Six Key Team Behaviors
For the existence of any effective team at Union Railroad, there are certain behaviors that have to be exhibited by all participants in the project. These behaviors include; collaboration, adaptability, integrity, the ability to accept feedback, enthusiasm, and empathy.
Collaboration refers to the ability to cooperate with other members of the group. Collaboration ensures that solutions to problems are easily arrived at since members join heads in trying to come up with solutions. Adaptability refers to the ability to respond positively to change within the team. Adaptable people easily adapt to the situations around them. Integrity refers to the sincerity of the members of the group. Integrity gives room to trust, which is an essential component in any team. Team members must be willing and ready to accept constructive criticism as part of the feedback of their performance; enthusiasm, on the other hand, calls for the energy that team members are willing to incorporate into the team. Empathy gives room for respect amongst members. It allows members of a team to connect with other team members by understanding what they are going through, thus increasing unity amongst team members.
Measuring performance
These six behaviors can assist in measuring the performances of different individuals as the project progresses. The level of collaboration by a team member will determine his performance levels in the team. Effective collaborators are easy to deal with and are usually of help to the group. Integrity paves a way to trust. People with integrity can be trusted and promoted to higher positions in the project. Projects run smoothly when placed in the hands of integral people. High performers also give room to constructive criticism and aim to work on their areas of weakness. The ability of an employee to adopt to new ways of doing things throughout the project also adds up to the performance of an individual. The energy that an employee puts in doing his work is another factor considered when measuring performance. Generally, high performers register high levels of the key team behaviors while poor performers register low levels of key team behaviors (Izam Ibrahim, Costello, & Wilkinson, 2013).
Monitoring performance
Throughout the project, there is a need to monitor the performance of team players. Performance can be monitored using the results obtained from measuring performance. When performance is measured recurrently, it gives way for the same to be monitored. Team players who register improvements over time can therefore be distinguished from those who register poor results, and this is helpful in helping Union Railroad to come up with a way forward for those whose performance is constantly on the low.
Motivating team performance
Motivation is a necessity in any team. To increase motivation, team members must adopt these six key behaviors and perfect them with time. The energy and enthusiasm recorded by team members are important in motivating other members of the team. Motivation is higher when members' embrace these six key behaviors since members influence others in the team to focus on the goals and objectives of the team. The higher the number of people within the team who register positive results in adopting these key behaviors, the higher the motivation of each member within the team. Union Railroad should, therefore, emphasize on putting down core values, which contain these behaviors such that its employees get to know what is expected of them even before they become members of the company
References
Izam Ibrahim, K., Costello, S., & Wilkinson, S. (2013). Key practice indicators of team integration in construction projects: a review. Team Performance Management, 19(3/4), 132-152. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/tpm-10-2012-0033
