Email to Mentor -- Team Work Dear

Email to Mentor -- Team Work Dear Mentor: In regard to your having pointed out that motivation is essential to maximize a team's performance regardless of the stage of development they are in, I took your advice and read the Grazier works entitled "Team Motivation." I noticed that I was doing a lot of work myself so I now realize that I will need help if I want to succeed in making this transformation.

As noted, I can see why more firms are relying on teams to help fulfill their objectives. I now feel better equipped to handle the organizational structure and design concepts for the failing division and the associated concerns. Grazier was clear that if long-term team motivation leads to accomplishing a mission, we should motivate that team by satisfying some of the personal wants and needs of individuals within the team. I plan applying these techniques to satisfy the needs and wants of the team members.

The first is to ask the team members what it is they see as the problem and so as to get feedback from each individual. Team members often have very good solutions to existing problems but team leaders may not ask for input. This asking for input will be in a sense making the problem the team's problem and therefore making it more personal. Secondly, the outcome will be presented to the team as must solve challenge.

"Many people will say that their most rewarding team experiences resulted from some sort of challenge. I've heard the stories often of mediocre groups that responded to a challenge with heroic success." (Peter Grazier) And thirdly, I will provide a reward system for the input of the team, to enhance the chance that the team will personalize the problem. Next, I will also apply other factors that will have a positive impact on the team's level of effectiveness.

The communication process as a change management tool for me as the team leader will utilize multiple communication pathways to ensure that no single path like the company email system will become a bottleneck in the transitional process. I intend to have some repetition in the communications to cut the risk of confusion. Another tool I will use is to apply a great deal of training and coaching for the team.

The coaching and training process will not always be the formal classroom type but more on the fly coaching sessions in the daily routine. And the third tool I will use to have a positive impact on the team's level of effectiveness is to incorporate into the planning process the concept of data modeling so that we as a team can do 'what if scenarios' and they all can plainly see what will work and what will not. Not.