Teamwork and Factors Affecting Team Success

University
B628 TMA
Organizations and People
Tutor Monitoring Assignment
Fall 2018
Name

Table of Contents
Question 1 3
Question 2 6
Main factors for having unsuccessful teams: 6
The way in which managers can ensure effective team working: 9
References 10
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Question 1
A group of individuals can define teamwork to be a collaborative effort in order to achieve a goal
in an efficient way. While this can form a very rudimentary understanding of the concept,
teamwork is necessarily a very complex phenomenon and depends upon the fulfillment of a lot
of factors. A team functions through the interaction of individuals with complementary skills and
sharing of knowledge. However, there seems to be consensus among scholars that for successful
teamwork, having a common goal is indispensable. The role of teamwork within the framework
of an organisation is extremely important and it is one of the most decisive determinants of
organisational success. Individuals in a team should be willing to communicate and cooperate
with one another in a positive manner in order to ensure the success of the team ( Scott and
Wildman, 2017).
Yet, there are various impediments to the development of a successful team where all members
put in their best efforts in their zone of specialisation and the same time coordinate their efforts
with that of the other members. Subsequently, there have been various perspectives regarding
what are the most essential factors of such a team and managers and scholars alike have
consistently trying to develop a methodological framework that shall contribute towards the
creation of an efficient team.
It must also be observed that a team needs to be analysed in the context of the wider
organisational goals and needs. While forming a team a manager has to be sure about what
his/her goals are and thereby, form the team accordingly. The manager has to likewise monitor
and control certain aspects both external and internal to the team to make sure that it functions
effectively. The given case study by comparing one successful team with an unsuccessful one
helps in revealing the factors that were essential in maintaining proper productivity levels of the
team. The teams were evaluated on the basis of certain standards that marked the efficiency level
of the team. It could be seen that the successful team has high level of interdependence and were
responsible for the actions of each other. Problems were discussed openly and members were
communicative with one another. Despite having substantial differences among one another, the
team members were essentially empathetic and helped one another in case of problems.
While on the other hand the unsuccessful team revealed a lot of conflicts going on among the
members. Their ethic was fractured by opposing interests and lack of urge to perform. Thereby,
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these members could not communicate with one another and problems could not be openly
discussed. Interdependence was out of the question as none of the members was willing to be
responsible for others. Thus, there are certain basic attributes that are indispensable for a team,
which includes: commitment to team success and shared goals, interdependence, interpersonal
skills, open communication and positive feedback, appropriate team composition and
commitment to team processes, leadership and accountability. A manager in an organisation has
to therefore, make sure that these attributes are existent in a team before it can start functioning.
However, there are more nuances to the development of an effective team. It depends upon the
kind of work and the nature of goals that shall be assigned to the respective team (Salmon,
Stanton and Jenkins, 2017). Certain teams depending upon the composition of its members shall
outperform others in certain situations. For example, in case of homogenous teams, since there
are individuals from common social backgrounds, it shall be easy for them to understand one
another and thereby get along. However, because of their similar thinking it shall not be possible
for the team to be highly creative. In case of heterogeneous teams on the other hand, despite a
high degree of conflict can be creative. This is because the team shall have highly contending
views, which are more likely to come at intelligent resolutions. Thus, if the manager expects the
team to be innovative, it has to be made sure that it is comprised of members coming from
diverse social backgrounds (Mitchell et al. 2015).
It cannot be expected of teams to start performing as soon as they are formed. It shall take some
time for the members to get acquainted with one another and know about each other’s skills and
abilities. Team roles have to be assigned and subsequently, the team can start functioning
(Belbin, 2012). In context of the time taken by teams to start achieving goals, Tuckman and
Jensen have described five stages of team development (Tuckman, and Jensen, 2010), which are:
● Forming: It is a phase where the team is not yet fully formed. Here, the team members
interact with one another in order to know more about each other. The members are
apprehensive about the team and are not yet aware of each other’s skills. Thereby, the
roles are not well defined either.
● Storming: This is the stage where conflicts start emerging among the members. They
start opening up about their views and opinions and thereby, mutual antagonism starts
appearing. Certain teams become defunct after the storming stage if they are unable to
resolve the initial conflicts (Turner, Baker and Morris, 2017). The manager has to play an
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