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Question
Assignment: Research and prepare a paper that addresses the following questions. Cite your sources. “Make sure you don’t use any Wikibidia/ unknown sources.”
Key Questions to Answer:
What is Team Effectiveness?
When a Team is operating effectively – what is the evidence of that effectiveness?
What are the characteristics of an effective team?
What are the characteristics of an ineffective team?
When a new team of people who have not worked together before is put in place what must each team member do to build team effectiveness?
When discussions among team members breaks down, there is lack of clarity in communications, or some members are highly emotional, or in some way conflict develops among team members, what should the team leader do? What should all team members do?
What must a team do to build a highly effective team? What role does the leader play in this situation? What role does each team member play?
What behaviors are most effective in building a strong effective team?
What behaviors work against building an effective team?
What behaviors do you sometimes demonstrate that work to build team effectiveness?
What behaviors do you sometimes demonstrate that works against team effectiveness?
Later in our semester, each student will be part of a Course Project Team? What specifically will you do to assure your team is a highly effective team and one that produces high quality course project results? (HRM Homework)
Answer
Team Effectiveness
A team is defined as a collective entity whose members come together with the aim of carrying out an organization’s tasks, sharing common goals, engaging socially, performing interlinked tasks, and generally working in accordance with the organization’s operational guidelines (Mathieu 411). Team effectiveness refers to the capacity that a team has to accomplish its assigned goals and objectives and to meet the organization’s rationale for existence (Janz, Colquitt and Noe 880). It plays an important role in terms of ensuring harmony, creating good working relations among the members and with other players in the organization and, most importantly, ensuring that a team achieves that which it was set out to do. This paper seeks to discuss the notion of team effectiveness, the characteristics of an effective team and various factors that may enhance or hinder a team’s level of effectiveness. (HRM Homework)
A team is said to be operating effectively when there is good communication among the members, each member knows his/her roles are held in equal regard and there is both support among the team members and trust in their leader (Durham, Knight, and Locke 210). The main characteristics of an effective team include regular review of goals and objectives, the presence of a strong, dedicated leader and persistent reliance on appropriate conflict resolution techniques. On the contrary, an ineffective team lacks purpose. Members do not know their roles or the goals the team is meant to accomplish. A lot of negativity tends to characterize such team, with members making negative remarks about their colleagues as well as the organization at large. Moreover, an ineffective team also has high turnover rates, with members joining and leaving at will due to lack of ownership. In order to enhance team effectiveness, members should develop trust for one another, communicate effectively and seek to solve conflicts peacefully and amicably.
When a conflict arises in a team, as is the norm, the team leader should make sure each team member involved has a chance to explain the problem as he/she sees it, establish clear ground rules so that people can have their say without being interrupted and also encourage employees to solve problems themselves whenever they can. The members should try to remain calm in conflict situations and always keep in mind that they are working for the ultimate good of the organizations as opposed to personal agendas (Mathieu 425). Besides, in order to build a highly effective team, the team leader must clarify the common goals and purposes as well as everyone’s role in the team. He/she should also work towards solving conflicts, encouraging members to interact positively and offering appraisals and rewards to the members. The team members also have a role to play in fostering team effectiveness by understanding their individual roles, communicating well with other members and mutually cooperating in order to achieve the team’s set objectives.
Meanwhile, some behaviors may either hinder the building of a strong effective team. While others can facilitate it. Firstly, the behaviors that help to build a highly effective team include positivity, openness and willingness to share information, thoughts and emotions as well as “teachability” on the part of both the members and the team leader (Janz, Colquitt and Noe 901). Conversely, the main behaviors that work against the building of such a team include negativity of the members, lateness and absenteeism as well as high levels of grievances and conflicts. Personally, the behaviors that I exhibit that may help to build an effective team include openness, transparency, readiness to share information, I am also an excellent communicator. However, I also tend to project behavior that may potentially work against team effectiveness. For example, I may sometimes be very rigid in terms of ensuring that my viewpoint is adopted by the entire team. Besides, more often than not, I prefer to handle tasks individually and work to my own specifications. These traits may greatly hinder the effectiveness of a team. As member of the Course Project Team I plan to seek every member’s views in all issues we will be discussing before expressing my own. Later, I will endeavor to contribute towards helping members finding common ground to ensure that high quality course project results are produced through every member’s meaningful contribution.
In conclusion, when a team is operating in harmony, the results and output generated tend to demonstrate effectiveness. In contrast, ineffectiveness arises due to failure by members to meet set goals and objectives. For a team to set off on a positive note, members and leaders alike should be ready to accommodate each other’s views. Conflicts and arguments should be resolved peacefully and amicably keeping in mind the divergent views of all the parties involved. Thus, effective teams are those that achieve their goals and objectives, generate positive output and are able to contribute meaningfully to the organization’s objectives.
Works Cited
Durham, Cathy C., Knight, Don and Locke, Edwin A. “Effects of Leader Role, Team-Set Goal Difficulty, Efficacy, and Tactics on Team Effectiveness.” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 72.2 (1997): 203-231.
Janz, Brian D., Colquitt, Jason A. and Noe, Raymond A. “Knowledge Worker Team Effectiveness: The Role of Autonomy, Interdependence, Team Development, and Contextual Support Variables.” Personnel psychology, 50.4 (1997): 877-904.
Mathieu, John. “Team effectiveness 1997-2007: A Review of Recent Advancements and a Glimpse into the Future.” Journal of management, 34.3 (2008): 410-476.
