Team Management Understanding the nature of teams and team management, what can you learn from sports teams?

Being insightful of the nature of teams and team management, it is possible to learn from team sports. Some of the key lessons to learn from team sports encompass aspects such as competitiveness and team spirit. At all times, teams in sports strive to remain competitive. This is not only internally amongst the players trying to play in different positions, but also externally against other rival teams. This indicates that employees within the organization should always endeavor to be at their best, learn, grow and develop. This not only enables them to develop into higher ranked positions, but is also beneficial for the organization at large. The team spirit element is another lesson that we can learn from teams. For a team to win, it necessitates a team effort, right from the first minute of the game to the last. This encompasses the individual and combined efforts of the players and their essence to always play to win (Keidel, 1984).

According to Davenport (2014), with respect to team management, one key aspect of learning is the means of measuring which team members facilitate the effectiveness and success of a group or team. It is referred to as plus/minus examination and it takes into account analyzing not only individual performance, but also performance in the context of how a team functions with the inclusion of an individual and how it does not. This is largely done in sports where teams are examined on how they perform with the inclusion of certain players or through the use of various formations. A fundamental aspect pointed out by Davenport (2014) is that even though a certain player does not bring about remarkable individual statistics, he or she may still be instrumental in a game if the team has a tendency of performing much better when playing. In translation, it implies that even when the performance of an employee is wanting, the employee might still be vital in the team, if it effectively undertakes tasks with the employee's inclusion.

Burnes and O'Donnell (2011) indicate that some of the most important lessons that can be learnt from sports teams...

Sports teams compete in tournaments and competitions from one season to the next. In each new season, some of the existing players are traded to other teams and new players brought in. This shows that change is an inevitable aspect in sports team. Yet, every season teams come up with strategies on managing and developing such players to generate their effectiveness. In the same manner, organizations are bound to face change and therefore have to find ways of espousing organizational change. In addition, sports teams have academies and youth players that are part of the team. Such teams incessantly train and educate such young players to ensure that they grow and develop. This staff development is another lesson that we can learn. Personnel should constantly be taught and educated to embrace change and ensure that the organization does not become obsolete (Burnes and O'Donnell, 2011).
What lessons might you be able to include in your work setting?

There are lessons that might be included in the work environment. One of the lessons encompasses combined accountability. For any sports team to excel, all players have to work together in order to win games, which are short-term goals and tournaments or championships, which are long-term goals. Therefore, within the work environment, a key lesson to apply is to have mutual accountability and a clear sense of understanding for each of the team member's responsibilities to the team in addition to individual obligations. Another vital lesson that can be applicable in the work setting is having diversity. It is imperative to note that a team consists of different players who have various sets of expertise in their various positions. For instance, in football, a defender has the skill and specialty of defending, the goalkeeper with goal keeping and the striker plays the role of attacking and scoring goals. Therefore, within the workplace, it is necessary to have a diverse range of expertise and proficiency that complements other team members (Davenport, 2014).

Another lesson that can be applied in the workplace is the significance of teamwork. In order for sports teams to succeed and dominate their respective tournaments, a key contributing factor encompasses the collaboration that exists between the players. No individual player is able to play all positions and win the game. For instance, in football, the goalkeeper relies on the defenders to have a formidable defensive game play. This is applicable in the workplace in the sense that there is a need to…