Jane Doe
One of the key factors to optimal organizational behavior and effectiveness of management is often found through the formation of groups that learn to work together as teams. It is important to distinguish the difference between groups versus teams because, as mentioned in the textbook, not all groups necessarily become teams (Ivancevich, Konopaske, & Matteson, 2014). However, if productivity and quality of performance are a goal that an organization is working towards, then the magic is likely to happen among groups that become highly efficient and effective teams that can tackle projects with utmost proficiency. Using a compilation of various experts within the company to formulate a team will allow each team member to have special aspects of their skill sets that contribute to maximize the results of a given project.
As I have seen within my own workplace, often times the breakdowns in progress with project are often a result of lack of communication and cohesive participation of the various departments that need one another’s support to accurately fulfil a project or goal set by the management. Although there are two types of groups- the informal and formal types, for the sake of this discussion the focus will remain only on formal groups and teams.
It is almost unnecessary to mention that a group of individuals can get more done than a single individual, which is why groups are created in the organizational environment. The problem is, at first a group is only various individuals selected to participate in working on a project together, and often these people are not very comfortable in their workability with one another and may not even like each other much. This is where it becomes important that instead of remaining a group of co-workers asked to work together the group should transform into a team working on a directive that makes each person’s role equally as valuable to the outcome of the project as would be expected of a single employee. Fortunately the team dynamic allows a lot of work to be covered with various contributions from a wide variety of skill sets, which allows for greater returns on the project than when employees work separately on projects. In most teams there needs to be a leader to guide and direct the team members, but it is critical for the leader to not place him or herself as a superior becoming self-indulgent in the outcome because it will damage the group and lessen the likelihood of a transformational team to be created for the best possible outcome.
“Increasing global competition, consolidation, and innovation create pressures that are influencing the emergence of teams as basic building blocks of organizations” (Kozlowsksi, & Bell, 2003, p.4). It is with the development of quality leaders that groups can be turned into teams that recognize the importance of their need towards workability in the completion of a singular project that each person has equal parts at stake in. Typically, the most used model within organizations in working with groups is to use the five stages of development that should unite the group into a team that is ready to take on the task. These stages are “1) forming, 2) storming, 3) norming, 4) performing, and 5) adjourning” (Ivancevich, Konopaske, & Matteson, 2014, p.273). Ideally the group that becomes a team has cohesiveness in their ability to groupthink to minimize time wasted and maximize productivity. A great example of good teamwork can be seen in sports where there are many positions with expert players that are able to fulfil their portion of their duties in an organized manner with the goal in mind to win the game. These concepts used in sports are now transferred into the business environment to help encourage excellence by joining various employees to contribute their unique skills into a focused team project that each can be proud of.
References
Ivancevich, J., Konopaske, R., & Matteson, M. (2014). Organizational Behavior and
Management (10th ed.). New York, New York: McGraw Hill Irwin.
Kozlowsksi, S.W.J., & Bell, B.S. (2003). Work groups and teams in organizations. In W.C.
Borman, D.R. Ilgen, & R.J. Klimoski (Eds.), Handbook of Psychology (Vol. 12): Industrial and Organizational Psychology (pp. 333-375). New York: Wiley.
