Remember: Division of labour is in existence essentially for achieving quicker and efficient work done. The concept of Teamwork is now a cliché due to the stress attached with working in a team. Some people believe they perform better while working in a team other than working individually, while other people would rather work alone and achieve a better result at that! What, therefore, is the need for Teamwork?
The ideal behaviour of a person in a team is to comply with major decisions and be willing to do anything that is required. Yet if everyone behaved like that, you would have a good reason to doubt whether that team would function effectively. With this analysis, what we should focus on is Productive Teamwork. It is often better to start with the work rather than starting with the team. The critical question is; Does all work call for a team? To avoid repetitive operations, you must understand that rounding up loners and making them a part of a team is a disadvantage. Introverts need work suitable for introverts while extroverts need work appropriate for extroverts.
The following are three critical factors that promotes productive teamwork:
- Designing work to fit the person: The best starting point for establishing good teamwork is asking or answering the following questions in relationship with the task due; Do some responsibilities need to be shared? If so, which ones, and with whom? Which responsibilities should be assigned to individuals and made subject to personal accountability? Which tasks are critical in their timing and mode of treatment and require a prescriptive approach based on best practice?
- Teams need to be given scope: Diversity in the range of available team roles does not solely produce harmony, it also produces conflict as different individuals strive to do their own thing. The manager has to understand how to manage the interface between team roles and work roles. Note that without empowerment, balanced groups cannot be developed into mature teams.
- Rewarding teams appropriately: All teams need to be assessed positively and constructively. Set objectives for teams and judge how well these have been met.
These critical factors design the framework for deciding who does what. People must learn to decide for themselves or at least share in that decision making to be fully committed to the work itself. Follow these three factors and watch your team move from balanced to mature… … …Today!