Effective Team and Performance Management - Essay Example

?EFFECTIVE TEAM AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT Teamwork is actually a very powerful tool in accomplishing tasks that would otherwise appear difficult and impossible to tackle. I came to realize this fact after having been engaged in a group work tasked to solve very difficult and challenging missions. My group constituted four international students from various parts of the world and who held very diverse believes and cultural practices. However, through social learning theory the team members were able to understand and appreciate each other thus the unity enjoyed (Cohen, 1993). My team was well organized and had good Briton team leader who depicted appropriate communication and leadership skills that bound and unified the team. All the members of the team were willing to work together just to make the teamwork effective and on the right channel to achieve rightful results. At the forming stage of the team, I was somewhat anxious and disturbed about the effectiveness and the possibility of the team operating in the right direction. My anxiety was due to the cultural and language barriers and diversity that had actual and true power of ruining the team. However, with the progressive development in the forming stage the members came to familiarize with each other and with the awaiting tasks (Apex Leadership Ltd). I have to confirm that the forming stage of my team was very successful considering the efforts by the team leader to ensure that every individual was aware of the overall missions of the project. The team leader also showed significant aspects of organization at the forming stage disclosing to the group members the main phases of the missions to be achieved. Furthermore, our team leader made sure that every individual group member familiarized with available resources needed to facilitate the accomplishment of the tasks. Our team leader also provided every group member with rough schedules for the project just to show time projections to ensure total accomplishment of the impending tasks. Every individual team member had to know about the team rules that would govern the performance and operation of the group. As a way of avoiding conflict of roles and responsibilities, every team member had received specific responsibility to play throughout the process of teamwork. However, the team leader made room for shift and sharing of responsibilities among team group members. The clear and functioning leadership of our group ensured that the team did not face unnecessary competition and frictions at the Tuckman storming stage of teamwork formation (Apex Leadership Ltd). In our team, the storming stage just involved focus on solutions to problems that would occur in the progress of the teamwork. There were no conflicts or competition on the leadership structure and power as every challenge was contained at the forming stage. All team members were polite and humble, and highly inclined towards listening to each other and ready to solve any emerging problems (Harris, 1996, 21). After having provided a rough draft of the time schedule to govern members on the pace at which the project would run, members restrained from time wastage. The team members who expressed high levels of cohesion and unity in the forming stage (Apex Leadership Ltd) employed the Tuckman’s norming stage of team development. At this stage, I realized that the team members had shun and disregarded any element of discrimination and prejudice that could arise based on culture, race, language and religion. All the members accepted each other and focused on the individual opinions and deliberations. Team members also expressed significant levels of trust and belief on the team leader (Dyer & Dyer 2007, 13). The team then transpired to the critical and crucial Tuckman’s stage of performing in the teamwork formation. The first exercise in the activity list of my team was the Lost on the moon discussion. At the inception of the discussion, team members seemed confused and somewhat fearful. However, our team leader being courageous and confident enough commenced by reading the basic points of focus in discussing the “Lost on the Moon”. The team leader begun by clarifying the situation at hand while trying to simplify language for she clearly understood the language barrier and difficulty non-English speakers face in speaking and understanding the language. It was after her efforts to simplify the language that the mood of the group rejuvenated for another moment. One of the team members begun by indicating that the most important item that would counter the problem was the two-pound tanks of oxygen. The group operated under the basis of democracy defined by freedom to speech and expression of ideologies. Because of this freedom, one member claimed that parachute silk would be the most important item. To this point, every members of the group seemed convinced that no other alternative item would fit in the first priority apart from two already mentioned items. Through the application of process control theory of top management teams (TMT), the group leader enquired about any other proposal but found none (Edmondson 2012, 26). . She then requested for discussion and analysis about the two items to find out, which was the most urgent. At this point, I indicated that I would prior two-pound tanks of oxygen. This was further explained with due consideration to the situation in the moon and space where oxygen is usually absent. So prioritizing oxygen would probably help the crew survive for extended period. Since the crew was supposed to leave moon to the mother ship the group entirely agreed that silk parachute would make the second most priority in the list. After ensuring that all members had accepted the list as had been developed, the team leader approved and directed efforts to the next stages. Here she again sought views from all members. First group member to reply at this stage indicted proposed self-inflating life raft for the third position. Another member pointed at magnetic compass to be set in the third position. There arose some arguments as members felt confused with the two proposed items. However, with the guidance of the team leader and sharing of expertise, we were able to understand that the mission was to save the life of crew and as such self-inflating life raft would be become third (Kohn 2008, 19). Magnetic compass was therefore, positioned fourth with stellar map being fifth under unanimous agreement of all members. The discussion and consultation continued smoothly and signal flares passed to the sixth position, as it would help in locating the crew while flying in the air. The team leader enquired if there was any dissatisfaction with the list but there was none and discussion progressed to the eighth item. With the maintained mood of the group, a member proposed for the 50 feet nylon rope in the eighth position. This proposal raged discussion among members who finally agreed that rope among all the remaining items was fit the position for it would be necessary in binding the items. The ninth items were the two 45 caliber pistols, which members agreed would help in enhancing defense of the crew. Solar powered FM receiver transmitter ranked in the tenth position, as it would facilitate communication to ensure that the crew did not miss landing. Solar-powered portable heating unit was the eleventh item in the list followed by food concentrate, one case of dehydrated milk five gallons of water and lastly first aid kit containing injection needles. This list passed after detailed discussion of the significance of every item. The first exercise finished in time and the team leader allowed five minutes of rest before beginning the next discussion on the egg-flying contest. The team was now well organized and motivated than was in the beginning of the previous discussion. Individuals understood each other well and language difference was never an impediment to effective communication (Heathfield, 2012). Team leader once again clarified the demands of the exercise to the entire group. At this level of discussion, the team leader convinced the team about the best and easiest way of accomplishing the task. Since the task required identification of five appropriate resources out of the total seven for landing a flying egg, the team leader advised that we instead work to identify and analyze the two resources that were unsuitable for the activity. Here, the team leader portrayed significant level of creativity and time consciousness. One team member pointed out at the balloon and the 4 A4 paper pages as ineffective resources that would probably lead to the breaking of the egg. No other team member seemed to have a contradicting view to the proposals. The group then embarked on discussion and analysis of the two mentioned resources. It became apparent that the inflated balloon would slide away the egg to the ground where it would break. The 4 A4 paper pages were found to be thin without any elasticity that would probably help in increasing time of contact to reduce the impact between the egg and the supporting surface. From above analysis, the team was convinced that 6 straws, 6 cotton buds, 3 elastic bands, 2 napkins and1x 30cm sticky tape were the appropriate resources fundamental in achieving the mission. Due to the creativity of the team leader that directed for identification and discussion of the ineffective resources, the team finished discussion on the flying egg contest exercise in time and the team managed to secure 20 minutes before the the scheduled time for terminating the exercise. The team leader yet for another allowed 10 minutes of rest and consultations among the team members after which the team resume discussion on the crime task. Just like at the beginning of the previous seesion of the lost on the moon, this exercise appeared confusing to members as the pictures without direct instructions made it difficult to tell what was required. Being the fact that we had a competent leader and active group members driven by high levels of sel-eficancy, the team with the guidedance of the leader realized that the task required analysis of the successive steps in detecting and investigating crime (Cohen, 1993). The teamm leader applied the sociotechnological theory of team mangement to enable each individual understand and interelate the task to society and technology (Cohen, 1993). The team leader then opened the room for presentation of idea and discussion from every member of the team. One Briton member indicated that it the very first step in detecting and tracking crime was through the installation of CCTV camera. It is the camera that will capture the operatiosn of the individual criminals and help in easy identifiction of the individuals. These arguments were unanimously supported and team leader authorized for progress to the next level of discussion. Another member observed that the next step of crime investigation would be inclusion of forensic detection including gathering of items touched by the criminal(s) and this would require surrounding of the crime scene with a crime scene ribbon. After substantial discussion, the team resolved that the next level would involve forensic investigation in the area of the crime and collection of any data and materials from the crime scene. The team now enjoying strong cohesion, courage, confidence and high level of understanding resolved in unity that the next step in the investigation of criminal activity would be analysis of the collected materials in the forensic laboratory. This stage will aslo involve extraction and scanning of fingerprints from the materials gathered from the scene of the crime. The team was enterly informed that discovered details are usualy compared with the particular country’s data base to determine the true suspect of the crime. The group then agreed that the last step in te crime investgation involved police investagtion to search and arrest the suspec for grilling to obtain further detyails of the crime. From the above reflection of the team work activities, performabnce and achievements, it sis clearly evident that our team was faced with very minimal and shortlived challenges. The leadership of the team was well appropriated and structured. The leader depicted high levels of tolerance to the team leader. In spite the fact that the team leader was a Briton, she remained humble and made herslf to understand all the possible disparities existing among the members and that would distruct the performance of the team. The team has good understanding of issues and concepts, and did set adaptable time frame and schedule for completing the impending tasks. In addition, the our team leader displayed high level of creativity as she could devise ways of clarifying to the members the exact hidden concepts taht needed to be discussed. Furthermore, the team leader was very democratic and allowed every member opportunitiues to participate and contribute in the discussion process. The team leader ensured that every idea or concept was explained and every individual acquire good understanding and keep up with the progress of the discussion. The success of the team work was further enhanced by active participationof the team members. Team members showed high levels of discipline and respect among each other and ensured that there was no breach of anyones right. Through social learning theory, group members were able to understand the nature of diversities that existed in the group and thus accepting each others fate. The team members were also humble and obeyed the team leader with the highest possible order. 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