Advantages of Working in a Team

Working in a team has various advantages over working independently. Working in a team helps bring out ideas of different members and diversified opinions can be given. Here are some advantages of working in teams.

1) Teams can arrive at better decisions as compared to individuals, because more people are able to provide their opinions on a certain issue or task.

2) Develop Skills:  Being a part of a team helps individual team members to develop their interpersonal skills such as speaking and listening, as well as working with and motivating others. These skills are usually appreciated by the employers.

3) Increase in Productivity and Performance: Groups working together can achieve more as compared to people that are working on their own. Teams have a broader range of skills as each member may possess a specific quality or skill, which may be of use to the other team members in order to complete the given task.

4) Increase in Efficiency

5) Knowing more about yourself: Being a part of team helps its members to identify what their strengths and weaknesses are, and it provides them an opportunity to work on them and improve them as a whole, which would be beneficial for the entire team.

http://libweb.surrey.ac.uk/library/skills/Leicester%20Study%20skills/page_85.htm

Role of the Leader in Teams

A team leader is that person which provides a direction to the team members, provide guidance and instructions to the team members so that the team can achieve its goal/objective. Effective leaders are able to identify their team’s strength, weaknesses, and how the entire team can be motivated. A team leader’s main role is to get the tasks given to them completed by the limited resources that are given to them.

Here are some roles of leaders in a team:

Motivate and Inspire

Leaders should show enthusiasm in their work, which would lead the members to follow and in return be motivated in order to do their work.

Recognise Team Member’s Performance

Team leaders should celebrate and acknowledge their team member’s exceptional performances which would motivate them to perform even better.

Development of Team Members

Another role of a team leader is to bring out the best in its members, and help them to develop to their full potential so that they can productive effective results.

Self-Managing Team

The leader should develop a culture in the team, where the members can feel free to work on their own, without the leader constantly giving them instructions, which leave them with no new ideas to do a certain task. The leader should engage them and ask their opinions in important decisions, in order to come to the best possible solution.

Facilitate Communication

Team leaders should communicate the tasks, date, deadlines, expectations, properly to the team members so that it is clear for members as to what is expected from them. Leaders should encourage ideas and should develop communication between team members, so that they can be comfortable while working with each other.

Resolve Conflicts

The leaders should make sure that the team members should get along well with each other while working so that it does not affect their performance during work. If any conflict arises, it is the ethical responsibility for the team leader to resolve it, so that the team may be effective.

Reference

http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/team_leader_9roles.html

Photo Reference: http://www.hfaa.gr/

Characteristics of Effective Teams

Organizations all over the world have now been focusing on developing teams at their workplace and are adopting team-based structures. Along with the development of teams, the organization needs to make sure that the team is effective.

Teams can be viewed in a three stage process, wherein they utilise the company's resources (input), maintain the internal processes, and produce the output. In order to bring this output, teams need to be effective.

Below are the Characteristics of Effective Teams:

1) Common Purpose

     There should be a common purpose between the team members as to what they are trying to work towards and achieve, if there is no clear purpose, then it would be difficult for the members to function as a team.

2) Setting clear goals

     In order for the team to be performing effectively, they need to make sure that their performance is aligned with the goals of the organisation.

3) Communication

    In any situation, communication is essential. The same goes for teams, it is important for teams to share and understand ideas, information and data. Problems cannot be dealt with if they are not openly communicated between the team members.

4) Trust and Respect

     Trust and respect maintain a long-term relationship. The teams should learn to believe in credibility, strength and the capabilities of team members, in order to perform effectively.

     (Education Portal, 2014)

References

Education Portal. (2014). Characteristics of Effective Teams. Retrieved from http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/characteristics-of-effective-teams-examples-and-qualities.html#lesson.

            Photo Reference: http://www.developingtalent.co.uk/team.html