Abstract
This paper is about how to set up the team and how to make the team works more efficiently. I am in charge of a team of 6 experts. The team required to complete a project due by December 15th but the problem is that the 6 experts are geographically dispersed. This paper contained how I develop this group into a real team, find out what kind of conflicts and problems we will have and potential resolutions.
Keyword: team, conflicts, potential resolutions
How to be in charge a team and resolve the conflicts
As a leader of a 6-experts-team, I have the responsibility to coordinate how all of the team members work efficiently. Ideas bounced from one single brain are lesser than a team. Every members of team should participate in teamwork and make their own contributions to achieve the same goal. (Chin, Roger, 2015) But there are a lot of barriers during the process of forming a team. Developing a group into a real team is the most important part of my job.
Firstly, I will have an online meeting with my teammates. The first problem we will face is that 6 experts in the team are geographically dispersed which means I can not require them to be in a same place at the same time to have a meeting to discuss about our project. It is not good to only use writing or e-mail to discuss about our task because it lacks of feedback. So online meeting is an alternative way that can make them get to know each other face-to-face so that they can get feedback rapidly. Interpersonal communication has three ways: oral communication, writing communication and nonverbal communication. (Stephen P. Robbins, 2005) Oral communication is a good and fast way to communicate with each other and every member can get the feedback rapidly. I will let them introduce themselves and what they are good at in their fields. It is a good way to realize what they are good at and what they are not good at. In the future, they will learn from each other and use others’ advantages to complete the task efficiently.
Secondly, we will discuss and figure out what is our task and the process of completing the project in case we will not deviated our tasks. And then I will train them. According to a paper in 2008, “team training promotes teamwork and enhances team performance.” (Salas, Eduardo, Nancy J. Cooke, and Michael A. Rosen, 2008). An analysis in 2014 concluded that team training is “useful for improving cognitive outcomes, affective outcomes, teamwork processes, and performance outcomes.” (Eduardo Salas, Deborah DiazGranados, Cameron Klein, C. Shawn Burke, Kevin C. Stagl, Gerald F. Goodwin, and Stanley M. Halpin, 50(6), 2008) Since they are experts, I will not train them about knowledge but how to work together. Cohesion is the soul of a team. It is very necessary to train the members of team to make them realize that how important it is. The experts are all the figures of authority, they must be very proud. This will must bring the barriers and bad influence during the team work. Therefore my job is to break the barriers and get them together. I will give them a little task they can not finish it unless they do it together. If they achievement the goal, they will figure out the important of the cohesion, if not, their prides would be broke. They are intelligent people, they will reflect their past mistakes and realize what should they do for the project.
After they know how to work，it is getting on the right track. That time, I will empower the experts to play their roles in the project. (Stephen P. Robbins, 2005) This strategy would make a good use of existing resources and would encourage employees to be more active. Many organizations, managers and managerialists think it is a very important theory of our time. (Potterfield, Thomas, Quorum Books, 1999, p. 6) Because it is a project due by December 15th, we need to set up a timeline to separate the whole project to make sure the task will be finished step by step. (Grafton, Anthony; Rosenberg, Daniel , 2010) When I design the timeline, I need to leave at least 20% of the free time in case some emergencies. If the emergencies happen, it would be a lot of economic losses and it is my errors of management.
Besides, 6 experts are all from different places which means they grown up and were educated in different environment. This may leads to cultural differences and causes some conflicts. As a leader of the team, I play the most important role, like a fusion combines all members into a real team. So that I need to know some culture about every member. Cross-cultural communication is not easy, not only the language but also lifestyle and ways of doing things. (“Fact and Figure about cross cultural training.” Cultural Candor Inc. Retrieved 3, December 2015)
As a leader, I will encourage them to be more innovative and motivated. I believe innovation is like a door of the tasks and the motivation is the key to open it. Employee motivation has defined as the “psychological forces that determine the direction of a person’s behavior in an organization, a person’s level of effort and a person’s level of persistence”. (Jones, Gareth R.; George, Jennifer M, Contemporary Management, 2008) Only motivated employees can bring the efficient and make profit for a company. But no reward no motivation. Therefore I will set up a reward system: if someone can make a great contribution to the project or innovated some ways that help to accomplish the project, they will be rewarded by bonuses or some other things.
Finally, after a period of work, our team needs to reflect on what we have done. We need to modify our works step by step and learn from experiences. Ensure that we will accomplish the next step of project correctly and efficiently. As the definition of reflective practice says, “paying critical attention to the practical values and theories which inform everyday actions, by examining practice reflectively and reflexively. This leads to developmental insight”. (Bolton, Gillie (2010) [2001]) People are always do things and judge things by theirs experiences so it is essential to overcome this fixed thinking. (Mezirow, Jack, Summer 1997). Therefore it is very necessary to rethink what they have done and modify our works.
Conclusion
Developing a group into a real team is a very complicated process which contained team setting, employee training, empowerment and something else. It requires the leader to have the ability to be in charge the team, manage all kinds of works and resolve different conflicts. The measurement of the real team is that if the team can accomplish the project efficiently.
References
Chin, Roger (2015). “Examining teamwork and leadership in the fields of public administration, leadership, and management”. Team Performance Management.
Stephen P. Robbins (2005). Communications. International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior 11th Edition.
Salas, Eduardo, Nancy J. Cooke, and Michael A. Rosen (2008). “On Teams, Teamwork, as well as Team Performance: Discoveries and Developments”. Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. 50 (3): 540-547.
Eduardo Salas, Deborah DiazGranados, Cameron Klein, C. Shawn Burke, Kevin C. Stagl, Gerald F. Goodwin, and Stanley M. Halpin. “Does Team Training Improve Team Performance? A Meta-Analysis”. Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. 50 (6). 2008. pp. 903-933.
Stephen P. Robbins (2005). Leadership and Empowerment. International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior 11th Edition.
Potterfield, Thomas. “The Business of Employee Empowerment Democracy and Ideaology in the Workplace. ” Quorum Books, 1999, p. 6.
Grafton, Anthony; Rosenberg, Daniel (2010), Cartographies of Time: A History of the Timeline, Princeton Architectural Press, p. 272.
“Fact and Figure about cross cultural training.” Cultural Candor Inc. Retrieved 3, December 2015.
Jones, Gareth R.; George, Jennifer M. (2008). Contemporary Management.
Bolton, Gillie (2010) [2001]. Reflective practice: writing and professional development (3rd ed.). Los Angeles: Sage Publications. p. xix.
Mezirow, Jack (Summer 1997). “Transformative learing: theory to practice”. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education. 74: 5-12.