Effective Work Teams: Formation, Stages, and Leadership
Work Teams
What is a Work Team?
A work team is a group of people working together towards a common goal. It differs from a working group in its level of collaboration and shared responsibility.
Selection of Members
- Number of Members: The project’s goal determines the ideal team size.
- Competency-Based Selection: Choose members with relevant skills and knowledge.
- Personality Assessment: Consider individual personalities for team compatibility.
- Strengths and Weaknesses: Understand each member’s strengths and weaknesses to optimize team performance.
Defining Objectives
- Clear Objectives: Establish clear and specific objectives from the outset.
- Shared Understanding: Ensure all team members understand and agree upon the objectives.
- Defined Roles: Clarify each member’s role in achieving the objectives.
Characteristics of Work Objectives
Objectives should be realistic and achievable, aligning with the team’s capabilities and resources. They should also be relevant to the overall goals of the organization.
Performance Standards and Behavior
- Explicit Standards: Clearly define performance standards and expected behaviors.
- Documentation: Provide a manual of procedures or internal guidelines to ensure clarity and consistency.
Values and Principles
Respect for Diversity
Encourage active listening, constructive feedback, discipline, positivism, and open-mindedness within the team.
Solidarity
Promote a culture of mutual support and assistance among team members.
Conditions for a Successful Team
- Clear Goals: Ensure team goals are well-defined and understood by all members.
- Continuous Improvement Plan: Implement a plan for ongoing development and improvement.
- Defined Roles and Responsibilities: Clearly define individual and team roles and responsibilities.
- Effective Communication: Foster open and transparent communication among team members.
Justifications for Forming Teams
- Enhanced Performance: Teams can often achieve better results than individuals working alone.
- Complex Tasks: Teams are essential for handling complex projects that require diverse expertise.
- Specialized Skills: Teams allow for the integration of specialized skills and knowledge.
- Justification Required: Team formation should always be justified by the nature of the work.
Phases of Team Development
- Forming: Team members are selected, and initial enthusiasm is high.
- Storming: Initial conflicts and disagreements may arise as members adjust to working together.
- Norming: The team establishes norms and procedures for working together effectively.
- Performing: The team enters a productive phase, working collaboratively to achieve goals.
- Adjourning: As the project nears completion, the team may experience a decline in motivation and focus.
Team Leadership
The Importance of a Leader
Every team benefits from a leader, whether formal or informal. Leaders provide direction, guidance, and support to the team.
Formal vs. Informal Leaders
Formal leaders are appointed to their positions, while informal leaders emerge based on their influence and expertise.
Qualities of a Good Leader
Effective leaders possess qualities such as strong communication skills, fairness, respectfulness, and the ability to motivate and inspire team members.
Types of Work Teams
- Low-Trust Teams: Characterized by distrust and lack of professional collaboration.
- High-Trust Teams: Members trust each other’s abilities and support each other.
- Conflict-Avoidant Teams: Teams that avoid conflict, potentially hindering open communication.
- Conflict-Engaging Teams: Teams that address conflict constructively to improve team performance.
Levels of Team Commitment
Not Committed: Teams with low levels of accountability and ownership.
Committed: Teams with high levels of accountability and a shared commitment to goals.
Focus of Team Results
Teams can be focused on individual results or collective results. High-performing teams prioritize collective outcomes.
Note:
Evaluations of work teams should always be conducted at the collective level.
Roles Within Teams
Positive Person
Enthusiastic and encouraging, always looking for the positive aspects of a situation. They motivate the team and learn from mistakes.
Critical Person
Negative and destructive, constantly criticizing and finding fault. They can damage team morale and hinder progress.
Argumentative Person
Prone to conflict and disagreement, often challenging others’ ideas. They can be valuable if their arguments are constructive, but they can also disrupt team dynamics.
Inconvenient Person
Makes irrelevant or inappropriate contributions, disrupting the flow of discussions. It’s important to redirect their focus and ensure their contributions are relevant.
Talkative Person
Dominates conversations and struggles to listen to others. It’s important to manage their participation and ensure everyone has a chance to contribute.
Know-It-All Person
Believes they have all the answers, often overestimating their knowledge. It’s important to challenge their assumptions and encourage them to consider alternative perspectives.
Reserved Person
Quiet and withdrawn, hesitant to participate in team discussions. It’s important to create a safe and inclusive environment where they feel comfortable sharing their ideas.
Humorous Person
Brings humor and lightheartedness to the team, reducing stress and improving morale.
Organizer Person
Keeps the team organized and on track, ensuring tasks are completed efficiently.
Underemployed Person
Performs tasks below their skill level, potentially feeling unchallenged and demotivated.
Incompetent Person
Lacks the necessary skills or knowledge to contribute effectively to the team.
Contributor Person
Willing to help and contribute to the team’s success, actively participating in tasks and discussions.
Respectful Person
Shows respect for their teammates, valuing their opinions and contributions.
Good-Character Person
Demonstrates integrity and ethical behavior, contributing to a positive team environment.
Fair Person
Instills trust and confidence, treating all team members fairly and impartially.
Hard-Working Person
Dedicated and committed to the team’s goals, consistently putting in effort to achieve results.
Perfectionist Person
Never satisfied with their work, constantly striving for perfection. While this can be positive, it’s important to ensure they don’t become overly critical or hinder team progress.
Types of Skills
Skills: Abilities and knowledge that enable individuals to perform tasks effectively.
General Skills
Teamwork: Negotiation, planning, and implementation skills essential for effective collaboration.
Basic Skills: Reading, writing, speaking, and basic math skills.
Specific Skills
- Job-Specific Skills: Skills related to a particular job or profession (e.g., fixing a transformer).
- Methodological Skills: Skills related to using specific methods or processes.
- Goal-Achievement Skills: Skills related to setting and achieving goals.
- Expertise: Deep knowledge and understanding in a specific area.
- Process Skills: Skills related to understanding and managing processes.
- Social Skills: Skills related to interacting effectively with others.
Individual Competencies
Individual Skills: Initiative, proactivity, responsibility, honesty, respect, friendliness, tolerance, flexibility, empathy, and passion.
Factors Influencing Competencies
Factors such as family, social environment, and educational experiences can influence the development of individual competencies.
Measuring Competencies
1. Pattern Matching
Observing individuals’ behavior and comparing it to a predefined pattern of competencies.
2. Multiple-Choice Tests
Assessing knowledge and understanding of specific competencies through multiple-choice questions.
3. Certificates from Previous Employers
Using certificates or references from previous employers to verify skills and experience.
4. Interviews
Conducting interviews with candidates to assess their competencies and suitability for the role.
Advantages of Competency Assessment
- Improved Selection: Ensures that selected candidates possess the required competencies.
- Transparency: Increases transparency in the hiring process.
- Reduced Risk: Helps companies make informed hiring decisions and reduce the risk of hiring unsuitable candidates.
Curriculum Vitae
A curriculum vitae (CV) typically includes information such as education, work experience, skills, certifications, references, and personal details.