Effective Team Effectiveness Essay

(Hofer and Schendal, 1986, as cited by Ingram, et al., 1997, p. 119) argue that effectiveness determines the success of the organisation. Effectiveness also relates to satisfying the environment. Effectiveness can also be seen as the “…degree of correspondence between actual and desired outputs”

Teamwork

Tarricone and Luca (2002), p. 641 point out that teamwork relies on individuals who are working together within a supportive atmosphere in order to attain common team goals through sharing information and skills.

Effective teamwork

One might ask, what exactly does ‘team effectiveness’ mean? According to (West, 2012, p.7 ) team effectiveness can be seen as being made up of five main components: which are team member well-being, task effectiveness,

204), describe three characteristics for effective teamwork. These are structural characteristics of teamwork, individual skills and experience as well as required aspects of team processes. Seven of the most commonly described structural characteristics for teams are recognized as a clear purpose, appropriate culture, specified task, distinct roles, suitable leadership, relevant members, and adequate resources. At an individual level, participation in teams needs consciousness, trust, loyalty and flexibility. Team processes are viewed in the light of seven characteristics identified as; coordination, communication, cohesion, decision making, conflict management, social relationships and performance feedback, individual participation in teams requires self-knowledge, trust, commitment and

11) point out that there are four stages of team development. These stages are: Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing.

Developing a successful team requires that we follow a number of stages which are forming, norming, storming, and, performing. During team development, teams have to move in a methodical manner through the first three stages reach the fourth stage which is performing. Nevertheless, there is a possibility that overlapping can occur between the consecutive phases. It should be noted that the time which is taken by each team to go beyond each stage will vary (Sohmen, 2013, p. 9).

Dysfunction in teams and resolutions

One would not want to see teams being dysfunctional. A dysfunctional team is a team that is low on both task and social reflexivity. Such a team fails to reflect on and change its functioning in any of the two parameters. Such a team faces incapability issues over time as team members and leaders will be disgruntled because of unsuitable interpersonal relationships as well as with the team’s failures to achieve goals. Frustration may creep in because of non-performance and team leaders and managers step in and intervene by disbanding the team. (West, 2012, p.