The Team
The team I am going to analyze is my most recent team experience which by far has been the most interesting. This team has proven to be the most unique team I have been a part of. As a military member I have always worked in a team environment; however these teams are not called “teams’ per say even though they perform and are structured just like any other team. Normally the teams that I have been a part off, have been comprised of membersthat are trained for the same NEC (Navy Enlisted Credentials), which is basically the field or profession of which member educate and train for. I am a biomedical repair technician by trait.
Until recently I was always part of a team where tasks and goals were very similar and even interconnected for all team members. We collectively worked to accomplish tasks and projects together as a team, utilizing all team members’ skills to accomplish the task. Biomed repair tech teams or BMETS for short are very cohesive, we work closely with one another and this creates a good sense of cohesiveness, we know each other skill set and experience performing those skills, and is easy to communicate among each other.
This is not the case for my most current team. It is comprised of 6 very senior team members, because of everyone in the team professional background we are a self-managed team. We work independently of each other on very different tasks. The team is comprised of people who are senior in rank and pay grade; as in any team in the military is hierarchical. In my case, we have one member who is the head of department 2 managers and 3 non-managers; however the non-managers in this team are situational non-managers. They have an extensive background in supervisory positions, but due to their positions are no longer managers of people.
Team dynamics
Because of the difference of NECs each team member is unaware or is unable to understand the breath of the next person’s job scope. Team members are spread out throughout the building, explaining the lack of professional or even personal interactions amongst the team members. The team is comprised of knowledgeable professionals in their own fields; however, rarely our work is interdependent of each other. Cooperation is seldom encouraged by immediate supervisors; however they are supportive to individuals.
Interpersonal interactions lack of substance making the work environment just that a work environment, where staff members perform their duties and go home at the end of the workday. I often sit in my cubicle and ponder on the environment that surrounds us, and say to myself “so, this is what and adult work environment looks like; bland, without a warm sense of comradery.” The team concept is vaguely existent, however we identify as a team to the Command. Goal orientation is present however the goal is different for each team member. Goal orientation helps in development of self-regulation of the team, and also assists in the tasks that require complex decision making, but the goal of all members should be same in order to ensure smooth functioning of the team. All the members of my earlier team had a common goal that helped us in achieving success of the team, and also ensured success at an individual level.
In order to ensure success of the team, it is necessary that tasks are completed and social relations are developed, and benefits of individuals are considered. Completion of tasks, building social relations, and consideration of benefits at an individual level define team success (Levi, 2014). A team is considered as successful when it completes it tasks, maintains good social relations, and ensures promotion of professional and personal development of team members. But, unfortunately that was not the case with my current team, as everyone wants to maximize his/her personal and professional growth instead of working for achieving a common objective. Further, the success of team is dependent on having right group of individuals to work in teams, suitability of the task for teamwork, combination of resources in an effectual manner for completion of task, and provision of supportive context for the team (Levi, 2014). But, in my team, These elements were missing, as a result of which no one enjoyed working in the team, and also some were even unable to accomplish their tasks, and every person was confident of himself that he can work alone and in a better manner as compared to other members of the group.
Levi (2014) mentioned that the tasks of the team should be aligned with the goals of team, and they should be encouraging and motivating to the members of team. But, in my current team, there is no correlation between team goals and tasks. There were no coordinated and collective efforts of the members of team for completion of tasks. The members were not even responsible to judge their work practices. When it comes to group communication, there was no communication among team members. Communications in a group are essential for making decision and also to perform tasks. I remember that we all communicated less, and whenever we communicated it ended with personal bias, having no desire of maintaining good relations, and is also come to an end because everyone wants to make decisions urgently. Absence of task oriented goals and norms exert negative influence on performance of every member of the team.
As a matter of fact, it is the responsibility of leader to guide his group members, and also to provide direction. The leader adopts different leadership styles in accordance with maturity of group and tasks. In my current team, every member consider himself as a leaders, they were not even willing to select a leader, as a result of which there was no cooperation, communication, social relations, motivation, and emotional support in the group. Moreover, team failed to ensure internal and external associations or relations of the team. Even no one has necessary resources in order to complete the task. All members were trying to conceal material so that they can get more marks as compared to others. They were completing themselves instead of competing with other groups.
However, the group has just gone through one stage of group development, which is forming in which we all got to know each other. After that all members just intimated that they are busy so they cannot work, or they want to work on their own without suggestions of other members. There was no group socialization in my current group because of which team members failed to consider themselves as a member of team. Because of lack of group socialization, there was no social cohesion, and members did not even try to build it. Absence of social cohesion was because of having different goals and attitudes at personal level.
Roles serve as building block of improved and successful performance of the team. However, members of the group can negotiate their roles that they want to play, and they also have freedom for performing their roles. There was no role selection in my team, as no one wants to take responsibility as their personal freedom would be affected, and privacy would be disturbed.
According to Lencioni (2002), absence of trust is first dysfunction of the team. There was no trust among members of my team, they were afraid of each other’s success because of which they were reluctant to participate fully for the success of team. They just focused on investing their time as well as energy in defensive behaviors. They also want to avoid conflict, and in order to avoid they prefer not to indulge in activities of team. They were not open to express their opinions. In most of the teams, conflict is considered as productive, but in my team conflict proved to be counterproductive. There was also lack of commitment in my teams because of unhealthy conflicts. Productive teams, however, emphasize on making connection and ensure transparent decisions. They are also confident as they know that they have required support from every member of the group. This is just for ensuring that opinions and views of every individual are heard in an effectual manner (Lencioni, 2002). Comparatively, there was no transparency of decisions, and no member was confident of the support and assistance.
Further, members of my current team did not commit, and also they did not have any accountability. There was no definite plan of the team, so no member can hold other member accountable. Avoidance of accountability in my team paved the way to dysfunction of the team. Additionally, my team members did not pay any attention to results, which is due to the fact that no one has made the results of team clear, and also they did not focus on communicating the rewards that could positively contribute to the results of team. I noted that a leader was required in my team in order to control conflicts and also to overcome dysfunctions. This is because a leader can lead by setting an example. He can set the tone for all members of the team, encourage expression of opinions, setting clear goals, making every member responsible, supporting healthy conflicts that can pave the way to debates, setting standards for the team, and also setting the deadlines in order to ensure timely accomplishment of all tasks. In this regard, Lencioni (2002) is of the view that learning advanced theories cannot guarantee success of the team, rather it is dependent on ensuring amalgamation of common sense with persistence’s and discipline’s uncommon levels. However, by considering imperfections associated with members of teams and humanity, teams can easily overcome the elements that make team issues difficult to solve.
Team Assessment
3 = Usually
2 = Sometimes
1 = Rarely
___3_ 1. Team members are passionate and unguarded in their discussion of issues.
___1_ 2. Team members call out one another’s deficiencies or unproductive behaviors.
___1_ 3. Team members know what their peers are working on and how they contribute to the collective good of the team.
___1_ 4. Team members quickly and genuinely apologize to one another when they say or do something inappropriate or possibly damaging to the team.
___1_ 5. Team members willingly make sacrifices (such as budget, turf, head count) in their departments or areas of expertise for the good of the team.
___1_ 6. Team members openly admit their weaknesses and mistakes.
___1_ 7. Team meetings are compelling, and not boring.
___1_ 8. Team members leave meetings confident that their peers are completely committed to the decisions that were agreed on, even if there was initial disagreement.
___3_ 9. Morale is significantly affected by the failure to achieve team goals.
__1__ 10. During team meetings, the most important—and difficult—issues are put on the table to be resolved.
___3_ 11. Team members are deeply concerned about the prospect of letting down their peers.
___2_ 12. Team members know about one another’s personal lives and are comfortable discussing them.
__1__ 13. Team members end discussions with clear and specific resolutions and calls to action.
__3__ 14. Team members challenge one another about their plans and approaches.
___1_ 15. Team members are slow to seek credit for their own contributions, but quick to point out those of others.
References
Lencioni, P. (2002). The Five Dysfunction of a Team. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco
Levi, D. (2012). Group Dynamics for Teams. Sage, Washington DC
