is relevant. Research shows that the most effective teams include a variety of different behaviours and team roles. These include nine team roles defined by Belbin: Team role Contribution Allowable weaknesses Plant Creative, imaginative, free-thinking. Generates ideas and solves difficult problems. Ignores incidentals. Too preoccupied to communicate effectively. Resource investigator Outgoing, enthusiastic, communicative. Explores opportunities and develops contacts. Over-optimistic. Loses interest once initial enthusiasm has passed. Co-ordinator Mature, confident,  identifies talent. Clarifies goals. Delegates effectively. Can be seen as manipulative. Offloads own share of the work. Shaper Challenging, dynamic. Thrives on pressure. Has the drive and courage to overcome obstacles. Prone to provocation. Offends people’s feelings. Monitor evaluator Sober, strategic and discerning. Sees all options and judges accurately. Lacks drive and ability to inspire others. Can be overly critical. Teamworker Co-operative, perceptive and diplomatic. Listens and averts friction. Indecisive in crunch situations. Avoids confrontation. Implementer Practical, reliable efficient. Turns ideas into actions and organises work that needs to be done. Somewhat inflexible. Slow to respond to new possibilities. Completer finisher Painstaking, conscientous, anxious. Searches out errors. Polishes and perfects. Inclined to worry unduly. Reluctant to delegate. Specialist Single-minded, self-starting, dedicated. Provides knowledge and skills in rare supply. Contributes only on a narrow front. Dwells on technicalities. Source: Belbin Team Roles, PrePearl Training Development These team roles are suggested to be most effective in the following project stages: Identify goals Shaper Co-ordinator Ideas Plant Resource investigator Plans Monitor evaluator Specialist Contacts Resource investigator Teamworker Organisation Implementer Co-ordinator Follow through Completer finisher Implementer Source: How to… Build Lean Belbin Teams  Team skill sets It is clear that the characteristics, experience and skills of individual team members are indicators of overall team performance and success. Selecting appropriate team members is key, ensuring that they can: commit to shared goals; listen effectively; respond to others positively; take on different roles at the right times; be open and honest; and avoid hidden agendas which are not helpful to achieving the shared goals. Teams also need strong and positive leadership, to: create supportive and open environments in which all team members can succeed; promote a blame-free culture; encourage trust and transparency; strengthen shared goals and visions; develop a plan to define and allocate clear tasks; encourage team members to work together; reinforce the importance to team members of being accountable for their own tasks; share success with the entire team; and provide feedback to team members. Building blocks for success Regular team meetings are essential for success, promoting information sharing, decision making and allocation of work. This is likely to have been made difficult during Covid-19, with many teams working remotely from home without any face-to-face contact. Ways to promote good teamworking in remote teams include: setting clear objectives to ensure team members feel part of the team; having regular video meetings, with time for building team rapport and connections; and ensuring communication approaches are tailored to the individual team members’ needs. Meetings should be chaired effectively, to ensure that key action points on an agenda are covered, time is used efficiently and action points are recorded and followed up. Meetings should encourage participation and collaboration, ensuring team members are respected and their views heard. The Constructing Excellence Effective Teamwork best practice guide includes a helpful matrix for surveyors to use in their work. This helps teams to consider best practice and assess their performance and style of working against it. Commercial property surveyors will often find they are asked about areas outside their scope of practice or remit. The key question is, therefore, how to deal with these requests. Only by working in wider teams can surveyors address these issues and advise their clients diligently. This could be by recommending specialist advice or further investigations. Surveyors need to know who to ask and how their role fits within the wider property lifecycle. The RIBA Plan of Work 2020 provides a design and process management tool for construction projects. It defines the outcomes of the project team at each stage of the process, which can help to define the team members who are most appropriate to advise on the tasks at hand. Wider construction and property team members include: project manager, client representative, cost consultant, contract administrator, information manager, health and safety adviser, sustainability adviser, legal adviser, financial adviser, funder’s representative, designer, engineer, specialist consultant, contractor, planner, building control surveyor, and commercial property (or other sector) surveyors. Commercial property surveyors should be involved in all stages of the RIBA Plan of Work. For example: Stage 0: Strategic definition – helping to develop the business case, site: appraisals and scheme to be built out. Stages 2 to 4: Concept design, spatial coordination and technical design – advising on the specific requirements of the scheme, eg unit size for office suites or overall workspace requirements. Stage 6: Handover – involvement in the handover and commissioning of a new building, including recording and monitoring asset information. Stage 7: Use – involvement in facilities, property and asset management, including new lettings, rent reviews, rent collection and service charge apportionment, for example. A key part of being a competent surveyor is to advise within your scope of knowledge, skills and experience. Having a wider team of professionals is essential to being able to advise clients diligently, ensuring that anything outside of your remit is dealt with by the appropriate professional. Knowing which professional to liaise with is important and building your network of contacts will help with this. If in doubt, however, always speak to your line manager or supervisor and they will be able to point you in the right direction. The Constructing Excellence Effective Teamwork best practice guide Levels Team identity Shared vision Communication Collaboration or participation Issue negotiation and resolution Reflection and self-assessment Level 4 The team takes ownership of the problem and accepts joint responsibility for its achievement The team has a shared vision and set of objectives, developed collaboratively and regularly reviewed Team members actively and openly share their knowledge and ideas around the whole team Familiarity, honesty, mutual trust and full participation harness the collective expertise of the team Divergent views are welcomed as a source of energy and a spur to the team’s creative problem-solving The team regularly reviews members’ roles and their impact on the team and acts on the outcome Level 3 The team recognises that its members have individual and team goals and tasks are framed accordingly The team has developed for itself both a shared vision and clear objectives Team members communicate information and knowledge freely around the team All members are given opportunities to contribute and build on suggestions from others Sources of disagreement are addressed openly and resolved head-on through constructive negotiation The effect on the team of each member’s different roles and responsibilities is clearly recognised and discussed Level 2 The focus of the team is on the tasks that individual members need to solve The whole team is working to a set of common objectives Team members communicate information when others need it The team seeks ideas, proposals and solutions from all its members Team members are prepared to explain their underlying assumptions and negotiate options Different roles and responsibilities are discussed from time to time Level 1 Team members take limited interest in issues that lie outside their own immediate area of responsibility Members of the team are clear about their own objectives but the team has no shared vision Individuals are protective of their own information and share it reluctantly in response to  specific requests Team members prefer to work alone and give more priority to their own concerns than to those of the team Contentious issues are skated over or avoided completely; conflict is dealt with only superficially The team acknowledges its members have several roles and responsibilities but they are not reviewed Level 0 Team members concern themselves only with their own responsibilities Team members, both individually and collectively, lack a common vision and clear objectives Information is passed to team members strictly on a ‘need to know’ basis Insularity, lack of trust or power struggles reduce participation and collaboration Conflicting opinions remain unaddressed and consequently slow progress The team places no value on considering and negotiating how they work together Professional guidance alert RICS Guidance Note – Asbestos: Legal Requirements and Best Practice for Property Professionals and Clients, 4th edition  RICS’ response to the Fire Safety Act 2021  Latest RICS Covid-19 guidance Further reading Constructing Excellence, Effective Teamwork – A best practice guide for the construction industry RIBA Plan of Work 2020  Jen Lemen BSc (Hons) FRICS is a partner at Property Elite Photo: Pexels