Kim Woods 81 (5.1)

OLCU 614’s focus was on building teams within organizations and the crucial importance of being willing and able to perform as such. Building a team in an organization takes plenty of time and patience. Members must learn to communicate and work directly with many different personalities and behaviors. In addition, teams will experience varying talents, issues, situations and projects that will require different attention and unique responses. Not every team will build in the same way, nor will they experience the same conflicts, however either way it is an experience that can benefit an organization and the members greatly if successful.

In an organization, it is often useful to organize your employees into teams to have them complete a project or conduct research on a new concept. There are many different kinds of teams, knowing which team to assign at which time crucial and can impact the success of the project.

In a Functional Team, there are many different members with many different jobs and talents; these members have a formal leader and are all working towards a common goal. Superior team leadership focuses constantly on both the task and maintenance functions (Kinlaw, 1998). The leader is responsible for recognizing all their talents and uses each member to ensure that the end goal is met.

A Cross-Functional Team can be very successful and a great asset to an organization if used properly. Cross-Functional Teams are comprised of several different departments and sometime outside vendors all working together to meet the organization’s goals. The Cross-Functional Team will have a deep bench of experience and resources to attack any problems that may arise and ensure that the rest of the team stays focused on the end goal. To build an atmosphere that fosters collaboration, they need to develop trusting relationships, based on honesty, openness, consistency and respect (Larson & La Fasto, 1989). The Cross-Functional Team must have strong leadership to keep this highly potent group of leaders focused and able to accomplish the objective.

Self-Managed Team

Another type of team is the Self-managed Team and this type of team is one that tends to put the responsibility and the accountability onto the team members themselves instead of the team leader. This is a good model to follow when the product or service is distinct and is often the same thing over and over. Most of the Self-managed Team members have the same requisite knowledge and are cross trained to perform jobs that their teammates do. This gives the team members a feeling of job satisfaction and a strong commitment to the team and the goals that they have developed.

Virtual Team

In today’s technological world, we could not discuss types of teams without discussing the Virtual Team. Virtual Teams are a group of members that are geographically separated and often do not meet face to face. With the internet and all the programs that have helped us to communicate globally, this has become quite popular and an inexpensive way to lead a team. This type of team can attract all kinds of members from various organizations to all gather and communicate their needs and wants. The various team members contribute their part; the data is gathered and analyzed to be used when the other members of the team need it. Teams relay ideas to the appropriate individuals at the appropriate times, and in doing so, becoming more effective in their innovative process (Fahden, 1993).

In the US thirty-four percent of workers are freelancing the number of employees. By this increases a worldwide availability and gives the ability to tap into a talent pool that hasn’t been available in traditional employment. The workforce in today’s society we have more generations working together than ever before. Our current work environment is experiencing shifts in how work and life are managed affected by advancement in technology and technology is being utilized by the five generations that is now co-existing in this environment. Each generation has their own perspective on virtual teams. Baby boomers that are retiring the traditional employment but continue to work free edge rather than full time. Gen X much like the boomers a virtual team was not in their traditional work setting in the beginning of their careers as that have also had to adapt to these new practices. As for Millennials They are early adaptors of new technology and virtual teams had been a continuing practice as these millennials have joined the workforce. Millennials want to spend less time physically in the workplace and more on getting the work done. Generation Z is our digital generation in mobile and social platforms, they are educated and inspired by technology with a strong commitment to work life balance. As each generation has trained, learned, or adapted to the virtual teams in different ways but gives the opportunity for each generation to work on the same platform using virtual teams will benefit your organization in many ways.

5 Stages of Team Development

With technology growing at such a high pace, companies are now creating virtual teams as they produce low cost, high quality, and efficient solutions to an organization’s problems. However, creating a dynamic team happens in several development stages, which are namely forming, storming, norming, and performing (Thompson, 2018, p.7).

Forming

The forming stage happens when group members learn about each other. A team leader steps up and introduces each of the teammates either through emails, texts or video conferencing with all the team members present. Team roles are assigned, either naturally or appointed, and a team-like formation starts to present itself. People know who is on their team and what role they have within the design.

Storming

The storming stage is where each of the team members gives ideas of ways to achieve the goals stated in the forming step. Each team member lists his or her concept, and there is competition for acceptance of everyone’s opinion. In this stage, individuals will present his or her ideas and are likely to defend their thoughts. Debate and frustration comes naturally as a solution is sought.

Norming

The norming stage is when the team understands each other, starts to work together as a team, and forgets about individual objectives. It is recognized and understood amongst all what the standards are and what is expected of the team. Everyone can identify what the end goal is and what the team must do to reach it.

Performing

The performing stage of team development is when the team is functioning at the highest level. All the ideas turn into the objectives and goals discussed during the forming phase of the group (Hirsh et al., 2003, p.5). Team members perform their separate assigned tasks to make the project a success. Production rates are high and team members are satisfied. In theory, everyone is inserting himself or herself where they fit and are contributing their fair share of work. Goals are being met and standards are being raised.

Adjourning

The last stage, which is the adjourning stage, sees the team break up, and the members go on to perform their duties. Developing a team for a project, especially a virtual team, has many challenges, with distance being a major one (Hirsh et al., 2003, p.5). Guiding people who are in different locations requires a firm team leader to see the success of the project.

There are many areas that need to be explored when developing a team, and team members need to utilize their skills for decision making, managing conflict, and performance, not just on an individual level but for the team. Thompson (2018) compares maintaining an effective team to the human body because no one knows the exact regimen for staying healthy over time. However, we have some very good information about the benefits of a lean diet, exercise, stress reduction, wellness maintenance, and early detection of disease. This is a perfect analogy for a team working together to get the “buy-in” from everyone and doing the little things that focuses on the bigger picture. OLCU 614 gives us the opportunity to identify the types of teams that will benefit our organization and using the five stages of team development for enhancing performance. Ultimately, you want your team to embrace team commitment, and an encouraging culture for a positive team environment. To be able to successfully acquire these qualities a team must establish and encourage effective communication.

References

Fahden, A. (1993). Innovation on Demand. Minneapolis, MN: The Illiterati.

Hirsh, Elizabeth, et al. Introduction to Types and Teams (3nd ed.). CPP, IncT, 2003.

Kinlaw, D. C. (1998). Superior teams: What they are and how to develop them. Hampshire, UK:

Grove.