Workflow Management: Teamwork, Communication, IT Department and Challenges

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WORKFLOW MANAGEMENT
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Introduction
Teamwork can be referred to as collaborative efforts of independent individuals aiming at
achieving some common goals (McInnes et al. 2015, p. 1974). It is applicable in many areas such
as industrial organization and project development. Besides, it consists of different stages such as
forming and performing. Moreover, it has many benefits such as development of individual
qualities (Ku, Tseng and Akarasriworn 2013, p. 923). On the other hand, effective
communication involves the process of sending and receiving messages successfully, therefore;
information is understood clearly by both parties involved. It’s important as it improves
relationship between management and employees (Austin and Pinkleton 2015). Many
organizations have IT department alongside others such as finance, production and marketing.
Configuration and maintenance are some of the roles associated with IT department. However,
IT has some challenges such as data security (Winley 2015, p. 3). The aim of this paper is to
discuss concepts related to teamwork, effective communication, benefit of having IT department
and challenges involving IT.
Teamwork
A team is a group of people working together to complete a specific task. Therefore, teamwork
can be defined as collaborative efforts of independent individuals aiming at achieving a common
goal (Endersby, Phelps and Jenkins 2017, p. 75). Teamwork is vital as it can enable any
organization to achieve its objectives, thus contributing vastly towards overall success. Apart
from enabling management to achieve its objectives, it is also vital in ICT project management,
hence implementing Information Technology (IT) technologies successfully (Endersby, Phelps
and Jenkins 2017). There are some characteristics that can be used to identify effective
teamwork, for example:

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 Clear direction. For instance, a team must state its goals in advance prior to starting other
activities. Each member of a team must understand listed goals, thus enhancing
performance as all members will be working towards achieving a common goal.
 Honest communication. Communication can be defined as the process of exchanging
ideas between people. It is very essential in teamwork as it can enhance understanding
between members. Open communication reduces conflicts, therefore; members of a team
can be allowed to give out their suggestions freely without unnecessary restrictions.
 Defined roles. Responsibilities and duties of each team member must be stated explicitly.
This reduces conflicts as well as enhancing commitment, thus enabling a team to achieve
its goals.
 Mutually accountable. For instance, team members must accept responsibility incase of
any problem rather than blaming others, which can result in poor working relationships,
therefore; reducing performance.
 Common goals. Team members must work towards achieving some specific goals
regardless of their individual interests. Therefore; members should understand team
objectives even though they are assigned different duties and responsibilities (Endersby,
Phelps and Jenkins 2017).
Advantages and Disadvantages of Teamwork
The following are benefits of teamwork; building trust and fostering creativity. Besides,
teamwork also results in better decision making. Therefore, problems encountered can be solved
easily. Moreover, teamwork increases sense of ownership of a product as it is owned by
members of a team rather than a specific individual (Endersby, Phelps and Jenkins 2017). Other
benefits include; sharing information and reduced time for completing tasks. However, there are

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several disadvantages that are associated with teamwork, for example; team incompatibility,
increased time for making decisions, blaming-game resulting in conflicts, difficult for leaders to
determine strengths and weaknesses of team members and communication breakdowns thus
reducing trust (Endersby, Phelps and Jenkins 2017).
Effective Communication
Communication can be defined as a process of exchanging information between people through
a medium (Yildiz 2017, p. 142). Effective communication involves the process of sending and
receiving messages successfully, therefore; information is understood clearly by both parties
involved. Effective communication is essential in any company as it plays vital roles in reducing
conflicts between employees (Yildiz 2017, p. 142). Currently, several media are used to facilitate
communication, for example, online platforms such as Facebook and twitter. Apart from online
platforms, communication is also facilitated through physical means such face-to-face. However,
online platforms are commonly used in many organizations to reduce travelling costs. Apart
from travelling costs, culturally diverse teams have also encouraged the use of online platforms.
The following are some of the skills that are required for effective communication:
 Listening skills. Listening involves paying attention to the other people while
communicating aiming at understanding their messages clearly. It is one of the important
skills for effective communication as it enhances appropriate responses to the questions
asked by other employees. Thus, enhancing smooth running of business operations
(Kalidindi 2018).
 Respect. For instance, respecting other people is also vial in facilitating effective
communication. It is not only expressed in face-to-face communication, but also in
virtual communication through the type of information that is sent to the recipient.