Introduction
In modern society, the success of organizations is dependent upon various factors; however, the human factor plays the major role. Organizations are social entities in the perspective that they constitute physical, financial and human resources.
The various resources act as inputs that are used into realizing the set objectives of an organization (Ranganayakulu, 2005, p.1). Of all the available resources in an organization, human resources have been regarded to be the most precious and unpredictable, while at the same time being unique in nature.
As a social entity, an organization involves people from different backgrounds with unique cultural orientation. To succeed and achieve the set objectives, an organization needs to integrate these people into the organization’s systems and processes, an event that does not involve one individual but many people.
Despite the existence of job specification, job specialization, and job design in many organizations that separate individuals in the workplace, it has become evident that interaction at the workplace is inevitable. Workers form different interaction groups in which they are able to relate to each other. As some groups may be informal, others come up as formal in nature created to achieve a particular and specific organization’s goal(s).
At the same time, some groups may be beneficial to individual worker or the organization while other groups may end up having no tangible benefit to the organization or even the individual. In most cases, groups have numerous benefits although one cannot rule out some disadvantages.
This essay will investigate, analyze, and evaluate the statement that ‘two heads are better than one for solving problems and that teams will always outperform an individual’. Literature analysis and journal opinions will be utilized in presenting evidence that agree to this statement.
The concept of teams
A team is a collection of persons who come together with aim of fulfilling a particular purpose or objective (Newell, N.d). In most cases, members in a team will show great interdependence. Teams formed by an organization help the organization to have a collection of inputs from the various members and this provides members with a unique sense of becoming involved and pursuing the set organizational goals (Newell, N.d).
At the same time, teams have given many organizations a chance to become flexible where members are given specific assignments that call for cross-functional formation of groups. For a time now, six main teams have been in existence that includes informal teams, traditional teams, problem solving teams, leadership teams, self-directed teams and virtual teams (Newell, N.d).
Each of these teams performs a specific function as assigned to them or as the need in the organization presents. Further, Newell notes that for teams to be effective, certain characteristics must be present.
These include; the teams must demonstrate to have clear direction and responsibilities, have members with diverse but unique knowledge, and have reasonable established procedures to guide operation. In addition, members must possess good interpersonal skills, be ready and willing to share the team’s successes and failures and lastly, the team should establish and have a good external relationship (Newell, N.d).
Why individuals establish and join teams
Various reasons have been presented as to why individuals join groups. Many individuals are influenced by both extrinsic and intrinsic factors, for instance, it has been identified that people join teams because of the need for satisfaction (Jain, 2005). Satisfaction may come in different forms but more frequently is the affiliation expectations by the member.
The individual perceives and regards the team to have the capability to fulfill his or her need for love, affection, and friendship as outlined in Manslow’s model of hierarchical needs (Jain, 2005). An individual may join a particular team or group for economic reasons such as the trade unions where the main agenda is to fight for higher pay and fringe benefits (Jain, 2005).
Other literatures postulates that an individual may join a team due to interpersonal attraction where individuals form teams because they are attracted to others, and this is encouraged by the fact that such members are frequently close to each other hence the individuals may demonstrate the likeliness of having similar attitudes, personalities or even economic standings (Griffin, 2007).
Further, other people have joined teams because of being motivated by the team’s activities and lastly, other people have joined a team because of the team’s goals that in one way or another may motivate and attract them to the team.
How individuals fail by disregarding teamwork
Certain quotes have outlined and expressed the importance of a team to an individual.
For instance, such quotes include, “a single arrow is easily broken but not ten in a bundle-Japanese proverb”, “no man is wise enough by himself-Plautus”, “none of us, including me, ever do great things, but we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful-Mother Teresa” and lastly, “talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships” (cited in Anon, 2006, p.1).
These quotes express one clear point that individual efforts and commitment to a task may not realize quantitative and qualitative results as individuals working as a team. First, working as an individual in a repetitive job may become boring for an individual if he or she is alone, but if the same job were to be performed in a team, there would be increased motivation leading to higher realization of results.
Working alone further tends to limit the individual’s decision-making opportunities and this may decrease the productivity of the specific work by the individual. Teams are avenues where social interaction takes place, and individuals in such teams find it easier to find solutions to their various problems.
In other words, there is team problem solving even to problems befitting one of the team members, which is in contrast to an individual working alone where social problems affecting the individual may never get a genuine solution even if the problem is manageable.
Individual working in many organizations has inhibited innovation and invention where the individual capability to get involved in generating innovative ideas is limited and this may hamper the organizational progress. Lastly, an individual working alone is likely to incur many simple mistakes but which might be costly to the organization as compared to individuals working in a team.
Working in a team
West (2004, p.8) notes that in all societies, families and people are asking themselves how best they can combine their efforts and imaginations in order to establish working ways that will enhance the quality of life through achievement of their shared goals.
Working together and interacting effectively in teams has been seen as the precise opportunity that results into accomplishment of many goals. Today, organizations face new demands that make cooperative working teams more necessary and at the same time, more challenging.
Organizations continue to be pressured in key areas of global marketplace, and as a result, many organizations are abandoning their traditional rigid hierarchical structures and adopting new structures that are more organically flexible in nature (West, 2004).
From these new structures teams are becoming the norm of doing business where teams are being developed for the purposes of initiating market products, solving production problems and also creating corporate strategies (West 2004).
Moreover, organizations are experimenting on new initiatives such as participation, self-managing work teams and employee management cooperation, and all these programs involve the use of teams in fulfilling the objectives of the organization.
Benefits of working as a team
Michael West observes that teamwork is transcending its tentacles across organizational and national boundaries and that many organizations are forming teams to boost quality, reduce costs and assure continuous improvement (West, 2004).
Further, the author indicates that many researches have been carried out and their findings have shown that team working has the capability to lead to greater efficiency and effectiveness (West, 2004). Weldon and Weingart (1994), concluding their research they had undertaken across various industries observed that, in a timber harvesting study, introduction of team goals resulted into higher output rate (cited in West, 2004).
In addition, in a restaurant study, it was noted that introduction of team working resulted into higher customer ratings of service quality, comfort and cleanliness.
In another study involving the insurance company, the authors established that after introduction of team working there was 24-hour reporting standard; and in a truck loading and unloading study, truck turnaround time was reduced after the introduction of a team goal (cited in West, 2004).
Other studies carried out have shown similar results, for instance, studies in health care have shown that better and improved patient care has been realized after various professions decide to work in teams (Borrill, West, Shapiro, and Rees 2000 cited in West 2004). Further, health studies show that team working has resulted into lower levels of patient mortality (West et al. 2002 cited in West, 2004).
Studies in the field of education on the other hand have shown that when student work in teams rather than individually, they have greater chances of working harder, help less able group members and are able to learn more (Slavin, 1983 cited in West, 2004).
Therefore, it is through working together and pooling key resources of knowledge, abilities, experience, time, and money that individuals are able to accomplish their shared goals effectively.
Teamwork at the workplace
Serrano (2009) observes that, team working demonstrates a “systems way of thinking as opposed to individual parts of thinking” and this process has the potential to rationalize the various processes in the workplace.
According to the author, teams produce and deliver results in a more effective way and at a shorter lead time where members in the team work towards achieving some form of commonality among its members where the engagement for the members become largely centered on addressing certain issues and delivering specific tasks (Serrano, 2009).
In this way, the team is able to generate and create a common goal for the all members and members guided by set procedures become associated with the overall goal and the objectives of the organization.
On the other hand, Linda Chuang expresses the need for managers and team leaders to recognize the many benefits that team work produce (Chuang, 2010).
For example, teams are avenues where there is wider collection of knowledge and skills, team working results into production of creative solutions to key problems than it is for one individual to do, and teams have the ability and capability to engage in risky but highly productive decisions, which might scare an individual decision maker.
In addition, team in most cases spreads responsibilities for various members to participate in its performance, facilitates and promotes healthy competition and cooperation among team members which in turn might benefit the organization, benefits members through improving their integrative skills and that decisions and solutions generated by a team have “far-reaching and have a greater impact” (Chuang, 2010).
How to foster effective team working
In fostering an effective team, the leader is seen as the key to the success or failure of the team. The leader acts as the glue, the mirror, and the face of the team whereby it is upon him or her through demonstration of exemplary leadership skills that he or she will be able to mobilize other team members to be committed to the team’s goals and objectives.
According to Dbdewer (N.d), a team leader as a first step needs to needs to know the team members very well. For example, the leader should be aware of the members’ drives and motives together with other factors that may de-motivate them.
Further, the leader should know the members background, history, and aspirations. Thereafter, the leader should promote socialization process of the members where they need to know each other well since it is through knowing each other the members will be freely willing to form lasting cohesive bonds.
The third aspect is for the leader to allow the team members in their own capacity to carry out practices of performing their roles in the team, as it is through practice the members become accustomed to key roles of the team. Fourth step is for the leader to present his or her team with a major challenge to be performed where diverse skills of the members will be needed in finding solutions to the challenge.
Through their interaction and dependence to each other, the members will be able to develop and gain confidence and trust among themselves, which in essence will be a great asset to the success of the team. Lastly, the leader should initiate rewards systems that can act to motivate the team members positively. In facilitating rewarding process, the whole process should not be selectively done but initiated as a unit (Dbdewer, N.d).
On his part, Olivier Serrat established how effectively an organization could foster team working. First, the author noted that successful teams are those that manifest the following characteristics: “positive interdependence, individual accountability, use of emotional intelligence, promotive face to face interaction and group processing” (Serrat, 2009, p.2).
Drawing evidence from these aspects of successful teams, the author in turn suggested that in order to develop effective teams and teamwork there is need to:
- clarify the common purpose of the team to members; members should create and build viable trust among them;
- team leaders’ needs to possess problem-solving skills and interpersonal skills;
- there is need for establishment of mutual accountability where members have a feeling that they both share successes and failures of the team;
- the team should work on achievable targets as this will promote cohesiveness and instill confidence;
- the team leader by consulting the members should create a team-support system;
- the leader should always envisage to teach new skills to the members and such skills can be developed in critical areas of problem solving, communication, negotiation, conflict-resolution, group processing and learning;
- the team leader should also rotate the various team assignment frequently since through this way members will be cross-trained;
- lastly, members should be rewarded collectively and not as individuals (Serrat 2009, p.4).
Conclusion
In the modern globalizing world, teams are emerging as the most important and needed elements in organizations that aspire to compete effectively. It is now visible that effective teams and teamwork in most organizations is turning out to be another competitive advantage technique that new markets battle lines will be drawn.
Today’s teams are gaining prominence because of advancement in information technology and the increasing demand for total quality management and organizational learning processes.
Many organizations continue to abandon their earlier reliance on individual managers and workers, and are embracing themselves to inter-functional management teams and work teams that generally put more emphasis on complex problems and tasks.
In order for teams in any situation and environment to function well, it is paramount for the team to have a shared mission and well-formulated strategies of achieving the team goals.
In addition, members of the team should be empowered, there should be an open and honest communication among the members, and team leader should be at forefront in cultivating this and lastly, the team should have positive role and norms defining the team’s activities.
Nevertheless, the current environment of doing business makes it almost impossible for individuals to act on their own and therefore teamwork will remain the key to success of many objectives that organizations formulate and strive to accomplish.
Reference List
Anon. 2006. Team Building Quotes. Web.
Chuang, L., 2010. Is team-working make more effective performance than individual group? Web.
Dbdewer. How to foster the characteristics of effective teamwork. Web.
Griffin, R. W., 2007. Fundamentals of Management. OH, Cengage Learning. Web.
Jain, N. K., 2005. Organizational Behavior. New Delhi, Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. Web.
Newell, S. Teams and Teamwork. Encyclopedia of Business. Web.
Ranganayakulu, K. C. S., 2005. Organizational Behavior. New Delhi, Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. Web.
Serrano, G., 2009. The Benefit of Impact Groups in the Workplace. Journal of Business and Market. Web.
Serrat, O., 2009. Working in Teams. Web.
West, M. A., 2004. Effective teamwork: practical lessons from organizational research. MA, Wiley-Blackwell. Web.