The Hindu Business Line : Building a team that delivers

A team leader can promote cordial relations within the team by encouraging intellectual honesty among its members. Frankness clears misunderstandings and restores a good relation.

When you lead a group, what matters are the results. But this would happen only if you develop leadership qualities. This calls for an understanding of how teams function, the needs of individuals in the group, and the ways of converging team energy to the desired objective.

Teams

There are various definitions to describe teams; one of them is: A team is a small number of employees with complementary competencies (abilities, skills, and knowledge) who are committed to common performance goals and working relationships for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.

When a team is formed, its members should have skills of complementary competencies to achieve the team's goals. Also, its members need to be able to influence others and work together to accomplish those goals.

The typical stages in a team's evolution are:

Team formation: When members get to know each other gradually, share their personal information, begin to accept one another, and turn their attention to the group's tasks in a courteous atmosphere.

Storming: Members compete for status, for positions of relative control and argue about the appropriate directions for the group.

Norming: The group begins moving together in a cooperative fashion, and a tentative balance is achieved among competing forces.

Performing: The group matures and learns to handle complex challenges. Functional roles are assumed as needed, and tasks are efficiently accomplished.

There are several ingredients that go into ensuring the efficiency of a unit. Firstly, managements should ensure that teams get a supportive environment that fosters teamwork. Second, the team members should be clear about their roles. The institution of team rewards has been seen to stimulate teamwork. Lastly, it is the team leader's responsibility to keep the team members oriented towards their overall objective or super-ordinate goal.

There are four basic types of teams:

While functional teams usually represent individuals who work together daily on various interdependent tasks, problem-solving teams focus on specific issues in their areas of responsibility. They develop potential solutions, and are often empowered to take action within defined limits. Cross-functional teams bring together the knowledge and skills of people from various work areas to identify and solve mutually identified problems. Self-managed teams normally consist of employees who must work together effectively on a daily basis to manufacture an entire product or major identifiable component or service.

There are three areas of group behaviour that must be addressed for teams to be effective. They are:

Motivation: A factor that could affect the effort put in, is the nature of the job itself. A monotonous job not only results in low levels of motivation, but can also kill the enthusiasm for good performance

Hard work: To be successful, the team must work hard and should have the right mix of skills to bring to the table.

Challenging goals: The team needs challenging goals, which are clearly defined. For problem-solving teams, having a meaningful goal is the most important factor that brings out the best from the team.

TEAM EFFECTIVENESS

Managing team effectiveness demands constant effort. The team leader should create a working climate that is both formal and relaxed. Before taking any decision, he or she should consult team members on the course of action. This could throw up new ideas and provide clues to the likely course of action.

The group objective should be clearly defined and understood by all the team members.

The leader should ensure that no one team member assumes an overriding role. The priority and importance accorded to a particular member of the group may create a bias and sour relations in the group. This would, in turn, jeopardise teamwork. The leader should have trust and faith in his or her subordinates. Only then would they earn the trust of their colleagues and subordinates.

The leader should also create an atmosphere that fosters free expression of criticism and disagreements. He or she should not hesitate to appreciate good work. Further, he or she should enjoy a personal rapport with employees. They should also develop interest in their employees, lending a ear to their needs and grievances.

Further, the leader must not live in an isolated world. He must always be approachable and within reach of his team members whenever they seek guidance and support from him. Encouragement for innovation and new ideas may open up new ways of reaching goals.

Delegation of responsibilities indicates trust in the other's initiative and dynamism. A leader should always exercise self-control in order to get along with people. On the other hand, words uttered in an angry tone could do irreparable damage.

A leader should also set an example that others can follow. Leaders should pay attention to the training and development of their team members. This can be achieved by job enlargement, job enrichment, and by offering perks to retain members.

Finally, an employee will be what you expect him to be. If you expect him to be hard working, honest and trustworthy, he will attempt to be all these and more.

ENCOURAGE TEAM WORK

Rivalry can be expected to arise in any group of individuals working together. Those in leadership positions can promote collaboration among employees by letting everyone know the group goals. A simple mission statement outlining the common goals should suffice. Further, each person's role within the group should be clearly identified so that there are no misgivings on that score.

As a leader put the team interest at the helm. For example, the use of words such as `we' would unite people. It would be an indication that you intend to promote a team effort.

The leader should be share information and disseminate it directly to the last man down the line. Lastly, he or she should praise the team effort without singling out individuals. The group must get the pat, not just an individual.

PROMOTING HUMAN RELATIONS

A team leader can promote and maintain cordial human relations by encouraging intellectual honesty among the team members. Frankness clears misunderstandings and restores a good relation. Effective communication also improves the relations among people.

Being sensitive to another's feelings and appreciating another's ideas, helps develop empathy within the team.

Since, they are dealing with people's emotions, there is need to appreciate their emotions and develop the relationship accordingly.

In a nutshell

Individuals, however, intelligent and skilled they may be, cannot single-handedly deliver the goods. To do so, each individual's efforts and skills should be organised as part of a larger team working for the benefit of the organisation.

Teamwork, on the other hand, can focus individual efforts to enhance the team's performance.

(Dr S. S. Vernekar is the Director of the Bharti Vidya Peeth's Institute of Management and Research. Dr K. Venkatasubramanian is the CEO of Dr. Venkat And Associates, Management Consultants.)

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