Building Effective Teams Essay -- Leadership

According to our text, Communicating at Work, an effective team has eight characteristics. These characteristics are: clear and inspiring shared goals; a results driven structure; competent team members; unified commitment; collaborative climate; standards of excellence; external support and recognition; and principled leadership. A group goes through four stages in becoming an effective team; forming, storming, norming, and performing (Adler and Elmhorst, 240, 251). Most of the characteristics of an effective team are brought to the team by one or more members, others are formed during the development process. In today’s environment of companies doing business in a global economy, teamwork is essential. â€Å"Employees working in effective teams help increase productivity, employee involvement, and contribution, while reducing costs and flattening organizational structure (Adams, 2003). In contrast, ineffective teams can cause increased costs, waste valuable time, and contribute to losses in market share (Ross, Jones, & Adams, 2008)† quotes Jean McAtavey and Irena Nikolovska in an article in Human Resource Development Quarterly. Today, teamwork is found in virtually all workplaces. Effective teams must be developed, not just formed. A group is not a team. Members of a group may sometimes work together, but members of a team always work together. The team need not all be in the same place to be working together. â€Å"With a group, the whole is often equal to or less than the sum of its parts; with a team, the whole is always greater† (Oakley, Brent, Felder and Elhajj, 2004). A team, as defined above, has certain characteristics that make it effective. Not all of these traits are present when a team is in the forming stage. Tea... ... and Irena Nikolovska. "Team Collectivist Culture: A Remedy for Creating Team Effectiveness." Human Resource Development Quarterly 21.3 (2010): 307-16. Web 25 Apr. 2012. Oakley, B., R. Brent, R. M. Felder, and I. Elhajj. Turning Student Groups into Effective Teams. Tech. 1st ed. Vol. 2. Stillwater: New Forums, 2004. Ser. 2004. Business Source Complete. Web 25 Apr. 2012. Vice, J. P., and L. W. Carnes. "Developing Communication and Professional Skills Through Analytical Reports." Business Communication Quarterly 64.1 (2001): 84-96. Web 20 Apr. 2012. Vik, G. N. "Doing More to Teach Teamwork than Telling Students to Sink or Swim." Business Communication Quarterly 64.4 (2001): 112-19. Web 21 Apr. 2012. Wardrope, W. J. "Department Chairs' Perceptions of the Importance of Business Communication Skills." Business Communication Quarterly 65.4 (2002): 60-72. Web 20 Apr. 20.