Team Characteristics Paper
Joli Gracon
April 14, 2017
Grace Bible College
Team Characteristics Paper
Throughout our lives we participate in any number of team activities. We may not even realize we are part of a team, but we are! If one is married, they are half of a team; if one relies on God to help them get things done, they are a part of a team; if one work outside of the home, they are a part of a team of employees working for a “boss.” Teams are not just organizational functions, they are a part of everyone’s lives. This paper is discussing the organized team, assembled to reach a common goal. What is a balanced team? What are the characteristics of a team?
Characteristics of a Team According to the study guide
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In this team, there would be a better match between folks’ needs – in terms of what they spend their days doing – and what needs to be done for others” (pg. 1). In other words, a balanced team simply means that each team member should be uniquely skilled in the areas that would be needed in order to bring about success in completing their project. Ideally, the team members should come from all walks of life and have varying experiences and skills. Team members should have different strengths and weaknesses in order to bring balance to the team as a …show more content…
Having a balanced team means that all of the members should be qualified and have the necessary skills to complete the project. The team members should also have a variety of different experiences and skills to bring to the table. Another important element of a good team is a leader. All productive, well-balanced teams need to have direction, and that typically comes in the form of a leader who will guide the team to reaching their goals. A team with all of these traits should have little problem in completing their project
Teams are used to serve a variety of functions for organizations. According to Levi (2007), teams are comprised of people working together on a common project for which they all are accountable. They are usually part of a larger organization and the members of the team have specific knowledge, skills, and abilities about the task at hand. A successful team from the team members’ point of view is one in which the team members focus on the internal operations, the contributions of the team members and how well they all work together. A successful team, from managements’ point of
Clear responsibilities and roles, the structure of the team, job descriptions, competencies, accountabilities, resources, tools and equipment should all be provided. Problem solving, communicating, managing conflicts, tasks, planning meetings, performance evaluation, managing change and decision making should follow clear procedures ensuring effective team working. Positive relationships, mutual respect and trust, continuing support and inclusion, valuing diversity and listening to feedback can overcome challenges to effective team performance. A strong credible leader with clear expectations can also overcome challenges to an effective team.
In the article of Polzer (2003), it was stated that choosing the appropriate team members could be the trickiest part of designing a team yet it is also of great importance. For a team to work, the right mix of individual should be selected. There should be a right mix of technical and interpersonal skills between team member together with the right level of diversity, and everyone’s roles are clearly differentiated (Polzer, 2003). Team size, individual skills, diversity, defining formal roles, and formal leadership should be taken into consideration during the selection process. Team size is the “most fundamental starting point for choosing team members” (Polzer, 2003, p.7). It is not always the more, the better in this case. The leader during selection should consider the task they need to accomplish, the skills of the members, and the deadline of a task. As an example, it will be easier to relay information to five people than twelve people as it could take twice the effort in doing it. However, as mentioned earlier, it always depends on the project, task, goal, time, and the people involved.
Set limits on what members can do Teams perform better. Understand individual strengths and weaknesses Optimistic role on diversity Smaller teams are more effective Effective with just enough people to complete task Gives an option Allows to have high and low performing teams All members must share workload Delegate responsibility Allows teamwork
In our house winter is basketball season and, while I'm not a rabid fan, I do watch my fair share of games. The thing I like about basketball is that it is such a clear picture of teamwork. Only five players on the court, each responsible for both offense and defense, each with an assignment, but all that really matters is getting the shot. In the end, it's about making more shots than the other team.
Teamwork and cooperation have been part of my life from a very young age. I have played sports and been involved in clubs and community organizations throughout the last 30 years of my life. I learned early on that my success is not only defined by my personal accomplishments, but by how I am able to help those around me and my teams accomplish their goals as well.
Stable Team: It takes time for team members to learn how to get acclimated to each other. Once a certain level of comfort, trust and respect present itself, a well-constructed team can work together at a maximum efficiency
A team is not a bunch of people with job titles, but a congregation of individuals, each of whom has a role which is understood by other members. Members of a team seek out certain roles and they perform most effectively in the ones that are most natural to them.
Introduction To Teams. (n.d.). Retrieved February 17, 2009, from University of Phoenix Web site: http://www.apollolibrary.com/LTT/download/IntroductiontoTeams.pdf
In order to deliver a positive team performance, the leader has to balance the each of the three elements. In general, an effective leader normally will keep all three elements in balance and attends to all three at the same time. However, it is not easy for a leader to keep all three in balance. Sometimes, the leader has to break the balance due to different objective conditions such as time limitation, characteristics of the task, unexpected problems and etc. The following parts will analyse the two example tasks separately, which had positive outcome and negative outcome. So the differences can be easily identified to explain why it is important to maintain the balance.
A team is a group individuals with various skills and assets working together towards a common goal. The goals of the teams come in various aspects and forms that require the skills of all team members. Team building is the process of enabling ones team or group in order to reach their goals. Reaching the goal will consist of the Team’s leader involvement in the few stages of team building. Within the team building stages are sets such as clarifying the goals to the team letting them know what the main priority is. The second stage is the Identification of all of the problems that can push back the team delaying them from reaching the goals. Addressing the problems and enabling the goals to be completed. Bringing the team together is essential when building a team this includes getting along with the team and understanding one another as well as knowing their strengths and weaknesses using certain activities.
Teams are often embedded in larger organisational systems, the effectiveness of teams may depend on wider contextual factors. Conflict within the organisation such as their wider objectives may impede a team so a team must operate within the company’s boundaries. (Hackman, 2002) suggests teams do not operate in an organisational vacuum. Team effectiveness relies on supportive organisational context that reinforces a team based structure. (Hackman, 2002) argues three systems can increase the likelihood of team success. Firstly, we have the education system which offers training and technical aid to a team. Then we have the information system which provided necessary data to complete the task. Lastly is the reward system which encourages rewards to all members equally to reduce inequality.
A variety of definitions can be found in literature on the subject of teams. Teamwork has been defined by Hageman, (1995) as a way to produce permanent and constant clarifications to the crisis, collectively with people who decide together in joint decision-making. People are motivated through innovative and participatory methods in teamwork. If team members cannot be motivated sufficiently in line with the targets of growth and development, the members of the team cannot exist in an efficient and productive working environment. One of the key motivational factors is a person's sense of belonging to a group and a goal.
A team can be defined as a group of people pooling their skills, talents and knowledge. (Scholtes, Peter, 1988)
In order to build a productive and effective team for my business, I would select people from different backgrounds, skills, and talents. A diverse group will be ideal because they will excel in different areas and solve problems effectively. Each member of my team should have different traits: communicator, strategist, critical thinker, administrator, task oriented, and an innovator (https://statushero.com/blog/7-types-of-people-you-need-on-your-team/).