No ‘I’ In Team

If a team was to be characterised as being “Effective,” they should be good at communicating with each other, moreover, each individual should know their responsibilities and tasks, so that everyone strives towards the same objective. That being said, all teams will encounter conflicts, but effective teams have procedures on how to deal with them.

Teams exist in all shapes and forms, with different hierarchies, but they all strive towards the main objective. Some organisations have operations and activities that involve many different departments, and sometimes this causes conflict, as each team defends their own stance.

If a team functions correctly, this can benefit customers, employees, and the company/organisation. Customers benefit from an increased level in quality, cost, and delivery (QCD), due to the effectiveness and efficiency of a well corelated team. 

Employees on the other hand benefit from increased job satisfaction, and a happier workforce, this yields QCD, and if the company is competing in the market, this means the jobs of individuals are maintained and secured. 

To ensure that a team is working effectively, a review is an essential exercise to measure the team’s effectiveness and each individuals own contribution towards the objective, reflect upon what you have learnt, and if this activity was to be done again, contemplate on what you’d do different, or what other members, or management could do differently to make the process more efficient and productive.

As mentioned above, conflicts will most likely happen when there is a group of people. To mitigate that conflict, it’s essential that individuals contain the situation as quickly as possible, to avoid escalation. If individuals can’t resolve the issue between themselves, that’s when a team leader will need to step in, remain impartial, respecting both parties, and achieving a resolution. 

Leadership in a team is essential. The attributes of a team leader include: commitment, the ability to communicate and delegate, thus, not doing everything themselves, act as a role model, to drive the team forward for success, keep the team focused on the objective, have a positive attitude, and have confidence.

Team members strive on motivation, anything from listening to giving bonuses is highly effective in maintaining a great output from those individuals that strive and seek more, moreover, you can also proactively encourage these individuals, and praise them in public for achievements.

Lastly, when an individual is delegated a job, assuring them they can handle it can be a big motivator, this increases the confidence of an individual, moreover, praising an individual is also appreciated when they’ve accomplished something.

Learning Objectives:
 •    Identify the attributes of an effective team
 •    Examine what practices a team should carry out in the case of a review, or conflict
 •    Distinguish what makes a great team leader