The Term Team as a Collection of Individuals - Essay Example

RELIGION AND THEOLOGY Introduction Baylis define the term team as `a collection of individuals who share responsibility for outcomes, who are interdependent in the tasks, who see themselves and who are considered by others as an intact social entity that is embedded in one or more larger social systems, and who manage their relationships on organizational boundaries1. Due to the significance of team and group work within organizations, group facilitation and development is an important ingredient of resource development. Baylis argues that for a long time group development has been a vital topic within the construct of human resource development within both the academic literature as well as practice2. Available literature on human resource development have contended that team learning, eagerness to learn, and continuous professional development of the members of the team lead to the development of the group, effectiveness of the team, and the ability to solve problems3. Both the concept of team learning and group development research begin from the premise that groups or teams will not be effective, unless and otherwise they learn how to overcome barriers such as free riding, team dictators, social loafing, ego-trippers, and a lack of team psychological safety. However, although the point of departure for both literatures remains to be the same, their objective seems to be much different. The focus on most learning literatures has been on how behaviors such as boundary crossing, sharing information, team reflexivity, giving feedback, team effectiveness, and experimentation effect of shared mental models. The key point by these authors is that because there is an increased emphasis on the changing environment, knowledge, and increased knowledge inflation, team learning is emerging as a vital variable in predicting the effectiveness of the team. Similarly, group development literature addresses the question of how groups become so effective over a period. Based on the text of Wheelan, this paper will attempt to evaluate critically the team ministry ethos and practices of a team within my church’s youth team. Particularly, this paper will explain how this youth team can be helped to work more effectively based on the tenets of Wheelan’s team leadership ethos. 2. Critical Evaluation of the Team Ministry Ethos and Practices of a Team within Church Youth Team Using Wheelan model, the youth group can be evaluated critically using the four phases outlined by Wheelan in her book. The following is an in depth evaluation of the youth team in my church: 2.1. Phase1: Independency and Inclusion This stage is characterized by members choosing their behaviours based on vague assumptions on group objectives, stereotypes on how fellow team members will respond4. In light of focusing on this stage, the church group ought not to engage in socially behaviors that will risk the team from growing. Sharing information, construction, asking questions and constructive conflicts pose a huge threat for an individual’s social inclusion or perhaps group membership5. As a result, there ought to be decisions being made and they seem to be made without being discussed. These decisions under this phase are frequently made without the awareness of any of the members in the team. Each individual has its individualistic opinion, and concern for an individual acceptance seems to be greater than the success of the team6. 2.2. Phase 2: Counter Dependency and Fight Wheelan argues that this phase is characterised by a struggle of power, a quest for identity, a first ride towards specialization and the definition of roles. Under this phase, team members will be trying to know each other better, and will always try to express their ideas and opinions in a less subtle manner. Typically, this phase will start witnessing conflicts, but they will be seen as personal rejection instead of a difference in interpretation. Alternatively, these conflicts are taken as a paradox where one element or more elements ought to be ignored to solve the conflict7. Here, members share their general frustrations regarding each other’s behavior, and based on these frustrations each member might react oppositely and emotional towards each other. In a second pooled learning stage, team members share information, their perspectives and parts of the team learn together in subgroups of team members. However, the team as a whole does not seem to learn8. 2.3. Phase 3: Trust and Structure Phase Under this phase, Wheelan asserts that team members typically start to trust each other and with an increased manner, they start to succeed in negotiating and organizing at the level of the team. Trust is described as one of the chore ingredients for team learning. Trust leads to a collaborative learning and knowledge sharing9. Further, trust is referred to as the basic condition for an effective sharing of knowledge as well as team learning. Further, this phase characterized by a period where each team member begins to understand each other and not focusing disagreements as personal rejections. These socially risky expressions are considered as signs of concern for the benefit of the collective. They are consumed as the issues that require further attention. At this point, overt disagreement is no longer causing a big problem, but rather it is the beginning of a deeper team-level communication. Commenting on Wheelan’s phase 3, Tjosvold et al called this phase a synergistic stage, where the team learns a whole10. In this stage, the team knowledge is integrated into individual meaning schemes and on the other hand, individual knowledge is integrated in shared norms. 2.4. Phase 4: Work and Termination The work and termination phase is characterised by productivity, performance, decision-making and solving problems. Wheelan opines that throughout the time, relational consternations occur less frequent, social boundaries are relatively fixed, and there is some kind of established equilibrium. At this stage, the group is used to and able to deal with conflicts and can now engage in team learning behaviors. The group at this phase has an open communication structure upon which all group members participates and is able to tolerate task related deviance11. Here, the group receives, gives and utilizes feedback concerning its effectiveness and productivity, and it encourages innovation and spends enough time discussing how to solve the kind of problems it is facing. As observed by these writers, this stage is much like a continuous learning stage. Team learning becoming the normal way of learning characterises this state12. 3. How This Youth Team Can Be Helped To Work More Effectively Based On Wheelans Team Leadership Ethos 3.1. Phase 1: Independency and Inclusion As observed by Wheelan’s team leadership ethos, phase 1 is one of those phases that are characterized with very dangerous behaviours that if not managed properly might lead to the breakage of the team. Placing this principle on the youth team in the church, there are various measures proposed by Wheelan that ought to be adopted for this team to be effective. For the church youth group to be effective under this stage, its communication ought to be guarded by its leader. As Wheelan points out, the team leader in this youth group should work hard to reduce the anxiety of team members, their fear of rejection, as well as concerns about safety. The team leader should strive to give the group only positive feedbacks. Further, for the group to be effective under the stage the leader ought to facilitate the group to engage in an open discussion of values, goals and tasks. In addition, the team leader ought to help each team member to feel competent by providing training and education in task, supervision, and process-related activities. To foster further effectiveness of the group, a team leader needs to set high performance standards and provide proper guidance as possible. Finally, this youth group in the church can be helped to be effective under this stage by its leader managing the external environment on behalf of each group member. 3.2. Phase 2: Counter Dependency and Fight As noted in the leadership ethos of Wheelan this phase is characterised by hostility and tension. These behaviors might proof to be costly to the team if the leaders in the group cannot manage them properly. Nevertheless, Wheelan has proposed some measures that if adopted the youth team can become effective and meet its aims of taking the church forward. In light of the characteristics of this phase, the church’s youth group can become effective if it abides the advice provided by Wheelan. Before this youth group start to engage in constructive conflicts, members ought to be able to combine confrontation with listening and taking into account each member’s point of view. Further, the leader of this youth group ought not to take the conflicts as personal, but rather act in a way that will facilitate open discussions and resolutions of conflicts concerning values, goals and leadership. This kind of leadership will help to foster cohesion within this youth group and make it withstand these conflicts and move on to the next phase. 3.3. Phase 3: Trust and Structure Phase Comparatively, this phase is more favorable than the first two phases. As noted by Wheelan’s argument, this phase is characterised by some relative trust and members seem to be learning and understanding each other. Nevertheless, the team requires some measures to maintain this trust and understanding for the team to achieve its objects. Placing the youth team on this phase, there is need for the team to adopt the measures proposed by Wheelan on team leadership. The team leaders should ensure that he or she has encouraged and supported the member’s efforts to share in leadership functions. Further, the leader ought to encourage the group to make necessary modifications to its structure to facilitate group productivity. With this kind of leadership, the youth group will gain more cohesion and return to a more harmonious climate that was witnessed in the initial stage. Further, this kind of leadership will ensure that this group has remained together with more trust to each other, greater cooperation, and commitment. The youth group will now start to focus on how it can achieve its objectives with less dependency to the leader. Ultimately, the youth group will be able to effectively integrate conflict management techniques and individuals will start to feel freer to express their opinions on how to move the group and the church a head. 3.4. Phase 4: Work and Termination Finally, this fourth of Wheelan’s leadership ethos is concerned with solving problems being a productive team, and taking decisions. However, several authors have argued out that meeting this objective in this phase might be as easy it might look. The team can only be able to meet its objectives in this phase with an atmosphere of team psychological safety13. For the youth team to successfully overcome these challenges and become effective there is need to integrate the measures proposed by Wheelan. Applying this principle to the youth group, the leader of the group may relax a bit. Wheelan argues that for the team to be effective at this phase, leaders should continue to act as consultants as required. In general, the team leaders of this youth group ought to participate along with team members to achieving the objectives and success of the team. Further, the role of these youth leaders should be to continue monitoring the success of the team, particularly to guard against the signs of regression. In addition, the youth leaders of this team ought to conduct organizational support reviews on a time-to-time basis to enhance the effectiveness of the team. Finally, as team leaders of this youth group, they ought to be effective as group members regardless of the stage of the team. With these leadership qualities in this youth team, the team members will finally develop synergy and begin to find ways of achieving to objectives of the church. Greater agreement on the roles each member will be carrying will proof to be important in moving the church to greater growth. With all these ingredients put together, the youth team will begin to see more periods of high productivity as well as the accomplishment of its objectives as more energy is directed to work tasks. Reference Baylis, D 2014, The importance of effective teamwork in general practice, Practice Nurse, vol.44, no.12, pp. 34-35. Carlock, RS 2012, Assessment Tools for Developing and Leading Effective Teams, INSEAD Working Papers Collection, vol. 50, pp. 1-23. Nicolae, B, Laura, B, & Daniela, H 2013, aspects Of The Association Of Effective TeamRelated Variables In The Management Of Intercultural Work Teams In Multinational Companies, Annals Of The University Of Oradea, Economic Science Series, vol. 22,no.1, pp. 1391-1403. Pimenta, M, da Silva, A, & Tate, W 2014, Developing and Managing Cross-Functional Teams: A Multi-Case Study of Brazilian Manufacturing Companies, Journal Of Technology Management & Innovation,vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 1-16. Rowthorn, V, & Olsen, J 2014, All Together Now: Developing a Team Skills Competency Domain for Global Health Education, Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, vol. 42, no. 4, pp. 550-563. Thomas, M, Jacques, P, Adams, J, & Kihneman-Wooten, J 2008, Developing an effective project: Planning and team building combined, Project Management Journal, vol.39, no. 4, pp. 105-113. Tjosvold, D, Chen, N, Huang, X, & Xu, D 2014, Developing Cooperative Teams to Support Individual Performance and Well-Being in a Call Center in China, Group Decision &Negotiation, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 325-348. Vyas, R 2013, Managing the Dimensions of Ethos, Pathos and Logos of Change Through Transformational Leadership, IUP Journal Of Soft Skills, vol.7, no. 3, pp. 7-22. Wheelan (2010), SA2010, Creating Effective Teams: A Guide for Members and Leaders, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks. Warrick, DD 2014, What Leaders Can Learn About Teamwork and Developing High Performance Teams From Organization Development Practitioners, OD Practitioner,vol. 46, no. 3, pp. 68-75. Read More