Teams, Teamwork and Performance
Maximizing profits and minimizing costs has been the key of every organization, and achieving this goal can be aided by the implementation of teams. Teamwork is everywhere. The number of organizations using teamwork is increasing. The team phenomenon has heightened our need to better understand what makes these groups more or less effective (Miller, 2003). Effective teams can provide many advantages in organizations, and all of the contributions of teams lead to stronger competitive advantages and higher overall organizational performance. In this overview of teamwork, I will apply my university group project example to describe the type and the characteristics of the team that I have been involved with, and to illustrate the five stages of team development. In addition, the team cohesiveness will be analyzed and at the end my overall experience in this teamwork will be narrated.
Organizations use many types of teams to achieve the advantages. There are many types of teams documented in the literature. Huszczo (1990), for example, mentions committees, task forces, quality circles, employee participation groups, joint union management teams, action committees, project teams, supervisory councils and autonomous or self-directed work teams. Teams of this kind are set up with a specific objective in mind and they meet periodically to discuss a pre-determined agenda. As a consequence, the conduct and behavior of such team meetings are focused and
It is essential to have teamwork within a company. Companies who have embraced the concept of teamwork have reported increased performance in work production, problem solving and it has stimulated new growth. This group project approach has improved employee morale and increased input when managed correctly. The benefits of teamwork can make a positive effect in the company that incorporates this type of teamwork approach.
Teams are an integral component of organizational success. They take on many forms and functions and can have various structures. Teams also conduct a wide variety of projects with goals of innovation or mitigation. An example, from my experience, of a project that required the execution from a team was the establishment of a finished goods inventory program within a paper manufacturing company. A project of this magnitude required that a diverse and multifaceted team be assembled.
Executives refer to business as a team sport for a variety of reasons. First, many business organizational structures arrange departments either in cross specialty teams or task oriented teams based on operational design and expected outcomes. These teams are designed with members who are assigned roles that increase overall team productivity. The team members bring talents, knowledge and a skill set that uniquely contributes to collective intelligence and resourcefulness. Through collaboration and team work, Successful teams achieve synergy, or “exceeds the sum of each individual’s contribution”.
Ivancevich, Konopaske and Matteson (2008) mirror these views by holding on to the concept that the use of team work in the organization forcefully follows the structured schema of identifying true leaders within the organizational structure, facilitating the emotional commitment of such leaders and evaluating the progress of the teams by using a mix of people from different levels and departments in the organization. The efficiency of the coalition leads to improved performance for both short term and long-term goals.
Teams exist because of the productivity of the whole team is greater than that which can be achieved by the individual contributions of its members. Establishing the team’s purpose, its role and responsibilities is key to achieving the development of a real team as everyone identifies their purpose within the group known and each individual becomes accountable for their contribution to the productivity of the team. Team members usually have complementary skills that the team leverage, creating synergy by maximising an individual’s strengths and minimising the impact of weakness.
During the course of her two journey as a fellow student part of the Management and Leadership (Healthcare Concentration) Bachelor of Arts program, Ms. Sams has truly demonstrated how the role of teamwork relates; to team members working together to strategically develop and accomplish a shared goal amongst themselves. Indisputably, strategically developing and accomplishing a team’s shared goal is sometimes the most difficult responsibilities presented to a team. However, strategically developing and accomplishing a team’s shared goal is not an impossible responsibility to accomplish. From experience, Ms. Sams participated in countless number of team projects during her two-year educational journey at Judson University. Reaping the benefits
After reading The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Pat Lencioni, discussing the function of effective teams in class, and completing various team building exercises, I have developed a much better understanding of the importance of a proper team in a business setting and how good team work can produce more efficient and productive results.
For an organization to achieve its set strategic goals, there are several aspects of human resources that cannot be ignored. One of them is teamwork. Teamwork is imperative for organizations because it brings about efficient and fast accomplishment of tasks as compared to individual project handling (Sims & Sauser, 2013). Employees are able to share ideas while at the same time reducing their individual workload which keeps them energetic and motivated as a consequence. In teams, the pressure on every employee is significantly reduced which makes them more productive in the accomplishment of the roles that have been assigned to them (Sims & Sauser, 2013). This research paper highlights the methods that can be used by organizations to manage
The assessment of a high performing team has come to pass and acknowledged. The leadership responsibility develops progressively into work that is conducted remotely, traditional company boundaries are becoming more permeable and collaborations are essential. Developing a team remains as challenge. Enthusiastic, striving, and proficient individuals are always an advantage, but they often signify different purposes, products, and can compete for influence, resources, and advancement. Katzenbach and Smith identify three types of teams. These teams consist of task forces or project groups. Slide 10-3 illustrates their components and functions. Katzenbach and Smith use a triangle to categorize the basics of teams: performance results, personal growth, and collective work. The outer perimeter focuses on skills, accountability and commitment (Barrett, D., 2014). Substantial performance encounters motivate teams unrelatedly of where they are in an organization. However, teams cannot arise s without a routine challenges that is significant to those engaged. Teams that work towards the goals and objectives of a project will encounter different undertakings as part of the action process. To improve communication and involvement, teams use methods that are intended to inspire teamwork, such as outcome-oriented meetings and regular clusters. Teams correspondingly analyze data to make guarantee improvement exertions
The use of teams can be an excellent method to accomplish tasks, goals, and mission. However, a team development strategy must be established to ensure the team is effective and potential issues are addressed. Team leadership is critical in the development, training, monitoring, and success of teams. Teams require training and attention in order to be successful (Cottrill, 1997). In issue six of the DPU case study, the CEO will make the use teams to improve the quality of manufacturing production (Schoology, 2016). The use of small, six person teams will ensure the teams will be productive and engaged. The first step to take when establishing new teams is to identify the issues and concerns of team development.
This scholarly paper will explore common concepts relating to teams in general, and how ...[ view ] - Effective Team Communication - Effective Team Communication In the environment today, it is not unusual to see people working in teams to accomplish certain goals and tasks. During our youth, parents and teachers encourage us thr...[ view ] Essay Color Key High Performance Teamwork 0 Tweet 0
Groups and teamwork are an essential aspect of everyday life. It is suggested that “groups have the potential to outperform individuals” (Mottola & Utkus, 2009). There are several facets that impact teamwork, including communication, and cooperation. Conflicts and challenges are also important aspects that can occur in teamwork. It is imperative to understand effective models, and actions that can be taken to establish successful work. Experiential learning will be used to analyze a group experience that the author found to be meaningful. Additionally, team dynamic concepts and theories will aid in analyzing the experience.
The team working is an important concept of the society wherein few people work together towards a common goal. In American culture, working in teams often considered contrary. Marvin Weisbord, author and organizational development expert, mentioned that, “Teamwork is the quintessential contradiction of a society grounded in individual achievement.” Still building, leading and organizing successful teams considered as a critical leadership task. It is always challenging to have people work together closely to achieve specific tasks in any team environment.
The following pages focus on presenting the performance of teams and some of the factors that influence them. The Introduction describes important issues about teams and their development. The Task 1 section describes the relationship between different steps of this process and performance, and the relationship between different roles played by team members and the performance of the team. The Task 2 section describes the importance of emotional intelligence on team performance. The Task 3 section addresses the issue of interpersonal skills and their influence on teams. The Conclusions section presents some of the most important issues addressed by this paper.
A team is a group of people working together to achieve the same objectives. Katzenbach and Smith state in their report The Discipline of Teams (1993) that ‘the essence of a team is common commitment. Without it, groups perform as individuals; with it, they become a powerful unit of collective performance.’ Throughout this study, I will analyse the many different advantages and disadvantages of working in teams and its effects on team members and their performance and commitment within the team. I will consider many different aspects of team work and refer to certain established theories in