Building Effective Team - Essay Example

Building Effective Team The term team effectiveness denotes the ability of a group of individuals working together in order to attain aims and objectives of an organization (Daft 303). A team is said to be effective if it is successfully attaining and accomplishing tasks assigned to them. An effective team is one which has competent members who work with each other in harmony and have mutually shared trust between the members. Teams are ineffective if the members do not trust each other and the leader; members work for their self interest over the interest of the team and have members who are free riders (McKenna 336).

While forming a team out of group members that have never worked with each other different team members have to play different roles. The leader needs to provide direction, assign responsibilities and communicate effectively and efficiently. The members need to develop healthy relationships and avoid power and political tactics. They need to trust each other and work closely with each other while spending some time in different entertaining activities with each other as this will further strengthen their relationships.

In order to sort out conflicts that arise between team members, leaders have to play a major role. The leader first needs to realize and accept that a conflict is taking place. Then he/she should call a meeting between team members. In this team meeting he should give every members of the conflict to provide their side of the story. This will help parties in understanding the issues from each other’s point of view. Then the leader needs to allow the members to find solutions and identify a solution that is in the best interest of the entire team and implement th­e solution to solve the conflict.

­ Bruce Tuckman has provided a stage wise plan for building effective teams and has outlined different activities that leaders and members need to perform to develop such teams (Schneider 17). Tuckman states that in order to develop effective teams leaders need to provide guidance, assign roles and responsibly and delegate authority. While the members need to build relationships with each others, develop hardworking attitudes and believe in the aims and objectives of the leader and the organization.

In order to develop effective team’s leaders need to lead by example and delegate power and responsibility, while the members need to trust each other and work hard and refrain from political tactics. Ineffective teams are developed when leaders do not trust their members, and members try to overpower other members and form groups within the team. While developing effective teams I tend to allow my team members in decision making and take their input in solving problems. I allow them to contribute and meet other member that helps them in understanding each other and minimizing misunderstandings.

In my experience I have seen that team’s breakup when I don’t trust my members and try to micro manage. In order to deliver high quality projects with my team, I will first make arrangements for team meetings. Make members of the team know each other and take every member’s insight in working on the project. This will help in developing various solutions to the projects and members will work together to attain the ultimate objective of successfully delivering the project.Works CitedDaft, Richard L, and Patricia G Lane.

The Leadership Experience. 1st ed. Mason, OH: Thomson/South-Western, 2008. Print.McKenna, Eugene F. Business Psychology And Organisational Behaviour. 1st ed. East Sussex, BN3: Psychology Press, 2000. Print.Schneider, Mitch. Automotive Service Management Series. 1st ed. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Learning, 2003. Print.