Chapter 8

In today’s 24-hour world of complex situations and technology, it’s hard to operate as a one-person entity. Teams are a form of group normally dedicated to production or problem solving. There are several types of teams: operational teams, project teams, and action teams. Operational teams work together for an unspecified amount of time to sustain an operation. Project teams work together for a specified period (a few months to a few years) to produce a product, event, or specific outcome. Action teams come together for a short period of time, unusually in response to an emergency to address a specific issue or event.

Each member of the team has skills, talents, experience, and education. Each is expected to contribute. Work is the activity, and while it may be fun or engaging, it also requires effort and commitment, as there is a schedule for production with individual and group responsibilities. Each member must fulfill his or her own obligations for the team to succeed, and the team, like a chain, is only as strong as its weakest member. In this context, we don’t measure strength or weakness at the gym; we measure it in terms of productivity.

Teams can often achieve higher levels of performance than individuals because of the combined energies and talents of the members. Collaboration can produce motivation and creativity that may not be present in individual-contributor projects. Individuals also have a sense of belonging to the group, and the range of views and diversity can energize the process, helping address creative blocks and stalemates. By involving members of the team in decision-making and calling upon each member’s area of contribution, teams can produce positive results.

Teamwork is not without its challenges. The work itself may prove a challenge as members juggle competing assignments and personal commitments. The work may also be compromised if team members are expected to conform and pressured to go along with a procedure, plan, or product that they themselves have not developed. Groupthink, or the tendency to accept the group’s ideas and actions in spite of individual concerns, can also compromise the process and reduce efficiency. Personalities and competition can play a role in a team’s failure to produce. Additionally, group members could have hidden agendas, unstated personal goals that may conflict with the group goal. 

On most teams, there are both task roles and relationship roles that need to be filled.  Task roles encompass individuals who provide relevant facts or opinions to the team, solicit such information, initiate activities, summarize and analyze outcomes, give guidance, and manage participation. Additionally, there are those who ensure the group operates cohesively. They foster engagement, alleviate tension, observe the group's emotional dynamics, affirm achievements and efforts, and address the concerns of group members, among other vital functions that facilitate smooth group operation. When members fail to contribute to tasks or interpersonal dynamics, they might assume counterproductive roles like the blocker who hinders progress or the attacker who belligerently challenges the competence or motives of others. Effective teams aim to minimize such dysfunctional behaviors.

We can recognize that people want to belong to a successful team, and celebrating incremental gains can focus their attention on the project and its goals. Members will be more willing to express thoughts and opinions, and follow through with actions, when they perceive that they are an important part of the team. By failing to include all the team members, valuable insights may be lost in the rush to judgment or production. Making time for planning, and giving each member time to study, reflect, and contribute can allow them to gain valuable insights from each other, and may make them more likely to contribute information that challenges the status quo. Outgroup members or members assigned to play “devil’s advocate” may have thoughts that prove insightful and serve to challenge the process in a positive way, improving the production of the team. Respect for divergent views can encourage open discussion.

Group dynamics involve the interactions and processes of a team and influence the degree to which members feel a part of the goal/vision and mission. Without action, these goals may simply be an arrangement of words. As a guide to individual and group behavioral norms, they can serve as a powerful motivator and a call to action. Norms are behavioral rules established and shared among group members, serving as a guide for expected conduct within a group. They are crucial as they reflect the values of the organization and delineate appropriate from inappropriate actions. Norms arise from interactions among individuals and between leaders and followers over time. For newcomers, discerning norms can be challenging since they are often implicit, unspoken, and only become apparent when not met.

A team with a strong social identity can prove to be a powerful force, but it requires time and commitment. A team that exerts too much control over individual members can run the risk of reducing creative interactions and encouraging tunnel vision. A team that exerts too little control, with attention to process and areas of specific responsibility, may not be productive. The balance between motivation and encouragement, and control and influence, is challenging as team members represent diverse viewpoints and approaches to the problem. A skilled business communicator creates a positive team by first selecting members based on their areas of skill and expertise, but attention to their style of communication is also warranted. Individuals who typically work alone or tend to be introverted may need additional encouragement to participate. Extroverts may need to be encouraged to listen to others and not dominate the conversation. Teamwork involves teams and work, and group dynamics play an integral role in their function and production.

Teams do not always operate in the same physical space. Virtual teams interact without being in the same place, but that does not have to impact productivity. This may be out of strategy or necessity. They may also be a few blocks or offices away, or cross-country, or cross-continental. While virtual teams have existed for decades, the Covid-19 pandemic catapulted many organizations and teams to working in a virtual environment.  Technology has provided this opportunity, so it’s important that you understand that working on virtual teams may be an expectation in the future. Virtual teams require regular communication, and perhaps more effort to communicate than teams that work in the same space. In person, you may run into team members and share information without having to plan to do so. In a virtual environment, you may have an extra step or two in the process of communication. An interesting thing about virtual teams is that you don’t necessarily see a juxtaposition in status due to space allocation.  There may not be a boss with the corner office or the person sitting at the end of the table. Every video block of a video-conferencing experience is the same size. Emails are the channel for a lot of information sharing and other than a title in an email signature, and potential content or final decision-making abilities, communications look and feel similar no matter what directional path it is taking.

As the chapter progresses, we’ll discuss the life cycle of a team, and provide tools and strategies for you to consider in your next group or team experience. 

Attributions: 

Information for this section was modified from 

Business Communication for Success Copyright © 2015 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. 

References:

Adler, R. B. (2019). Communicating at work: Strategies for success in business and the professions. (12th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.