Factors affecting teamShourya anand sumit yadav

Bba 4th semester

communication

Effective team communication is vital to a productive work environment. In fact, poor team communication is a primary reason for a failed career, according to the University of Northern Iowa. Effective group communication relies on understanding interpersonal communication basics and how they can improve or hinder messages. Interpersonal communication factors that influence effective communication include ability to listen, nonverbal communication, culture and conflict resolution.

COHESIVENESSCohesiveness may by defined as “sticking together.” Groups or teams are cohesive when their participants identify with their membership. Identification means that the participants feel proud to be members, inform outsiders that they are members, and perceive the purposes and goals that the group or team stands for as their own.

Significant advantages can be realized when cohesiveness is high:

Member satisfaction with the group or team is high

Group or team goals are achieved more effectively

The quantity and quality of communication is high

The group or team exerts more influence over its participants

CONFORMITYConformity means “going along.” Group conformity is realized when participants abandon a particular position contrary to other group or team members in favor of a majority view. This abandonment, called conforming, happens for many reasons including: pressure to compromise, logical or emotional persuasion, coercion, time constraints, personal frustration, or perceiving the futility of continued argument.

COMPETITION AND CONFLICTProductive conflict is also crucial to effective decision making in groups or teams. Without debating and questioning key issues through productive conflict, groups or teams may make decisions that have not been thoroughly tested or evaluated.Cooperation and conflict can often go hand-in-hand. Productive conflict is one of many means by which teams or groups cooperate. By agreeing to debate, question, test ideas, and evaluate proposals, members engaged in conflict can form a cooperative enterprise.

LEADERSHIPStrong groups and teams are supported by strong leadership. Leadership is a process of influence. Whenever one individual attempts to influence the behavior of another, he or she engages in leadership.

Shared leadershipThere are many approaches and directions to leadership. Shared leadership is the most important and powerful approach that a grope or team can undertake. Effective groups and teams share the leadership function among several members. You may see many leadership behaviors exhibited in a group or team that reflect shared leadership. Leadership, in turn, depends on effective communication skills. When you see participants contribute frequently and openly, with different members introducing various topics for discussion, different ideas being challenged and debated, you are witnessing shared leadership

Intellectual stimulationLeaders can provide intellectual stimulation by encouraging followers to think about old problems in new ways. Leaders show more interest in creative ideas than in routine processes. They are no longer the crutch for the employee to lean on. When asked a question, leaders in turn ask more questions and give fewer answers, which encourages team work

*Loyalty*Trust in the leader’s beliefs*Similarity between leader and follower opinions and beliefs*Affection and admiration for the leader*Emotional involvement in the mission believed in by the leader*Perception that the leader takes risks and makes sacrifices to achieve his or her vision*Perception that the leader uses unconventional strategies to achieve goals

Steps to build an effective team

Communicate openly & effectively

Identify team characteristics & effectiveness

Clarify the common goals & purposes

Clarifying each person’s role in achieving the common purpose

Conflict management

Identify team characteristics & effectiveness

Clarify the common goals & purposes

Clarifying each person’s role in achieving the common purpose

Identify Team Characteristics & effectiveness

• the success of team-building efforts is a function of the number of desirable team characteristics.

• The key to creating an effective team is balance in the attributes of team members.

Tools• Assessment tool• Simple measurement• Personal interviews

Clarify the common goals and purposes

A team is defined as a group of people working together toward a common goal. Without a goal, there is no team.• Make the team’s purposes clear• articulate the team’s performance goals and how the

team contributes to the company’s success.• Draw the link between team and company purpose.

Clarify each person’s role in achieving the common purpose

• Must be done in specific terms• Review team members' roles frequently.• Clarify responsibilities when action planning.

Benefits • Creates certainty within the team• Increases team focus and efficiency• Ensures full utilization of skills within team

Communicate Openly and Effectively

Miscommunication can create hard feelings and undermine the success of the team. • Seek to understand all angles.• Take responsibility for being heard and understood.• Work to clear up misunderstandings quickly and accurately.• Reinforce and recognize team member efforts.

Deal with conflict situations

• Conflict within teams is natural• Move quickly to manage conflict situations• Conflict, handled well can produce constructive

ideas• Handled poorly, can be destabilizing and

destructive• Need to demonstrate strong leadership

Here are some ways to successfully resolve conflicts:• each team member involved should have a chance to explain

the problem as he or she faces.

• Establish clear ground rules so that people can have their say without being interrupted, rushed, mocked, or intimidated.

• Encourage employees to solve problems themselves when they can so that leader aren’t always in the middle of every conflict between team members.

• However, if they cannot solve them, it’s important that they can count on leader to coach them through a problem-solving framework that allows them to build conflict resolution skills for the future.

Meetings – encourage interaction

Make sure team members interact at meetings

• Encourage team members to ask for and offer help at meetings• Team members must feel comfortable about speaking

up• Maximize knowledge• Collaboration not competition• Dominance by Manager can limit real synergy• Allow room for minority or unpopular views

Appraise

• Appraise and reward the team as a whole.• Compare team performance against targets• Provide regular feedback on performance• Plan small celebrations on achieving milestones

Communicate team successes• Where possible, tell the whole company

(meetings, intranet, newsletter)

• Name people who made key contributions

• Include people outside immediate group(reception, IT, finance etc.)