Team cohesiveness is influenced by many factors, which are determinants of cohesiveness. The most important factors in this regard are shared mission and goals, interaction, personal interaction to the group or team, organizational context, success of team, and competition. More interaction in the team is an indication of more cohesiveness. It can be seen from the case that team members faced difficulty in interacting with Brad Fitzgerald, and also there is miscommunication as Brad always remain busy on his phone. Further, when members of the team have shared mission and goals, and they agree on direction and purpose, then cohesion results. The team shared resentment among all the members against Fitzgerald, they also have a goal for closing BMW deal, and they achieved success. The effective evaluation of work and performance of team from outsiders paves the way to increase in cohesion of the team (Mumford, 2012). Evaluation for team success played very important role in helping the team to overcome resentment against Brad Fitzgerald, as team members closed BMW case, which is representing the members of team consider that they are talented. The leader of team named Kurt Lansing is also pleased on closing of deal, and considers members of team talented.
If, I were team leader, I would try to make it sure that every member of team is capable enough to deal with the issues and dilemmas of the team. I would ensure all team members working together in order to achieve goal of the team. Further, I would also ensure that every member of the team is performing his/her duties, playing its role in order to contribute to overall success of the team. I would also try to deal with the dysfunctional times, for earning trust, having healthy conflict, ensuring commitment, accountability, and set aside my personal issues. I would also personal role of leader, and help the team members to understand norms of the team for accomplishing mission and vision of the team. I would build consensus, admit mistakes, and also provide assistance and coaching. Additionally, I would also try to understand specialist tasks associated with roles and socio-emotional needs so that wellbeing of the team can be maintained.
As a team member, I would focus on four stages of team development. Stages of team development are forming, norming, storming, and performing (Keen, 2003). Forming is orientation, in storming conflict arises, in norming conflicts are resolved, and in performing goals are accomplished. It would also handle conflicts whenever they arise by ensuring collaboration, competition, accommodation, compromise, and avoidance. Collaboration can be ensured by meeting needs of team members, compromising can be done by finding adequate solution, avoiding can be ensured by delaying to get more information, competition can be ensured by assertiveness for getting one’s way, and accommodating can be ensured by giving up opinion of individual if the opinion is wrong, and opinion of other members is right. Further, I would also try to avoid groupthink, and emphasize on maintaining high level of interdependence. I would also guide behaviors of team members by establishing team norms. The members of team should confront with Brad Fitzgerald regarding active participation in group activities, aggressive personality, listening other members of group, and adopting transparent attitude towards others. However, in case negotiations and confrontation with Brad Fitzgerald is successful then there is no need to talk and negotiate with to talk to Lansing.
References
Keen, T.R. (2003). Creating Effective & Successful Teams. Purdue University Press, Indiana
Mumford, M.D. (2012). Handbook of Organizational Creativity. Elsevier, New York
