A team is a group of people working together towards a common goal. Creating an opportunity for people to come together to share concerns, ideas, experiences, and to begin to work together to solve mutual problems and achieve common goals.
Team Development Life Cycle
- Forming : In this stage high dependence on leader for guidance and direction. Little agreement on team. Individual roles and responsibilities are unclear. Leader must be prepared to answer lots of questions about the team’s purpose, objective and external relationships.
- Storming : In this stage decisions don’t come easily within group. Team members compete for position Clarity of purpose increases but plenty of uncertainties exist. Compromises may be required to enable progress.
- Norming : In this stage agreement and consensus forms among team. Roles and responsibilities are clear and accepted. Big decisions are made by group agreement. Commitment and unity is strong. The team discusses and develops its processes and working style. There is general respect for the leader and some of leadership is shared.
- Performing : The team clearly knows “why it is doing ?” and “what it is doing ?” . The team has a shared vision. There is a focus on over-achieving goals. Disagreements occur but now they are resolved within the team positively. The team is able to work towards achieving the goal. Team members look after each other. The team does not need to be instructed or assisted.
- Adjourning : Adjourning, is the break-up of the group, hopefully when their task is completed successfully, their purpose fulfilled; everyone can move on to new things, feeling good about what’s been achieved. From an organizational perspective, recognition of and sensitivity to people’s vulnerabilities during this fifth stage is helpful. Feelings of insecurity would be natural
Characteristics of a Good Team
- Everyone participates actively and positively.
- Team goals are understood by everyone.
- Everyone takes initiative to get things done.
- Each teammate trusts the judgment of the others.
- The team is willing to take risks.
- Everyone is supportive of the project and of others.
- Team goals are given realistic time frames.
- Everyone is focused on the ultimate goal of the project.
Common Team Problems
- Overbearing or dominating participants
- Unwilling to become involved
- Unquestioned acceptance of opinions as facts
- Rush to accomplishment
- Quarreling members
- Disconnected/lack of contact between members
Groups members should avoid the following behaviors –
- Being overly aggressive toward other members.
- Withdrawing and refusing to cooperate with others.
- Horsing around when there is work to be done.
- Using the group as a forum for self-confession.
- Talking too much about irrelevant matters.
- Trying to compete for attention and recognition
