Team Dynamics and Team-Based Learning - Essay Example

TEAM DYNAMICS of Phoenix GEN300 Phillip Auld, February 19, 2007 Team Dynamics A group is as good as a single player or an individual within it. This is so very true when we speak of the manner in which groups and teams are being made and dealt with these days. There have been many a number of individuals who have had exceptional talents, both in the field of sports as well as a number of other arenas of life. These people have ascended on the ladder of success with sheer hard work and commitment, which in its essence, is the key to attain and achieve success and fame. There have been great players, leaders and trendsetters amongst these who can be bracketed alongside the very best. One needs to understand what challenges they had to go through before the world understood their might and leadership ways were appreciated left, right and center. For a group to become a high performance team, it needs to set ethics in place first and then go about implementing the same at all stages of the assignment or the task at hand. For this to happen, each one of the group members should be accountable to the whole clan as well as be asked to come clear in front of everyone over an issue or matter. Team performance eventually rises if the whole group works as a coherent unit and does not stray from the set path of action. The charter for the whole group needs to be set in place before they think of start working together, as well. The impact of demographic diversities in a group means that more efforts are needed to be put in place so that each of the group members knows what his or her duty is and whether this person is communicated about the roles that are asked of him or her, both in the short term as well as the long run. Moreover, demographic changes mean that the leader has to focus more on a particular set of people or at times, the ones who are not very easy going along with the whole group. Hard work and commitment thus form the key in this whole equation of getting the best out of even the ordinary of people in the group. Similarly, we find out that cultural diversity can pose a number of problems for the group members but it is the duty of the leader of the group to make the group members hailing from different cultures to feel comfortable within the group and contribute to the best capacity they can, both as an individual and in the form of a group as a whole. At different stages of one’s career, an individual has to exhibit certain set of skills and qualities, which make him, stand out like nobody else. He has to portray the best of his character and bring out what is not present in the rest of the populace. He has to lead by example, a thing which people of present times usually lack and which is not that easily found in our society. It is extinct to say the least. Leadership qualities are not inborn or inherent, they have to be developed with the passage of time and one needs to comprehend the fact that it requires strenuous exercise and a certain set of power that is needed by the man of courage, determination and dedication. Leadership qualities require that the leader gets the best out of the group members no matter how hard and trying the circumstances are. The odds might be tough at times but it is the leader’s tact and sheer discipline that can turn the tides in the favor of the group rather than the other side. However the role of a team leader cannot be denied its due place in the related context of things nonetheless. A company or an organization needs sound management framework at its top so that the staff and the employees working at different levels feel at ease with the job as well as the working environment. This indeed is very important as it builds long-term credibility of the organization that it cares about its employees and not just the customers and in cases profits and revenues only. A formal organization takes into account the role of leadership at the top and the manner in which this leadership is basically carried about, both in the interests of the people within the company as well as the company itself so that the end result is one on which everyone solemnly agree, that is to make the company thrive from a revenue-generating angle and image building aspect in the long run. Thus it is also pertinent that the top management inculcates the subject of working in team rather than being loner in different projects so that the end result is a clear manifestation of the people with their respective whole hearted efforts and dedication levels exceeding what was expected of them in the first place. Top management needs to understand its due role here and advise all and sundry as to how the employees should work as teams and bring about the best result possible. For this to happen, the firm must make sure the reservations of the teams be met beforehand and they are shown encouragement and given support whenever need be or at times when the need is not that much. The idea is to be proactive and taking the lead than being reactive, after a problem has occurred and the solution is being found. The informal structure of an organization lays the foundation for the formal hierarchy, as people are more easily able to relate to each other as well as to the company for which they are working day in day out. This informal structure builds a sense of trust and belonging within the people and they can easily contribute to the single basic benefit on which the company has housed its attention upon, either to earn benefits at an exorbitant rate or to satisfy the customers/consumers with no holds barred. The grapevine can really build the basis for the formal structure and becomes quite a factor in the final analysis. A group needs to be a single whole to perform in the best manner possible and it is only possible when the group members realize their attachment and involvement with the group. Without the same, there would be anarchy and chaos which cannot be the cornerstone of any group at all. It needs to be emphasized here that the success of a group is the success of each and every individual who worked hard and toiled for it to achieve in the first place and vice versa. Rather than pinpointing the weaknesses of certain group members, focus should be more on exploiting the strengths and hitting on the areas where potential opportunities can come out from, within an individual who is a part of a group. This will definitely increase the chances of better team performance and positive results. In the end, one must realize that a group is better than an individual working in his own capacity. This group can bring forward much better results as compared to the individuals working alone. All said and done, it is the commitment level of the group that makes the notion of team dynamics such an easy and viable option in the whole ball game of working for the attainment of results in an effective and efficient manner. BIBLIOGRAPHY Sanna, Lawrence J. & Parks, Craig D. (1999) Group Performance and Interaction. Westview Press Fink, L Dee. (2002) Team-Based Learning: A Transformative Use of Small Groups. Praeger Sachs, Michael L. (2002) Is “TEAM” a Four-Letter Word? USA Today Vol. 130 Michaelsen, Larry K. (2002). Team-Based Learning: A Transformative Use of Small Groups. Praeger Bonner, Hubert. (1959). Group Dynamics Principles and Application. Ronald Press Word Count: 1,260 Read More