A successful organisation relies upon strong leadership and good teamwork.
A team is defined as ‘a group of people working together’. A team does not just happen; it needs to be built. It is the responsibility of every member of the team, and not just the leader, to create the environment in which the team can develop. There are two golden rules to remember about effective teams:
- A team is only as strong as its weakest member
- All teams require a common goal
Teams go through a common building sequence, and knowledge will help defeat fear of the unknown:
Forming
This is the first stage of team building. In this stage the team comes together for the first time and tries to establish how it should behave and where the common ground lies. During this stage, members are very pleasant to each other and will ignore minor irritations.
Storming
During the second phase, the team establishes its hierarchy and individuals run a high risk of conflict as minor irritations, previously ignored, are brought to the fore. Challenges become insurmountable in the eyes of some members and a negative feeling pervades. This stage is vital, and should not be regarded as destructive. In many ways, this stage is the defining moment of a team’s existence. Positive attitudes are not only required but should be enforced. Team members should be aware that individuals may become isolated and this is dangerous for the health of the team as a whole.
Norming
During this phase, team members begin to appreciate the strengths and weaknesses’ of others. A system is developed by which individual strengths are combined to benefit the team as a whole. The team creates its most effective method of operating. Team members should be aware that it is easy to fall back into the ‘forming’ phase instead of ‘norming’ and the will to avoid conflict is such that ‘reforming’ can be mistaken for ‘norming’ and is, consequently, a backward step.
Performing
The team is now established and operates effectively as a unit. The team supports itself and by applying Kolb’s Learning Cycle, it constantly improves on its performance.
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