TEAMWORKING

‘’There is some debate whether group and team is a separate concept. A group is two or more people with a common relationship.

However, team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose or performance goal. ‘’ Langton, N. and Robbins, S.P., (2006)

If the group members shared leadership, developed its own purpose or goal or worked together continuously, rather than occasionally, it could become a team.

In 1965, an American Psychologist- Bruce Wayne Tuckman proposed The Forming – Storming – Norming – Performing model of group development. He believed that groups pass through a standard sequence of stages. In 1977, B.W. Tuckman added a fifth stage called Adjourning.

(picture copied from Langton, N. and Robbins, S.P., (2006))

The first assignment for People and Organisations was to make a presentation and write a report about Motivation. It was a group assignment and I was working in a group of four members.

Forming- is the first stage, which is characterised by much uncertainty. Members of my group did not know each other well, so all of us were a little bit shy and watchful. Through conversation we tried to establish our roles and get to know each other better.

Storming- is the second stage characterised by conflict. At this stage members of the group knew each other better. It happens often, that at this stage many conflicts occur, members start feeling de-motivated or even deciding to leave the group. However, in my group there was no conflict, the group communicated well, sharing ideas and views. At this stage the need of a leader became higher, so one of the girls started coordinating the work.

Norming- is the third stage characterised by cohesiveness. At this stage, the team got organised and started making progress. Team members were effectively working together, helping each other and asking for others opinion. The team started fulfilling its purpose.

Performing- is the fourth stage. The group’s energy and motivation has moved from getting to know each other to performing. The team members became supportive, tolerant and open. We found a way to get the job done effectively, without inappropriate conflict.

Adjourning- is the final stage, where the team split up. At this stage we completed our task and our work was marked with a good grade.

I do not think that my team met the final stage of Tuckman’s five-stage model. When the job was done, there was no sense of loss felt by any of my team members.

Give an example of a time when you have worked in a team and you were successful.

I can remember one time when I worked in the team and we were successful. When I worked in Leroy Merlin as a sales assistant, almost every three month employees were put into groups and were given specific tasks to do.

Once, during the recruitment period in my organisation, I was put into a group of 4 girls, our task was to prepare a presentation and give a lecture to the new employees about dealing with unpleasant customers. It was a massive task to do, as it was supposed to last at least one hour.

First thing we did, was hold a meeting to discuss our task. Looking at Tuckman’s model of group development, my team went through first stage, forming, very quickly as we knew had known each other for a long time and we were able to communicate well.  For the first few days we spent our time planning all of the details. I believe that my team started stage two, storming, when we started creating our presentation. A few conflicts occurred between the members as we had different points of view about doing the presentation.  As we had known each other for long time and were really good friends, we managed to solve our problems and reach an agreement.  At his stage, the need for a leader became apparent, so from that moment I started managing the team.  When we all got a little bit more organised and started making progress, our team went to third stage, norming, during this stage the team started fulfilling our main purpose.

Performing- during this stage we had most of our work done. We finished our presentation and the plan for the lecture together, sharing opinions and helping each other. We also set members tasks and made them responsible for different parts of our presentation and lecture. The next day was the day of the lecture. We started with our presentation, where we explained to new employees, types of customers they might come across whilst working as a sales assistants. We divided customers into a few different types (unpleasant, demanding, aggressive etc.) and explained how to deal with each type in a nice and polite way. We gave some examples from our own experience and tried to act some scenarios out, with girls from my team as customers and new employees as sales assistants. Our task was done successfully and the Human Resource Manager was very impressed with our lecture and teamwork. Fortunately, my team did not reach the last stage, adjourning, as we did not split up but actually stayed in the team for other set tasks.

Using the link below “The Times Top 100 companies to work for”, review 2 companies where teamwork has been identified as a major contributory factor to their success.

-         NAPP PHARMACEUTICALS HOLDINGS is a UK based pharmaceutical company that is part of a worldwide association of independent companies that have a strong track record in providing innovative treatments that make a positive difference to patients' lives. The online article from The Times shows that Staff feel they are paid fairly for the work they do and their pay is relative to others within the organisation. Employees believe that working for this organisation is good for personal growth. Also they are able to have their say on the direction of the business and they can discuss with their respective departments how they can help the firm meet its objectives. It shows that the company involves employees in decision making, which in turn motivates them and makes them feel important. Managers regularly express their appreciation when a team member does a good job. The relation between managers and workers improves the level of motivation and it shows that teamwork is a major contributory factor to their success.

-         ADMIRAL GROUP- specialise in providing low cost car insurance for younger drivers, people living in cities and those driving performance cars. The online article The Times says that collaboration is the driver of success at Admiral. Managers show their appreciation, when team members do a good job. Managers are open and honest with staff. They help them fulfil their potential and motivate them to give their best every day. Admiral Groups is definitely an organisation which shows that managers and the ordinary workers create a team and their teamwork is the major factor to the company’s success.

In conclusion, teamwork in daily life, like in organisation between workmates and managers with the ordinary workers is a very important issue. Team members help each other, share views and work towards this same purpose. A well created team results in achieving the targets and doing the set tasks successfully.

References:

-         Admiral Group.(2011) [Online] Available at: http://www.admiral.com/aboutAdmiral/aboutAdmiral.php [Accessed: 11th April 2011]

-         Langton, N. and Robbins, S.P., (2006) Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour. Third Edition. Ontario: Pearson Education Canada.

-         Napp Pharmaceutical Group. (2011) [Online] Available at: http://www.napp.co.uk/Pages/default.aspx [Accessed: 11th April]

-         The Times. (2011) [Online] Available at: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/best_100_companies/ [Accessed: 11^th April]