The Individual’s Role as an Effective Collaborator
Name
Institutional Affiliation
The Individual’s Role as an Effective Collaborator
Organizations are composed of employees with different expertise, personalities, and backgrounds. Each employee may be assigned a specific task upon employment or given several responsibilities, depending on qualifications. However, for the overall success of the organization, teamwork is needed. It may be in the form of small groups or interdepartmental associations. It is imperative to create a Team Charter, which will guide a team on issues such as the mission of the group, scope, objectives, and individual responsibilities. Hence, this is my Team Charter that will show how my team will efficiently operate:
Team Charter
1. Mission
The mission statement is: To improve teamwork at organizations worldwide. The primary goal of the team will be setting an example of how a competent team should function in the workplace. In order to achieve this, the following will be the team’s objectives:
2. Rules Relating to Meetings
A. Meetings will be held on a weekly basis.
B. The meetings will take place at a mutually agreeable place and time to facilitate flexibility of members.
C. Meetings shall start and end with prayers.
D. Meetings will last approximately thirty (30) minutes unless a critical issue shortens or lengthens the meeting time.
E. Each member is supposed to have reached the meeting place by the time the scheduled for a start.
F. Any member coming late for the first time will be given a warning. The second time will warrant a fine agreeable by all members. The third time may lead to dismissal from the group.
G. If a member is unable to attend a meeting, a written apology shall be needed explaining the reason for the absence.
H. Every member is to participate in the meeting. Opinions, suggestions, and questions are highly encouraged. However, personal issues are to be avoided during the session.
I. Courtesy and respect shall reign supreme in all meetings.
3. Composition of the Team
A. Team Leader
B. Deputy Team Leader
C. Secretary
D. Members
4. Roles of Members
A. The Team Leader shall be responsible for ensuring discipline and following of rules by all members. He/she will steer the team towards the attainment of the Team’s mission. The Team Leader will delegate responsibilities according to the skill set, qualifications, and experience a person has (Byrd & Luthy, 2010). It is the responsibility of the Team Leader to motivate the other members in acquiring their personal and professional goals. The Team leader should have conflict resolution skills, be ethical, maintain a sense of decency within the Team, and foster the spirit of teamwork within the team members.
B. The Deputy Team Leader will take charge in case the Team Leader is not present at a meeting. He/she should complement the Team Leader in the leadership style to avoid a potential clash of personalities. The Deputy Team Leader will ensure that all members arrive on time at the meetings and will also receive any written apologies. He/she will additionally ensure that no member deviates from the agenda of the meeting.
C. The Secretary’s primary task will be to take minutes during the team meetings. He/she will also read the agenda of the meetings as well as recap the main points of previous meetings (Lencioni, 2009). It will be the secretary’s role to hand out or collect any documents related to the Team. The secretary shall record all absent members as well as record and file all apologies. The secretary will chair a meeting in case the Team Leader and the Deputy Team Leader are absent.
D. All members, including the officials, are to follow the Team’s policies without exceptions. Each member shall contribute to the meeting’s agenda. Each member will be assigned a specific task to perform. It is the responsibility of the team member to ask for assistance if it is needed. Team Members have the right to question the decisions made by the Team Leader. Similarly, they may reverse a decision based on a majority vote (McComb, Schroeder, Kennedy& Vozdolska, 2012). Each member is free to state any concerns that he/she may have and state the reason for the interests.
5. Team Operations
A. Task Assignment – The Team Leader shall delegate tasks to other members based on their unique attributed and strengths. However, members are free to choose functions that they feel are best suited for them, with the affirmation of the Team Leader. All tasks are to be completed within the set time limits (Lencioni, 2009). If a member feels they he or she is unable to finish within the set deadline, they should inform the Team Leader or Deputy Team Leader for further instructions.
B. Conflict Resolution – All cases of conflict will be handled by the entire team. If the dispute is between Team Members, the Team Leader or the Deputy Team Leader shall act as an arbitrator between the conflicting members (McComb et al., 2012). If a team member disowns a delegated task, the other members will assess the prevailing circumstances. In turn, they may decide to pick another member to perform the work or ignore it.
C. Decision making – The Team Leader has the final say in the decisions affecting the team. However, Team Members can overturn a decision by majority vote. In this case, the Team Leader is bound by the decision taken by the rest of the Team. In addition, the decision-making process should be guided by ethics and professionalism.
6. Assessment of Team’s Performance
The performance will be based on two levels: Individual and collective.
A. Individual performance will be based on the completion frequency of assigned tasks. The quality of the functions performed will also be examined to ensure that each member provides superior service. Individual performance will also be based on meeting attendance and participation. The continuous missing in a meeting could be described as non-performance leading to dismissal from the Team. Similarly, performance will further be assessed by the quality of opinions, suggestions, or questions asked. Since the goal of the Team is to be a global trendsetter, valuable propositions to point in that direction will be taken on a positive note.
B. The collective performance will be based on the three fundamental areas of Team Operations. High levels of performance will be shown by completion of different tasks on the mutually agreeable dates. Likewise, low levels of conflict will indicate an efficient, working team resulting in high performance. An efficient decision-making process will lead to less time being wasted and more time is given to the accomplishment of the Team’s mission.
References
Byrd, J. T., & Luthy, M. R. (2010). ‘Improving group dynamics: Creating a team charter.’
Academy of Educational Leadership Journal, 14(1), 13–26.
Lencioni, P. (2009). ‘Teamwork, leadership and suffering.’ Focus: Teams, 6, (1): 8.
Lencioni, P. M. (2003). ‘The trouble with teamwork.’ Leader to Leader, 2003(29), 35–40.
McComb, S., Schroeder, A., Kennedy, D., & Vozdolska, R. (2012). The five ways of team
communication. Industrial Management, 54(5), 10–13.