Team building
Attaining high performance in organizations is not a simple task. As an organization, it is vital to strategize and devolved well-structured teams that can handle complex tasks. Project management tools and tactics make it possible to develop high-performance teams that can improve the general performance of our organization. It will also enhance its competitiveness locally and globally. As a manager, I will use the project management software, which allows a team to collaborate, communicate, and complete tasks efficiently virtually.
I will follow the five stages of team building to develop high-performance steams to handled specialized tasks. These stages include; forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. In the initial phase, forming, I will ask all the team members to congregate to know each other regarding backgrounds, interests, and experiences and create first impressions of each other (Zwikael, Unger-Aviram, 2010). They should then begin analyzing the project assigned to them while outlining the goals and objectives as we advance. The storming stage comes right after the team has been verified as fit. This stage involves generating ideas as each team member fights for status and acceptance of their ideas.
After the completive ideas are selected, the team moves to the norming stage, where the group begins to work together more effectively. At this stage, team members are more respectful of one another in terms of opinions and values and are tolerant of their differences. At this stage, the team should have clearly stated rules and conflict resolution strategies to ensure smooth sailing of work. Team members are now less competitive and are more result-oriented and striving to achieve a common goal(Zwikael, Unger-Aviram, 2010). The performing stage is a higher function in the hierarchy where team members focus on achieving the set goal as a group. Team members have established relationships creating trust among them. They are can now rely on each other for support and carrying out their functions. Adjourning is the last stage where the projecting is final y coming to an end. It is a special moment for the team as they celebrate their results and move to other activities.
Virtual teams, just like other teams, have several challenges that may hinder their success. For instance, team members may have different goals and interests that may interfere with the project goals. When team members put their part above those of the project, it becomes difficult to attain efficient results. Lack of clarity in objectives may pose a challenge as well (Lilian, 2014). When members are unaware of what to achieve, they will lack direction and propose results for the project’s failure. The team leader or manager should develop the team’s overall objectives. In some cases, if possible, the client can do so on behalf of the organization.
Lack of clarity in roles is also a challenge in most cases as individual members are clueless about what they can contribute to the project. The team leader should be keen on outlining each person’s role and state the line of authority to hasten decision making. Lastly, virtual teams are often challenged by differences in communication styles among team members. There are so many communication platforms, and every member may have their preference, which can be challenging to gather information. It is also challenging to find all members online when the need to communicate arises. To ensure the team leader does away with this bottleneck, she should specify the communication hours to all members.
References
Zwikael, O., & Unger-Aviram, E. (2010). HRM in project groups: The effect of project duration on team development effectiveness. International Journal of Project Management, 28(5), 413-421.
Lilian, S. C. (2014). Virtual teams: Opportunities and challenges for e-leaders. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 110, 1251-1261.