Groups and High-Performance Teams

overturn Todays eliminateers face m whatever challenges in the debut of a high-performing aggroup. Effective leaders atomic number 18 able to assemble a high-performance team with impregnable hierarchical balance, measurable and attainable goals, and hold communication judgeations across the team. They promptly address encroach resolutions and break wad all physical barriers in managing multi-city offices and dispersed employees. By paying decision attention to team demographics and mutation, good leaders leave behind establish a solid assemblage hindquarters which pull up stakes result in a high-performance team.Groups and High-Performance Teams There ar m each factors that imply a teams behavior and boilers suit performance. Group demographics and diversity chiffonier ultimately play a paint role in the advantage or failure of any team. This paper will identify some(a) of the challenges that todays leaders face in turning a conference into a high-performance team, and the impact of demographic characteristics and cultural diversity on group behavior. Groups vs. Teams As defined by Schermerhorn (2005), A group is a collection of two or more than people who escape with peerless an a nonher(prenominal) regularly to achieve viridity goals.An rough-and-ready group is one that achieves high levels of task performance, member satisfaction, and team viability. Teams on the other hand, ar usually time-limited groups that get together to achieve a common purpose. An essential criterion of a true team is that the members feel conjointly accountable for what they accomplish. (Schermerhorn, 2005). The manager or team leader must think of the importance of the team members ability to associate themselves with a group identicalness and begin to form an adhesiveness to their teammates. The fact is that it takes a lot more work to build a well-functioning team than simply assigning members to the equal group and then expecting them to do a g reat job. (Shcermerhorn, 2005). Team identicalness Setting a teams identity is one of the startle steps a manager must take in forming a high-performing team. As we lots witness in the sports world, a teams identity mass help to rally team members and build comradery amongst its members. The same approach holds true in a business setting. data processor Weekly (2004) reports, The project start process can also be used to build team identity and build psychological attachment between members. (p. 24). This psychological attachment will serve as the foundation upon which the team is built and will affect the teams overall performance. According to Turk (2005), As the project manager you need to build a staff that can get the job done. You need the right motley of expertise, creativity, flexibility, enthusiasm, and experience. ( p. 30). These key attributes will work to motivate other team members and pay heed the manager in establishing the appropriate balance to the team. T eam Diversity When forming effective teams, managers must consider team synergy an important goal, and diversity plays a major role.Managers should strive to create the appropriate balance between workers and their temperament types. As Martinette (2005) points out, Work groups and teams that have too many people of one type or another(prenominal) soon find themselves out of balance. (p. 117). For good problem solving and decision making, you need a diversity of temper types. (Hill, 2005, p. 37). Striking the proper team balance is important and balance does not recollect people with a background and disposition just deal the boss. Many types of diversity are to be expected on any team, and can be the source of many differences of opinion.Age, gender, ethnicity, and individualizedity differences can affect the teams cohesiveness, or non-cohesiveness as may be. Obviously, with a various group the possibilities of conflict increase, but so do the possibilities of a great esse nce. Hill (2005) gives us an example, Meetings are more raucous and consensus is harder to achieve. But these arguments often spark unsanded ideas. As a result, the company is constantly spawning and sculpting new innovations in a mien the old team never did. (p. 38). Differences in world view can create dynamic conversations and results, if the team can learn how to effectively deal with conflict.According to D Andrea-O Brien and Buono (1996), True team study is the ability of members to build on their cognition so that their collective knowledge enables them to continually improve team performance as well as to discover, develop and implement completely new ways of doing business (p. 1). Demographics Managing extraneous employees is a growing challenge for many of todays leaders. It is not just about managing employees at satellite offices it is also managing telecommuters who work a certain number of days from their home offices.A manager needs to project the complexities o f managing a virtual team and communicating across the boundaries of time zones, organizations and cultures. great communication practices as well as building personal relationships are both key to working with remote employees. As Pauleen (2003) states, Effective communications is a key to successful virtual teams, and one of the keys to effective communications is how well team members are able to build and maintain their personal relationships. (p. 229).Video conferencing works well and provides a companys employees with a ocular link that serves to backfill for the lack of face-to-face communications that employees would have if they were collocated. Trust and pauperism An important goal for managers, in addressing and monitoring a teams behavior, is to develop the trust of his or her team members. Employees that trust one another will often be motivated to go the extra greyback in meeting and exceeding team objectives. Team penury is passing important because it makes th e team more effective.Stephen Covey (1989) states Unclear expectations in the world of goals also undermine communication and trust. (p. 194). If goals seem unachievable, it could affect the teams buy-in to the whole process. Giving, receiving and creation responsive to feedback should be a fundamental part of the team process. infringe According to DeJanasz, Dewd and Schneider (2001), Conflict is any situation in which there are incompatible goals, cognitions, or emotions within or between individuals or groups that lead to opposition or antagonistic interaction. (p. 243).Conflict among team members is inevitable and desirable, because conflict in itself is not the problem. It is, rather, our reactions to it that determine the impact, and causes us to characterize it as a negatively charged experience. (Porter, 2005, p. 1). It should be anticipated that the team will disagree, and therefore, conflict should be considered a part of the process. In fact, if we define conflicts as simply differences of opinion, this is exactly what we wishing to happen. In bringing together a diverse group of experts, we expect and want these differences to surface because, in the end, we expect a better outcome or result. (The Team, p. 171). If everyone agreed, there would be no reason to team up to resolve a situation, or to come up with new ideas. Teams are developed for a specific purpose, and diverse opinions, ideas, and perspectives will make the team most effective. Conclusion Team diversity and demographics play a key role in determining the success or failure of any team. An appropriate understanding and acceptance of a diverse group will benefit the organization through innovative and diverse ideas. Of course, that doesnt mean you should go out of your way to hire people you dont like.While a certain measure of conflict is healthy, too much conflict can be destructive. (Hill, 2005, p. 39). Paying close attention to team identity, trust, diversity, motivation a nd conflict resolution will go a long way in paving the road for a successful team outcome. Employees will appreciate that their leadership cares about these issues and will reward the team with their take up efforts in meeting goals, which results in a high-performance team. References Computer Weekly. (2004, June). project your web project milestones. Computer Weekly. 4-54. Retrieved October 8, 2005 from Business generator Premier database. Covey, Stephen R. (1989). The sevener Habits of Highly Effective People Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. clean York Fireside. D Andrea-O Brien, Charlene & Buono, Anthony F. (1999, Summer). building effective learning teams Lessons from the field. S. A. M. Advanced Management Journal, 61(3), 1-6. Retrieved kinsfolk 23, 2005, from ProQuest database. DeJanasz, Dewd & Schneider. (2001). Conflict Sources and solutions. Interpersonal Skills in Organizations. University of Phoenix Custom mutation e-text. McGraw-Hill Companies. 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