Managing Teams: Theory and Practice

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Group work is one of the issues that continuously attract the attention of scholars and practitioners who attempt to develop ways of promoting cooperation within such groups. This task is of great relevance to different fields of human activity, for instance, one can mention business, education, or research. These videos indicate that there are several factors that are vital for the effective performance of different teams. In particular, one should focus on values, communication, leadership, responsibility, and ability to sacrifice some individual interests for the benefit of the group. This paper is aimed at discussing these factors in greater detail. It seems that all of them are equally important, and leader should consider them while taking their decisions.

One of the most important conditions is the presence of shared values. People, who are involved in group work, should have common goals or priorities (Cotterill, 2012, p. 29). These values have to guide their efforts and unite them at the time when it is necessary to overcome challenges or resolve difficult problems (Bouncken, 2002, p. 31). In some cases, it is the task of a leader to identify the goals and priorities that individuals have in common (Woodcock & Francis, 2008, p. 16). Without this factor, even the most skilled professionals can fail to achieve their goals, in part because they will have a different perception of organizational goals and duties. This is one of the main elements that should be taken into account by researchers and business administrators.

Apart from that, these videos suggest that team members should be willing to sacrifice some of their interests for the sake of the team. The individuals should know that their needs should not overweigh the needs of the team. One should not suppose that these people have to compromise some of their ethical principles. For example, in some cases, team members have to spend some of their leisure time on the tasks that the group should do. Thus, one can say that commitment is vital for good performance of groups. Provided that it is not present the team will experience significant difficulties during those periods when they have to work on time-consuming and challenging projects.

Additionally, these videos suggest that the success of the teams is hardly possible in whose cases when leaders do not promote cooperation among the individuals (Margerison, 2002). The problem is that very often, leaders prefer to be the only decision-makers without engaging the team into discussions. Sometimes, they simply prefer to impose their decisions on others. Again, one can say that the competence of employees may not be sufficient for achieving good results because a single person may not see every dimension of a certain problem or task. This is one of the main arguments that can be made. In turn, leaders should be able to avoid these pitfalls.

Another factor that should not be overlooked is the communication within teams. It should be noted that these teams should be responsive to the changes in the external environment (Lumsden, 2009). Therefore, the leaders should ensure the timely exchange of information within the groups. This argument is particularly relevant to large organizations that sometimes become less agile as they grow. Nevertheless, there is another aspect that should be considered. The teams are composed of people who have diverse opinions, attitudes, and skills. Decision-making in such teams can be effective only in those cases when each team member can openly express his/her ideas (DuBrin, 2008, p. 164).

In some cases, the leader has to encourage people to discuss the issues that they deem important. This issue is particularly relevant in those situations when a person has to say something that contradicts the opinions of the majority (Scholtes, 2003, p. 7). One of the pitfalls that managers need to be aware of is groupthink or the situation when people are reluctant to disagree with opinions of the majority. This is why the importance of communication should be overlooked by business administrators and scholars who examine the functioning of teams.

Finally, one should remember that a team can better attain its goals, if people can take responsibility for their actions and recognize their mistakes. Nevertheless, other members of the teams should be able to help those people who experience difficulties due to some reasons. This behavior is also critical for success. Such attitude is vital for the cooperation within teams. Provided that leaders do not consider these issues, their team will hardly attain the expected results.

These examples suggest that the work of a team depends on several factors. Among them, one can distinguish the following aspects: 1) the presence or absence of common goals; 2) the willingness of individuals to sacrifice some of their interests; 3) the leadership skills of people; 4) ability of people to take responsibility for their actions, and 5) communication within such groups. As a rule, it is the responsibility of leaders to make sure that these factors are present. The elements discussed in this paper are not the only factors that contribute to the success of teams. Yet, they are most critical ones.

Reference List

Bouncken, R. (2002). Knowledge Management in Hospitality and Tourism. New York: Routledge.

Cotterill, S. (2012). Team Psychology in Sports: Theory and Practice. New York: Routledge.

DuBrin, A. (2008). Essentials of Management. New York: Cengage Learning.

Lumsden, G. (2009). Communicating in Groups and Teams: Sharing Leadership. New York: Cengage Learning.

Margerison, C. (2002). Team Leadership. New York: Cengage Learning EMEA.

Scholtes, P. (2003). The Team Handbook. Philadelphia: Oriel Incorporated Woodcock, M., & Francis, D. (2008). Team Metrics. Boston: Human Resource Development.

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Managing Teams: Theory and Practice

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