Effective Teams - Research Paper Example

Effective Teams Introduction The study of effective teams within any organization is extremely important in the development of further research in the area. This is because it allowes for a study of the means through which organizations in the modern world have come to rely heavily on teams to ensure that their activities are conducted efficiently. For an organization to flourish, it is essential for its management to develop effective teams which can handle diverse problems as well as work in different situations in order to achieve the goals of the organization. Furthermore, an organization’s management has to recognize that it has to develop effective teams so that the organizational culture that it desires can be sustained within it. Such teams should be able to align their activities with the mission and vision of the organization so that they not only increase their output, but also provide it with the means through which it can able to effectively compete with its rivals in the same industry. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to show that it is essential for an organization to develop effective teams through diverse means to ensure that it remains relevant in the highly competitive environment that exists today. Literature Review The management of any organization has to recognize that one of the features of a successful and efficient organization is that it focuses on the development and active encouragement of team building programs. The creation of such programs makes sure that the employees are able to function as a team to achieve the vision of the organization. The process of developing effective teams is a means through which closer ties can be created between the top management of an organization with its employees so that open lines of communication can increase its efficiency (Mahembe & Engelbrecht, 2013). The creation of close ties between management and employees is a necessary ingredient in developing effective teams because it helps in the reinforcement of the skills of the workforce in such areas as attitude, and knowledge (DeChurch & Mesmer-Magnus, 2010). The organization has to put in place measures designed to study the successes and failure of other teams within organizations so that it can be able to determine just how effective team building is in the enhancement of competency of organizational management. In matters concerning the development of effective teams, the management has to ensure that the various factors which determine their creation, such as organizational culture and policy, working environment and professional activities, are in place. However, despite the need to provide a conducive environment for the creation of effective teams, the above factors should not be put above the personalities of individuals within teams as justifiable in determining the effectiveness of the task and responsibility. Instead, it is the responsibility of management to put individuals with differing skills and personalities into teams so that their differences can bring about the development of better and unique ideas. In order for an effective team to be developed, it is an organization has to create an environment which encourages this process to take place. There should always be diversification within the organization so that employees from all cultures and backgrounds are encouraged to work within it (Holtzman & Anderberg, 2011). In this way, the organization will be able to develop teams which are not only diverse, but which can also achieve success in penetrating all sectors of the society; a feat that very few organizations have been able to achieve. There are essentially two significant points with regard to the development of effective teams, and the first of these is that team building should be put into effect entirely in an organization. This is to ensure that these teams can be incorporated as among the most necessary norms and values of the institutions organizational culture. This way, there will be no need to bring in talent from outside the organization to complement those employees who have worked within it for a long time. Furthermore, the internal development of effective teams will encourage the personnel of the organization to better work together because they know each other’s strengths and weaknesses (Huang, 2013). This knowledge makes it possible for team members to work together on projects with little or no friction because of the massive understanding that they have towards each other. Secondly, it is essential for the management of an organization to examine the skills such as communication skills, the ability to handle crisis and problems in the workplace, the traits of information sharing and motivation amongst workers, so that it can come up with ways of bringing them together with its vision of how to achieve its goals (Taneja, Sewell & Pryor, 2012). Therefore, the management has the ability to have almost absolute control over the activities of teams so that it can guide them into being independent units which, while not working on similar projects, are focused on the achievement of the goals of the organization. Effective teams can be considered highly valuable within an organization because they enable it to reach goals which are commonly understood by all of its employees. In addition, in cases where quick decisions that affect different projects have to be made, such teams are able to make them swiftly, making it possible for the day to day affairs of the organization to be conducted in an orderly manner. In order for teams to be able to work effectively, it is essential that management gives them the independence that they need in making decisions because this is the only way through which they can be able to exercise their creativity for the benefit of the organization (Hyland, 2013). In situations where teams are not able to make decisions concerning the projects that they are working on independently, the likelihood of projects failing as a result of slow decision making are often quite high. Therefore, teams tend to be more effective when they are able to make their decisions independently through the use of credible information as well as issues related to data quality in order to come to their conclusions (Sutterfield, 2010). In addition, when teams are given plenty of freedom in decision making, they are more likely than not to be more focused in their work because they are being relied upon to ensure that they succeed so that the goals of the organization are achieved. In this way, teams become more effective because they are more focused and are not held back by bureaucratic decision making which might harm the projects on which they are working. Methods The study will use correlation as the main design for carrying out the research, this is the determination of whether or not and to what extend effective teams are essential in the swift advancement of organisational goals. Correlation will collect data from two quantifiable variables from the same group of subjects and then make comparisons of how they will vary. This method is favourable because it is able to compare two or more characteristics from the same group, correlation will also explain how characteristics vary together, and predict a specific variable rom another. Conceptual framework Effective teams often have members who not only have good leadership skills, but also managerial skills which enable them to conduct their tasks in a thorough manner. These skills, coupled with a strict observance of ethics go a long way in enhancing the effectiveness of teams to such an extent that they are able to develop ideas which will be part of the basic practice of the organization for many years. Within teams, there is the need for there to be leadership as well as the desire to undertake reforms whenever they are needed so that the organization can be able to remain relevant and competitive. Leadership and managerial skills as well as the observance of ethics help to promote the development of better insights into the management of the organization in case of crisis that are faced from time to time (Ruggieri & Abbate, 2013). Effective teams make sure that whenever crises take place, they do not catch the organization off guard because they prepare it to withstand the most of the negative effects that might occur. Such problems as the recent financial crisis often bring down many organizations which are not prepared for such eventualities and it is for this reason that it is necessary to always have a contingency plan in case the worst happens. This is where effective teams come in because it is they which have the ability to study the potential for crises and initiate necessary reforms which might decisively save the organization from partial or complete collapse. Results The literature review above has shown that effective teams within an organization have the ability to understand the various aspects of concern as well as the expected outcomes of the processes initiated in projects. In this way, they are able to have first hand information concerning the long term impacts that the actions of the organizations might have on it. However, there are instances where teams, however effective they are, are not able to develop theories or predictions concerning the outcomes of decisions and this often occurs in situations where unexpected situations take place. While this may be the case, effective teams, should be dedicated to constant evaluation and improvement of the tasks which they have been given so that there is a frequent analysis of the feedback from management, other employees as well as other stakeholders. Such teams should always provide their members, in collaboration with management, with programs designed to enhance professional development. Thus, the team becomes motivated to enhance its skills so that it can be of better service to the organization. In addition, it provides team members with the opportunity to gain professional growth of both a personal and a collaborative level so that the performance of the team remains high. Therefore, effective teams are often highly motivated to perform because of the need to ensure that the organization recognizes their work in addition to their enhancing its goals. The major concern of such teams is often to ensure that they develop new and innovative ideas which save costs while at the same time being effective in achieving the mission of the organization. Discussion In order to have effective teams, team building initiatives have to be developed through putting employees within an organization in behavioral courses or seminars. In this way, the management can be able to study how different individuals react in situations where they are required to work together. Furthermore, the study of organizational behavior can help in the development of effective teams because management can be able to develop techniques which will enable the transfer of the working techniques from traditional ones to those which are based on modern technology. In order to ensure that such techniques are possible, the internet can be used as an effective teaching tool, especially for courses which require team building, such as management education. An online based system designed to study organizational behavior can be successful not because of its excellent design, but also if there are cooperation and collaboration between the individuals within the organization involved in making the study possible. Therefore, in order for teams to be effective, it is necessary for the parties concerned, especially the members, to ensure that they work together as a team. Without team building, the prospect of the team evolving into an effective working unit will be lost (Solansky, 2011). Through the integration of a team building exercise within the team, employees are provided with an opportunity to develop the skills they require to work in any environment, not only in the workplace which require cooperation, but also in the field and the rest of the corporate world. Conclusion It is essential to encourage the development of team building in organizations because without it, they would not be able to achieve the goals which they have set for themselves. The development of teams is a lengthy process which requires patience and understanding to ensure that teams get to work together. In most cases, one will find that in the workplace, individuals often prefer working independently and it takes time for them to be able to adjust themselves to working in teams. It is because of this reluctance to work in teams that it is important for management to implement team building exercises so that the latter can become part of the culture of the organization. This not only enables the people who work within the organization to be able to handle crises efficiently but also allows for the creation of the motivation among workers to work harder for the benefit of such an organization through the achievement of its goals. Therefore, in order to enhance its performance, it is essential for an organization to develop effective teams through diverse means to ensure that it remains relevant in the highly competitive business environment that exists today. This cannot just be achieved through the efforts of management, but also through cooperation between different team members who bring their unique abilities into the team in order to make it a success. If the above applies, the effectiveness of teams within the organization will be achieved and this will result in the achievement of its mission and vision. References DeChurch, L. A., & Mesmer-Magnus, J. (2010). The cognitive underpinnings of effective teamwork: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(1), 32. Holtzman, Y., & Anderberg, J. (2011). Diversify your teams and collaborate: Because great minds dont think alike. The Journal of Management Development, 30(1), 75-92. Huang, C. (2013). Shared leadership and team learning: Roles of knowledge sharing and team characteristics. Journal of International Management Studies, 8(1), 124-133. Hyland, C. (2013) Building thinking, feeling and knowing teams. Industrial and Commercial Training, 45(6), 359 – 361. Mahembe, B., & Engelbrecht, A. S. (2013). The relationship between servant leadership, affective team commitment and team effectiveness. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 11(1), 1-10. Ruggieri, S., & Abbate, C. S. (2013). Leadership style, self-sacrifice, and team identification. Social Behavior and Personality, 41(7), 1171-1178. Solansky, S. T. (2011). Team identification: A determining factor of performance. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 26(3), 247-258. Sutterfield, C. P. (2010). Self-managed teams: A study of the correlation of demographic characteristics and cognitive characteristics and team effectiveness. (Order No. 3397672, Capella University). Taneja, S., Sewell, S., & Pryor, M. G. (2012). High performance executive teams. American Journal of Management, 12(2), 11-20.   Read More