Throughout this project, our team researched the elements that develop successful teams. Now, what do we mean by “successful?” We measure effectiveness of teams by the way the team works together, their productivity, and the impact that their efforts make. These elements are complex, comprising of multiple variables; they also can be planned for before the project begins, monitored during the team effort, and evaluated following the project.
Since it isn’t a simple topic to dissect, we thought it would be a great opportunity test our team building-abilities and research the question: “What builds a successful team?” We referred to a list of scholarly articles and our textbook, Organizational Behavior, narrowing down the most important aspects. From there, we created the conceptual model above, breaking down the key elements in an easy to understand format. Now, our model isn’t the only model out there, and there are definitely other elements that are involved in creating successful teams. We focused on communication, developing a shared goal/mission statement, self awareness as a leader, organizational commitment, and diversity within teams; through our research, these are the key elements that helped us in our team building exercises, and we feel they are valuable in a variety of scenarios.
Communication
Communication is a broad topic in it of itself, so we decided to break it down into sub-bullets. According to our textbook, important elements of communication include communicator issues, noise, information richness and network structure (Colquitt, Lepine, Wesson 386-388). Keeping these factors in mind, we decided to break up the communication piece into two main components, rich information and reducing communication issues. Communication is what makes the team work in a productive manner, and it is crucial between leaders, group members, and other outside sources of information. According to Pentland, the key to a team’s communication is not necessarily content, but more importantly the manner that they are communicating. Other factors including personality, ability, information richness, and individual knowledge are considered, as well (Pentland 2). This communication method should be considered. Subjects that require a lot of explanation, diagrams, or require lots of feedback are best done in face-to-face situations; likewise, quick questions about the time of a meeting can be done over an instant message or email. Considering these factors when problem solving helps team members work more effectively. It is also crucial for people to have equal contributions to the group, making every voice heard. More voices help to stimulate integrative thinking and problem solving. Also, listening to understand rather than instantly replying can aid in reducing communication issues. Each group member should contribute to discussions equally; though they may not have any ideas themselves, they should be willing to voice their opinion on the subject, keeping the shared goal in mind (Pentland 6). Effective communication does not need to occur within the large group only; side conversations can be just as (if not more) productive, and can aid in expediting progress in solving minor issues and collaboration. Being concise, considerate, and open to questions also aids in comprehension and application of ideas (Pentland 7). One often forgotten component to communication is considering the stream of information between those in the organization and those outside of the organization. Articles, interviews, and other outside sources are crucial in researching overreaching ideas and concepts. High performing teams are constantly searching for new, diverse perspectives, communicating with those within and outside the organization (Pentland 6). Sometimes, getting an outside opinion can help to reaffirm or develop new ideas, helping the team reach its goal in the overarching organization. Next, we will discuss how the shared goal creates a sense of community in the team.
Shared Goal/Mission Statement
An important part of having an effective team is to develop a shared goal. This goal should be set when the team is created and all members should understand and abide by the group’s specific and measurable goal.There could be many possible goals for the team, however it is important to pick the central, inclusive goal that will be most effective for the team in achieving the task at hand. By developing what are often known as S.M.A.R.T. goals, teams are given a measurable performance indicator to strive for. This specific goal is used to gauge how much effort they need to put into the task, as well as time (Colquitt, Lepine, Wesson 170). Often when working in a team there can be outside tasks or distractions that try to get in the way of accomplishing the teams goal. It is crucial to focus on long-term goals, projections, and demands instead of channeling all your efforts to the present or short term; at various points in life, it is also key to sit down and reevaluate your priorities (Sinoway 2). It is important for all team members to keep their priorities straight and to focus on the specific goal of the group. By prioritizing based on the shared goal, team members will be more likely to be on the same page about the outcome of the project. We will now talk about the importance of self awareness as a leader.
Self Awareness as a Leader
Anyone can be a leader. All it takes is the right mindset, ability to grow as a person, and self-awareness. One cannot grow if they believe they are at their best. Leaders believe they can always be better, and they strive to improve themselves. Before a leader can work on their strengths, they need to identify what they really are; this can come through an evaluation from yourself and others (Zenger, Folkman, Edinger 2). Taking a step back to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, and asking other people to evaluate you is the first step to being a better leader. Then, you can work on certain aspects of yourself you should focus on improving. Contrary to popular belief, weaknesses should not be the only aspect of yourself that is improved. Great leaders can become extraordinary by evolving some of their strengths to the highest level. To do this, leaders have to go out of their comfort zone, they can’t continue to do the same thing (Zenger, Folkman, Edinger 3). It’s not impressive to be average at everything, but it is impressive to be good in all areas, and exceptional in a few (Zenger, Folkman, Edinger 3). During this process, others can learn by example and begin to improve themselves. You will be more respected as a leader for being vulnerable, examining yourself, and taking the necessary steps to improve your abilities. It’s about self-awareness; with this continuing mindset, you will constantly be bettering yourself to be the best person you can be.
Organizational Commitment
Each team member must be fully committed to the organization in order to create the most effective team. It is important to find team members who are committed to achieving the shared goal that the team developed. According to our textbook, organizational commitment is a phrase often used in a business sense, focusing on whether an employee stays at said organization or leaves to pursue another position at another company (Colquitt, Lepine, Wesson 62). In terms of this project, it is also crucial to have team members who are committed to the group, and the larger course. There are many factors that go into what keeps a team member committed to achieving the team’s goal; employees or team members who are committed typically have strong, positively-charged feelings about at least one factor within their team, whether it is their team members, an inspiring supervisor, or general passion for the work they are completing (Colquitt, Lepine, Wesson 64). It is important as a team member to keep a positive attitude towards achieving the teams goal. If group members feel unimportant they are more likely to put less effort into the group and they could potentially leave the group. We will now discuss the importance of diversity and how it plays a role in creating a successful team.
Diversity
Like the other topics, diversity plays a big role in how effective a team is. Diversity helps a team’s success because it allows for a wider array of knowledge and perspectives, helping the team perform to the best of their ability (Colquitt, Lepine, Wesson 354). If you are trying to solve a company-wide issue, you would not pick members from a single department; instead, you should go out of your way to get perspectives from members of all departments, varied seniority, and consider the impact on customers and shareholders“ When discussing their ability specifically, “the best way to build a great team is not to select individuals for their smarts or accomplishments but to learn how they communicate and to shape and guide the team so that it follows successful communication patterns” (Pentland 6). It is crucial to consider diverse communication styles, trying to abide by everyone’s preferences. In this way, communication will go as smoothly as possible, creating more commitment to the team and organization itself. As for personality or role, it is crucial to have a mix of individuals who will take charge and encourage others to reach their full potential. Teams should comprise of people with personalities who are willing to work with others, problem solvers, and embrace conflict. Being conscientious of the overarching goals and the ways of approaching conflict among members are crucial in maintaining an effective team, and they are direct reflections of personality types (Colquitt, Lepine, Wesson 353).
Conclusion
We have learned so much from this project; we learned more about ourselves, our skills and abilities, and we learned about teams. Together, we researched and analyzed what makes a team “successful” and were able to build a conceptual model, made up of communication, shared goals, self-awareness, organizational commitment, and diversity. We have implemented these skills and abilities into not only this project and class, but our lives. We can take our learned knowledge and apply it to our studies, as well as our jobs. Overall, effectiveness of our team is measured by the way we work together, our productivity, and the impact our efforts make. Before this project officially started, we shared our goals with one another: get an A on Digital Media Project Four and the class itself, work together on this project, and create a website reflecting what we have accomplished with this project. Now that this project has come to a close, we can take a step back and measure our success. Although we won’t know our letter grade for a few weeks, we can measure how we’ve worked together and what we have learned. I think it’s safe to say that we were successful – we’ve become much closer and learned more than we ever thought we could from a few articles.
Works Cited
Colquitt, J. A. , Lepine, J. A., & Wesson, M. J. (2010). Organizational Behavior: Improving Performance and Commitment in the Workplace, 2nd Ed. Burr Ridge, IL: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
Pentland, A. (2012). The New Science of Building Great Teams. Harvard Business Review, 90(4), 60-70.
Sinoway, E. (2012). No, you can’t have it all. Harvard Business Review, 90(10), 111-114.
Zenger, J. H., Folkman, J. R., & Edinger, S. K. (2011). Making Yourself Indispensable. Harvard Business Review, 89(10), 84-92.
Creating Successful Teams 