Project Team Performance - Coursework Example

Project team performance xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Project team performance xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Name xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Institution xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Lecturer xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Date Project team performance A team includes people with a specific task assigned to them and who have a common goal. These individuals, who possess different skills and are of different characteristics, are very conscious of interdependence on each other to achieve any success. The team processes which include socialization, cognition and motivation form part of any success attained (Van der Vegt & Van de Vliert 2002). Team work has proved one of the most effective ways for companies and organizations to go. In fact, in the world today, many organizations hold team work as one of the main pillars of their success. This in turn has lead to increase in demand for project managers to organize and work with these teams. This is owed to the fact that combined talents, skills, resources, expertise and ideas has increased efficiency and speed at which services and products are delivered (Wageman 2001). Attaining a goal is easier with combined efforts than trying it alone. This paper looks at motivation as the key to enhancing success in project team performance. The managers have a great impact on how teams perform and how accurately stated objectives are met. This is because it is the project manager who creates and maintains an environment that is motivating to all the members (SEI_CMU 2007). The importance of motivating the members is that the more enthusiastic the members are about the project, the more likely it is to succeed (Thierry 2002a)). However, this cannot be achieved if the team lack well established leadership that would direct it to attaining common objectives and goals. The self managed teams are in a position to make such decisions and come up with a good leadership that is subject to change depending on their decisions. The social processes in any team are affected by the kind of leadership that exists be it leadership where one person is dominant or where leadership responsibilities are shared among individuals. It is the leader within the team who is able to identify the strengths and weaknesses within each individual and use the strengths for the success of the project (Van der Vegt et al 2000)). Most organizations are relying on team work with 80% of all companies that have managed to employ above one hundred employees depending on this (Wageman 2001) .According to Fisher (2000), the need for team work is on the rise with managers spending at east 40% of their time in the activities focused on team work. To obtain maximum benefit from team work, certain leadership competences and styles are important. Single or shared leadership can be exercised (Thierry 2002b). In the current generation, shared leadership has been emphasized since it has cognitive and motivation advantages. Shared leadership enhances project team performance as persons involved compete to secure a space in the high positions (Fisher 2000). In addition, it enhances representation of all member groups in the sector. Understanding the needs of the team both at the group and individual level is easier in shared leadership (Caltech 2007). This results to implementation of appropriate measures to solve the problems and hence improved project team performance. Motivation is very crucial in team performance. Without this, the teams are likely to fail in exerting the efforts required to accomplish given tasks. When it comes to motivation, it is more effective if a project manager motivates the team from both the general and the individual level (Flannes & Levin 2005). A project manager must possess different interpersonal skills. He or she has to possess excellent communication skills bearing in mind that any miscommunication can lead to the failure of the project which in turn affects the whole organization and its clients (Fisher 2000). For instance, poor communication of ideas and adaptation of expected change can result to rejection of the change though important by the team. This affects project team performance. Currently, there are many organizations where strike has been experience and these results to great losses as businesses close down for one or more days (Thierry 2002a). Poor communication can also result to existence of a gap between the managers and other teams in an organization (Rad & Levin 2003). Team leaders should train the members of their team well. This will ensure that the team is properly prepared in terms of the possession of the required skills for the success of the project in question. Moreover, the kind of decisions that the project manager makes affect the whole project. Therefore, there is need for wisdom and diligence on the leader’s part especially on the involvement of stakeholders in making decisions in the organization (Rad & Levin 2003). In addition, a leader leads by example, and this also applies on the project manager (Caltech 2007). However, it is important to note that motivation has to come from within an individual. It is the individual’s desire to attain a certain goal or accomplish some task or meet some expectation that motives him or her. With the knowledge of the fact that different individuals are motivated by different things, it is important to ask oneself whether it is possible for a project manager to motivate the members (Caltech 2007). On top of this, a team manager must have knowledge on the project being conducted. This help in guiding the team towards the accomplishment of the project’s mission (Kerzner 2003). On the same note, the manager ought to be innovative enough to come up with some of the ideas needed. Most of the times, a team is effective if there leader is honest and trustworthy. Making promises to team members such as promising to increase payment, and failing to do so is a killer of team’s commitment to accomplishing given tasks (Kerzner 2003). This means that the leader must be genuine and adhere to the agreements made as they began the team work. This does not happen in some organizations. This hinders the team members from working hard as they think that the tasks assigned to them are the worst and the leader cannot be involved in carrying out such tasks. There are also key things and trends that are needed by the other part of the team. A united group is able to do exploit even beyond the expectation of the company or organization that has assigned them the project. The team needs to outline its objectives for the project. This helps the team to prioritize the activities to be done from the most important to the least. This ensures that time is well managed. Secondly, the team is supposed to lay down a plan on how to carry out the project (Kerzner 2003). To make the plan, the members need to know the skill each has. Through the help of team manager, they can identify who best suits a particular area. In the plan, they can come up with a good structure to be used in the field. This structure can be used to divide the whole team into smaller teams each lead by a team leader working under the manager (Rad & Levin 2003). A good team will at this point set rules and regulations to be followed. This will include time management, that is, the time to start working and finish your work. All members should be keen to keep time for high performance (Van der Vegt & Van de Vliert 2002). This should also consist of the code of conduct expected for all members to ensure good relationships. The way one behaves determines the performance of the whole team. For instance, if a person come to work drunk and abuses one of the members, definitely, this will result into disagreement between the two and it can cost a lot of time to solve the problem. Discipline is paramount in enhancing project team performance (Fisher 2000). In deed, values of the team should be defined so that no one will be reluctant to follow them. Once the rules have been set, the manager is entitled to assign responsibilities to every small group through their various leaders. The leaders can meet with the leaders for updates and reports of the various duties carried out. This will enable the manager to gauge their overall performance and progress (Fisher 2000). Once in a while the manager can call for meeting with the whole team for discussion bout the project (Flannes & Levin 2005). In so doing the team manager can know more about the team members’ welfare. In case of problem, they can be sorted out. In addition, in the team, all members should communicate to each other. If information is passed from the team manager and one of the members did not get it, or he was absent, then the group leader can explain to the members. As they interact, they should pass information without delay. Team socialization is also very important since teams require cohesion so as to share and cooperate to attain a common goal and ensure commitment to project objectives. Team cognition represents the way a group of individual acquires stores, manipulates and uses information provided to them (Caltech 2007). Since information is very important in empowering the team members, the communication systems established determine the success in attaining cohesion in a team (SEI_CMU 2007). Poor flow of information is a hindrance to the success of a team. Official communications should be encouraged. As the project is being carried out, it would be good to appreciate the top performers. As the manager is monitoring the way members are carrying out their duties on daily, weekly and even monthly bases, he must note some excellent persons who are achieving set goals and can hence give them rewards to motivate them. Team performance also depends on the organization. The organization is supposed to control the whole team by giving them the tools they require. This includes the funds, skilled manpower, and such resources necessary for optimum team performance (Thierry 2002b)). The kind of the project dictates the resources needed. It is the work of the organization to budget the amount to be spent successfully. As this is being prepared, estimates should be real to avoid unnecessary spending. The materials and equipment being used by the team ought to be maintained in good condition avoid delays. This is because, if a team goes to the field few materials, it may cost the team a lot of time to go and fetch or buy extra. It is also advisable to provide the exact required resources to avoid wastage. This is owing to the point that not all members are equally responsible and they can end –up misusing them (Van der Vegt et al 2000). The organization needs to monitor the progress of the team. Though the project manager is in charge of the other team members, he or she is to look at situations from the other team members view so as to ensure that some are not disadvantaged by decisions made. The involvement of the manager’s assistant in managing and evaluating the team enhances team work (Caltech 2007). The organization is also expected to pass information necessary to the team without delay to creat customer confidence. Training team members is important in any organization bearing in mind that the most profitable investment is in human capital. The training can be conducted by one of the organization’s staff or by inviting a person from outside (Fisher 2000). This will at the end help members to be equipped with skills and be able to carry various duties easily. Several factors lead to poor performance of the project team. If the objectives of the team are changed frequently, the effectiveness is reduced. It would be better to take time to define these objectives than to restate (Van der Vegt et al 2000). This saves on time and resources which are the backbone of an organizations success. Some of the members might end up getting discouraged and decide to work slowly. If the environment where the project is being carried is not stable, some of the members may withdraw from the project. There is a need to ensure that the surrounding is friendly to every one. This will include security, favorable climate and a place where accessibility is not an issue (Kerzner 2003). In case, the environment is not good, an alternative should be introduced to make the people a bit comfortable (Fisher 2000). For instance, if the area where the project is being carried out is insecure, the organization should provide security guards to accompany the team until the project is accomplished. The other factor is poor communication. Information transfer should not be delayed (Kerzner 2003). This will help all the members to be updated and if some have been made, it will assist each one to know and implement the change in good time. Poor communication can result to wrong information being passed which might halt project performance (SEI_CMU 2007). Inadequate funds and other resources necessary for the project can cause poor performance. As earlier discussed it is good to provide all that is needed for effectiveness. Unsuitable structure for the project can be a barrier to high performance. In addition, leadership skills are key factor that should not be underrated. If the leaders in the project are unskilled, it can result into underperformance (Fisher 2000). They should understand what is needed in the project in terms of duties to be carried out. Negotiation skills in solving conflicts in the organization are important as conflict can collapse an organization if not appropriately dealt with (Fisher 2000). If they are not skilled, it would be hard to carry out their responsibilities effectively. The other factor which can contribute to their failure is lack of discipline and poor relationships. In deed, as agreed, it would be good to adhere to the set rules and regulation for a team to have high quality performance (Kerzner 2003). To conclude, project team performance is attainable. What is needed is co-operation between the team members, leaders and the company itself. The organization as the source of the project is expected to facilitate all that is needed for the project, monitor closely the performance of the team and avail all that may be lacking in the course of the project. The team should work as one under the leadership of its manager. It can be subdivided into various groups depending on the structure that was designed before the start of the project. All members in the team should observe the protocol provided and cooperate. All duties assigned to a team member need to be done well and in good time for high performance.when all this factors are considered, the performance of a team in any project will be excellent and both the workers and customers will be satisfied. Bibliography Caltech, 2007, Developing and sustaining a high performance team, Retrieved March 23, 2010, from http,//www,irc,caltech,edu/courses/High_Performance_Teams,htm. Fisher, K, 2000, Leading self-directed work teams, A guide to developing new team leadership skills, New York, McGraw-Hill. Flannes, S, W,, & Levin, G, 2005, Essential people skills for project managers, Vienna, VA, Management Concepts, Inc. Kerzner, H, 2003, Project management, A systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling, New York, John Wiley & Sons. Rad, P, F,, & Levin, G, 2003, Achieving project management success using virtual teams, Boca Raton, FL, J, Ross Publishing, Inc. SEI_CMU, 2007, People capability maturity model (P-CMM), Retrieved March 22, 2010, from http,//www,sei,cmu,edu/ Thierry, H. (2002a). Enhancing performance through pay and reward systems. In S. Sonnentag (Ed.) Psychological Management of Individual Performance (pp. 325- 347). New York: Wiley. Thierry, H. (2002b). Beter Belonen in Organisaties. (Rewarding Better in Organizations) Assen: Koninklijke van Gorcum. (In Dutch) Van der Vegt, G, & Van de Vliert, E, 2002, Intragroup interdependence and effectiveness, Review and proposed directions for theory and practice, Journal of Managerial Psychology, 17, 50-67, Van der Vegt, G., Emans, B. & Van de Vliert, E. (2000). Team members’ affective responses to patterns of intragroup interdependence and job complexity. Journal of Management, 26, 633-655. Wageman, R, 2001, The meaning of interdependence, In, M,E, Turner (Ed,), Groups at Work, Theory and Research, London, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Read More