team performance

Given the scope of the tasks that we have to manage on a daily basis, we seem to work better as teams. However, it has come to our notice that team results are not in line with the organization’s goals. Improving team success also entails assigning participants to activities that better match their talents while also fostering constructive connections among them. As a result, the comprehensive job assistance outlined below should assist team members in improving their success for the good of not just their teams, but the whole organization.

To continue, it is critical to recognize the problem area for each team. It is important to note that understanding the cause of a problem often leads to effective solutions. After a thorough analysis of the teams in our organization, two problem areas have been highlighted; members being assigned the wrong tasks and rigid management methods. The next step is to engage team members in an exercise that best demonstrate their individual strengths thus allowing the management to understand better what every member is capable of. Once this has been achieved, management will have to be more accommodative towards their members thus allowing them to choose their tasks and together review and improve on both individual and team performances. This should lead to the final step of analyzing if the job aid has helped improved performance thus further implementing the positives while improving on the negatives.

Training Methodology

To achieve the above, each employee will have to undergo a performance review and other significant tests that show their strengths and weaknesses. It is the mandate of the human resource department to offer guidance in employee self-esteem more so when approaching management. It is important to train employees to be comfortable with taking up new roles that are out of their comfort zone. Furthermore, it is necessary that the training encompasses as much job rotation as possible. This should ensure that every employee is conversant with every necessary team role such that performance does not delay in case a member is missing. Training will also be necessary when it comes to decision making. Team performance at times require individuals to make decisions on their own and such should reflect positively on the entire team (Gratton & Erickson, 2007). Therefore, training in light to decision making should be undertaken by emphasizing on the team and organizational goals and strategies. Such should be done through small exercises that portray different situations that require urgent and effective decisions to be made.

Change Management Component

For this job aid to be effective, the management of the organization will need to be more democratic than authoritative. This is because the previous will encourage members to be more involved in the planning and decision-making processes thus making every member feel important and appreciated in the team. Another benefit of a democratic form of management is that there is room for delegation (Teamwork definition, 2014) whereby members take up roles that encourage them to analyze situations from a different work level station. As such, team performance is improved because every member respects the thought process of not only the team members but that of management as well because they understand the pressures of each level. The same should allow for an open end communication strategy within the organization. This change will allow for problems to be addressed as soon as they arise thus no hindrance to the team’s performance.

Training Technology

The one technology that this job aid can benefit from is mobile learning. According to Kapadia (2016), there are currently over 2 billion mobile users in the world which mean almost everyone has a phone. Given that this technology is so advanced, training in team performance can be applied to respective mobile apps that encourage effective communication within the workspace without compromising on any other job aspect. A good example is the sharing of video links to show the importance of employee involvement in a team. This can be done through phones without necessarily having every team member in the same location thus giving time for other work goals to be met.

After Training

Once the training for the job aid is completed, employees will be in a position to do the following:

Communicate more effectively

Share tasks and responsibilities based on individual strengths for the benefit of the entire team.

Improve team interaction to avoid conflicts that impact negatively on team performance.

Be holistically capable of doing any tasks or taking up any role within the team.

Make wise and effective decisions both as a team or individually.

Be in a position to take up a leadership tasks due to the constant delegation.

Complete projects promptly due to increased performance.

Be in a position to either be self-reliant or dependent on other given the circumstances. This should encourage both individualism and teamwork in the organization.

Flowchart Example of the Job Aid

References

Gratton, L. & Erickson, T. (2007). Eight Ways to Build Collaborative Teams. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2007/11/eight-ways-to-build-collaborative-teams

Kapadia, V. (2016). The 6 Hottest Training Technologies that You Can’t Overlook. Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/6-training-technologies-cant-overlook

Teamwork definition (2014). Advantages and Disadvantages of Democratic Leadership. Retrieved from http://teamworkdefinition.com/democraticleadership/