Discussion ; Networking: A Key to Successful Teamwork

A. Setting team boundaries play an important role in effective management of the team. Once the boundaries are set, it will set the team in the right direction and help them focus on the team goals. There exist different types of team boundaries and these boundaries needs to be studied carefully based on the it’s different types to study the implications it may have for the proper functioning of the team. It is extremely necessary to identify where the boundaries need to be set. Different areas which needs attention should be identified and focused and dedicated time should be allocated from every day which helps to gain clarity over different roles in the team. Team members should be encouraged to speak up in case of any issues or concerns. Setting such boundaries will enable team members to have their own schedule outlining their responsibilities and role specific tasks. Though the boundaries are set, issues may still occur, but team members should be willing to cooperate and collaborate to overcome them. Raising the awareness among team members will help to bridge team boundaries and will create positive environment among the team. (Espinosa, J. A., Cummings, J. N., Wilson, J. M., & Pearce, B. M. ,2003)

The trade off between internal cohesion and external ties entirely depends on the type of team. Leaders and managers are expected to take care of both internal cohesion as well as external ties and let it not affect on the team performance. In cases where the internal cohesion was promoted, it was quite sensitive towards the external ties. Increasing cohesion within the team should not negatively affect knowledge sharing with external ties and this is quite challenging to maintain relationships with external ties as not all are comfortable with sharing their expertise with external ties.( Reagans, R., Singh, P. V., Krishnan, R. , 2012)

B. There are multiple roles which a person can play in a team. It may be technical, functional or a team role. Technical roles deal with the team task involving various level of complexities. Functional roles enable an individual to perform and function effectively as a member of a team and deliver from his end and make contributions towards team’s success. Besides this, being a part of team, a person plays team role. Every team member makes an effort to contribute constructively and ensures he follows all the processes and is compliant to them. Every person plays roles based on his position, expertise and his abilities. I am an effective team member who meets all the task deadlines and coordinate with team for allotted tasks. I am an expert in my field and train my subordinates in key processes of my field of expertise. I take up the role of a facilitator and guide the members newly joined to the team.

References:

1. Espinosa, J. A., Cummings, J. N., Wilson, J. M., & Pearce, B. M. (2003). Team Boundary Issues Across Multiple Global Firms. Journal of Management Information Systems, 19(4), 157–190. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2003.11045746

2. Reagans, R., Singh, P. V., Krishnan, R. (2012). Community costs? Analyzing the contingent association between internal cohesion and external knowledge transfer relationships. Retrieved from http://repository.cmu.edu/tepper