Setting up Successful Teams - Essay Example

Teamwork Setting up successful teams is a prerogative of any organization and in the business world of present times; it is very much a need rather than a desire. The businesses have changed so as to create more room for teams than individual working ethos. This has given space to more facilitation within the working environments of teams since they bring combined efforts and usage of more brains than a singular person. The factors that stand important in the wake of successful teams include a commitment towards common goals and a simplistic and solitary objective which must be kept in mind at all times. (Fink, 2002) These factors underline the basis of the teams performing a singular whole than disjointed units within the framework of the organization or the group that they are working under. A leader would guarantee that the team members remain on their toes and are up and ready in order to outperform each other so that the end result is one which will make the team stand out as a whole. The objectives of the team are more quintessential than the individual members and this is one aspect that the leader brings with him whilst formulating a high performance team. People selection and recruitment stands as a very essential step of the formulation of teams since right kind of people must be geared up to the task and it is a must to check the kind of motivation that these team members have at the very moment and whether or not the same would remain like that within the future. (Opie, 2000) Thus these factors are deemed as very important whilst getting the people under an umbrella which would actually see that the teams would get the right kind of members within their hold and this is important since it will decide how the team would actually perform within the future and in the long run. An example of leadership lies in the form of Bill Gates. Bill Gates’ leadership and management style was aggressive in the sheer sense. His contemporaries appreciated his style and they liked the fact that such a visionary was amongst their clan. His aggressive style of leadership was openly defended by him and he left no stone unturned to make a point through his strategic moves and actions. He consistently met Microsoft’s senior managers and program managers. His management and executive role however made him a stern and tough professional at the end of the day. The team members need to have solace and comfort in their personal lives in order to have a more professional relationship and work ethics with the remaining team members as well as the groups with which these people work alongside. A successful team is always on the move since it wants to achieve the best in terms of results, end processes and activities. (Bonner, 1959) Successful teams always look at recruiting the best possible staff within their folds since they give in their best in terms of work ethics and team rules. The external factors which play a significant role in turning ordinary collection of people into high performing teams and maintaining the same at a single position demands consistency in efforts and thus the steps must be in line with keeping their motivation levels at the top. This collection of people should be explored in a complete manner so that their basis examines the quality which is comprised within them. The environmental factors imply that a lot of importance comes from the ranks of the societal and external elements which shape up the formation of the teams in the first place. These external elements could be in the form of their interaction with people outside of the group as well as those with which they interact on a regular, day to day basis. Now it is up to the mannerisms which these other people employ that the team members shape up their attitudes and commitment levels. An example of cooperation between team members is apparent when the team is comprised of individuals who hail from different ethnic diversities. They face difficulties in understanding the work styles of each other and hence make an effort to comprehend what the other team member feels about a particular situation at hand. Cooperation is required because this will enable growth levels for all and sundry as well as rekindle the kind of spirit which is missing within the organizational ranks on a consistent basis. A successful team can become a losing one if there is less motivation within the ranks and the team members experience animosity amongst each other. There would be a lack of unity and cohesion amongst them and the end result would be such that their team composition would get seriously affected as a result of the same. The external factors that play a significant part in such circumstances include the interference of other teams or groups within the matters of this team as well as adhering to external advice and/or suggestions from all quarters which could run riot with the whole formation of the team as a result. (varma, 1998) A newly set-up team needs to have top leadership which is not only accepted by everyone but also respected in the truest sense of the word. This would mean that the leadership would have its due say in the scheme of problems, worries and tensions that arise in a team every now and then and which is a general exercise in any team that is formed in an organization all round the globe. Thus the support basis of a newly constituted team would ask for a leader who would instill the right kind of attitude and confidence within the remaining team members. (Hanlan, 2004) Then there is the need for encouragement for each other’s tasks and undertakings, not only within the team members but also the same coming in from outside the team composition. This means that the support is based on sound premise and there is evidence to the notion that a team could only work in the best manner possible if there is encouragement from all round and people are appreciative of its existence in the first place. An example of trust between team members is a situation when the team feels that one of its members reveals the inside details of any event or activity which is confidential within the domains of the team itself. The team members instead of letting everyone know about this individual try their best to make the person under question realize his mistake and thus make amends. This is so done because if this person gets caught red handed, the whole team will be blamed and hence each and every team members would have to face the brunt. It is best advised to restrain whilst revealing information about such individuals within the team realms. In the end, for a team to keep developing in the right direction, it is the need of the hour to tell the team members time and again what is expected of them as well as gain their valuable feedback so that the whole mechanisms of team composition and getting the work done through the team is made apparent and crystal clear. There must be no apprehensions within the related ranks as far as developing a team in the right direction is concerned. All said and done, a team would live up to its expectations if the resources that are needed for its eventual success are made available and if there are no hiccups in the following up of the relevant processes, activities, strategies and tactics. (Michaelsen, 2002) Bibliography BONNER, Hubert. (1959). Group Dynamics Principles and Application. Ronald Press FINK, L. Dee. (2002). Team-Based Learning: A Transformative Use of Small Groups Praeger HANLAN, Marc. (2004). High Performance Teams: How to make them Work. Praeger MICHAELSEN, Larry K. (2002). Team-Based Learning: A Transformative Use of Small Groups. Praeger OPIE, Anne. (2000). Thinking Teams, Thinking Clients: Knowledge-Based Teamwork. Columbia University Press VARMA, Arup. (1998). High Performance Work Systems: What We Know and What We Need to Know. Human Resource Planning, Vol. 21 Word Count: 1,276 Read More