Team building is an important ingredient for an organization’s success. It involves the grouping of differently talented individuals with varied opinions and then empowering them to work together for the best of the organization. Teams are not always advantageous, like other organizational qualities, they have their pros and cons. Although their pros usually outweigh the cons, it is up to teammates to resolve their problems for teams to work effectively. Team members must put their mutual goals before their individual opinions or emotions. In doing so, they can acquire flexible mentalities that will allow them to consider their colleague’s opinions and compromise where necessary. Connectedly, this essay attempts to examine the effectiveness of teams from firsthand experience. It assesses the structure of the teams while comparing the advantages with the disadvantages. Further, it provides solutions that have been proven to work for the challenges teams in different kinds of organizations face.
Team Building
Describe a time when you have worked with teams
I once worked as an intern in a nursing home for the elderly. Since most of us were volunteers, we needed guidance from those who were experienced, which necessitated the creation of teams. We divided ourselves into teams of ten, each with at least three experienced members. Every team ensured equal distribution in terms of race, gender, religion, and other sensitive factors. The first task was to learn the basic details of one's team members; we even played games that tested these details' recollection. Once we had a rough idea of our teammates' personalities, we proceeded to select a leader. The leaders were referred to as secretaries to emphasize that no one had more power over the others. Their primary role was to ensure everyone took part in the teams' activities as they were required. A secretary was only in power for a week, and then the team would select a new one. In doing so, we made sure that every person had the opportunity to exercise leadership roles.
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Our responsibilities included making meals for the elderly, administering their medication, cleaning their rooms, helping with their laundry, and offering emotional support when they needed it. We were also required to hold team meetings every day to cement bonds and plan for the day's activities. Although we were under constant supervision, each team employed its own rules and strategies as they deemed fit, provided every member on board.
Explain the disadvantages and advantages that you experienced while working in the teams
The most significant advantage of working with the team was the ease of work. The division of labor allowed us to work faster than we would have when working alone. For instance, cleaning rooms and laundry was significantly reduced when each member undertook a small portion. Similarly, since each member was assigned a particular patient to administer medication; medication errors became rare, and patients grew accustomed to their nurses. Another advantage was that working together allowed us to blend complementary strengths. For instance, one of our teammates was an exemplary chef, while another was well-versed with the psychology behind dealing with older adults. In working with both of them, I learnt new things in the areas they excelled in while I taught them a few things in the areas I understood. Further, if any of us made an understandable mistake, we took responsibility as a team by correcting them and helping them fix it.
One of the disadvantages of working with the team was that some projects took longer than they would have when working alone. The process of teaching each other how to do something instead of just doing it consumed too much time. Secondly, while we tried to take blame and responsibility for an individual's failure, it was hard to do so because it required a challenging level of compromise. It was natural to feel that a member had been too lazy or ignorant and then feel inclined to let them take the blame for their mistakes, rather than do it as a team (Poth et al., 2020). There was also the issue of personality clashes. Although we tried to understand and respect each other's opinions, it was hard to do so when they went against our own. Some of these clashes were as trivial as what ingredient to include when making a meal and as severe as blatant disrespect of fellow teammates' religion or race. On the plus side, these disagreements allowed us the chance to build our conflict resolution skills.
Did your team overcome the problems and proceed in the process of team building?
In one of the team meetings, we decided to examine the problems we faced and provide solutions. Each individual was required to write down the challenges they experienced and the solutions they thought fit. At the end of this exercise, we came up with solutions for almost all our problems. To reduce the long project timelines due to the teaching process, we decided that each of us should create some time to write down tips on their area of expertise instead of teaching them on the job. We also decided to adopt apprenticeship as a form of learning where the learner was required to observe and ask questions only when necessary.
On the issue of blame and responsibility, we agreed that each individual should take responsibility for their mistakes, but the rest should not blame them. The difference is that in taking responsibility, one attempted to correct their mistake and did their best to ensure they do not repeat it. However, blaming them would only stigmatize them and make them feel unimportant to the team. We agreed to acknowledge our human nature and accept that we were all prone to making mistakes. On the last problem of personality clashes, we decided to adopt respect, compromise, and forgiveness. Whenever our opinions differed, we would argue respectfully, compromise to accommodate contradicting ideas, and forgive others when we were wronged.
How did the organization's culture factor into the experience?
It was a common culture in the nursing home for the nurses to show a united front. We did not want to make our patients uncomfortable because of any hostility within the teams. Secondly, we did not want our disagreements to rub off on our patients and cause them to disagree as well. Due to this culture, we made sure to address any problems in our meetings before venturing to our respective tasks.
Analyze the processes necessary to maintain a functioning cooperative team
Learning and practising conflict resolution is the first step in maintaining a cooperative team. People come from different backgrounds, have different personalities, and view the world differently. Putting such individuals together will inevitably lead to conflicts on several matters. Nevertheless, the existence of conflict does not mean the team is ineffective (Poth et al., 2020). These conflicts only serve to show that each member contributes unique qualities to the team. Therefore, for teams to work effectively, they must be willing to harmonize these qualities. One must respect their teammates' opinions, regardless of how conflicting they may be from their own. They must also be open-minded and of flexible thought such that they would be willing to consider new information and adopt it if it proves viable (Driskell et al., 2018). Team members must also learn to apologize to those they may have hurt through their words or actions.
Teammates must be willing to forgive when their teammates apologize and avoid holding grudges. Naturally, these steps are harder to perform in practice. They require resilience and unparalleled selflessness. To do so, teams should engage in exercises that allow then to step into their team mate's shoes (Beauchamp et al., 2017). Most importantly, they must be willing to allow others to see their worldview. For instance, if a team member makes a rude comment concerning a fellow member's religion, the offended person should pause and ask the offender what event in their lives led them to view members of that religion in such a negative light. The offender should also nurse their anger and allow their teammate to see that religion from their view. The chances are high that the assumptions made concerning a particular race, religion, gender, or any other distinguishing factor, arise from an altercation with a few members of that community (Driskell et al., 2018). Those assumptions do not necessarily apply to every other member of that community. In allowing other people to prove such assumptions wrong, team members can relate with respect.
To enhance cooperation in a team, team members should hammer in the above qualities through activities that foster trust and respect. These activities could range from games to work assignments that require each member's input (O'Neill & Salas, 2018). Team cooperation can also be maintained through social activities outside the workplace to ensure that teammates are not only work colleagues but also friends. These activities also allow teammates to learn from each other and become better versions of themselves. This exchange of ideas can also be achieved through mentoring programs. New members should be allowed the opportunity to learn about the organization's culture from those who have been there longer. Mentorship programs provide avenues for older teammates to impart their knowledge on newer teammates and address any concern they may have about the running of the organization (O'Neill & Salas, 2018). With the right mentorship, employees can embrace the spirit of teamwork and form a positive attitude towards teams.
Identify the mutual goals shared by the team members
In the modern world, money is the standard for survival. As such, people go to work to improve their financial stability. At the end of the game, team members wish to ensure that they get the salary they depend on for survival. For this reason, it is in their best interest to do quality work and foster good relationships that will help attain the goal. Further, they seek to learn the most from the working experience so that they can use that knowledge to propel themselves to greater heights.
In conclusion, the process of team building is challenging but not impossible. It requires each member to be dedicated to the cause and contribute the much they can to the team's common goal. With such team members, teams are very efficient as they provide better quality results and leave each contented with their role in the organization.
References
Beauchamp, M. R., McEwan, D., & Waldhauser, K. J. (2017). Team building: Conceptual,
methodological, and applied considerations. Current opinion in psychology , 16 , 114-117.
Driskell, J. E., Salas, E., & Driskell, T. (2018). Foundations of teamwork and
collaboration. American Psychologist , 73 (4), 334.
Poth, A., Kottke, M., & Riel, A. (2020, June). Evaluation of agile team work quality.
In International Conference on Agile Software Development (pp. 101-110). Springer, Cham.
O'Neill, T. A., & Salas, E. (2018). Creating high performance teamwork in organizations.
Human resource management review, 28 (4), 325-331.
