writing assignment

Running Head: TEAMWORK 1

TEAMWORK 3

Writing Assignment 2

Teamwork In Sports Organizations

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High-Performance Teamwork and the Success of Sports Organizations

Creating and sustaining high performance teams is the most crucial goal of every sport organization. It is therefore important to understand what makes up a high performance team and the process involved in building it. In sports high performance teams may be looked at as teams that are known for their good performance in leagues such as NHL, MLB, and NBA among others. At times, we may think that high performance team is determined by the physique of the players which help them navigate competitions and emerge successful. Other people argue that high performance teams in sports are determined by the quality of the coach by how much the coach inspires and trains the team. Truth is that high performance teams are least determined by the amount of energy the team members contain. The mood set and environment encompassed by the team determines the performance of the entire team.

In professional sports, games are usually more than just an event to be watched. They are often opportunities for teams to showcase their loyalty, character, discipline, teamwork, values among other factors that are critical determinants of success. Regardless of the games played, building a high performance team is influenced by three basic principles: Platform, Process and Purpose. (Building a High-Performance Team: Professional Sports and Your Business, 2020) Platform refers to the foundation that the team is built upon. A team’s foundation is determined by the people, training and standards that form the team. A solid foundation is likely to promote higher performance than teams build on unstable platform. Process is the second principle and refer to the ways through which daily operations are carried out. A team performs better if there are clear communications and a sense of ownership or belonging amongst themselves. Failure to communicate team goals, objectives and expected behavior will lead to poor performance. Teams that perform well are not those that embrace the zero tolerance for error mentality. Teams must plan, brief, execute and debrief about expected performance for it to excel.

High performance teams are guided by purpose. A team must know what it is playing for, how to play and what to aim at. A team must have a clear picture of what they want to achieve so as to take up the right direction and implement practical activities towards achieving the target result. A leader plays a crucial role in helping a team to set its purpose. Leadership within a sport organization should provide teams with the right environment and resources to achieve the purpose (Ulrich, 2019). Overall, it is the combined attributes of team members that determine their level of performance. It is also the kind of leadership in a team that determines its performance based on how much loyalty, discipline, teamwork and character that has been instilled in team members.

Time composition is yet an important factor in determining team performance. A team should neither be too small nor too large but should be structured according to the needs of a team. When too small, decision making becomes difficult due to lack of diversity. Succession is equally difficult when a team is too small as well as competition. Big teams on the other hand tend to be associated with divisive behavior as sub teams form among team members. In big teams, participation in decision making is hampered since all people cannot be adequately involved in decision making. A good team composition support cohesion and stability and thus performance. (Dean Barker, 2010)

In conclusion, sport organization must create high performance teams by bringing individual talents into a collective success. Building a high performance team, it is recommended that leaders establish a solid foundation that will allow team processes to occur so as to accomplish a similar purpose.

Reference

Building a High-Performance Team: Professional Sports and Your Business. (2020). Retrieved from AFTERBURNER: https://www.afterburner.com/building-a-high-performance-team-professional-sports-and-your-business/

Dean Barker, A. R. (2010). Managing Teams: Comparing Organizational and Sport Psychological Approaches to Teamwork. Scandinavian Sport Studies Forum, 115-132.

Ulrich, D. (2019, July 22). Four Characteristics of High-Performing Teams. Retrieved from HR Exchange Network: https://www.hrexchangenetwork.com/hr-talent-management/articles/four-characteristics-of-high-performing-teams