Understand How to Establish an Effective Team - Assignment Example

?Understand How to Establish an Effective Team By al Affiliation October 12, Section Understand how to develop and maintain effective working relationships In every organization, there is a paramount need to develop and maintain effective working relationships through the development and maintenance of teams. In a report written by A.W.C. Training entitled “Effective Working Relationships”, emphasize was placed on enhancing awareness regarding the importance of maintaining happy relationships within the organizational setting for the reason that smooth and effective working relationships were noted to be instrumental in tasks and responsibilities being undertaken more efficiently; and thus, enabling the delivery of high quality of customer service (AWC Training, n.d.). Within a team, the development of effective working relationship presupposes the application of effective communication as a framework of success. According to Harbour (2013), “good communication makes it easier to address individual problems or concerns between employees and supervisors when they arise” (par. 8). Communication also enables the dissemination of crucial information, including policies, procedures, and the organization’s code of discipline, to provide guidelines to the employees, various members of a team, and other stakeholders, in manifesting the expected behavior. Therefore, to develop a good and effective working relationshp among team members, the following tips were aptly provided, to wit: (1) exhibiting open communication where members openly talk to each other and with other members of the organization who are needed in the performance of the team’s tasks; (2) members learned how to respect each other in terms of individuality in conforming to values and beliefs, as well as in retaining their respective diversity; (3) team members have learned to trust each other; (4) members are able to discern and understand each member’s roles and responsibilities; (5) members and coordinators or supervisors (managers) set regular meetings to monitor the progress of the team; and (6) team members are given the opportunity to have fun, while ensuring conformity to goals and standards (AWC Training, n.d.). For example, in a newly formed team tasked to present suggestions and recommendations to increase sales of the products, an effectively developed and maintained team who follows the abovementioned guidelines are expected to be more cohesive and to delegate tasks, share crucial information, and equitably divide the responsibilities needed in coming up with a presentation that would satisfy organizational goals. Benefits of Effective Working Relationships in Developing and Maintaining the Team The benefits of effective working relationships in developing and maintaining the team are therefore realized in terms of showing cohesiveness, increasing performance and productivity, reporting lesser conflicts or miscommunication, and satisfying the needs and demands of the customers. As asserted, “good workplace relationships and a positive work environment is critical for a successful business, as unhappy staff have a negative impact on productivity and customer service” (Harbour, 2013, par. 7). Behaviours which Could Develop and Maintain Trust at Work The behaviours which could develop and maintain trust at work include the following: (1) maintaining sincerity; (2) being reliable; (3) being accountable; (4) listening attentively and actively; (5) not blaming others; and (6) being transparent in all undertakings with honesty and integrity (Piccinini, 2013). For instance, in the organizational setting, trust could be developed and maintained when members of a team have openly established the need to be open to each other and communicate truthful information to the most effective manner. When a member of the team makes a mistake, other members must assume a stance of understanding and refrain from blaming the errant member. All members must therefore collaborate to assist the member who made a mistake and provide beneficial insights which would help the member to improve his or her performance. In contrast inappropriate behaviours which could undermine trust at work include: (1) talking behind the back of colleagues; (2) being dishonest and insincere; (3) blaming others for errors or mistakes at work; (4) not being accountable; and (5) not willing to resolve conflicts, as needed. The Role of Communication in Developing Effective Team Working Within a team, the development of effective working relationship presupposes the application of effective communication as a framework of success. According to Harbour (2013), “good communication makes it easier to address individual problems or concerns between employees and supervisors when they arise” (par. 8). Communication also enables the dissemination of crucial information, including policies, procedures, and the organization’s code of discipline, to provide guidelines to the employees, various members of a team, and other stakeholders, in manifesting the expected behavior. For example, an organization could design policies that encourage open communication; where each member of the team or of the organization could approach any other member without having to course the intended message through chains of command. Within the team, it also means having to sort differences or misunderstanding directly with the other members and not having to course the message to the team leader or to external parties. In so doing, resolutions of problems and concerns are immediate and direct. A lack of communication can undermine team working through increasing the preponderance for conflicts and not being able to immediately resolve conflicts among members, as needed. Section 2: Understand how to build a team The Differences between a Group and a Team A group is differentiated from a team in terms of the strategies of undertaking the performance of their tasks and responsibilities. According to Fritz (2013), “a group in the workplace usually comprises three or more people who recognize themselves as a distinct unit or department, but who actually work independently of each other to achieve their organizational goals” (par. 2). The example of a group is customer service group with one member assigned to address clients’ complaints; while another member solicits clients to patronize the organization’s products. On the other hand, a team is described as comprised of “three or more people who may come from different departments within a business, but they collaborate together over time to achieve some set purpose, goal or project” (Fritz, 2013, par. 3). An example would be a team under the marketing department who are tasked to collaborate in designing and implementing strategies for the launching of a new product. The benefits of teams over groups therefore could be seen in terms of harnessing the collective efforts of the members towards the achievement of identified goals. As emphasized, “teams can be very productive because involving people with different talents provides teams with increased opportunities to work more efficiently” (Fritz, 2013, par. 5). The Stages of an Established Model of Group Formation According to Tuckman and Jensen’s model of group formation, a team is developed in various stages such as forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning (Tuckman & Jensen, 1977). The forming stage exhibits characteristics such as caution, avoidance of conflict and an apparent search for direction. Likewise, members exchange information about skills or background needed for the performance of group goals. In the storming stage, it was noted that the characteristics include emergence of challenges, conflicts, and diversity in perceptions. The members could manifest some form of resistance to other members’ inputs and there could be mixed emotions ranging from anxiety, jealousy and impatience in the performance of tasks or the compliance to the group’s scheduled endeavors. Concurrently, the norming stage allegedly exhibits characteristics such as cohesiveness, mutual support, and ability to consider suggestions and alternatives. Under this stage, the members have allegedly accepted the group’s norms and perform according to the rules and delegated responsibilities in a congenial and collaborative manner. In the performing stage, members are noted to perform in the most effective manner through exhibiting acceptance, involvement, collaboration, and warm interpersonal relationships. Finally, under the adjourning stage, members actually acknowledge the end of their tasks and part respective ways. How a Manager could Benefit from Knowing Team Members’ Preferred Roles A manager could benefit from knowing team members’ preferred roles, as defined in Belbin’s model through being provided with crucial information from the members that could cater to the members’ competencies, skills, and abilities. As asserted, managers “can use the model with your team to help ensure that necessary team roles are covered, and that potential behavioral tensions or weaknesses among the team member are addressed” (Mind Tools Ltd., 2013, p. 1). Through soliciting information from members, such as preferred roles, managers could determine whether the preferred roles could be assigned to these respective members and could then be assured that performance of responsibilities, related to the roles, could be met without resistance or conflict. Reference List AWC Training, n.d.. Effective Working Relationships. [Online] Available at: http://testsite.cmcnet.co.uk/awctraining/sites/default/files/Effective%20Working%20Relationships.pdf Fritz, R., 2013. Differences Between Group Work & Team Work. [Online] Available at: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/differences-between-group-work-team-work-11004.html [Accessed 12 October 2013]. Harbour, S., 2013. How to Establish & Maintain Good Relationships in the Workplace. [Online] Available at: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/establish-maintain-good-relationships-workplace-22396.html [Accessed 12 October 2013]. Mind Tools Ltd., 2013. Belbin's Team Roles. [Online] Available at: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_83.htm [Accessed 12 October 2013]. Piccinini, E., 2013. Behaviours That Can Develop And Maintain Trust In The Workplace. [Online] Available at: http://www.tmaworld.com/news-insights/viewpoints-articles/behaviours-that-can-develop-and-maintain-trust-in-the-workplace/ [Accessed 12 October 2013]. Tuckman, B. & Jensen, M., 1977. Stages in small group development revisited.. Group and Organisation Studies, Volume 2, pp. 419-427. Read More