Teamwork All for one one for all
INTRODUCTION Teamwork is used by many organisations as a tool to empower employees and maximise their company’s performance. While it is, of course, not a new approach in the workplace, harnessing the full potential of teamwork requires a thorough understanding of its dynamics. ... Team-working is about everyone being equally committed to team goals, and not about one-upmanship. ... ACADEMIC RESEARCH Tuckman (1965) investigated how groups developed and discovered that irrespective of type, the group went through a series of stages outlined in Figure 1 below: FIGURE 1: TUCKMAN’S GROUP FORMATION Stages Desription Forming Discovering what behaviours are acceptable and finding out about all team members and the task involved Storming Hostility between team members with possible reluctance to follow the team leader Norming Team operations within it’s own guidelines and rules Performing Team synergy and achieving tasks Mourning Sense of loss if a team member leaves the group and the group formation will begin again. ... As a result, it will be virtually impossible to move through the stages of group formation suggested by Tuckman to ensure strong, committed teamwork. ... These roles are revealed in Figure 2 below: FIGURE 2: BELBIN’S NINE TEAM ROLES Role Description Plant Creative, unorthodox Resource Investigator Explores opportunities Co-ordinator Chairperson Shaper Challenging and dynamic Monitor Evaluator Judges accurately Teamworker Co-operative and diplomatic Implementer Disciplined and reliable Completer Delivers on time Specialist Provides knowledge and rare skills Belbin revealed that an individual tends to naturally adapt to one or two of these team roles on a regular basis. ... His ideal team would consist of one ‘Co-ordinator’ or ‘Shaper,’ one ‘Innovator,’ ‘Team Workers,’ ‘Resource Investigators’ or ‘Completers. ... Flexibility for the managers will improve as it is no longer necessary for all managers to attend one unwieldy weekly managers’ team meeting. Having a manager present working alongside team members will encourage them to work harder, breaking down the ‘them and us’ culture and generate greater levels of teamwork throughout the store. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN Timescale Action One week Communicate to current management team and store the proposed changes to management teams via team briefings, explaining the benefits. ... One month Create a short list of ideal candidates based on personality and experience and interview appropriate candidates. One month Appoint best candidates as team leaders and fill any vacant manager positions. One week Announce the new management teams throughout the store. One month Train Team Leaders with leadership and coaching skills via series of workshops. One week Implement new management teams. One week Hold social events for each team, paid for by ASDA to aid team cohesion. ... Weekly Action team objectives and reward all achievements as a team. ... Team-working may not be the solution to all organisational needs, however, it is well documented that teams represent one of the best ways an organisation can compete in today’s high paced, dynamic environment. ... As Alexandre Dumas penned in his 1844, ‘The Three Musketeers,’ novel which had teamwork at its heart: “All for one, one for all.