Developing Teamwork Productivity in a Diverse Workforce - Essay Example

Developing Teamwork Productivity in a Diverse Workforce In any workplace, developing teamwork productivity is a challenge. In a diverse workforce, it becomes an even greater challenge. Before deciding whether a team approach is appropriate, some considerations must be made. Firstly, it is necessary to look at the advantages and disadvantages of teams. Secondly, it is necessary to consider the interpersonal challenges associated with teams. Thirdly, it is important to note that a team is not appropriate in every situation. By considering each of these factors, it will be shown that teams should only be used in diverse workplaces when the advantages of the team outweigh the input that will be required to overcome the challenges. There are many potential advantages to teamwork. One of the major benefits is that there can be an increased level of individual effort in teams. This occurs because members of the team can motivate each other. In some cases, team members will purposely make efforts to motivate each other. In other cases, a team member will be motivated simply by knowing that the other members of the team are relying on them. Another related factor is that a team member performing well is likely to be recognized and rewarded by the team members. Even though this is only reward by praise, it can be a strong motivator because most people seek the approval or their peers and have a desire to be recognized as valuable by others. Another benefit of teamwork is that it can increase the job satisfaction of employees. Dalton, Hoyte, and Watts (1999) describe how the Hawthorne effect showed the importance of human relations in the workplace. In short, productivity and efficiency increases when there is positive human relations. The use of teamwork is one way that human relations can be improved since it means that employees are working together, which meets their basic needs for belongingness and affiliation. Another benefit is that creativity can be increased by the use of teams. This occurs because team members can work together to solve problems or develop new ideas. The combination of several minds is often much better able to create new and innovative ideas than one mind working alone. This is especially true because most organizations have a diverse group of employees. There can be diversity in background, education, skills, knowledge, and thinking style. The major benefit of a team is that all of these skills can be combined and put to good use in various situations. For example, one team member may have a critical thinking style, where they question every new idea and look for potential problems. If this person is working along, this focus may prevent them from trying new ideas. Another person may have a creative thinking style, where they are always developing new and innovative ideas. If this person is working alone, they might try many new ideas that have no potential for positive results. If these two people work together, their approaches can combine well. The creative person creates new ideas, while the critical person assesses them. This shows how the different approaches of individual team members can complement each other, with the team likely to achieve more as a unit than any of the members could achieve alone. While these are potential benefits of teams, there are also some potential disadvantages. The first disadvantage is that a team can take some time before it begins to operate effectively. Initially, teams will typically progress through a forming stage and a storming stage. In the forming stage, team members will be trying to settle into the team environment. In the storming stage, the team will be in a state of conflict, where members will typically disagree about aspects of the team including how the team should function. In this stage, it is also typical for there to conflict over who will lead the team, with several team members often trying to assert their power. If the team manages to progress through these stages, it will then enter the norming stage followed by the performing stage. During the norming stage, the conflict of the storming stage is resolved and the team settles down. In the performing stage, the team will finally be operating effectively and focused on completing the tasks it was set up for. The major disadvantage this shows is the time required for a team to begin to be effective. A team is rarely going to be established where it will begin to show positive results immediately. Instead, there is likely to be a period where the team operates poorly, lacks efficiency, and creates conflict. Another disadvantage of teams is that it can lead to reduced creativity in the workplace if the team develops groupthink. This occurs when team members focus so much on conforming that new ideas are not developed. When this occurs, the team and the organisation lose the benefits of having diverse individuals. A team that is not functioning effectively can also result in a loss of employee motivation. For example, if there are team members who are contributing little to the team, other members can feel like they are doing all the work for little reward. A sense of unfairness then develops and employee motivation decreases. Another disadvantage of teams is related to conflict. It must be noted that even though conflict occurs most significantly in the storming stage, it also continues to occur in a team. In any situation where diverse individuals work together, there will be a certain degree of conflict. In an effective team, the conflict is positive and drives progress. However, in an ineffective team, the conflict can become so great that the team no longer functions effectively. The state of conflict can also impact the workplace overall, creating even more significant problems. The potential disadvantages of a team help to show the interpersonal challenges associated with having a team where employees are able to work productively together. As noted, a team will always have conflict. For employees to work productively together as part of a team, employees need the ability to manage and resolve conflict. If employees have this knowledge and ability, situations of conflict become opportunities for change. For example, consider a situation where team members are trying to solve a problem. If conflict exists, this is a sign that the team is working to develop a new and effective solution. However, if employees do not have conflict management skills, the situation can either lead to team members giving in to things that they do not support or not expressing their ideas because they are not in agreement with another team member. When this occurs, all team members are not acting as contributors and so the team is not making good use of its diversity. The interpersonal challenge for specific team members relates to maintaining suitable relationships with team members, while also being able to manage conflict within the team. Interpersonal challenges can also occur in teams due to power conflicts. In some cases, some team members will attempt to establish power and lead the team. Other team members may desire that everyone in the team be equals in terms of power. The power struggles that exist can be a challenge that team members need to manage well. Another important issue is communication, with all team members needing to be able to communicate effectively with each other. This is especially important because of the diversity of employees because it means that communication can easily break down due to differences in focus, area of interest, or even communication style. For example, if almost all members of the team are confident and persuasive speakers, they may overpower the less outspoken team members. This can cause the less outspoken members to feel unappreciated and so they may stop contributing to the team. The challenge in a team is for all members to be able to communicate well despite significant differences between members. It must also be noted that it is especially important for team members to have effective listening skills. If a team is to work together effectively, team members need to listen to each other. This is important not only because what the person has to say might be relevant, but is also important because every team member should have the opportunity to be heard and to feel like their opinion matters to the other team members. The final issue that needs to be considered is to determine when a team approach is appropriate and when it is not. It has been seen that two of the advantage of teams is that they can enhance creativity and allow diverse individuals to combine their skills. This means that a team approach is appropriate when creativity is required and when a certain task required that individuals work together. It has also been noted that there are several disadvantages to working via teams and several challenges that face employees working as part of a team. This means that if there is no significant advantage to be achieved from having a team, this approach should not be used. For example, if employees work on diverse areas and do not need to work together to achieve more, it is often better that employees continue to work individually. This shows that even though there are advantages to teams, they should not be used for all work-related activities. This shows that a team can have both significant advantages and significant disadvantages. The decision of whether or not to use a team depends on how much the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. This is especially true when the team created will have a high level of diversity since this is a source of conflict and often means greater interpersonal challenges for employees. If there are significant benefits of having diverse employees combine their skills and work together, it may be worth it to have team members take the time to learn to work together and to develop the interpersonal skills required to be an effective team member. However, if there are not significant benefits to be achieved, it is often better to have diverse employees working individually. References Dalton, M., Hoyle, D.G., & Watts, M.W. (1999). Human Relations. Cincinnati, OH: South-Western Educational Publishing. Read More