This paper limits itself to the discussion of maximizing team performance. It begins by introducing the concept of team leadership and teamwork by highlighting the most essential features that can enable team leaders to bring out the best out of their teams. Within the introduction, it identifies the factors that are critical for enhancing the performance of team members. From the introduction, the paper examines the impediments to high team performance and outlines the causative factors. This includes failure to create visionary strategies, lost interests in team activities, lack of role specification, and poor motivation. The importance of overcoming such impediments is also highlighted in detail. The paper proceeds by suggesting strategies that can be used to not only solve such impediments and enhance the performance of team members. These strategies include creating visionary strategies, improving relationships within the team, restating the team goals, clarifying the roles and responsibilities, creating effectiveness in decision-making, encourage, support, and reward team members. Finally, the paper concludes by restating the reasons why the proposed strategies will help in maximizing team performance.
Maximizing Team Performance
There is no doubt that team leadership is one of the most challenging responsibilities that managers encounter in their daily management duties. Regardless of the type of team, managers or team leaders must follow certain codes in order to realize the highest performance levels from their teams. Many a times, team leaders are subjected to increased pressures in their efforts to deliver competent outcomes using fewer resources (Flannes and Levin, 2007). Such leadership abilities call for greater insights regarding team dynamics. However, effective and efficient leadership is not all about shouting commands and directions but rather it entails assuring the basic needs of team members.
According to Flannes and Levin (2007), the basic needs among team members is critical for ensuring that team performance is maximized to the optimum levels. However, according to Maslow’s hierarchy, team member needs comprises security, physiological, social, esteem, and self-actualization needs. Additionally, for teams to perform effectively, leaders must cultivate a positive attitude, trust, and respect within the team. This paper limits itself to the discussion of the strategies that can be adopted by team leaders to maximize team performance. The paper will identify the factors that lead to poor team performance, and will as well suggest the things that must be done to maximize team performance.
Details
Impediments to high team performance
A number of factors are responsible for causing reduced poor performance or weakened performances from teams. First, the team leaders often fail in their responsibility of creating visionary strategies to their teams, and as such, team members lack the will of addressing issues that confront them (Belbin, 2007). Second, team members often lose interest in the activities of the team thereby making team members to exhibit low attachments and participation in any activity relating to the team (Belbin, 2007). Third, lack of specifying the role of each member within the group brings confusion among team members thereby fueling more confusions and unwillingness to respond to matters affecting the group. Fourth, many a performance problems is usually a direct result of poor motivation. Regardless of team members doing what is required of them, they subconsciously or consciously ignore to performance their duties because of low motivation (Beyerlein, 1998). Several organizational factors are responsible for affecting the level of motivation within the group and these factors include team culture, personal engagement levels, and the level of recognition and rewards offered to them (Flannes and Levin, 2007)..
Fifth, holding constant meetings and briefings with team members is a critical factor that must be undertaken by every team leader. It facilitates decision-making processes in addition to re-energizing the bond that holds team members together. Last yet fundamental, lack of trust, lack of respect, and negative attitudes among members within a team great affects the performance of teams. To overcome these challenges, team leaders must learn certain strategies to enable them enhance the outcomes of their teams. Such strategies should be capable of bringing the best out of team members.
Importance of overcoming these impediments
Managing such issues forms a critical part in team building, and as such, team leaders are capable of transforming and restructuring their teams to the initial direction or guiding them to realize the goals of their team. Another important benefit that can be realized entails the reaffirming the strategic vision and success for the group because identification of issues affecting teams forces leaders to point out the key performance enhancement features. Importantly, team leaders can enable their teams to come out from that state of confusion and work together towards the realization of common objectives and goals.
Strategies for maximizing team performance
Undoubtedly, not all teams face similar problems or issues pertaining to their team performance, a number of strategies for improving team performance can be proposed. Such strategies cover key areas in team building such as re-affirming goals and objectives, roles and responsibilities, leaderships, and motivation among others.
Restating the Team Goals
This strategy entails the identification and clarification of the aims and objectives of the team. Team leaders should specify the purpose of the group and outline the sense of direction as far as the realization of such goals is concerned. Factors that must covered when restating the goals of the team include the mission and vision of the team, re-evaluation of team values, specifying the team priorities, and outlining key performance measurement tools.
Clarifying the roles and responsibilities
Undeniably, nearly every team was created to fulfill a particular objective, and more to contribute positively towards the realization of organization-wide goals. Team leaders understand the factors required within their teams and for this reason, they must be clear about the responsibilities, roles, and expectations of the team. Confusion and lack of cooperation among team members is a direct result of failure to specify the roles and responsibilities of each member within the team (Forsyth, 2010). Realization of the goals and objectives of the team can be quite easy when each team leaders understand what is expected from each individual member from the team. For this reason, team leaders are expected to clarify the roles of each member. This strategy can be realized by drawing job structures, defining responsibilities according to individual skills, and holding each team member accountable for his/her actions.
Offering Strategic Leadership
Team leaders are pillars within their teams and team members depend upon them to offer strategic directions for their teams. Team effectiveness is a direct function of leadership effectiveness, and thus, leaders must streamline their own leadership skills to bring out the best out of team members (Flannes and Levin, 2007). Equally, team leaders should be in a better position of creating a capacity within their teams from where individuals can be nurtured to develop into important members of the group. Other measures that must be undertaken by team leaders to realize strategic leadership includes providing rewards and recognition to team members, coaching team members into becoming better persons, and involving team members in decision making initiatives.
Improving relationships within the team
Respect, trust, motivation, and positive attitudes among team members were identified as being the key features in determining the performance of members within the group. By ensuring the availability of these aspects within the team, it is possible for team members to work together towards the realization of the goals and objectives of the team. It also leads to the development of cordial relationships among team members thereby strengthening the sense of togetherness. The presence of cordial relationships within a group facilitates the process of resolving conflicts, role-playing, and defining expectations from each team member.
Effectiveness in decision-making
Picture a scenario where one team leader develops and implements all the decisions within the team, and another situation where the team leader consults other team members in making implementing and making important decisions of the group. It is highly unlikely that the team leader in the first scenario will attain the best results but rather it is the team leader in the second scenario that is more likely to empower members of his team to deliver outstanding performance. Involving team members in decision-making processes ensures that team members make the right decisions.
Encourage, support, and reward team members
In a team environment, challenges are frequent and it often becomes challenging for many a worker to operate under this difficult set of circumstances. It is important for team leaders and other members within the team to support and encourage each other to work together. As such, the motivation of each team member will be increased and their desire and willingness to realize the goals and objectives of the team will be renewed (Forsyth, 2010). Other than offering encouragement and support, it is emphatically crucial that the contributions and efforts of all team members be recognized. All efforts puts towards the realization of the team’s goals and objectives should be acknowledged in order to motivate them to perform their roles effectively.
Conclusion
I believe the strategies developed in this paper for maximizing team performance will work because they reflect the real organizational measures to aid in the realization of the objectives. Furthermore, they cover the cause-and effect control mechanisms that are critical in the realization of team goals and objectives. The paper first identified the impediments to the realization of high performance within the organization and went further to suggest strategies that can be used to overcome such shortcomings. These strategies will not only help in the realization of basic needs of team members but will also enable team members to achieve team level effectiveness. The strategies cover every aspect of the organization. If team leaders apply the strategies specified in this paper, it highly probable that they team performance will be maximized. Other objectives that can be realized include bringing out the best and valuing each team member.
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Forsyth, D.R. (2010). Group Dynamics, 5th Edition. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth
