The Concept of Team Spirit - Essay Example

Team Dynamics The concept of team spirit is derived from the ability to perform as a group due to various factors that will play to boost harmony. This constitutes what is also commonly referred to as team dynamics. It is common to realize that most of the class assignments we undertook in class the previous semester were done as group work. Before I can state the performance of the group, it is imperative that it understood that there are various behavioral concepts that influence the management and operation of group in execution of any activity (Levi, 18). It is always on the basis of such models that the success or failure of a group is attributable. I must classify the performance of my group last semester as high performing. This could be deduced from the good marks attained and the rare show of consolidarity and unity of purpose when undertaking such several activities which had varying technicalities. Group task entails the application of a complex model which has different components which acts at individual level but contribute as whole for the execution of the assigned task. In respect of our group some of the aspects of the behavioral model that encompasses group task included; group members who possessed high standard of self-discipline and other personal attributes, group structure which was in order and formed a formidable force that could face any assignment, interpersonal dynamics with interpersonal skills key in the actions of the group members, outstanding organizational and societal context and positive and realistic goals (Levi, 57). These factors were responsible for the group’s unrivalled exceptional performance. It is important to underscore that perfection cannot be achieved in any social organization due to the individual influences in the whole group. In that respect, even if the group performed well there must have been some parts of the group behavior model that outperformed others and significantly contributed to the observed development. The greatest factors in the model that contributed to the success of the group were led by members. It is worth to note that parts make a whole in the group and the diverse socio-cultural and ideas of each member is important in making the group as an entirety to perform. Some of the elements of this factor that considerably promoted the group’s performance include; excellent diverse abilities among members as far as different tasks are concerned (Levi, 75). Pooling of the various divergent views immensely contributed to the execution of all kinds of tasks. Personality is always initiated by values which the group upheld in the light of spirit of excellence and positive attitude. This degenerated to motivation which acted as the propeller to the group. The structure of the group was considerably factored in the good achievement of the group. Leadership style was based on a participatory decision making which is one of the best tools for promoting objectiveness of the group in its endeavors. This was facilitated by allocation of roles which were then presented back to the group in form of a comprehensive report. It is always important to scrutinize the reports presented by other delegated members so that it can be approved on merit as was the norm of our group. This group was composed of a manageable number of members with a male to female gender threshold of one third. This made it have a gender parity outlook that significantly boosted the image of the group and influenced its high performers. The survival of a team is also based on the interpersonal skills that the members possess. This constitutes how they treat each other in terms of approach and interaction. This quality is achievable from good communication skills which boosts trust and positive conflict resolution with an improved trust towards each other (Levi, 93). These significantly promoted openness and effective decision making in a show of a rare degree of cohesiveness. As already mentioned earlier, it is relatively difficult to achieve all the group behavior model concepts. However, some of them are attainable while others are considerably changed to be dysfunctional. In respect of my group that was there last semester, some five dysfunctional elements gave the group headache. One of them was the absence of absolute trust. This is common in any team work where some individuals feel unsatisfied by some group decisions but for other reasons they are unwilling to stand tall and air their criticism. This problem significantly proved to be a thorn in the flesh of the group and threatened its performance sometime. This was heightened by another dysfunctional concept of any group i.e. fear of conflict where some members would sit on best alternatives in decision making but out of far would sit on them and adopt the relatively inferior one adopted by the group(Levi,112). This is commonly referred to artificial harmony which is retrogressive to a uniform forward movement of the groups through inclusive ideological adoption. Sometimes the group was also threatened by insufficient commitment of some members. This was particularly experienced where some members would just accept any decision made by some members and this facilitates internal dissatisfaction as far as their participation in decision making is concerned. There were instances where some members would distance themselves from real challenges in the group like failure to report to the group on a given technicality faced on an assigned section of the whole task hence enhancing lack of accountability. This is one of the worst teamwork dysfunctionalism which can bring down the efforts already contributed by other members since it is demoralizing for just one party to mess the whole project of a given team. Giving group work results less attention and concentrating on proving ones contribution to the team is unhealthy. This exhibited in some members who focused on personal success, ego and status without putting the team interest first (Levi, 238). This promotes domineering that significantly affects the contribution of others. The first stage in the development of the group is formation where people struggle to identify what they stand to do and gain in the group. The best way to deal with this stage is orientation of members on all matters surrounding the goals and strategies of the group. This would help in shedding light on the various duties of each member and this contributed to my group’s outstanding performance. Storming is the next phase of the group development and is characterized by struggle to occupy space among members. There is a conflict of recognition which is bound to suppress some as others dominate. This was a challenge in the group and the remedy against it was done by initiating a problem solving mentality that would compel people to act within the confines of what is expected by the group (Levi, 295). The fear of future break up in norming stage proved to be a threat to the performance of the group since members would sometimes shelve good ideas to ensure that there is minimal discord which significantly affect the group in silence. The best approach that was used to minimize this was by encouraging people to give personal vies which would then be debatable. At the performing stage, there was a challenge of over emphasis on achievement which posed the threat of overlooking the overall group mission. To avert this threat the group simply assigned equal roles. Adjourning the group was composed of several cases of personal recognition of contribution and the loss of control in leadership by some members was particularly emotional. This was remedied by recognizing the overall contribution of each group member and emphasizing the spirit of team work as the cause of the successful realization (Levi, 295). It is important to note that the effectiveness and efficiency of the group was facilitated through adoption of the respective remedial measures on the various stages of development challenges. Work Cited Levi, Daniel. Group Dynamics for Teams. Los Angeles: SAGE, 2011. Print. Read More