In an organization people are hired according to their qualifications and once they are brought on board they must work together for the common good of the organization. They are organized into groups which are headed by a group manager. For a group to be successful there are various things that need to be done.
One advantage of working as a team is that it enhances productivity because group members have different knowledge in their respective areas of specialization hence chances of failure are narrow as long as every member is committed to the group. This paper focuses on how a group can work together to achieve the mission of the organization.
According to Wilson (2003) the qualifications of an individual does not matter in group productivity because everyone is an expert in something and all that people need is favorable environment to demonstrate their skills. This means that in group work we cannot only rely on people who have done specific tasks before because by doing so we will fail to utilize unexplored talent amongst our groups.
In group work, people should be given freedom to do what they think will help the group achieve its goals. This means that they should be allowed to fail because freedom is the right to be wrong.
Failure is what makes people realize their mistakes and everyone makes a mistake at one time in one way or another. This implies that group members should be free to tackle challenges without fear of being victimized. If people are not free to do anything they wish as long as it is meant to help the group they will just sit back and watch as things go down the drain which is also wrong.
When building a group fear should not be allowed to control the minds of members. If group members are worried about what they may loose incase the group does not achieve its mission, they will not concentrate because they will hesitate to take action when the group is faced by challenges.
The group manager should clearly explain at the initial stages that those who do not wish to be in the group are free to leave. This will ensure that the group is comprised of members who are ready to go the extra mile in a bid to accomplish the mission of the group. Besides, there is no high achiever who has never lost something. This encouragement is vital because groups normally encounter difficulties that at times make them fall but again when members think of their commitments they just combine forces again and move on (Forsyth, 2009).
Group members should be told that whatever efforts they will make they will not only benefit the entire group but also the individual who has made them because the success of those efforts will bring out their abilities, and the experience that they will gain by working in the group will last throughout the career lifespan.
Barbara (2002) recommends that the group manager should be an open minded person to have a clear vision of the things ahead and prepare the group in good time. This is because there are issues that occur abruptly and they affect the performance of the group and normally takes a lot of time before the situation goes back to normal. But for a group that was prepared the sudden changes does not really affect them.
A group manager should be someone who is friendly because he/she is expected to create working relationships with members of his/her group. Being close to members enhances the performance of group members because if they are facing any difficulties at work they will be able to forward such complains to the manager.
The group manager should make use of all the available tools of communication such as memos to ensure that both the group members and the organization are able to exchange information. This means that the manager should be a good listener instead of assuming that he/she knows what the other person is trying to say.
The manager should never take complains lightly because ignorance can cause a situation to deteriorate and it is the organization that will loose in the long run. The group manager should ensure that the working environment is friendly to everyone and if it is not, he/she should customize it to make sure that everyone is satisfied.
When mistakes happen, the people who made them should not be criticized before establishing why that particular mistake happened. This is because by being fast to judge people the cause of the mistake will not be identified and if so such a mistake will continue to recur in future because its underlying causes were not addressed in the first occurrence.
The group manager should analyze the fault and identify whether it was caused by the group member or by the organization for failing to address certain requirements that would have prevented the occurrence of that mistake (Team Technology, 2005).
When the source of the fault has been identified criticism should be allowed to come from either side but again it should be expressed in polite language without making it sound like an insult. If the fault was caused by a group member that person should be approached politely and advised on how to avoid such mistakes in the future. If it is the organization that failed the group, members should be allowed to criticize it.
The organization should then make adjustments to ensure that the mess that it caused does not happen again. This includes buying new equipment if the fault was due to mechanical failure among other things. By responding to criticism positively, the organization will build confidence among its employees and will make them work hard because they know there is someone to lend them an ear when they feel they need to express themselves.
Criticism should be appreciated and no one should be victimized for expressing their views because if they do so its because they have strong feelings for the organization other wise they would have walked away to find work elsewhere. In fact criticism implies that the person is keen on what is keen about what is happening around him/her and besides that its makes the party that was responsible to realize their mistakes and thus improve (Wilson, 2003).
Trust is important to a group because it is what bounds them together. Lack of it means that members think that other members are being dishonest in whatever they do. Group members must also be flexible because at times the solutions that they implement do not solve the problem. At this juncture they must be ready to go back to the drawing board and come up with new solutions.
Killip (2000) explains that this is because the occurrence of problems is unpredictable because as time moves by problems become dynamic hence the group should explore newer approaches to solving problems. These newer approaches may require adjustments such as sacrifices hence members should be ready to pull from all sides.
In group work, those who make commendable achievements must be recognized for their efforts otherwise it may demoralize group members from making efforts for the success of the group. The rewards can be in form of promotions or any other method of showing appreciation. Since not all group members can be promoted, the organization should make sure that everyone gets something in return for their efforts. This is because the success of the organization is owed to the combined efforts of group members.
According to Forsyth (2009), these acknowledgements will make group members feel attached to the organization. If only a few people are rewarded employees will be demoralized and they will feel that the organization is out to safeguard the interests of a few individuals which can result to sabotage of efforts made by people who are perceived to be favored than themselves. It is therefore important for a group to analyze the individual interests of its members and identify how they can be satisfied.
Likewise, personal differences should be put aside because they have been found to cause unjustified criticism of ideas. People who have issues in the group should be encouraged to solve them before being allowed to become part of the group.
If such people are allowed to incorporate their personal issues into the group they will drag the group behind because whenever the person with whom they have issues raises an opinion they will be quick to reject that individual’s opinion. The objections they make are not based on the inappropriateness of the point raised but because they have a problem with the person who raised the issue in question.
In conclusion, for a group to be effective the members must be committed and should not do so just to get the rewards from the organization because the efforts they make are self rewarding. This is because when an individual works hard and improves his productivity to the organization that person also benefits from the lessons that are learnt while performing his duties.
Therefore, group members should play their roles because they will learn new things out of the tasks they will be performing which are essential to their personal development. The success of a group is dependent on all its members including its leader.
References
Barbara, G. D. (2002). Collaborative Learning: Group Work and Study Teams. University of California. Berkeley. Web.
Team Technology. (2005). Team Dynamics. Web.
Forsyth, D. R. (2009).Group Dynamics. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.
Killip, B. (2000). Team Dynamics: Dhaulagiri Report. TMS Worldwide. Web.
Wilson, D. (2003). Teamwork. Firelily Designs. Web.