Excel Pro Drilling Systems company, whose goal was to influence the environment and climate change, decided to form a group called “Green Team” with several representatives. All employees were selected according to certain criteria, for example, the presence of leadership qualities. But after a representative of one of the sections conveyed his decision without consulting with other members of the group, serious misunderstandings began.
What conditions contribute to this team’s cohesiveness? What reduces cohesiveness?
Regardless of the business’s size, good teamwork development should be a top priority. The main feature that characterizes the team is a common goal known to all participants and is equally significant for each of them. When the team’s leader has a good idea of how the work is related to the company’s goals, it is easier to determine which projects and tasks are more significant. Moreover, team members sincerely want the dream to be realized. It is essential for them so work selflessly for the result. Team achievements are the highest value of its members. The reasons for the decrease in group cohesion may be the emergence of small subgroups in the training group, inept leadership on the part of the leader, and the lack of a single goal that attracts and unites the participants.
What do you think of the points plan?
Since the team described above is a project and development team, they are going to cooperate on a long-term basis on the same project. Teamwork is considered the most effective form of human interaction (Driskell, Salas, 2018). It allows for achieving the highest results in the shortest time. The disadvantage of the point system is that it separates employees. Since those representatives who are more friendly with each other can negotiate and undeservedly award high points to each other. The mistake of the proposed idea was that the team representatives were not divided into roles and the leader of the group did not cope well with his role.
How should Excel Pro’s management help the Green Team manage its conflict?
Everyone is equal in the team, but everyone has different roles. A role is a specific functionality that a participant performs. For example, someone suggests ideas, organizes processes, someone controls resources (D. Lynch, M. Lynch, Clemens, 2018). The result of teamwork depends on how correctly the roles are distributed. There are special tools to unite employees into a team. Setting a clear goal for employees is also important; everyone should know what the company is striving for and what results in it expects. That is why Excel Pro could invite its team to meet and discuss the pros and cons of the point system and take their opinion into account when planning the next actions.
What went wrong in the formation of the Green Team? What should Excel Pro have done differently?
The following conclusion can be drawn from the features mentioned above of the formation of a group and the features of working in a team. Initially, it was necessary to distribute the roles among the team members and motivate the participants to fulfill the set goal. Before introducing the point system, it is essential to ask the opinion of the participants of the entire team and come to a joint decision.
In conclusion, cohesion determines the success of teamwork only if it makes the group more resistant to situations accompanied by negative emotional experiences, which helps overcome crises in development. The bottom line is that cooperation and collaboration do not happen by themselves. Needs to put a lot of effort into creating a solid and effective team, so working with a team or any manager should be a mandatory skill.
References
Driskell, J. E., Salas, E. (2018). Foundations of teamwork and collaboration.American Psychologist, 73(4), 334.
Lynch, D. S., Lynch, M. J., & Clemens, C. M. (2018). Belbin Team Roles. The Handbook of Communication Training: A Best Practices Framework for Assessing and Developing Competence.