Question1: Teamwork is the ability to work together towards a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” Andrew Carnegie
Do you agree or disagree with this idea? Write a response that discusses your justification.
Teamwork is often considered as a pivotal part of any business, as it is often necessary for colleagues to work well in a group to achieve a common goal. A team is generally formed not only when a number of individuals come together with the common objective of accomplishing a task but when the basic requirement of effective teamwork is also fulfilled. Such basic requirements might include an adequate size of the team which is not too small or too large, well-defined and measurable goals, as well as the required authority, autonomy, and resources to accomplish the said goal (O’Neill, Goffin & Gellatly, 2012). Moreover having shared vision is also an important component of effective teamwork. A shared vision is something an individual or other team wants to create or accomplish as a part of the organization. It allows members to put in extra efforts since there is no competition to achieve personal interests and the overall success of the organization is going to affect everyone (Wilson, 2005). Thus, creating such collaborative environment not only avoids interdepartmental conflicts but also allows free flow of communication in the entire organization.
Further, an effective teamwork also requires an organizational support system where the team has a well-defined structure, leadership, specific roles and responsibilities and last cooperation among the team members.
# The success of any teamwork is directly proportional to the relationship that exists between its team members. An effective teamwork ensures that team members will try to cooperate despite the personal conflicts between individuals. Thus the team members must work as a single unit to achieve the best they can in accomplishing the said goals. While cooperation is essential to teamwork, such cooperation can only stem from the trust based relationship that develops or exists between team members or colleagues. It allows the team members to feel safe and comfortable, to take a calculated risk and also to expose themselves to vulnerabilities (Liang, Shih & Chiang, 2015). Thus no team work is possible in the complete absence of this rational component, even if it is present in minimum extent only.
# The team members must understand their roles and responsibilities within the team because any task within a group is accomplished more effectively when the roles are clearly defined and their responsibilities are fairly distributed among all the team members (Johnston, 2011). Moreover, such distribution of roles, as well as responsibilities, should be based on the skill and level or expertise one has acquired.
# Effective teamwork in the workplace also requires the involvement of a team leader to give his level best in communicating a clear picture of what an organization expects from the team and to ensure that work will be completed as per the said requirements in a timely manner (Jenkinson, Oakley & Mason, 2013). Such team leader can be a person who has been chosen as leader by the higher authority under whose leadership all members have to work or can be recognized by team members themselves out of the team.
Managing the team is equally significant as the development of an effective team. An effective teamwork also understands the importance of monitoring or evaluating the team itself and the way they are performing. For the purpose of such evaluation, certain norms are being established by the team members to ensure efficiency and success. The task of monitoring teamwork and events is not only vested to team leader but it is shared among all the team members as per their preference towards team maintenance (Hauschildt & Konradt, 2012).
Thus, it could be summed up that effective teamwork demands to develop as well as communicating a shared vision, making sure team members are working collaboratively towards the goal by helping out them with relevant and timely feedback.
References:
O’Neill, T., Goffin, R., & Gellatly, I. (2012). The Knowledge, Skill, and Ability Requirements for Teamwork: Revisiting the Teamwork-KSA Test’s validity. International Journal Of Selection And Assessment, 20(1), 36-52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2389.2012.00578.x
Wilson, V. (2005). Developing a vision for teamwork. Practice Development In Health Care, 4(1), 40-48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pdh.30
Liang, H., Shih, H., & Chiang, Y. (2015). Team diversity and team helping behavior: The mediating roles of team cooperation and team cohesion. European Management Journal, 33(1), 48-59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2014.07.002
Johnston, T. (2011). Roles And Responsibilities In Team Projects. Journal Of College Teaching & Learning (TLC), 2(12). http://dx.doi.org/10.19030/tlc.v2i12.1894
Jenkinson, J., Oakley, C., & Mason, F. (2013). Teamwork: the art of being a leader and a team player. Advances In Psychiatric Treatment, 19(3), 221-228. http://dx.doi.org/10.1192/apt.bp.111.009639
Hauschildt, K., & Konradt, U. (2012). Self‐leadership and team members’ work role performance. Journal Of Managerial Psychology, 27(5), 497-517. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02683941211235409
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