Team management refers to the process of coordinating and overseeing a group of people to perform a task. It involves working together to achieve a common goal, developing and enforcing rules and procedures, and resolving conflicts among the team members.
What makes a team to be considered successful?
- Togetherness:- Cohesive leadership is a process that enables team members to collectively make decisions as a unit instead of individually. This procedure ensures that the team is steered in the right direction without being influenced by multiple directions.
- Communication:- The communication channel between the top and the bottom of an organization must be effective. An effective channel will allow messages to be sent and received accurately, and it will speed up the decision making process and the operations of the team. This is also beneficial for an organization as it allows it to be more adaptable when dealing with external factors.
- Goal:- When team members first come together, they will bring their own ideas. The key to a successful team is having the alignment of its objectives. The goal should be the one everyone is willing to pursue in order to achieve the team’s goals.
- Roles clearly defined:- Having a poorly defined role can be the biggest obstacle to a team’s success. It is the leader’s duty to ensure that everyone within the team is bound by the same responsibilities and roles.
A successful team leader first reviews the team’s mission and identifies the weaknesses and strengths of the group. The leader then assigns and roles according to the team’s needs.
Each team member has their own responsibilities, which can be performed in various ways. A task-oriented role involves helping the team develop new ideas
and coordinate activities. On the other hand, a social-oriented role involves encouraging the team to be united.
WAYS OF MANAGING A TEAM
The use of this method leads to high turnover rates. Also, it can be very time- consuming for managers to implement this method.
The team leader uses an authoritarian style of leadership, which lowers team morale and leads to poor performance. This method is also very different from other types of management.
The command and control method is a concept used for team management. It involves asking team members to complete a task, and if they refuse, the team leader will punish them.
- Engagement:- Due to the limitations of the command and control method, managers came up with an alternative management strategy called Engage and Create. This method encourages team members to participate in discussions and build a sense of unity among the team.
- Basic economic:- The econ 101 method of team management assumes that all members of the team are motivated by money. The team leader then uses financial rewards and punishments to motivate the team members. This method is similar to Frederick Taylor’s theory of scientific management. However, it lacks the element of intrinsic motivation.
COMMON PROBLEMS WITH TEAM MANAGEMENT
- Trust:-If a team lacks vulnerability-basis trust, its members will not be willing to acknowledge their mistakes and will not be able to share ideas. This impairs the team’s communication and makes them less productive.
- Conflict:- Contrary to popular belief, conflict is a positive aspect of a team. When it comes to conflict, team members are more likely to agree with one another if they are afraid to challenge their leader or teammates.
Fear of conflict in a team is rooted in an absence of trust. It can be overcome if team members are able to trust each other and are willing to be vulnerable in front of them.
- Commitment:- When team members do not provide input on a decision, this shows that they do not agree with the final decision, which leads to a halt in team work and progress.
- Accountability:- Accountability in a team refers to the failure of team members to hold themselves accountable for their actions.
If the team lacks trust, its members will not feel accountable to one another, which will prevent them from contributing to the team’s goals. This impairs the team’s ability to execute its tasks.
A team leader’s fear of confrontation can prevent them from holding team members accountable for their actions. This prevents them from developing the confidence to hold their team members accountable and prevent them from making mistakes.
Team members need to hold each other accountable, they will be focused on achieving goals and will have a drive to motivate the team. Lack of purpose will also affect the team’s existence.
EFFECTIVE TEAM MANAGEMENT CAN HELP RESOLVE TEAM PROBLEMS
- Trust building:- Building trust within a team is an approach that can be used to resolve fundamental trust issues. A team leader can start by persuading team members to ask for help and guidance from other team members.
- Period evaluation:- Performance appraisals are often used to provide feedback to team members or to provide advice to the leader. They allow individuals to reflect on their performance and make changes, while also helping the team improve itself. By providing feedback, the team can also improve itself.
- Activities:- Team-building activities are simple and involve team members working together to improve one another. The main objective of these activities is to build trust and increase one’s understanding of one another.
Team effectiveness is defined by the team members’ confidence in achieving their goals. Another aspect of team success is communication.
When trust is established, it allows team members to overcome the storms of group development, which can lead to higher levels of team effectiveness. This is especially true for management teams.
Being effective is a priority for management teams. Unlike non-management teams, they are only effective if they are working towards a high level of performance. Having the support of higher-up leaders can help teams improve their effectiveness.