Successful Teamwork

Revision as of 09:31, 9 May 2023

Abstract

Effective teamwork is an essential component of organizational success, especially in projects. This wiki article provides an overview of the characteristics and elements that contribute to successful teamwork and explores the benefits, challenges, and strategies for building and maintaining effective teams.

Successful teamwork is characterized by clear goals, open communication, trust among team members, and a shared commitment to achieving the team's objectives. These elements are crucial for effective collaboration, and they allow team members to leverage their diverse skills and expertise for problem-solving, decision-making, and innovation. When teams work well together, they can achieve more significant results than individuals working alone.

However, successful teamwork is not always easy to achieve and maintain. Challenges such as interpersonal conflicts, a lack of resources, and unclear roles and responsibilities can hinder the team's progress and impact its overall effectiveness. To overcome these challenges, team leaders and managers must establish a supportive team environment, foster open communication and feedback, and provide opportunities for professional development and team building activities.

The benefits of successful teamwork are numerous and include increased productivity, improved problem-solving, and better job satisfaction. When team members work well together, they can achieve higher levels of performance, improve their interpersonal relationships, and experience greater job satisfaction. Furthermore, successful teamwork can have positive effects on organizational culture and lead to improved organizational outcomes.

In summary, effective teamwork is critical for organizational success, and this article provides valuable insights and tools for promoting successful teamwork. By understanding the characteristics and elements of effective teams, the benefits of successful teamwork, the challenges to teamwork, and the strategies for building and maintaining effective teams, managers and team leaders can develop and support high-performing teams that achieve their goals and contribute to the success of projects.

Importance of Teamwork

Teamwork is a crucial aspect of organizational success, as it enhances productivity, fosters creativity, and improves problem-solving skills. It refers to the collaborative effort of individuals working towards a common goal, pooling their resources and skills, leading to increased efficiency and better decision-making. Effective teamwork requires good communication, trust, and respect between team members, and a positive team environment that encourages participation, open communication, and constructive feedback.

Studies have shown that teamwork can lead to improved outcomes in various settings, including the workplace, education, and sports. In the workplace, effective teamwork can improve organizational performance, increase job satisfaction, and decrease employee turnover. Additionally, teamwork is essential for achieving learning goals and developing the skills necessary for success in the workplace. Collaborative learning activities in education can enhance students' engagement, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Similarly, in sports, teamwork can lead to improved performance, better communication, and greater cohesion between team members.

The quality of teamwork is a significant predictor of innovative project success, making it a crucial factor in modern organizations. Project management success depends on the effectiveness and efficiency of the project team. Teams have become more complex and dynamic, requiring new and innovative approaches to leadership, communication, and collaboration to succeed. Traditional team research and practices may no longer be sufficient in today's rapidly changing work environments.

Teamwork can increase productivity, quality, and innovation by allowing individuals to pool their skills and knowledge to achieve common goals. Additionally, effective teamwork can also lead to greater employee satisfaction and retention. It is, therefore, essential to build a positive team environment that encourages communication, trust, and respect while working together towards a common goal.

In conclusion, teamwork is crucial for organizations to adapt and thrive in the modern workplace and remain competitive. It promotes communication, cooperation, and a positive work environment among employees, leading to better decision-making, more creative problem-solving, and improved overall team performance, especially when it comes to complex tasks. By working together towards a common goal, individuals can achieve greater success, improve their problem-solving skills, and enhance their overall performance.

Definition of a "Team"

To understand the factors of successful teams and successful teamwork it is important to know what the definition of a team is.

- What is a team? next step: to be able to understand the success of teams we have to differentiate between the characteristics of a successful team

In the literature you can find a lot of different definitions of a "Team" but some o

distinguish from work groups such as committees and task forces

a team is a group of at least two people with complementary skills who depend on each other to achieve a common goal. A certain team identity must also exist, separate from the individual identities of team members. Teams are goal-oriented, communicate internally and externally, and are structured with various areas of expertise and hierarchical levels. There is a high degree of emotional interdependence and cohesion among team members, leading to a greater interest in the collective rather than individual goals. Other key characteristics of teams include flexibility, motivation, and the potential for innovation and creativity. While there is no single, universally accepted definition of a team, the essential characteristics of a team include multiple people, a shared goal, identification, division of labor, specific roles, and emotional bonding.

A team is a group of at least two individuals who complement each other's skills and depend on each other to achieve a common goal. A certain team identity must exist, which differs from individual identities. The team is structured in a goal- and task-oriented way and communicates internally and externally. A team usually consists of members with different areas of expertise and hierarchical levels. The emotional aspect of a team is characterized by intense mutual relationships, a strong sense of community, and cohesion among members. The flexibility of a team regarding emerging problems and the motivation gain that can arise in a team are additional advantages of this working form. The connection of the respective ideas and experiences of the members can lead to a total performance to which no one alone is capable.

Characteristics of successful teams

- Team composition: Diversity

- Relationships

- Individual willingness: to learn and adapt and deliver

- Individual competencies

- Positive attitude and mindset

- Common values and culture

- identification and emotional bond

Elements of successful teamwork

- Communication

- Openness to feedback

- Trust

- Respect

- clear roles

- common goal: clearly defined

- Accountability

- Collaboration and cooperation

- work distribution: in areas of expertises

The IPO-Model

In der Literatur findet man zahlreiche Input-Prozess-Output-Modelle (Siehe Abbildung 3), die beschreiben, welche Faktoren wie einen Einfluss auf die Leistung eines Teams haben. Sie unterteilen die Teamarbeit in drei Kategorien: Der Input besteht aus Variablen, die die Voraussetzungen für die Teamarbeit sind. Sie begünstigen im besten Fall eine erfolgreiche Teamarbeit, aber können sich auch negativ auf die Teamarbeit auswirken. Auf jeden Fall sind sie ein begrenzender Faktor für den (Team-)Prozess. Der (Team-)Prozess beschreibt den Vorgang, welcher die Input-Variablen zu einem Ergebnis transformiert. Dabei handelt es sich also wie der Name schon sagt, um den Prozess, der im Team stattfindet und zu einem Ergebnis führt. Das Ergebnis der Teamarbeit bildet der Output. Dabei wird sowohl das Ergebnis auf Leis-tungsebene, meistens ein materielles Produkt, als auch die immateriellen Ergebnisse auf Ebene der Gruppenmoral und der persönlichen Entwicklungen betrachtet. Die Grund-idee dieses Modells ist es, dass das Ergebnis der Teamarbeit nicht unmittelbar durch die Input-Variablen bestimmt wird, sondern diese durch den Prozess umgewandelt werden. Einige Modellvarianten heißen daher auch Input-Mediator-Output-Modell. Das IPO-Modell nach Hackmann und Morris (H&M) unterteilt den Input in individuel-le, Gruppen- und Umweltfaktoren. Die individuellen und Gruppenfaktoren sind in dem Modell nach Dick und West (D&W) als Gruppenzusammensetzung, beziehungsweise in dem Modell nach Högl und Gemünden (H&G) als Teambesetzung betitelt. Es handelt sich dabei zum einen um Eigenschaften, welche die einzelnen Mitglieder mit sich bringen, wie zum Beispiel soziale Kompetenz, methodische Kompetenz, Präferenz für Teamarbeit und Ausbildung und Background. Zum anderen sind Eigenschaften der Gruppe gemeint wie Gruppengröße, Homogenität im Wissensstand oder Heterogenität untereinander. Letzteres bezieht sich beispielsweise auf das Alter, auf die Religion oder auf die Bildung, da so unterschiedliche Erfahrungen und unterschiedliches Knowhow zu einer Lösungs-findung beigetragen werden kann. Ein weiterer wichtiger Faktor für die Zusammenset-zung des Teams ist nach H&G die Teamführung und alle damit verbundenen Eigenschaf-ten, auf welche im Rahmen dieser Arbeit allerdings nicht genauer eingegangen wird. Die Umweltfaktoren stellen äußere Einflüsse dar, wie zum Beispiel in dem Modell nach D&W der kulturelle und organisationale Kontext, in dem das Team arbeitet. Der (Team-)Prozess besteht nach H&M aus der Interaktion zwischen den Mitgliedern. Folgende Faktoren sind dafür laut H&G und von D&W von Bedeutung: Kommunikation, Aufgabenkoordination, Ausgewogenheit der Beiträge (bzw. Minderheiteneinfluss), ge-genseitige Unterstützung, Arbeitsnormen, Kohäsion (und Identifikation), Partizipation, Autonomie und Entscheidungsfindung. Als Output bekommt man zum einen leistungsbezogene Ergebnisse, welche sich durch Effektivität, Effizienz und Quantität charakterisieren lassen. Die Effektivität beschreibt, in welchem Maße das Ziel erreicht wurde. Man kann es also mit Qualität gleichsetzen. Zum anderen bekommt man Ergebnisse, die sich auf die Teammoral und auf persönlichen Entwicklungen während der Teamarbeit beziehen: Geht man davon aus, dass die Zusam-menarbeit im Team nicht nur auf einmal beschränkt ist, sind Faktoren, die auf das Poten-zial für zukünftige Zusammenarbeit Auswirkung haben, weitere wichtige, immaterielle Ergebnisse, die im Output zu berücksichtigen sind. Diese sind nach H&G persönlicher Lernerfolg und Zufriedenheit. D&W fügen noch die Team-Lebendigkeit hinzu.

Benefits of successful teamwork

- Improved productivity and efficiency

- Higher job satisfaction

- Increased creativity and innovation

- Stronger relationships and moral

- Better problem-solving and decision-making

Challenges to successful teamwork

- Communication barriers

- Conflict and disagreements

- Lack of trust or respect

- Inadequate resources

- Poor leadership

Strategies for building/maintaining successful teamwork

- Team building activities

- Effective leadership

- Training and development

- Conflict resolution strategies

team coaching!!!!!! Hackman, J. R., & Wageman, R. (2005). A Theory of Team Coaching. Academy of Management

The forming–storming–norming–performing model

tuckmann

Examples of successful teamwork

- Sports teams

- Business teams

- Educational teams

- Community service teams

- Military teams

Literatur

• Barkley, E., Major, C., & Cross, P. (2014). Collaborative Learning Techniques (2nd ed.). Wiley ^[1]

• Becker, J. H. & Pastoors, S. & Ebert, H. (2017). Praxishandbuch berufliche Schlüsselkompetenzen. 50 Handlungskompetenzen für Ausbildung, Studium und Beruf ^[2]

• Belbin, R. M. (2010). Management Teams: Why They Succeed or Fail. Butterworth-Heinemann ^[3]

• Bornemann, S (2012). Kooperation und Kollaboration. Das Kreative Feld als Weg zu innovativer Teamarbeit (1. Aufl.). VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften ^[4]

• Burba, M. (2018). Erfolgreiche Zusammenarbeit in Projektteams. Analyse der Projektmeetings bei einem Automobilhersteller (1. Aufl.). Springer ^[5]

• DuBrin, A. J. (2010). Essentials of Management (10th edition). South-Western Cengage Learning ^[6]

• Hackman, J. R. (2002). Leading Teams: Setting the Stage for Great Performances. Harvard Business Press. ^[7]

• Hackman, J. R., & Wageman, R. (2005). A theory of team coaching. Academy of Management Review, 30(2), 269-287. ^[8]

• Hoegl, G. & Gemuenden, H. G. (2001). Teamwork Quality and the Success of Innovative Projects: ^[9]

• Katzenbach & Douglas K. Smith. The Discipline of Teams ^[10]

• Katzenbach, J. R., & Smith, D. K. (1993). The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High-Performance Organization ^[11]

• Kerzner, H. (2017). Project Management. A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling. ^[12]

• Lencioni, P. (2002). The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Jossey-Bass ^[13]

• Lippmann, E. & Pfister, A. & Urs, J. (2019). Handbuch Angewandte Psychologie für Führungskräfte. Führungskompetenzen und Führungswissen (5. Aufl.). Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. ^[14]

• Mathieu, J. & Maynard, M.T. & Rapp T. & Gilson L. (2008). Team Effectiveness 1997-2007: A Review of Recent Advancements and a Glimpse Into the Future. Journal of Management, 34 (3), 410-476 ^[15]

• Nerdinger, F. W. & Blickle, g. & Schaper, N. (2011). Arbeits- und Organisationspsychologie (2. Aufl.). Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg ^[16]

• Robbins, S. P., Judge, T. A., & Millett, B. (2019). Organizational behavior. Pearson Education Limited ^[17]

• Salas, E., Sims, D. E., & Burke, C. S. (2005). Is there a "big five" in teamwork?. Small group research, 36(5), 555-599 ^[18]

• Tannenbaum, S. I., Mathieu, J. E., Salas, E., & Cohen, D. (2012). Teams are changing: Are research and practice evolving fast enough?. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 5(1), 2-24. ^[19]

• Tuckman, Bruce (Spring 2001). Developmental Sequence in Small Groups'. Group Facilitation: A Research and Applications Journal. 63 (6), 71–72 ^[20]

• George Barna. The Power of Team Leadership
• Dawna Markova and Angie McArthur. Collaborative Intelligence: Thinking with People Who Think Differently
• Robbins, S. P., Coulter, M., & DeCenzo, D. A. (2016). Fundamentals of Management. Pearson Education.
• General Stanley McChrystal. Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World
• Blank, C. (2018). Team Building Exercises That Actually Work. Harvard Business Review
• O'Grady, S., & Malloch, M. (2010). The effective small group: Communication and teamwork (Custom). Cengage Learning

References

1. ↑ Barkley, E., Major, C., & Cross, P. (2014). Collaborative Learning Techniques (2nd ed.). Wiley. (Accessed: 24.04.2023). https://www.perlego.com/book/999446/collaborative-learning-techniques-a-handbook-for-college-faculty-pdf
2. ↑ Becker, J. H., Pastoors, S., & Ebert, H. (2017). Praxishandbuch berufliche Schlüsselkompetenzen. 50 Handlungskompetenzen für Ausbildung, Studium und Beruf (1. Aufl.). Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. (Accessed: November 2020). https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-662-54925-4
3. ↑ Belbin, R. M. (2010). Management Teams: Why They Succeed or Fail (3rd edition). Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann. (Accessed: 5.05.2023). http://196.43.128.20/xmlui/handle/20.500.12383/1061?show=full
4. ↑ Bornemann, S. (2012). Kooperation und Kollaboration. Das Kreative Feld als Weg zu innovativer Teamarbeit (1. Aufl.). VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. (Accessed: November 2020). https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-531-19179-9
5. ↑ Burba, M. (2018). Erfolgreiche Zusammenarbeit in Projektteams. Analyse der Projektmeetings bei einem Automobilhersteller (1. Aufl.). Springer. (Accessed: November 2020). https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-658-19829-9
6. ↑ DuBrin, A. J. (2010). Essentials of Management (10th edition). South-Western Cengage Learning. (Accessed: 5.05.2023). https://studydaddy.com/attachment/137689/epdfpub_essentials-of-management-ninth-edition.pdf
7. ↑ Hackman, J. R. (2002). Leading Teams: Setting the Stage for Great Performances. Harvard Business Press. (Accessed: 24.04.2023). https://www.perlego.com/book/837329/leading-teams-setting-the-stage-for-great-performances-pdf
8. ↑ Hackman, J. R., & Wageman, R. (2005). A theory of team coaching. Academy of Management Review, 30(2), 269-287. (Accessed: 5.05.2023). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/253963423_A_Theory_of_Team_Coaching
9. ↑ Hoegl, G., & Gemuenden, H. G. (2001). Teamwork quality and the success of innovative projects: A theoretical concept and empirical evidence. Organization Science, 12(4), 435-449. (Accessed: 5.05.2023). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228365985_Teamwork_Quality_and_the_Success_of_Innovative_Projects_A_Theoretical_Concept_and_Empirical_Evidence
10. ↑ Katzenbach, J. R., & Smith, D. K. (2005). The discipline of teams. Harvard business review, 83(7/8), 162-171. (Accessed: 5.05.2023). https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5893c76059cc68f6efd5355a/t/58a4f6cb6a4963c71a7f0084/1487206107130/The+Discipline+of+Teams.pdf
11. ↑ Katzenbach, J. R., & Smith, D. K. (1993). The wisdom of teams: Creating the high-performance organization. Harvard Business School Press. (Accessed: April .2023). https://findit.dtu.dk/en/catalog/58945eff8040e5ab45038d77
12. ↑ Kerzner, H. (2017). Project Management. A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling. Wiley, 12th edition. (Accessed: 24.04.2023). https://www.perlego.com/book/3236853/project-management-a-systems-approach-to-planning-scheduling-and-controlling-pdf
13. ↑ Lencioni, P. (2002). The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Jossey-Bass. (Accessed: 5.05.2023). https://www.academia.edu/39178542/The_Five_Dysfunctions_of_aTeam_Patrick_Lencioni
14. ↑ Lippmann, E., Pfister, A., & Urs, J. (2019). Handbuch Angewandte Psychologie für Führungskräfte. Führungskompetenzen und Führungswissen (5. Aufl.). Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. (Accessed: November 2020). https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-662-55810-2
15. ↑ Mathieu, J. E., Maynard, M. T., Rapp, T., & Gilson, L. L. (2008). Team effectiveness 1997-2007: A review of recent advancements and a glimpse into the future. Journal of Management, 34(3), 410-476. (Accessed: 5.05.2023). https://www.uio.no/studier/emner/matnat/ifi/INF5181/h15/articles-teamwork/mathieu_etal_2008_team-effectiveness-1997_2007_a_review_of_advancements_and_a_glimpse_into_the_future.pdf
16. ↑ Nerdinger, F. W., Blickle, G., & Schaper, N. (2011). Arbeits- und Organisationspsychologie (2. Aufl.). Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. (Accessed: November 2020). https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-642-16972-4
17. ↑ Robbins, S. P. (2001). Organizational behavior (9th ed.). Prentice Hall. (Accessed: April .2023). https://findit.dtu.dk/en/catalog/589460498040e5ab4504b03f
18. ↑ Salas, E., Sims, D. E., & Burke, C. S. (2005). Is there a "big five" in teamwork?. Small group research, 36(5), 555-599. (Accessed: 5.05.2023). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/220041354_Is_there_a_Big_Five_in_Teamwork
19. ↑ Tannenbaum, S. I., Mathieu, J. E., Salas, E., & Cohen, D. (2012). Teams are changing: Are research and practice evolving fast enough?. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 5(1), 2-24. (Accessed: 5.05.2023). https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/industrial-and-organizational-psychology/article/teams-are-changing-are-research-and-practice-evolving-fast-enough/6D811E1C7B16B12A14C403E720F3C2C3
20. ↑ Tuckman, B. W. (1965). Developmental sequence in small groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63(6), 384-399. (Accessed: 5.05.2023). https://sci-hub.se/10.1037/h0022100