1. 1 Explain the features of effective team performance Introduction A team is a group of people working together in a related field to achieve an agreed goal, target or objective. In order to attain the overall goal activities and tasks are shared between the team members with give individuals their roles and responsibilities. The feature of an effective team performance include the factors that the describe the team structure and the process that enables goal achievement. Communication :
Communication is a process through which information is passed from an encoder to a decoder through and agreed channel, which has a feed back loop. Given that all enabling conditions that eliminates barriers to effective information or date transition and feedback are in place. Effective communication is an important feature of an effective team performance, it enable the definition of the problem or overall goal to every members of the team, it also enable communication that define roles and responsibilities of every member and methods of operation, feedback, support and reassessment of team and individual tasks or needs.
An effective team permanence must have a structure, heirachy that enables decision making, delegation of duties, monitoring and motivation channels, support, training and supervision of team members. There must be a chair, leader or manager of the team who takes overall responsibilities and co-ordination of activities. Team cohesion is important to ensure that communication remain sustainable and effective. Therefore there also has to be a good conflict management plan – process and procedure to eliminate break down in work processes.
Definition of roles and responsibilities this enables delegated duties to be clear and monitorable. Every individual is clear about what to do, their deadline and how to obtain support when required. Support and supervision a team must have access to training support and supervision available for all members, through meeting that evaluate work processes and individual performances thereby enabling teams to meet their goal. 1. 2 Identify the challenges experienced by developing teams
Teams that are developing can have problems at the beginning these may include: impact of the feature and structure in team management. Communication Impact of communiction on the team process know what to report, when and in what format to report to the rest of the team. The team has to agree on these elements to facilitate the process for the team. Barriers in communication can affect team cohesion and slow down pace of work. Roles and responsibilities Defning roles and responsibilities how to determing an even share of taskes within the team members.
Which one is delegated tasks, how to agree and set deadlines. Overlapping roles can have the problem of deciding who does what and who job it is questions. Team member performances Poorly performing team members can be a challenging in meeting deadlines and achieving the overall goal. The team leader sometimes may need to re-allocate tasks within team, take on extra tasks, training and supervising of members of the team, which can impact on the team leader’s meeting up with his own roles/ tasks. 1. 3 Identify the challenges experiences by established teams
Controlling and managing experts and expert opinion. A team with mixed skilled and experts may have difficulties agreeing on opinions and some times reaching a decisions Controlling deviations The team leader or manager has to monitor activities regularly and monitor performances to ensure that target is met and cost and expenditures are within budget. Dealing with risks Monitoring and controlling risks that can impact on the achievement of goals to deadline, assessing and reducing risks and also taking risk actions to ensure achievement of the goal. Dealing with emergencies that impacts on work process
The team has to decide on how to deal with emergencies, risks and uncertainties and how they impact on the overall objective of the team. Changes and re-planning processes Decided on how to implement changes and addressing issues and re-planning implementation plans. Also co-ordinating activities of every member of the team, collating work products into the whole or overall goal can be a big challenge to the team and the leader or manager of the team. 1. 4 Explain how challenges to effective team performance can be overcome Challenges to effective team performance can be overcome by :
Increasing communication – team have to meet as often as possible to discuss issues of concern. Team has to clearly define methods and channels of communication to ensure that the right information is available at the right time, in the right form through the right channel for effective use and feed backs give timely. Conflict resolution policy Team has to agree on the methods to which conflicts can be resolved within the group, this has to be addressed as soon as possible to enhance team cohesion and progress team effort towards achieving its goals.
The team manager has to provide support and supervision to team members, the manager to also ensure that all delegated duties are supervised where necessary, provide training to members in order to facilitate their ability to contribute to team effort in meeting the teams overall objectives. Team to ensure a member of the team is assigned to monitor, reports and and implement risk management plans. Monitor and report all concerns and issues arising timely for team deliberation and decision making. 1. 5 Analyse how different management styles may influence outcomes of team performance
Management styles are methods used by manager for administration in the work environments, different managers have there preferred approached based on their belief or experience in the use of managerial theories or concepts. The main aim of management is to meet goals and achieve planned targets i. e profit making, therefore approached can be altered depending on the situation and volatility of the environment. Management styles include: taylorism, fayolism, the hawthorne effect, needs and motives, complex man, management by objectives.
Taylorism – this is scientific management, which concept called is ‘one best way’ to task performance. The idea that is that management make decisions and direct the staff to carry decisions out, without any fear or favor or emotional attachment – thought or input, discretion of staff. This leads to standard method of task performance leading to uniformity of actions and outcomes, speeds up production and increase expertise. Additional advantage is that, it help in the staff selection process thereby ensure that only required skills are sort for and employed.
As a result the team will achieve its objectives early enough and a good outcome as the members are expert in the field. Team members are trained to follow only standard procedure for their tasks. b) Fayolism Outcome will differ if the managers have the qualities as described by Fayol such as : Health and vigor, Cleverness, Moral qualities, General knowledge (culture), Management capacity and Notions about other functions (activities) and The strongest skills in the function managed If the managers have these qualities they will then be able to meet the required principle such as: Division of work, Authority, Discipline, Unity of
command, Unity of direction, Subordination of Individual Interests to the Common Interest, Remuneration of personnel, Centralization, Scalar chain, Order, Equity, Stability of personnel tenure, Initiative and Esprit de corps (Union is strength). The outcome is likely to be more productive, timely and good quality of outcome as every member have common interests and order in the team. Collective sharing of work load and responsibilities help to meet target sooner.
The Hawthorne Effect – This is the management style that believe that a happy worker is a good worker. Is concept central on providing a good working environment and opportunity for staff, thereby encouraging them to work harder and give their best. The outcomes of team working in this environment is that the team are happy together working in the environment individual and collective motivation enable people put in their best, and improve performance.
