Consultancy Report: Effective Team Formation and Leadership Strategies

This consultancy report examines the inputs and processes essential for forming and leading effective teams. It begins by defining an effective team and highlighting its characteristics, such as ideal size, clear objectives, open communication, and accountability. The report then outlines five key steps for forming and leading a team: establishing leadership, managing relationships, fostering teamwork, setting ground rules, and monitoring performance. It further delves into Tuckman's five stages of team development—forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning—explaining the dynamics and leadership roles required at each stage. The report emphasizes the importance of clear goals, communication, and conflict resolution, and concludes by highlighting the value of team development models and input-process-output frameworks in enhancing team cohesiveness and productivity. The report underscores the leader's role in guiding the team through these stages to achieve high-quality outcomes.

CONSULTANCY

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Based on the inputs and processes of effective teams, justify how you would go about forming
and leading a team..................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Inputs and process of an effective team refers to the interactions among members of team
and inputs are conditions which exists prior to group activities. The report will justify an
effective team based on process and inputs that helps to form and lead team.
MAIN BODY
Based on the inputs and processes of effective teams, justify how you would go about forming
and leading a team
An effective team refers to a group of people with various skills and knowledge which
helps them to achieve their common and individual goals. The effectiveness of an effective team
can be described as their capacity to accomplish objectives of firm administered by an authorized
personnel. According to Woodcock, (2017) there are many ways from which a business is able to
form an effective team by organising employees in a team frame. Teams are now very common
in organisation's in today's world that an effective team helps to enhance motivation of
employees and also productivity. There are some characteristics of an effective team such as
ideal size and membership, clear purpose and objectives, open communication, fairness in
decision making, accountability and creativity etc. These characteristics helps to improve quality
of products and services, effectiveness of operational activities and complete projects on time.
Team building, forming and leading is one of the most crucial and necessary responsibility of a
leader that it is not something which can be easily achieved in a short time period effectively. In
addition to this, components are important to ensure success of the objective and projects
effectively. In order to form and lead a team, it is important to measure effectiveness of process
and inputs which helps to identify potential requirements. One of the most crucial thing that a
leader often ponder is the relationship and performance of team members. Performance indicator
shows that an effective team will almost always outperform people working individually,
particularly in high-pressure conditions or when multiple skills and sets are required.
Hu and Liden, (2015) stated that this should not come as much of surprises, as most
businesses recognising the value and importance of team buildings and also trying to foster it in
the workplace in order to enhance production and profitability. However, in order to build an
effective team, more than an abstract commitment is required towards teamwork from managers
and leaders to foster it. Leader must encourage team members to enhance communication
towards sharing information to each other and that helps to enhance effective relationships which
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is required for the success of team. Based on process and inputs of an effective team, there are
five steps that helps to form and lead a team. Establish leadership- Leadership effectiveness
between employees is important that they should trust judgements to work effectively in the
absence of team leader. Right kind of leadership skills are required to build an effective team.
Increasing honesty and transparency will help to foster relationships at workplace. Relationship
management- A leader must know about each member in the team in terms of their skills,
knowledge, motivation level and further likes and dislikes. This will help to know about them to
manage their work according to their skills and capability that also helps to enhance job
satisfaction to increase productivity. In addition to this, abstract commitment is required towards
teamwork from managers and leaders to foster an effective team. One of the most important
thing is that employees must participate in decision making process where possible that helps to
increase their involvement with business activities. Instead of providing tasks, leader should also
delegate them open ended projects to determine the best solutions. Foster teamwork- After
establishing relationships between employees, it's now time to help them to work together
effectively and efficiently. According to Boies, Fiset and Gill, (2015) a leader must encourage
team members towards sharing information to each other and that helps to enhance
communication. The main purpose of communication is to set roles and responsibilities of
members in order to define smaller and timely goals as well as the expectations for conduct
effectively. Rewarding contribution provided by each member will also help to motivate them
that helps to enhance productivity and profitability. Such things can be managed by holding
meetings, things like open suggestions and concerns, offering assistance and doing everything to
communicate honestly and clearly with members. Setting ground rules- Setting ground rules for
team members will help to create team values and goals that helps to measure performances
alongside individual performances. Monitoring performance will help to find conflicts and issues
within team members and to provide solutions so that they can solve it easily and effectively.
One of the most important thing that a leader often think over is the relationship and performance
of team members which helps to drive performance of team to achieve common goals and
objectives. Team building, forming and leading is one of the most important responsibility of a
leader that it is not something that can be accomplished in a short time period.
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According to Zoogah, Noe and Shenkar, (2015) every team goes through the five stages
of team development and first four stages towards team growth and development was established
by Bruce Wayne Tuckman in 1965. The theory was based on research towards team dynamics
that these stages are inevitable in order for a team to grow to the point where they are functioning
effectively and efficiently together as a team and delivering high quality outcomes for the firm.
Stage-1 Forming: The stages takes lace when the team members meets each other for the first
time. This is the stage where they are introduced to each other and share information regarding
their interests, backgrounds and experiences in terms of the first impression. Members try to
learn about project, discuss objectives and goals of project and start thinking about their roles in
team. They find ways to work with each other. It is very crucial for the team leader during the
initial stage of team development and growth to be very clear about goals and objectives of team
in order to deliver guidance regarding project. Leader must ensure that all the team members are
planning to determine their individual roles and responsibilities to work with each other
effectively. Team members are depended on directions and guidance provided by team leader.
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Illustration 1: The Five Stages Of Team
Development
Source: Abudi, 2014

Stage-2 Storming: Storming stage arrives when all the team members begins to work with each
other. The stage is not avoidable for the team who has never worked with each other before. This
is the stage, where members compete with each other towards status and acceptance of ideas. It
can be said that every members has different opinion regarding what should be done and how it
will be done that causes conflicts sometimes (Maddock, 2015). While progressing in this stage,
team members are provided with leader guidance that helps to learn how to solve issues together
as a steam. Team members who do not like conflicts, this is a difficult stage for them to go
through. Team leader is responsible to facilitate the team by ensuring members listen to each
other and try to understand difference between their ideas. An individual member is not allowed
to control all the conversation and contribution for all the members. The stage will come to the
finish line when members are able to accept each other's ideas and learn to work together as a
team for the completion of project. This is the point, where team leader must start transitioning
decision making to the team and also allow them independence that helps to stay involved in
organisational activities to solve issues as soon as possible (Zhou and Rosini, 2015). It is
important for the leader or manager in a team to measure effectiveness of process and inputs
which helps to identify potential requirements that helps to make an effective team and in order
to form and lead a team.
Stage-3 Norming: In the stage of norming, team members are now able to work effectively as a
team. They are now focused on achieving common goals and objectives rather than individual
while working together (Maynard and Kennedy, 2016). They also start respecting ideas, values
and opinion of each other. This is a stage, where team members work together as a team and
agreed on their rules that how they will share information and resolve conflicts among them.
Team members starts trusting each other and actively seek each other out for assistance and
inputs. Instead of competing each other, they help each other to accomplish work towards a
common goal or objective. Members also start to make their own significant procedures on work
as they are now working together more effectively and efficiently. Leader may not involved in
decision making process since the team members are working better and effectively together and
can take their responsibilities. Greater self-direction help them to resolve conflicts and issues.
However, leader may step in to move things along in case the team stuck. Leader should ensure
that the team members are working collaboratively.
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Stage-4 Performing: At this stage, team members functioning runs at a high level. Team
members trust each other, perform together and got know to each other effectively. It is not
possible for every team to make team growth at this stage. In this stage, team becomes highly
motivated and independent to make their own decisions to solve issues and conflicts effectively.
In case of any changes in the team process, an agreement on changing procedure undertaken
guidance of team leader. This is the stage, where team leader do not involve in decision making,
problem solving and other activities. Team members work effectively as a team and does not
require oversight at the other stages. Team leader only monitors progress of team and celebrate
their success and achievements. The leader also celebrate milestone and serve gateway when
decision making reached art higher level within firm. There is a possibility of reverting back of
team in case of any changes (Kozlowski, 2015). For an example, it is possible for the team to
revert back to forming stage if any member of the team starts working independently. Forming
stage also arrives if any new member joins the team. Thus, it is possible for the team to revert
back to the forming stage until they are able to manage changes accordingly.
Stage-5 Adjourning: In this stage, the work is comes to the end and all the team members
moves off towards various directions. The stage look at the team from the perspectives of the
well-being of member of the team rather than from the perspectives of managing a team through
the existing four stages of team development and growth. The leader has work to ensure time for
the celebration of success of the work and also to capture best practices for the future
requirements effectively. This will help to make an effective relationship within team members
and also provide opportunity to meet each other again as they pursue their next endeavour. It is
analysed that any of the team reached at the stage of performing keeps in touch with each other
and also have a very close relationship.
According to McLaren and Spink, (2018) team development model of Tuckman is really
effective that it is based on process and inputs of effective which helps to form and lead a team.
This will also help to make an effective team where all the team members work towards common
objectives to achieve them in a limited time period effectively.
Gevers, Uitdewilligen and Passos, (2015) stated that input process output model of team
deliver a frame work in order to conceptualise teams which also helps to suggest different factors
has an impact on team cohesiveness and productivity. This will help to provide a way from
which the team understand how to perform and increase profitability and production. It is a
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system theory rests on assumptions that a team is more than one to one relationship between
variables and sum of its members effectively. There are feedbacks, interactions and suggestions
between many factors that are contributing to make team effective. Process can be described as
interactions among members of team and inputs are conditions which exists prior to group
activities. In addition to this, outputs is the result of group activities that are valued by the
business or team efficiently. In puts include antecedent factors such as task characteristic,
business context, team composition and making which influence the team itself in terms of
directly or indirectly. Team level factors, individual level factors and environmental factors are
included in inputs. Individual level factors include personality traits, strengths, weaknesses, team
members, preferences and dislikes (He and Chen, 2015). Team level factors include resources
which are needed by team members or has access too, team structure, time they have to spend
together and how close they are in terms of their relationship status. Environmental factors
include team effectiveness towards business and how the team is working with other teams in
order to accomplish objective of relationship and business goals.
Sim, (2018) stated that process can be described as operations or activities that helps to
mediate relationships between input factors and outcomes produced by team. This will include
group norms and also decision making process, communication level, coordination and cohesion.
Process can be things such as initiating actions, monitoring resources and progress of team, steps
taken to plan activities, maintenance of interpersonal relationships, dealing with various conflicts
and sense of members towards commitment effectively. Thus, it can be said that inputs and
process of an effective team is required to form and lead team in effective manner.
Reflection
In my opinion inputs and process of an effective team consists of some crucial factors
that helps to drive performance in order to accomplish common goals and objectives such as
relationship between variables, suggestions, interactions among members of team, group
activities, task characteristic, team composition, personality traits, preferences, effectiveness
towards business etc. These are some important factors that helps to form ad lead an effective
team in order to achieve individual and common goals and objectives that also helps to increase
effectiveness of operational activities. In addition to this, one of the most important thing possess
by a leader is to lead his team members with effectiveness and potentiality that helps to motivate
them in every phase of their lives. This will also help to enhance their skills and knowledge that
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working together as a team has a lot of benefits from which they can easily make interactions
with each other, share their ideas and opinions, increase communication and improve
relationship status which helps to solve issues and conflicts effectively. I think a team leader
should have strategic power to manage his team members according to their skills and
knowledge that helps to delegate work accordingly and effectively. One of the most important
thing that a leader should understand different factors such as inputs and process of an effective
team in order to form and lead them efficiently. This will also help team members to support
their leader so that they can easily complete their work on time and achieve objectives. In my
opinion there are a lot of benefits of an effective team to a business that it mainly helps to
enhance production and profitability. In addition to this, this will also help to enhance goodwill
of business that various projects taken by the firm completes on time. Leader just have to
monitor his team members after completing the process of team development that members are
now reached at a stage where they can easily make collaboration to complete work and achieve
common goals effectively. In my opinion, high performance teams are comprised of individual
who believe in vision and contribution to achieve as well as motivated to put their best efforts.
Determining purpose and goals within a team is very important that it helps to share vision into
smaller and manageable tasks and goals. In addition to this, a leader is required effective
monitoring towards group performance and also organise meeting to ensure progress of
individual and team goals. One of the most important thing that after successful completion of a
project, leader must organise a celebration party for all team members in order to bing them at
one place so that they can celebrate their happiness. Encouraging open communication will also
help to enhance feeling of equality within team members so that they can talk to each other.
Thus, it can be justified that based on process and inputs an effective team can be form and lead
easily and effectively. This will also help to increase effectiveness if all the elements such as
process and inputs within a team are managed properly and appropriately by leader.
CONCLUSION
It can be concluded from the above report that there are some characteristics of an
effective team such as ideal size and membership, clear purpose and objectives, open
communication that helps to improve quality of operational activities and complete projects on
time. It is analysed that right kind of leadership skills are required to build an effective team. In
addition, increasing honesty and transparency will help to foster relationships at workplace. A
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leader must encourage his team members towards sharing information to each other and that it
helps to enhance communication. Apart from this, monitoring performance will also help to find
conflicts and issues within team members and to provide solutions. It is very crucial for the team
leader during the initial stage of team development and growth to be very clear about goals and
objectives of team in order to deliver guidance regarding project. In an effective team, an
individual member is not allowed to control all the conversation and contribution for all the
members. There are some factors such as feedbacks, interactions and suggestions that helps to
contribute in order to make team effective.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Woodcock, M., 2017. Team development manual. Routledge.
Hu, J. and Liden, R.C., 2015. Making a difference in the teamwork: Linking team prosocial
motivation to team processes and effectiveness. Academy of Management Journal 58(4)
pp.1102-1127.
Boies, K., Fiset, J. and Gill, H., 2015. Communication and trust are key: Unlocking the
relationship between leadership and team performance and creativity. The Leadership
Quarterly 26(6) pp.1080-1094.
Zoogah, D.B., Noe, R.A. and Shenkar, O., 2015. Shared mental model, team communication and
collective self-efficacy: an investigation of strategic alliance team
effectiveness. International Journal of Strategic Business Alliances 4(4) pp.244-270.
Maddock, A., 2015. Consensus or contention: an exploration of multidisciplinary team
functioning in an Irish mental health context. European Journal of Social Work 18(2)
pp.246-261.
Maynard, M.T. and Kennedy, D.M., 2016. Team adaptation and resilience: What do we know
and what can be applied to long-duration isolated, confined, and extreme
contexts. Houston, TX: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Kozlowski, S.W., 2015. Advancing research on team process dynamics: Theoretical,
methodological, and measurement considerations. Organizational Psychology Review 5(4)
pp.270-299.
McLaren, C.D. and Spink, K.S., 2018. Team member communication and perceived cohesion in
youth soccer. Communication & Sport 6(1) pp.111-125.
Gevers, J.M., Uitdewilligen, S. and Passos, A.M., 2015. Dynamics of team cognition and team
adaptation: introduction to the special issue.
Sim, J.Y., 2018. The effect of team learning behaviours on team effectiveness in virtual teams.
He, Q.Y. and Chen, C.H., 2015. Research Framework of Leadership Behavior and Team
Innovation Performance. In Proceedings of the 5th International Asia Conference on
Industrial Engineering and Management Innovation (IEMI2014) (pp. 307-311). Atlantis
Press, Paris.
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Zhou, W. and Rosini, E., 2015. Entrepreneurial team diversity and performance: Toward an
integrated model. Entrepreneurship Research Journal 5(1) pp.31-60.
Online:
Abudi, 2014. The Five Stages Of Team Development. Online available through:
https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.php
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