Team Dynamics

Team Dynamics

"When teams work, there's nothing like them for turbo charging productivityÐ'...forget all the swooning over teams for a moment. Listen carefully and you'll sense a growing unease, a worry that these things are more hassle than their fan let on-that they might even turn around and bite youÐ'...the most common trouble with teams: Many companies rush out and form the wrong kind for the job."(Dumaine, pg. 1)An effective team is the most productive force in an organization. The potential of the team is greater than the sum of its independent parts. Although teams are a common management strategy, it is important to recognize that not all situations are suited to the team approach. A team is best used when there is a situation that calls for a fix of a complex issue, and when there is no one person with all the expertise needed to solve the problem.

Team

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary states that the definition of a Team is, "A number of persons associated together in work or activity: as a: a group on one side." (Morse & Mish, 2003) In Tools for Teams they define team as; "A group of people who are interdependent with respect to information resources and skills and who seek to combine their efforts to achieve a common goal."(Thompson, Aranda &, Robbins, 2000, pgs. 9-10 chap. 1) In a team, members are fully committed to a common goal and mission they have developed, members are accountable to each other, and members all share in the leadership.

Teams have become popular because they tend to produce quality solutions. If team members have a vested interest on a solution, the project is more likely to be implemented as planned. Peer pressure often makes team members more accountable than if they performed alone. Also being a member of a team benefits the individual by giving them an opportunity to learn from the other members.

Teams may also present problems; the team rivalry. Everyone thinks that their specific task is the primary objective. The overall task can then become drastically delayed and progress reduced. This slows down the team's effectiveness.

Teams are mostly task oriented; members often fail to make time to examine how to team on the whole operates. As a result, negative, non-productive behaviors, and attitudes come into play and have an adverse effect on the team's productivity.

Types of Teams Organizations

There are four types of team organizations. Manage-led, this is the most common type of team organization. In the manage-led team, there is only one leader; leadership is not shared. They define the goals and function of the team. The advantage of this team is that the defined goals are managed by one person and the only task that the team has is to execute the goals that are outlined by the manager. This team is very efficient because everything is outlined for them and they know what their expectations are. There is also a very low start-up cost with this type of organization. The only disadvantage to this team is that everyone in the team must conform to the manager. There is no democracy; whatever the manager says goes. Morale can be low at times and member can turn on the manager. (Thompson et al., 2000, p. 15 chap. 1) This is the type of team that I am in. I like this type of organization because I am the type of person that likes to have defined goals. Everything is spelled out for me and I know what is expected.

Self-managing team or self-regulating is another type of organization. There is only one manager or leader and they decided the focus or goal of the team and then team manage themselves but must achieve the goal according to the outline of what the manager wants. There are many pluses to this type of organization. For one there is more loyalty because people have more freedom to express themselves, and there is higher morale. The disadvantage is that it is harder to asses the progress of the team and less control. It might also take longer to achieve the final goal because of the freedom issue. (Thompson et al., 2000, pg. 16 chap. 1)

Self-directing or self-designing is the third type team organization. They determine their own goals and how to achieve them. The only part that a manager plays is the organizational contexts. The advantage of this type of organization is that this team has the most potential for innovation, morale, and motivation. The disadvantage of this team is that there is a high start up cost and there is a big potential for conflict. The progress is near impossible to monitor and there is a possibility