Build Effective Technology Support Team. Address Issues

¶ … build effective technology support team. Address issues personalities affect relationships technical staff. Format paper APA standards.

Personnel technology

In a rapidly changing IT community, the role of the people is often overlooked. For instance, the society will often marvel at the result of a technical process, yet will overlook the human effort involved in the creation of the respective end products and/or service.

While this perception is understandable and, to some degree, acceptable among the general society, it is unacceptable among the business field. Here, the IT firms continually rely on their staffs to develop the technologies that set the course of the world.

"Humans often represent the most important component of the information system and are chronically responsible for either the failure or the robustness of the information system. Organizations frequently seek to evaluate, select and employ a variety of controls so as to maintain a secure Information System. In order to have the best operational information system, you must appreciate humans as the most valuable information asset" (El-Harmel, 2009).

In such a setting, the creation of effective teams within companies is an essential process for the final success of the agency. Teams are powerful constructions within and without companies and they are defined by a series of traits which render them critical. For instance, teams combine and maximize the strengths and knowledge of all members, while supporting the further development of the members and as such minimizing the weaknesses of the team. Also, the teams recognize the diverse skills, experiences, knowledge and personal traits of the individuals and combine these in a means in which the organizational goals are best supported.

One necessary characteristic of a team is that for it to be an effective team, namely its ability to complete its assigned tasks in a quick manner, with the maximization of the positive results that support not only the objectives, but also the future development of the team.

"Working in teams has long been considered one of the most effective ways to boost productivity in the workplace. A great team is more than just a group of people working together every day. An effective team has members who pool their unique knowledge and talents to solve problems and work together toward a common goal" (Maddux and Wingfield, 2003).

As the importance of the effective teams is recognized and accepted, a question is being posed relative to the means in which the economic agents can go about in the creation of these effective teams. The researchers at the Ceridan Corporation have developed a twelve step program to creating effective teams. These steps are revealed below:

(1) The clarification of the common purpose and common goals of the team

(2) The clarification of the role each team member would play in the attainment of the pre-established common purpose

(3) The creation of a direct link between the team members and the end users of the team's product and/or service

(4) The generation of awareness regarding the occurrence of conflicts within the team

(5) The management of the conflicts incurred within the team, with emphasis on the following:

a. The ability and right of each party of the conflict to be given the possibility to explain their position

b. The creation of clear grounds on which the team members are able to state their position without being interrupted, mocked or rushed

c. The provision of encouragement to the team members to solve the arising conflicts, without the constant interference of the team leader.

(6) The division of tasks and responsibilities among the team members so that they each share their role in the attainment of the team's objectives

(7) The creation of a team setting in which the team members interact during meetings in a constructive manner and in a means in which the team becomes better able to attain its pre-established goals

(8) The creation of a team context in which the team members are able and encouraged to share in their input, which could prove invaluable for the team's efforts

(9) The allowance of minority and unpopular views to be stated and forwarded within the team, as part of an open team in which the opinions of all members are listened to and assessed in an objective manner

(10) The assessment of the team and its performances as a whole entity

(11) The assessment of the performances of the individual team members and the personalized reward of the individuals, based on their own appraisals

(12) The continuous support for communication within the team. Communication is essential within the team, but also to ensure the relationship of the team, as a whole, with the outside context, such as the overall company (Ceridan Corporation).

The creation of a successful team is dependent not only on the gradual and successful implementation of the steps mentioned above, but also on the ability of the team leader to identify, understand and address some specific issues of the relationship within and without the technical staff. Some examples in this sense could include the personality of the team members or their socio-cultural background.

The personality of the individual is essential in the creation of an efficient team, since this influences the means in which the individual will behave as part of the team. One individual could, for instance, be a sociable person, with whom it would be easy to communicate and who would represent a welcomed addition to the team. Another individual however, might have a different personality, one that it more pessimistic, less talkative and less sociable. This team member might generate a more somber atmosphere within the group. Both these types of personalities are common within the business climate and the success of the team depends on the ability of the team leader to combine these personalities in a means that generates the best results. The combination of these two individual, however skeptical at first, might generate a new sense of balance within the team.