Team Members and Communication

¶ … positive experiences working in teams, and when those experiences were positive and the performance of the team was high or surpassed expectations, it was always because of a few simple rules that are outlined by Musselwhite (2007) and Conant (2012). For example, Musselwhite (2007) points out the importance of seeing the big picture at all times, and not getting bogged down in silly details. The big picture is something that is important to remember for the product or service we are working on as a team, but also in terms of clarifying our role as individuals. The role of the team itself depends on seeing the big picture -- why the company actually needs us to work on a specific task. "Understanding the big picture promotes collaboration, increases commitment and improves quality," (Musselwhite, 2007)

The principles illustrated by Conant (2012) and Musselwhite (2007) include the need for seeing the big picture, collaboration, and communication. Diversity of skills is also one of the most critical components in the success of a team. Not only does diversity in skill set promote an overall improved quality of product and service, but the members of a team tend to prefer working in a diverse team environment because it allows their own strengths and talents to shine, all at the same time learning from other people. Instead of petty bickering and unhealthy competition, each member of a diverse team contributes his or her potential to the betterment of the group. The "four Cs" of highly effective team members include "competence, character, courage, and collaboration," all of which emerge in a team that is sufficiently challenged and sufficiently diverse (Conant, 2012).

One common negative experience that can emerge in the team setting is a dominant personality who attempts to side track the team from the overall goal and instead tries to push his or her own agenda. Quiet and polite members of the team do not want to cause conflict, which only serves to enable the authoritarian individual. What is even more interesting is that dominant personalities on a team are not necessarily the team leaders. In fact, the dominant person sometimes ends up usurping the authority of the team leader, leading to unfortunately poor outcomes. As Musselwhite (2007) points out, "in an effective team you'll notice a penchant for collaboration and a keen awareness of interdependency." Dominant personalities that do not want to collaborate end up being on ineffective teams.

If I were the manager of a group or team that was underperforming specifically because of personality problems or a lack of collaboration, I would work first on empowering the other team members to help them to be more assertive and less intimidated by conflict. I would try to help each member of the team understand how a person can voice their concerns and opinions in tactful and healthy ways that promote team collaboration. Conant (2012) refers to "a spirit of candor" on effective teams, calling candor and openness in communication "essential to advancing the agenda," (p. 1). Lack of openness and honesty in communication was one of the reasons why my negative experience on the team led to poor team performance. The overbearing individuals inhibited the free flow of ideas on the team.