Essay on Teamwork and Team Effectiveness

Running head: ETHICAL COMMUNICATION FOR BUSINESS
Ethical Communication for Business
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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Thesis statement-The essay discusses about teamwork and team effectiveness connecting it with
effective communication, a critical analysis of ethics in communication which can be linked with
team effectiveness is also provided.
Introduction
A team is created to accomplish goals by using the resources available optimally. Each
member of a team must contribute towards the success of the team. Face-to- face communication
should be used to handle issues within a team and an open communication model should be
adopted within a team (Galegher, Kraut and Egido 2014). Direct and open communication
should be encouraged within members of a team. Teams which score high on general mental
ability (GMA), agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion and emotional stability generally
demonstrate high team-performance based on rating by supervisors (Crawford and Lepine 2013).
The communication styles and strength of communication within the members of a team are
often the key indicators for successful collaboration among team members which lead to high-
performance teams (Daspit et al. 2013). For some, teamwork is an enjoyable experience while
for others teamwork can be a stressful experience and they prefer to perform individually. The
attributes that are required by an individual to be an effective team player are reliability, ability
to communicate constructively and effectively, listening skills, ability to share information,
knowledge and experience openly and willingly, ability to co-operate to accomplish common
goals, ability to embrace changes and be flexible, problem solving skills, ability to treat all other
team members in a respectful manner, ability to function as an active participant. In this essay,
the literature on teamwork and team effectiveness is reviewed. The role of effective
communication on team effectiveness is analyzed. Ethical communication is further linked with

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team effectiveness. Generally, the high-performing teams abide by ethical principles in their
policies, practices and communication style.
Discussion
Team Work, Team Effectiveness, Team Performance
In the year 1977, Rubin Plovnic and Fry suggested a model for team effectiveness. This
model is also known as GRPI model. According to this model, a team requires four parts which
are Goals, Roles, Processes and Interpersonal relationships in order to be effective. Goals are
objectives that are well-defined and priorities and expectations should be clearly communicated
to members of a team during the process of goal setting. The roles are responsibilities of the
team members which are well defined. The decision making processes as well as the process of
work should have clarity within a team. Interpersonal relationships within team members should
foster trust, flexibility and good communication (Belbin 2012).The authors Douglas Smith and
Jon Katzenbach unveiled a model for team effectiveness after studying the challenges related to
work faced by different teams of various companies across the globe . The model is in the form
of a triangle and collective work products, personal growth and performance results are the
major deliverables of a team and they form the three points of a triangle. Commitment, skills and
accountability are the factors which are of paramount importance in order to achieve the team
deliverables to make the team effective. In the year 1995, Michael Lombardo and Robert
Eichinge developed the T7 model of team effectiveness. The five internal factors which are
responsible for the effectiveness of a team according to the T7 team effectiveness model are
trust, talent, task skills, team skills, thrust and teaming skills. The external factors which are
responsible for the effectiveness of a team are the team leader fit and the support the team

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receives from an organization. The authors Carl Larson and Frank LaFasto studied 600 teams in
organizations across the globe and suggested the La Fasto and Carl Larson model for team
effectiveness. This model was proposed in the year 2001 and is known as the Five Dynamics of
Team Work and Collaboration. According to this model, selecting the right person is the first
step towards effectiveness of a team; the relationships shared by the members of a team
determine the effectiveness of a team. In this model it is suggested that good relationships among
team members contribute towards the problem solving capability of a team which is related to
the effectiveness of the team (West2012). The model also suggests that team leadership and
organizational environment contribute substantially towards the effectiveness of a team (Wang,
Waldman and Zhang 2014). In the year 2002, J. Richard Hackman proposed a model for
effectiveness of a team. According to this model, effective teams have a boundary that delineates
who is a part of the team and follow a compelling direction with clear and challenging goals.
This model points out that the structure of an effective team should enhance teamwork and a
team should have organizational support and expert coaching in order to be effective. Working in
a team enhances the capacity of problem solving and allows the flow of innovative ideas within a
team (Maxwell 2013).
Communication and Team Effectiveness
A key aspect of teamwork and team effectiveness is communication. A proper
communication model and strategy must be adopted by organizations to create highly effective
teams. The three metrics of communication that affect the performance of a team are energy,
engagement and exploration. The energy metrics of communication determines quality of
communication and the amount of communication that is fostered among team members. For
instance, electronic mode of communication like emails and text messages have less impact on

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team performance while face-to-face communications boost higher energy among team
members and affect the performance of a team. Another metrics of communication which has
impact on teamwork and performance of a team are engagement. The teams which demonstrate
partial engagement among team members do not contribute towards high organizational
performance. High engagement and high performance within a team can be fostered by high and
equal energy among team members resulting in good cohesion and engagement among team
members (DeOrtentiis et al. 2013).Exploration is also the third metrics of communication which
determines high performance of a team. Most of the global organizations adopt an open
communication model and a culture of innovation and creativity. The exploration metrics for
communication is highly essential for such innovative organizations. Exploration metrics of
communication reflect how the members of a team communicate with the external environment
like teams, companies and industry of the external environment. This external communication
level also has a positive impact on the effectiveness of a team. The high performing teams and
teams with a higher team effectiveness generally demonstrate characteristics of effective
communication like the conversations and gestures among team members are energetic with
more face-to-face conversations and members coordinate among one another and not only with
the team leader. Team members with high effectiveness of team generally take periodic breaks
and explore the outside world to collect, gather and analyze information from the external
environment (Maxwell 2013). This information from external sources is vital for teamwork
because information from macro-environment can provide valuable data related to competition,
market and customers. It has been found that socializing can substantially improve the
interpersonal communication among team members. High- performing team also demonstrates
effective listening skills and ability to communicate effectively both verbally and non-verbally

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using gestures. A high performing team with an effective communication model among team
members receives support from team leaders and the organization which is suggested in the
models of team effectiveness. Teams which follow an open communication model are generally
supported by transformation team leaders who allow autonomy and flexibility among team
members. Organizations that develop an effective communication strategy among teams also
invest in training the team members on effective communication strategy (Boies, Fiset and Gill
2015). It has been found that in decision making teams, communication plays a vital role while
in general teams, the literature provides little evidence in connection between communication
and team performance. In general teams, team performance can be linked with demography and
team size (Joshi and Knight 2015). It has been found that teams dealing with complex tasks that
require higher level of information and cognitive decision making is affected by degree of
communication among team members.
Team Work, Communication and Ethics
Communication and ethics can also be linked and an ethical communication among team
members generally contributes towards high-performing team. The effectiveness of a team
increases when managers and leaders organize workshops for team members which focus on
work ethics. These workshops make team members aware about the ethics which are in
alignment with the vision, mission and strategic goals of an organization thus increasing the
performance of the team. Standards should be set by an organization and these standards for
acceptable behavior should be clearly communicated to team members to enhance team
effectiveness. The ethical practices that members of an effective team generally adhere to are
being punctual, being responsible, working with an optimistic attitude, respecting and

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collaborating with team members and communicating with ethical values (González-Romá and
Hernández 2014).
Ethical behavior among team members should be driven by values and team members of
high-performing teams follow a code of moral standards that enable them to distinguish between
right and wrong. High-performing team and teams which demonstrate effectiveness generally
align their communication model around a strict code of ethics. The ethical values of high-
performing team are in alignment with the vision and values of the organization they work for
which are reflected in interpersonal communication among team members (Walumbwa,
Morrison and Christensen 2012).Communication ethics that determine effectiveness of a team
are maintaining balance between speaking and listening, degree of criticism and praise and the
legitimacy of emotional appeal and fear. Communication training can reduce biases and
discrimination among team members related to culture, ethnicity, language barriers and race.
Ethical communication training can foster cultural tolerance and cultural sensitivity among team
members. Stereotypes among team members can also be reduced by effective communication
training related to ethics. This kind of ethical communication is of paramount importance in a
high-performing culturally diverse global team. In this world of globalization, organizations rely
on virtual teams with team members based on different geographical location (Maynard et al.
2012). Ethical communication and transparency play a vital role for team effectiveness of virtual
teams because team members do not get a chance to meet physically(Hoch and Kozlowski
2014).The team members of a high-performing team are provided training on ethics and
compliance programs. The team leaders and managers should not only set goals for the members
of a team but should also focus on increasing awareness among team members about workplace
ethics and ethical communication. In an effective and high performing team of an organization,

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generally the team members adhere to a written ethical code of conduct. Organizations with
high-performing teams often have written code of conduct related to ethics and ethical
communication within team members. Some employees possess strong sets of values in their
personal and professional life, however other team members especially members of a team who
lack previous experience must be trained on ethics and transparency. The ethical issues like lack
of hygiene factors at workplace, issues related to quality, customer dissatisfaction, and ethical
issues related to stereotypes and low cultural sensitivity resulting in conflicts can be resolved
when teams are trained in ethical values (Bradley et al. 2012).
Conclusion
It can be concluded that teamwork and team-effectiveness is of paramount importance in
today’s fast paced, competitive and highly volatile business environment. Team work fosters
collaboration and brainstorming within a team. Team performance increases when team
members work in cohesion and organizational objectives are reached when people work together
in a team. Organizational productivity increases when individuals collaborate and perform
effectively within a team to accomplish organizational goals. Thus, working in teams should be
practiced while pursuing education in universities. Team work foster better decision making
skills among students and enable them to respect the viewpoint of team members. Teamwork at
universities enables students to develop tolerance and respect for their teammates who belong to
a different cultural background, ethnicity, race or language. It is recommended that students
should adhere to teamwork at universities to develop skills of effectively working within a team
which will help them when they enter the corporate world. Team effectiveness can also be linked
with communication and ethics. It is recommended that teams should follow an open
communication model, should adopt transparency among team members and team leaders,

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should work in harmony and avoid biases and stereotypes to enhance team effectiveness. Ethical
values like respect for diversity and organizational code of conduct should be fostered within a
team to enhance team effectiveness and increase team performance. It is recommended that team
members should be trained in formal training programs which will increase their awareness
about ethical values, so that they can adopt the same while communicating with all stakeholders.

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