Aspects of team dynamics

¶ … Team Dynamics

The objective of this work is to research the subject of team dynamics specifically related to leadership and team communication.

Every project must have a leader, whether that leader is the Ceo, Manager or Project Leader. This person needs to have the respect of his team. That does not always mean friendship of the team members, but their respect for the job the leader does as a whole. And trust that the leader will not lead them astray and will back them if the need arises.

FOUR BASIC STEPS (MOREIRA, 2003)

Paula Moreira gives us four basic steps for starting a team off right in the July 2003 Issue of Certification Magazine: (1) Get to know your team members. (2) Clearly identify everyone's roles and responsibilities; (3) Establish the team's goals; and (4) Learn to operate as a team. (Moreira, 2003) a leader may simply follow the steps of Moreira in order to know the team members and where they fit in with the team as a whole. Letting all members know what their role and responsibilities are will help them achieve better results for the team. Letting all the members know the final goal will keep them headed in the right direction. Learning to operate as a team and letting each member express his greatest abilities and bringing each one together in a way that will benefit the team as a whole. The leader must have leadership abilities that the team can follow. Functioning as a team "requires the integration of many different activities. Jefferies states those activities to include those, which are shown in the following illustration labeled Figure 1

Team Dynamics Jigsaw

Source: Jefferies (nd)

II. CHARACTERISTICS of a GOOD TEAM LEADER

Characteristics of a Good Team Leader are: (1) Energetic; (2) Skilled at resolving conflict; (3) Well organized; (4) Has experience as a group leader; (5) Is respected by group members; (6) Reliable; (7) Charismatic; (8) Intelligent; (9) Creative; (10) Possesses a sense of humor; and (11) Effective in achieving results (McNeil, Bellamy & Burrows G-9; as cited in Jefferies, nd) Communication is the most important factor that is likely to affect the success or failure of the team effort. It is critically important that the team be able to speak to each other and the leader openly. If there is no communication hurt feelings will result and oftentimes unknowingly. When team members are feuding between one another it places a great deal of stress upon the whole team. When the focus is upon individual personality differences precious time is wasted which could be spent towards the achievement of goals for the team. It is important to safeguard the team from this by setting up a system of routine meetings where people have a chance to discuss potential problems. (Jefferies, nd)