Factors affecting effective team management

The use of work teams is believed to allow organizations to offer better services at lower costs and faster. Relying on a work team can reinvigorate service and productivity due to increased motivation among workers and better ways to deal with the changing environment (Tekleab, Quigley and Tesluk, 2009). However, effective team management is affected by some factors that affect the operations of the teams as they try to succeed and thrive. The following factors influence the various activities that bind the team together, bringing them to accomplish the desired goals:

Cohesiveness: Cohesiveness is considered the extent of interpersonal interaction among the members of the team. The cohesiveness of the team affects the motivation of the members in achieving their goals. The compatibility of individuals in the team and how the individuals are attached affects their cohesiveness.

Leadership: The quality of leadership within the team affects the quality of the team. For instance, a team with a patient, knowledgeable, and respectful leader is likely to support the achievements of the team. Leaders influence the success and effectiveness of the team since they offer a guideline and help the group not only in the accomplishment of the team goals but as the individual goals of the team members.

Group Size: It is difficult to determine the most effective group size in a team, but the size significantly influences the success of the team. This is because the team size should correspond to the complexity of the task and the problem that they should address. For instance, a smaller group may be more effective than a larger team depending on the complexity of the task.

Group Norms: The informal codes of conduct and guidelines of behavior offer some order to group operations and activities. These codes of conduct affect the effectiveness of members.  For instance, performance, interpersonal interactions, and conflict resolution are essential for the team to function effectively.

Communication: Effective communication techniques are essential in managing a better team. Communication affects the success of a team since there is a need to understand the aim and scope of the goal. Communication fosters motivation, satisfaction, and implementation of form processes of conflict resolution.

Teamwork experience

When I think about my experience in a team, what comes in my mind is the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that came out of lots of laughter, stress, and hard work. In many ways, we cooperated and worked with one another with a conscious effort where we, as individuals of the team, made a difference in how we could affect the group outcomes and processes. As a team leader, I encouraged interaction and being honest with each other to foster effective communication. I gave people the benefit of the doubt that their opinions and views were brilliant as well as an opportunity to express themselves (Mehta and Mehta, 2018). The team had miscommunications and disagreements, but when these things occurred, I chose the best way with encouragement for the team to move forward to achieve the goals.

Recommendations

The main challenge in team management is the extent to which individuals assume varying roles in the team structure to diversity efforts. Through evaluating the varying characteristics of roles, it is easier to manage the members and ensure that every member understands their role in the team. The diverse knowledge and skills are essential to a team since they offer a range of capabilities that are essential in achieving the goals (Guchait, Lei, and Tews, 2016). Through this, a leader is also able to observe the extent to which an individual is capable of completing the task, thus identify the most suitable role for the team member.

References

Guchait, P., Lei, P., & Tews, M. J. (2016). Making teamwork work: Team knowledge for team effectiveness. The Journal of Psychology, 150(3), 300-317.

Mehta, A., & Mehta, N. (2018). Knowledge integration and team effectiveness: A team goal orientation approach. Decision Sciences, 49(3), 445-486.

Tekleab, A. G., Quigley, N. R., & Tesluk, P. E. (2009). A longitudinal study of team conflict, conflict management, cohesion, and team effectiveness. Group & Organization Management, 34(2), 170-205.