Creating High-Performance Teams in the Workplace - Essay Example

? Creating high performance teams in workplace Organizations work in groups or teams. It is necessary that a proper team building atmosphere is maintained in the organization so that people work together for the betterment of the organization. No human being can accomplish all by doing the tasks alone. Teams not only produce better products but also induce more commitment and enthusiasm in its members. Team building not only completes a job in a better way but it can also save time considerably. Defining a team Teams are the integral part in any organization. A group of six to seven people does not comprise a team. Teams are a group of individuals within a group with a common goal (Griffin &Moorhead, 2011, p.268). Groups and teams are not the same as group is a collection of people who may not have the same goal but in team the goal remains the same for every team member (Griffin &Moorhead, 2011, p.268). In a team, the decisions are taken either by the group together or a single person who may have better skills and expertise (Katzenbach & Smith, 2001, p.8). In a team, there is a continuous and a rigorous assessment of the performance of the team members (Katzenbach & Smith, 2001, p.9). Team activities help a person to inculcate leadership qualities in his personality (Franz, 2012, p.5). Features and benefits of team working Collaboration- In a team, the members work together to fulfill the common goal. Effective team work can produce tangible and intangible benefits for an organization in the form of increase in the quantity of the products and increased customer satisfaction (Parker, 2011, p.5). Communication- In a team work, communication plays a major role. The leader would communicate with his team members on a regular basis as a good team cannot be built unless there is proper orchestration or communication of thoughts (Pritchett, 1992, p.2). Reducing complexity- Any activity that is first sorted out within a team will help to reduce its complicity and chaos in the operation (Willcocks & Morris, 1997, p.8). Balance of individual contribution – In a team, every member contributes his knowledge and expertise. The dominant members also contribute their expertise but they do not suppress the opinion of the others (Clutterbuck, 2007, p.70). The team leader would try to ensure that there is no imbalance in this regard Mutual support- In a team, the members mutually supports each other and help in continuous improvement (Goethals, et al., 2004, p.1533). Mutual trust can help the team to establish a work climate and a communication process (Barner & Barner, 2012, p.40). Effort- The effectiveness of a team performance is assessed by its efforts. The effort that a team might put in depends on the task which should be motivating for the team members (Parcon, 2006, p.92). Cohesion - Team cohesion describes the way the team comes together in a social work (Kornspan, 2009, p.57). There is a positive relationship between performance level and cohesion in a team (Jowett, 2007, p.95). Effective ways to create high performance teams There can be many ways and tactics to create a high performance teams. a few aspects like bonding pattern in newly hired team, removing low morale in the project team, the team fit , resolving conflicts and increasing participation and creativity in the team can lead to a high performing team. It is often observed that new recruits or people joining an organization in their teams face difficulty and are uncomfortable with the environment. Also, sometimes the people within a team feel isolated due to the factors like loneliness, new environment etc. This can harm the productivity of the team to a great extent (Roussel, 2011, p.244). So, the manager needs to make the new recruit comfortable with the team. Organizations face problems where there is inconsistency in the fit amongst the workers. In a team, some people can be productive working in a traditional work environment but as the working environment changed, there may be situations where these workers may not be able to work with the others (Carelli, 2011, p.47).Team members may find it difficult to resolve conflicts if there are personal attacks, comments or aggressive gestures. I would maintain strict supervision for the same. Due to the above factors there would be less participation in the team meetings and increased absenteeism (Douglas, 2009, p.118). So the manager can take measures to solve the conflicts thus creating a high performance team. Steps taken by managers to boost team performance Managers can get efficient workers but binding them in a team and making them work in a productive manner is a tougher job. Managers can take the following steps to encourage team performance: Establish clear goals – The manager is required to establish well planned goals keeping in mind the qualities and capabilities of team members. He should plan the goals stating the criteria for success (Parcon, 2006, p.99). Establish group norms or code of conduct- The manager will be required to frame accurate code of conduct to preserve team discipline. Action oriented strategies – The manager will be required to establish action oriented strategies such as engaging the teams in straight talks, acting in a purposeful manner, making it clear to the workers what behavior is expected out of them etc (Timm & Bienvenu, 2010, p.158). Appreciating the team performance individually – Organizations can provide incentives to the productive member for their quality works but appreciating it personally creates a buzz in the team. This can lead to increased motivation and enthusiasm (Snell & Bohlander, 2012, p.166). Examples of team work Sports, medical hospitals and the army are organizations that rely on team work. Sports such as football and ice hockey are events that require heavy team work spirit in order to be successful (Carter, 2009, p.24). Team work in sports helps participants to develop stronger communication skills and teach them to adjust better with others. There can be players who are not comfortable with the presence of some other player. But when it comes to winning the final match it is the unity and team spirit that binds them together. In health care units, there are groups of individuals like physicians, nurses, pharmacists, technicians, and other health professionals who work together to ensure safe and efficient patient care. They work in a team in areas like intensive care units (ICU), operating rooms etc (Jcr, 2008, p.48). These professionals come from distinctly different disciplines and diverse educational backgrounds. But when conducting a health care service like a surgery, the professionals need to follow interdisciplinary teamwork. In the army, the soldiers are taught about team building and the importance of team work in situations like a battle field. Team spirit helps them to take up the charge and lead from the front. Army team building operations also help the inmates to understand that leadership is not all about leading from the front but following the others too (CIBA Foundation Symposium, 2009, p.218). Conclusion Team work helps to make a person better. It helps them to understand the potentialities that a person might have and also overcome his weaknesses. In maintaining a team in a workplace the manager will try to see that there is no overlap of duties, the team members maintain a peaceful and harmonious work culture in the organization. He would also try to make sure that there is no bad blood between them. Personal grievances would be entertained by not at the cost of harming the dignity of the other member. The team mates can be from different culture and educational backgrounds. So he would ensure that they face less difficulty in understanding the goals of the organization. There would be regular review and appraisals for the workers. These steps can surely help in building an effective team structure in an organization. REFERENCES 1. Barner, R. & Barner, C., P. (2012), Building Better Teams: 70 Tools and Techniques for Strengthening Performance.. John Wiley & Sons 2. Clutterbuck, D. (2007), Coaching the Team at Work, Nicholas Brealey Publishing 3. Carelli, A. O. (2011). The Truth about Supervision: Coaching, Teamwork, Interviewing, Appraisals. Charles C. Thomas, Publisher Ltd 4. Carter, M. (2009). Unique Team Enhancement: All About Team Building and How to Build a Great Team. RoseDog Books 5. CIBA Foundation Symposium. (2009). Teamwork for World Health. John Wiley & Sons 6. Douglas, K. (2009), Firefly Effect: Build Teams That Capture Creativity and Catapult. Wiley 7. Franz, T., M. (2012), Group Dynamics and Team Interventions: Understanding and Improving Team ..., Wiley-Blackwell 8. Goethals, G., R. et al., (2004), Encyclopedia of Leadership, Volume 1, Berkshire Publishing Group 9. Griffin, R., W. & Moorhead, G. (2011), Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizations, South-Western Pub 10.  Jowett, S. (2007), Social Psychology in Sport, Volume 10, Human Kinetics 11. Jcr. (2008), Medical Team Training: Strategies for Improving Patient Care and Communication. Joint Commission Resources 12. Kornspan, A. S. (2009), Fundamentals of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Human Kinetics 13. Katzenbach, J., R., Smith, D., K. (2001), The Discipline of Teams: A Mindbook-Workbook for Delivering Small Group ..., John Wiley & Sons Inc 14. Parcon, P. (2006). Develop Your Team Building Skills (New). Lotus Press Publishers & Distributors 15. Parcon, P. (2006), Develop Your Team Building Skills (New), Lotus press 16. Pritchett, P. (1992), The Team Member Handbook for Teamwork, Pritchett & Associates 17. Roussel, L. (2011). Management and Leadership for Nurse Administrators. Jones & Bartlett Publishers 18. Snell, S., A & Bohlander, G. W. (2012). Managing Human Resource. Cengage Learning 19. Timm, P., R. & Bienvenu, S. (2010). Straight Talk: Written Communication for Career Success. Routledge 20. Willcocks, G. & Morris, S. (1997), Successful Team Building, Barron's Educational Series Read More