Introduction
Team work is defined as the process by which a group of people organize themselves and work together as a group in order to achieve common goals and objectives (LaFasto, 2009). In team work, people with different level of experience and skills come together and each one contributes their best in a bid to achieve a well set of goals and objectives despite the fact that they may have personal differences.
An organization structure, culture or systems can either support or discourage teamwork depending on its impact on the morale of the employees of an organization. Organizational culture can foster or discourage teamwork. Supporting teamwork involves creating a work culture where all employees feel motivated and equal. If an organization adopts activities that bring workers together in its policies, it creates an opportunity where they can meet and share ideas while interacting freely with each other. This will probably include formation of teams that solve real work problems together in an organization’s policies (Richard,2000) .It will also involve holding department meetings to review performance and how the organization’s projects are being undertaken, encouraging the employees even when things are going wrong such as when the organization is experiencing financial constraints, building fun and shared events in the organizations calendar (Richard,2000) and celebrating team successes’ together publicly. (Michael, 2004). All this ideas put together will motivate employees hence they will feel that they are art and parcel of the organization.
Organizations structure may impact team work negatively. If the organization adopts hierarchical structure where there is little upward and downward flow of information between the executive and the employees, this will retard team work and affect performance. This is because employees feel that they are very junior in the organization and will have no incentive for hard work. However, adoption of flat chain of command where information flow horizontally between the executive members and the operational staff, employees tend to feel that they are all equal and non is junior to another and in this way they develop an incentive for hard work, This is usually made more effective by the use of accurate information which leads to competence, flexibility of change of capabilities, improved performance and relationships in an organization (Dyer, 2007).
The system that an organization adopts will also encourage or discourage teamwork. This includes the way employees are rewarded and their working environment. If an organization adopts a policy to reward employees in groups such that those performing same task are recognized and rewarded as group, this will foster good teamwork as each member is guaranteed of their reward if the group performs best (Jennifer,2008). This may involve taking employees in the best department for a tour, holding congratulations parties for them, printing of T-shirts and inscribing each team member name on it and increment of their salaries as a group. However, if an organization adopts a culture where each member is rewarded individually, every person will tent to work individually and nobody will be willing to take actions that promote the position of the other who is likely to benefit because of increased output. As a result, teamwork is discouraged and consequently overall poor performance in the organization results.
References
- Larson, Carl E., and Frank M. LaFasto (2009). Teamwork: What Must Go Right, What Can Go Wrong. Newbury Park,
- Dyer, W. G., Dyer, W.G., Jr., & dyer, J.H. (2007). Team Building: Proven strategies for improving team performance, San Francisco
- Hackman, J. Richard, ed. (2000). Groups That Work (and Those That Don't): Creating Conditions for Effective Teamwork. San Francisco
- Stevens, Michael J.; Campion, Michael A. (2004). "The Knowledge, Skill, and Ability Requirements for Teamwork: Implications for Human Resource Management". Journal of Management
- http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/teamwork.html#ixzz2XDIdeUUc
- Jones, Gareth R.; George, Jennifer M. (2008). "The Experience and Evolution of Trust: Implications for Cooperation and Teamwork". The Academy of Management Review
