Performance of Teams in Organizations - Coursework Example

Performance of teams in Organizations Name Course Tutor Date Introduction The way teams perform their duties have significantly changed as a result of organizational changes and the nature of work done (Kozlowski, and Bell, 2003). The relationship between people in the organization has become important, considering employee-employer expectations. Organizations have realized the importance and value of team work. There is increased emphasis on knowledge management of employees and learning their experiences so that it benefits the entire organization. Teamwork is relevant in learning institutions and it is encouraged among students. Students form study groups that help them carry out assignments at different levels. In ensuring that teams perform well and remain dedicated to the same purpose, it is important that members in the team understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses. The effectiveness of a team depends on the general behavior of the team members and how they appreciate the importance of teamwork. Purpose of the study The purpose of the study is to identify the performance of teams in organizations and how effective they are supposed to be in ensuring that interests of all team members are met without compromising the objective of the team. According to Hertel, Geister, and Konradt, (2005), many times team members have failed achieve the goals of their team due to lack of realization of the purpose of the coming together. A team is defined as a group of people with different skills and abilities working together on a common goal or task with mutual support of one another (Baker, Day, and Salas, 2006). The study is going to review on how to identify an effective team working in an organization and the reason behind its successes. A comparison with personal team and other teams shall be highlighted too. A suggestion of actions plans to improve team work shall be given especially on the performance of individual teams. A discussion on effective presentation shall also be provided by highlighting relevant features that explain the trend. How to improve presentation skills of team members is also critical to discuss. A review of various academic literatures published by different authors shall be used to enhance the discussion. Therefore, team members are expected to equip themselves with relevant skills that would help them to work effectively and learn from teams. Organizations experience formation of different groups among employees. These teams are formed purposely to perform specific duties and projects in the organization (Wheelan, 2009). Such goals bind the members of the team together, and they can only be pursued effectively when team members work together. According to Ulloa, and Adams, 2004), an effective working team in an organization is characterized by the following. First, such a team must have clearly defined and shared goals among all the members of the team. The goals should also be accepted by all members as a sign of unity. The goals of the team should be outlined in the mission objectively in a way that is understood by all members of the team. Team members will work hard in order to achieve their goals because they are well known to them. Setting clear goals offers direction to the members of the team on what they are supposed to do at any given time, and prevents them from going against the expectations of the team. The second characteristic is that there is agreed way of achieving the set goals. An effective team allows its members autonomy to decide on how to achieve the intended output, at any given time considering the prevailing conditions. Common agreement on how to work promotes flexibility among members of the team such that they are able to respond to prevailing conditions faster. This is also a source of motivation to team members and it makes them feel to be part of the team. Thirdly, a successful working team encourages effective communication between its team members. In such an team, members are allowed to access information of all kind since it is through having information that individuals are empowered to make appropriate decisions. Information sharing gives team members confident in all the operations of the team. Fourthly, an effective team creates an environment that allows support and cooperation among its members (Campion, Papper, and Medsker, 2006).The support entails sharing of ideas and necessary information that a member believes will benefit the whole team. Competition, in a good working team is discouraged because it may lead to the team breaking up. The last and equally important factor in a successful working team is the ability to monitor how the activities of the team progresses and taking relevant corrective measures where necessary. Making a follow up of activities makes it possible to achieve the set objectives since it is an indication of commitment. Important to note is that these factors are always not present in many teams. Neither does the success of a team solely depend on these factors being in play. It is upon the members of a team to come into realization of what is it that they can offer to their team in order to make them successful (Hertel, Geister, and Konradt, 2005). From the above discussion on characteristics of a successful working team, it is evident that our team made use of the factors that explain success in teams. Our team in the first place developed its objectives as far as discussion of academic assignments is concerned. The goal was to attain better results in all our assignments that would benefit all the members of the team. This worked out well for all the team members since all of them scored high marks in most of the assignments. The purpose of us coming together as a team to improve our performance remained paramount. Setting our targets was not enough without stating how we were going to achieve them. This is the reason why we then agreed that for the team to realize its dream, all the members of the team had to actively participate in the discussions. Every member of the team was supported to research on selected topics assigned to him or her, and then makes a presentation to the rest of team members. This approach ensured participation by all team members. Effective communication between the members of the team really helped it to move forward successfully. For instance, in the event that a member was not going to attend a discussion, he or she was ready to inform the rest of members in order to avoid inconveniences. This played out very well and members exhibited confident in the team. However, there are some members of the team who did not leave to the expectations of the team by absenting themselves without seeking permission from the rest of members. What the team did was to come up with a register to note down late comers and those who failed to attend the discussions. A penalty was the determined and this helped to improve the discipline level of team members. Making a presentation to a group is a skill that many people lack (Bradbury, 2006). However, an effective presentation is characterized by the following features which should be taken into consideration by any given presenter. Having a clear structure is one of the features of a good presentation. The presenter is supposed to make it understood to the audience what topic he or she is addressing and support the arguments presented using well established evidence. Relating well to the audience is also critical when making a presentation. The presenter should sound human and friendly during the introduction while looking at the people in the eye. Points made must be understood by the audience and always remember to check with them, to confirm whether you are on the right track. Another feature according to Conradi, and Hall, (2001) is the ability to make the audience hear what the presenter is saying. The presenter should speak clearly and avoid gabbling in a varying tone. Use of short sentences and spoken language that is understood by the audience is necessary. This should be done while facing the people so that they can hear you well. It is also significant for the presenter to be interesting when making a presentation. They should learn to vary their pace and apply the use of appropriate visual aids. Use of humor at some point would help the audience enjoy the presentation but this should not be overdone. Another aspect to be considered is not to distribute handouts during the presentation. Bradbury, (2006) argues that this distracts the people and the presenter is likely to lose his or her audience. The presentation should be kept brief by indicating only the key points on index cards. The cards should be well numbered or joined with a treasury tag so that you do not lose them when they drop down. Organizing brief notes allows the presenter to make his or her points clear. Time management is one of the features of a good presentation. The presenter should be able to judge how long the presentation is likely to take in order avoid going beyond the required time. In relation to the above features of presentation, our team applied them effectively during the presentation. First, it prepared a well structured presentation, including all relevant information in the topic of discussion. The presenter tried as much as possible to relate well to our audience especially when we introduced ourselves. We made our points clear and simple to understand without losing the meaning. Fortunately all the presenters were audible enough to be heard by the audience, and there were no complains raised from the audience. Most importantly, the team remained interesting throughout the presentation, and occasionally used humor to keep the audience active. Handouts were distributed to the audience before presentation began and this helped to control the audience and minimize distractions, and this made it a success. The team made brief notes and this reduced boredom among the audience since only relevant points were emphasized. Presentations were made by other groups and we were challenged on how the carried it out. Some of the groups were conscious of time unlike our group which was unable to keep time. We realized that it was due to poor time management during our presentation, and we intend to improve on that. Being a student at the University of Greenwich has had greater implications on how I view life. The institution holds different students from all the parts of the nation with varied personalities. As a business student at the University, I have acquired vast skills and knowledge through group discussions and presentations which I believe will help me even in the future. Through formation of teams, I have been able to understand how teams work and what can be done to improve team performance, considering that teams face different challenges. Presentations on the other hand have enabled me to believe in myself by being courageous whenever I present issues to other people. Frequent interaction with other students especially during group discussions have helped me appreciate different people and their contributions. Considering that the first year of study is associated with several challenges, how we approached coursework was really an eye opener to me. I leaned that a lot of effort is required in order to register good results especially in group assignments. Personal and Professional Development can be improved by encouraging students to participate actively in teamwork without basing so much on personal work. It can also be improved by engaging PPD1 students in seminars where presentations are used. Such engagements will help students in the future for instance, in making presentations at their place of work, interact with colleagues in a professional manner, and also improve their conduct as business students. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that teams in organizations are encouraged because they promote togetherness among employees which is related to performance. Teams however, encounter various challenges especially when members of the team don't appreciate each other and are not guided by the same objectives. An effective team should set its goals in a way that they are understood by all members, and it should ensure that communication is not compromised. The essay also indicates how presentation should be conducted. A good presentation as discussed above should well planned and delivered in a manner that makes the audience understand what the topic of discussion is all about. The audience is the most important factor to consider when making a presentation, and they should always be engaged so as to make the presentation interesting. With proper management of a team, the issues that arise during teamwork and group presentation will be adequately addressed, and this shall reduce level of conflict in a team. In my own opinion therefore, I strongly agree that a strong working team is that which is guided by the same objectives, goals and values that are known to all members. Bibliography Baker, D. P., Day, R., & Salas, E 2006, "Teamwork as an Essential Component of High‐Reliability Organizations," Health services research, 41(4p2), 1576-1598. Bradbury, A. 2006, "Successful presentation skills," (Vol. 51). Kogan Page. Campion, M. A., Papper, E. M., & Medsker, G. J 2006, "Relations between work team characteristics and effectiveness: A replication and extension," Personnel psychology, 49(2), 429-452. Conradi, M. and Hall, R 2001, "That Presentation Sensation," Financial Times Prentice Hall. Hertel, G., Geister, S., & Konradt, U 2005, "Managing virtual teams: A review of current empirical research," Human Resource Management Review, 15(1), 69-95. Kozlowski, S.W, & Bell, B. S 2003, "Work groups and teams in organizations," Handbook of psychology. Ulloa, B. C. R., & Adams, S. G 2004, "Attitude toward teamwork and effective teaming," Team Performance Management, 10(7/8), 145-151. Wheelan, S. A. 2009, "Creating effective teams: A guide for members and leaders," Sage Publications, Incorporated. Read More