Team members develop mechanisms to ensure focus is kept on the project goals. They manage and monitor change. Conflicts and disagreements that arise are resolved without interfering with the project’s progress. The project leader is excused from day-to-day activities (Mcshane, & Steen, 2008).
He or she remains to celebrate achievements and serve as a gateway to higher levels in case decisions of that level are sort. The project leader is to stick to the project management processes, such as improving communication, participation, morale, recognition, and capacity building.
This is used to prevent team members from developing complacency. The project leader also guides the team dynamics in a professional manner. This eliminates internal rivalry and pride among members. Otherwise, all the successes achieved by the team will turn out to be a cropper.
According to Bass (1985), an individual must go through various processes before becoming a leader. The researcher also claims that three events could force people to develop leadership skills (Bass, 1985). One of the events is a crisis (great event). People are forced to react to the situation to solve urgent problems. The event brings out unique leadership qualities in an individual. The second aspect is the individual’s personality traits.
Some people possess extraordinary qualities that put them in a position to lead the others. Finally, a person can decide to learn leadership skills at the institutions of high learning. This form of leadership is referred to as transformational or process leadership. Crisis in leadership takes place when an individual volunteers to lead a team during unusual events. It happens during events, such as political violence, revolutions, and wars.
Such leaders are usually outspoken and are good orators. Martin Luther King was such a leader. Transformational leadership focuses on bringing change to the organization. It is usually compared to transactional leadership, which is the worst form of leadership as far as change is concerned.
Improved communication leaves its members with freedom to express their views openly on how to make the team more effective. It eliminates doubts and misunderstandings among members and the team leader. Clear nonverbal communication helps members fill the void left by verbal communication in the team.
Communication will finally build trust, reduce conflicts, and raise interpersonal relationships among project members. It is worth noting that talking about and modeling work ethics by the project leader together with the team enhance the workers understanding of what they are expected to do.
A positive atmosphere may be created in an environment where trust and openness are present. It makes members feel comfortable with each other and be able, therefore, to express themselves freely on matters they deem necessary to the project.
Trust is a primary tenet in relationships and, therefore, very crucial at this stage. It should be proclaimed as the most important issue. Moreover, it should be provided to all members at this stage. Trust builds reliability, responsibility, and accountability. Words, behavior, and actions must be congruent.
As earlier noted, communication is a key aspect of the performing stage in team development. Participation is equally important though it comes second after communication. It puts a team together. This ensures that every member is involved. This is, of course, the bottom line of the performing stage.
It should be remembered that collective participation is not the scale to measure the level of participation. Instead, appropriate contribution to necessity by an individual takes the cue. Involvement results in commitment and synergy in team actions. Participation has to be balanced. This means that to ensure a successful performing stage, members should be involved in the discussion, if their contributions are relevant.
This leaves them with a sense of value; hence, they might perform the whole project on their own. What the project leader is to do then is to match the leader’s behavior with member’s expectations. The behavior of leaders influences the behavior of organizational members in a number of ways. This means that leaders with good behaviors inspire employees.
Recognition and appreciation comes the last at the performing stage. This should be communicated to everyone at every opportunity. The system used should be fair and consistent to avoid biasness.
This can only be successfully, if done in the presence of other team members. For example, during briefing, the project leader could say thank the junior employee for working overtime the previous day. Quality or a skill brought into the task by a member of the team has to be specified during recognition or reward.
An effective performing stage displays the following characteristics among team members. One of the characteristics displayed include an elaborate, well-structured communication system.
Others include proper agreement among team members, positivity, and interdependency, regular team meetings to allow brainstorming and all-inclusive participation, and clear procedures of conflict and disagreement resolutions. Additional advantages would include exhibition of commitment and synergy by team members, and simple and clear ways of replacement of members in cases of unexpected departure.
References
Bass, B.M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. New York: The Free Press.
Mcshane, S., & Steen, S. (2008). Canadian Organizational behavior. Oxford: Oxford University Press.