| |
| |
|
Management Information |
|
|
|
Tales From the Corporate Frontlines: Team Dynamics and Communication
This article relates to the Team Dynamics competency, which evaluates interpersonal communication, cooperation, and productivity between members of a single team, group, or department within your organization. In today's marketplace, in order for organizations to operate efficiently, it is essential that they understand how to create and utilize effective work teams at all levels of the organization. When well managed, teams improve productivity, innovation, and the likelihood of success. Ineffective teams lead to frustration and the loss of time and productivity. Evaluating this competency can be very useful if your organization is experiencing missed deadlines or low productivity levels. This short story, Team Dynamics and Communications, is part of AlphaMeasure's compilation, Tales From the Corporate Frontlines. It explores the sensitivity of team dynamics and the importance of keeping balance among members. Anonymous Submission During the time spent with my current employer, I've always considered myself a restless worker. At the same company for ten years now, I have occupied three different positions. I like learning new skills, and feel that the job moves have made me a well- rounded employee. They've also helped me to understand the importance of team dynamics. Each team that I've been a part of had a different dynamic, but it was always easy to see how the behavior of team members affected the team's successful operation as a whole. My second team displayed some really challenging dynamics. Composed of eight members, two of them had recently married. At first, we didn't think that would make much of a difference. As time went by, it became obvious that we were wrong. As these two team members confronted the challenges of married life, their disputes affected team communication and productivity in obvious ways----some team members felt strange or uncomfortable being included in their disputes, or excluded if the focus remained on the couple for too long. Some switched roles and others participated less in discussion and decision-making. The easygoing social atmosphere disappeared and was replaced with tension. Motivation and commitment among the members fluctuated wildly at times. We tried to resolve the issues among ourselves at first. Our team leader made extra efforts to placate team members who felt left out or frustrated by the team's lack of focus. We made procedural changes in our meeting structure. We even made changes to the office layout in an effort to boost morale. Around that time, our company conducted an employee satisfaction survey. One of the topics evaluated was Team Dynamics. The results of our team evaluation, to put it mildly, indicated that a more drastic solution was needed to adjust our dynamics. Our team leader conferred with management to come up with a solution. Ultimately----one of the married team members was offered a new position ---on another team. I was that member. I was a little upset at first, but it turned out to be the right move for everyone. The dynamics of my old team went back to normal in time, and I enjoy working with my new team, in my new role. The experience taught us that dealing with sensitive team dynamics is vitally important, and there will be a different solution for each team. We were lucky to find the right one, at the right time. © 2005 AlphaMeasure, Inc. - All Rights Reserved This article may be reprinted, provided it is published in its entirety, includes the author bio information, and all links remain active. Measure. Report. Improve your organization with AlphaMeasure employee surveys. Josh Greenberg is President of AlphaMeasure, Inc. AlphaMeasure provides organizations of all sizes a powerful web based method for measuring employee satisfaction, determining employee engagement, and increasing employee retention. Launch your employee surveys with AlphaMeasure.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Taking on Six Sigma Programs - Guidelines for In-House and Outsourcing Decisions Based on a wild guess by a close associate of mine, there are well over 2,000 restaurants in the Manhattan area and its surrounding boroughs. Although I cannot validate the absolute accuracy of his count, I do trust it is in the ballpark, since he happens to be one of those guys who seem to know everything about everything in life (and more). The Devil We Know "I'm in an abusive relationship," sighed Andrew. "My bookkeeper annoys the hell out of me but I just can't let him go. Interviewing: How to Stay Out of legal Hot Water Some interviewers ask great questions; others ask dumb questions; and, worst of all, some ask questions that can get them into legal hot water.Every recruiter, hiring manager, executive, and department manager must realize that asking the wrong questions or making improper inquiries can lead to discrimination or wrongful-discharge lawsuits. Invite Self-Managed Staff "Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them to become what they are capable of being." -GoetheTwo hundred years ago, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, German poet and philosopher, knew how to inspire and interact with others: recognize the best in them and act upon those positive expectations. Can What Someone Does Off-hours Affect Your Business? Q: How much do I have to worry about what people who are part of my far-flung "virtual" corporation do when they're not working directly for me? I can't share too many details because the situation is touchy, as you might expect, but basically I have someone working for me as a writer, contributing material for my blog, and I have been hearing that he's writing some pretty far out, offensive material on other sites. Do I need to worry about it?A: This is a difficult situation, no question, and one that comes up more and more as we've moved away from employee-as-chattel-for-life and towards plug-and- play cogs in all the machines of the modern economy. Sending Documents Through Email? Dont Get Burned by Metadata! During a recent seminar I gave located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, I discussed something called, "metadata". When I asked whether anyone ever heard of metadata, I was confronted with blank stares. Leadership Skills Means Turnover is Not a Problem "Ha!" you say. "For someone to make a statement like that, they obviously haven't worked in the real world and certainly have never had to run a company. What You Should Know if People Dont Buy From You and People Dont Visit Your Web Site It is essential to understand what work and what do not work when you run business, especially through Internet. 1. The Top 10 Requirements for Your Business to Become and Remain Profitable We live in a relentlessly competitive world. The daily pressure to work "better, cheaper and faster" can make even talented business owners and entrepreneurs lose site of first principles. Drafting an Employee Manual Sample Outline One of the hardest things I had discovered running my company was drafting an Employee Manual. Also added to the stress was the fact that if you made a mistake someone could sue you and you might lose all your hard work and money that you had earned thru blood, sweat and tears as an entrepreneur. When Being A Facilitator DOESNT Help I talked with a group of internal consultants last week - they felt they had to wear too many hats in their work. They had to be consultants, facilitators, coaches and trainers - sometimes in the same one-hour session. Resolving Needs - What Your Employees Wish For! For your people, they want to do a great job - no, really, despite your experiences, they do. And what might seem to 'the management' the important things, just don't stack in the day-to-day reality of the workplace. How Bad Communication Can Hold You Back and How to Break Free of It The reason jobs are often not done right and employees are fired is because of lack of skill. Right? Wrong! Poor communication and ineffective human relations are the major causes. Innovation Management - does the idea fit with the firm? Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. Improved Communication to Improve Results Facilitating good communication can make the difference between a well oiled, effective team and disorganization and ambiguity. By following the tips below, you, the supervisor, can take steps toward improving communication with your employees:1. Understand What Flows Through Your Business to Find Improvement I remember once seeing a cartoon which showed two people working a counter. On the wall behind them was a sign which read, "Quality Work, Low Price, Fast Service - Pick Two. Cultural Awareness - an HR Perspective The use of cultural awareness training has increased rapidly in the majority of global companies over the last decade.My experience working in global companies in which effective cross-cultural functioning was critical, involved the devotion of considerable time and energies to ensuring that cultural training needs were identified and accommodated as necessary. Six Honest Business Friends - They Guide Me In All I Do SIX "HONEST BUSINESS FRIENDS" - THEY GUIDE ME IN ALL I DOI keep six honest serving-men(They taught me all I knew);Their names are What and Why and WhenAnd How and Where and Who. (RudyardKipling, from "The Elephant's Child" in Just So Stories). Make Them GLAD Youre Their Boss Criticism has the power to do good when there is something that must be destroyed, dissolved or reduced, but it is capable only of harm when there is something to be built. --Carl JungPeople won't leave if they're glad you're their boss. An Honest Look at Your Business There is a difference between being comfortable and being in apathy.It is very comfortable to have a smooth running organization when you have a team that knows what to do and does it.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
