Team Processes and Factors Affecting Team Effectiveness - Essay Example

Title: individual reflection Student name: Student ID: Institution: Date: 23/05/2013 Introduction Reflection for the learner should start by examination of individual’s feelings, identifying areas that need to be developed and the ways to develop them. Reflection can also be used as a structure for critical thinking, improve the understanding that exists and promote autonomous as well as deep learning (Biggs 1999). The team is characterized by cohesiveness, productivity and efficiency. The cohesiveness of the team is where the members work together in cooperation sharing goals; the team’s productivity is seen when members come up with ways of resolving conflicts even after disagreements while efficiency is seen by the team avoid domination by the most verbal people and rather concentrate on the individual members’ skills and interests (Salas, Dickinson, Converse & Tannenbaum 1992). Learning to work towards making the team effective is a difficult task altogether. Teams develop through a four-stage model as demonstrated by Tuckman Bruce (Klein 2009). These are forming, storming, norming and performing. Forming stage is where the members are introduced and transformed from a group of individuals to a team. Storming phase is where the team members grow more confident and conflicts start arising as they all have different opinions. As the team comes up with a method of operation and agrees on differences among its members, it enters the norming phase. Finally the team reaches the performing stage where the team focuses on achievement of their goals rather than working on the team process (Tannenbaum, Beard & Salas 1992). Reflection as a structure for learning Reflective writing in learning is done as an assignment in many subjects and also in group projects like in this case. The basic stages in reflection irrespective of the subject are description, feelings and analysis, theory and action. In cases which are more formal it is advisable to use a model to illustrate the idea. Learning about professional conduct requires a particular flexibility of mind and range of responses. Schön (1983) refers to the uncertainty, uniqueness and conflict inherent in professional practice. The team The team was located in different locations i.e. the BM Inc office, the BVC office and the SCG office which brought complications since the overall manager was be located in one of the offices and did not have the experience of managing a team which is in not in the same location. The team also had limited opportunities to interact socially and work together since there was little time set for the deadline of project completion. This limited time also contributed to the team members having no time to resolve conflicts. Lack of introduction among the team members also shows that there is poor relationship in the team, especially relationship between the management and the teams. Clash of cultures among the different members also play a role in the way the team interaction is poor. The team leaders suggest the way forward to improving the relationship among the members would be planning for a workshop whereby they discuss the project in details and the business activities to be undertaken. The team effectiveness A team can improve on its effectiveness by focusing on improving their performance on key major areas which include: goals, roles, procedures, relationships and leadership (Katzenbach & Smith 1993). Goals are what the team is aiming at achieving, roles are the part played by each member of the team, procedures are the methods that assist the team in working together, relationships is how they get along with each other while leadership is the act of each member in supporting the team towards achieving results. Fig 1: Team effectiveness model Source: Author Factors affecting team effectiveness To come up with an effective team, the group has to first consider the factors that enhance team effectiveness. Creating a productive environment sets the pace for positive results in the team. Focusing on Goals A team is driven by a common goal. In order to have an effective team, that common goal needs to be spelled out in advance and understood by team members. What will help the team to achieve success is focusing on the team goals. For everyone to see and understand what the objectives of the team are, it is good to put the goals in writing. This will also help to work toward accomplishing them (Peterson, Mitchell, Thompson & Burr 2000). The team was ineffective in the sense that first; they were located in three different offices which affected coordination. There were limited opportunities for the team to work together and limited time to connect with one another socially. This was contributed by everyone rushing to meet the deadline of the project which means that there was inefficient time allocation. Communication When developing an effective team, communication is a very critical factor. Communication happens on two levels: communication between team members and communication from management to the team. It is important to encourage open communication among members of the team so they can learn how each other pass information both informally and formally/professionally. This should also occur outside the office or working environment. The managers should also hold meetings regularly with the teams to keep them updated of any new and important information and also give them guidance. These are the materials a team needs from management and the company to be effective (Peterson et al 2000). Communication from the lead consultant to the team members was also not very good. This should be looked into carefully to avoid disappointments from the individual members of the team. Deal With Conflict A conflict should be dealt with immediately it arises within the team to make it effective. Conflicts lead to a team deviating away from its goals and objectives. Proper communication should be used when dealing with conflicts so as to avoid disappointments (Peterson et al 2000). Time was not managed effectively since there was no time, or little if any was left out to solve conflicts in the team. Interaction among the different entities constituting the team was also very poor. Team processes The team has the autonomy to make important decisions concerning its team processes (Katzenbach & Smith 1993). Team motivation is a critical team process which helps teams to exert the necessary effort to complete tasks that have been assigned to them (Zaccaro, Rittman & Marks 2001). Team socialization as a team process helps the team to be cohesive to perform well and be committed to the team’s objectives. Team cognition represents use of information within teams as well as the acquisition, storage and manipulation of the information (Klein 2009). Other team processes are communication, problem solving skills and the ability to make decisions (Klein 2009). It will be important to analyze the following in communication: who are the most frequent members in the team in terms of communicating and what is the effect in participation; the least members in communication and the effect in their lack of participation and how is the difference handled. In decision making of the team, it will be critical for it to analyze: the team ability to follow the key steps in decision making which are identification of the problem, analysis of the problem, proposing & evaluating possible solutions and implementation; how many people participate in decision making; does the team use majority rule to come up with consensus and how are the minority’s opinions incorporated in decision making. Conclusion Teams do not become effective overnight; building them and making them effective is a process and all the stages should be followed to avoid risking forming the solid foundation of the teams. Other important factors that affect the effectiveness of a team are the way that team was oriented and development of the team charter. When all members know their roles and what is expected of them then this will maximize on their productivity. To improve the performance of the team, information or feedback on the assessment should be given to individuals as well as overall team performance. Team members and leaders should take it upon themselves to understand the basics of conflict management and also learn more about different styles and ways of thinking and working (Salas, Dickinson, Converse & Tannebaum 1992). Compensation is a factor that should not be ignored since a team works well when the members understand what they will be compensated for their efforts. The organization should note that it will be best to come up with a compensation plan before assembling the team. The team leads to maximum productivity when the team members feel they are being compensated and compensated fairly (Peterson et al 2000). References Biggs, J 1999, Teaching for quality learning at university (Buckingham: Open University Press). Katzenbach J R & Smith D K 1993, The wisdom of teams Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Klein, J 2009, Team processes: lecture 4. Retrieved from http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of-management/15-317-organizational-leadership-and-change-summer-2009/parti/lectures/MIT15_317SUM09_lec04.pdf, on 23/05/2013. Peterson, E, Mitchell T R, Thompson, L & Burr, R 2000, Collective efficacy and aspects of shared mental models as predictors of performance over time in work groups. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 3, 296-316. Salas, E, Dickinson, T L, Converse, S A & Tannebaum, S I, 1992, Toward an understanding of team performance and training. In R. W. Swezey & E. Salas (Eds.), Teams: Their training and performance (pp. 3-29). Norwood, NJ: Ablex. Schön, D 1983, The reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action (Boston: Arena Publishing). Tannenbaum, Beard & Salas 1992, Team building and its influence on team effectiveness: An examination of conceptual and empirical developments. Zaccaro, S J, Rittman, A L & Marks, M 2001, Team leadership. Leadership Quarterly, 12, 451-483. Read More