High-Performance Team
Abstract
This paper will explain how a group within an organization becomes a high-performance team. It will also examine the impact of demographic characteristics and cultural diversity on group behavior. The paper will try to describe how demographic characteristics and cultural diversity contribute to, or detract from high-performance teams.
Introduction
There are a number of elements that are necessary for the creation of any team. These include: two or more individuals, a common team goal, and the necessary resources of time, materials, space, and perhaps money needed to accomplish and then sustain the goal. High Performance teams learn and demonstrate behaviors that are not exhibited by most teams. In most organizations teams are formed to either make decisions or implement decisions. High Performance Teams are expected to both decide how change is to occur, and implementing the change. High Performance Teams need to take this dual role into consideration and choose both individuals who are thought to be leaders and influencers in the organization and individuals who have varied backgrounds and experience. While High Performance Teams can be implemented to achieve any significant business purpose, they are most often formed to achieve dramatic improvements within the processes. However, High Performance Teams need to take into consideration the effects demographics, and cultural diversity will have on the overall success of the team.
From Group to High Performance Team
Three key characteristics of High Performance Team building involve trust, respect, and support. Support involves actively keeping an eye on the other team members and demonstrating a willingness to help each other out when help is needed. High Performance teams are always conscious of quality and strive to improve the quality of their teamwork as well as the quality of their output. A common practice for High Performance Teams is to have a leader or manager. The team leader is responsible for teaching team building behavior. Leaders are also helpful in making certain that the team receives guidance and training as needs arise.
Organizations decide to assemble High Performance Teams for different reasons. There are times when organizations are strong in some areas, but very weak in others. A successful organization, who strives to be strong in ev...
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...ement in the Army is 42 years old. High Performance Teams in the Army do not suffer from changes in the country?s demographic landscape because of the turnover rate and promotions.
Conclusion
High Performance Teams are a very important part of an organization. The person in charge of putting together this high performance team has to take several things into account for it to be successful. Cultural diversity and demographics hold a big stake in this process. The make up of this team relies heavily on the team member?s ages, gender, position, number of years in position, and cultural diversity. Managers have to find the perfect combination of all these factors then teach and implement team building behavior amongst the members. Training and guidance is also vital to achieve the desired effect of a highly productive, problem solving team that sets them apart from the rest of the organization.
References
Special Forces, (2005) Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, (2005)
L?Allier, James J. Ph.D. & Kolosh, Kenneth (June, 2005)
Cox, Taylor (1994) University of Michigan
Bruhn, John (1996) Pennsylvania State University
From the author’s perspective there are certain factors needed to build a strong team to overcome the obstacles the team faces. Davis, the author, thought that one of the factors necessary to build a strong team is to have a leader who can motivate the team to do their best. Another factor that the author thinks is necessary to have in the team is to have cooperation among the team
I think others are also important. High performing team might not have all the needed qualities for the organization to move forward, they have just figured out how to work together and use their strength together to meet and exceed goals.
Groups are defined as two or more people who work regularly with one another to achieve common goals (Schermerhorn, Hunt, & Osborn, 2005, Chapter 9). For a group to become a high-performance team, the team needs to be able to use their collective skills and behaviors to become an efficient model working towards a common goal. Having a common goal will make each team member accountable for the success and failure of the team. Since each team member is accountable to the team, each member's behavior will have an effect on the team. Cultural diversity and demographic characteristics affect an individual's behavior. Behavior caused by diversity and demographic characteristics will be a determining factor whether or not a group can be a high-performance team.
In today’s industries, companies demand a kind of responsiveness, speed, and quality that is beyond the reach of individual performance. High performance teams generate commitment and provide the structures that inspire employees to give their very best effort. Compared to employees working alone, teams make better decisions, products, and services. Companies rely on team’s ability to perform at high levels and quickly adapt to escalating demands. With the right number of people and complementary skills teams work together and fuse their talents to deliver tangible performance results.
If the recruitment of people is focused on their passions and strengths, an empowered team can be created (Hasenfeld, 2010). An increased culture of inclusion can be achieved by hiring employees that come from diverse backgrounds. If teammates come from diverse backgrounds there would not be any sense of bias and favoritism. This could help decrease the high employee turnover, because it decreases intergroup conflict (Hansefeld, 2010). Due to the lack of diversity, teammates who are expected to follow and meet the core values, and who do not agree with all the decisions could fear speaking up. Teammates could also feel that if they do share their ideas and concerns, they will not be listened to. When teammates cannot believe their input matter, it creates hostility (Yulk, 2012). Diversity can increase positive relationships and allow teammates to voice their concerns (Allen, Dawson, Wheatley, and White,
Individuals have their own personalities that can influence their enthusiasm and productivity within an organization. In addition, individuals also form groups and are part of teams that work together to reach a common goal within organization. According to Gibson, Ivancevich, Donnelly, and Konopaske (2009) dedicated and cohesive teams can have a tremendous impact on organizations effectiveness and the global market. However, all of this happens within the frame-work of office politics and can hinder or enhance the organization’s effectiveness. Therefore, it is important to not only understand individuals, but also groups, teams and office politics within the organization. This will help leaders to plan, organize and motive individuals and groups for the best possible outcome for the organization.
Effective teams must be developed, not just formed. A group is not a team. Members of a group may sometimes work together, but members of a team always work together. The team need not all be in the same place to be working together. “With a group, the whole is often equal to or less than the sum of its parts; with a team, the whole is always greater” (Oakley, Brent, Felder and Elhajj, 2004). A team, as defined above, has certain characteristics that make it effective. Not all of these traits are present when a team is in the forming stage. Tea...
Demographic diversity is necessary for a team to be successful. A high performance team not only has these demographics present within the make-up of the team members, but a high performance team also has the ability to take these distinct characteristics and use these differences for the team's benefit. Each member from a differing demographic characteristic possesses a unique view on various issues. These assorted viewpoints, moral values and beliefs are what help the team broaden their vision and help produce a better result. Creating a team with diverse backgrounds is only the first step to creating a high performance team. If the team's members are not willing to accept differing viewpoints and opinions, than the team is likely to fail.
The components of a good team should be considered. First, a high-performance team must have strong core values to guide attitudes and behavior consistent with the team's purpose. The members should know why the team is created and why he or she is on the team. Secondly, a team should have specific performance objectives. Members should know exactly what they are trying to accomplish. This also includes having standards for measuring results and ways of obtaining performance feedback. A good team will make members realize the importance of collective efforts. Third, a high-performance team has the right mix of skills. These involve technical, interpersonal, decision-making, and problem-solving skills. No one needs to know how to do it all, but each member should be able to contribute to the group....
The exploration of two models will show an interesting relationship when compared and contrasted. Both can increase competency levels in team building. The models are the Drexler/Sibbet Team Performance model (Human Performance Strategies) and the Four Stage Team Performance model (Developing Management Skills). When they have been used correctly they’ve been shown to improve efficiency and profitability in organizations. “Developing team skills is important because of the tremendous explosion in the use of teams in work organizations over the last decade (Developing Management Skills).” An examination of these models will show the similarities and differences they have in the context of team building.
Companies that have been successful in organizing hi performing teams have reaped the benefits of having appropriate team cohesiveness. However, contrary for companies that have tried and failed at the everchanging task of keeping the lines of communication open between employees and leaders to reach a final product. It is not wise for a leader to place emphasis on team member relationships alone, but more importantly on problem solving techniques and motivating each individual and the team as a whole. Organizations that have set out to improve the quality of the products and business structu...
Many businesses place an emphasis on the importance of teamwork. A good team consists of people with different skills, abilities and characters. A successful team is able to blend these differences together to enable the organisation to achieve its desired objectives.
We will explore what it takes for a working group to become a high performance team. We will see how these teams are formed and how a high performance team could benefit a company and we will see how demographics and cultural diversity affect them. High performance teams are teams that get together for a specific important task. It is important for everyone that is apart of the high performance team to have the same purpose and or goals. If the teammates have different goals or motives then it can make it difficult for the team to be effective. Everyone who is participating with the team should trust or learn to trust each other. Along with trust, which may be even more important, is respect. Respect is such an important aspect in any type of team, especially a high performance team. If all of the members in the high performance team trust and respect one another, it makes it easier to achieve success.
Realizing that a group can become a high performance team is important. Accomplishing this goal is invaluable, advantageous and profitable. Once able to operate from a group to the high performing team is a great step into preparation into the big business world. Leaders and members must also realize not only how to accomplish this but that some problems will and can arise from different demographic characteristics and cultural diversity. That is if one is in such a group, which the probability would be quite high.
It causes them to think, plan and make decisions according to the team. In the past teamwork culture has taken a backseat. However with changing times, organizations understood the importance of nurturing and promoting the culture of teamwork (p.1). In order to promote teamwork, management leaders need to clearly communicate to everyone that the expectation of exceptional work is not just an individual level but at a team level and collaboration is expected out of every team (p.2). Teams that are demonstrating teamwork should be recognized. According to Conway (n.d) “ set expectations that bonuses, rewards, or compensation will vary depending on the collaborative practices adopted and followed by each team along with the individual achievements and contribution as a team member (p.2). Management should also share the outstanding achievements with other teams and organizations, so that people feel encouraged to participate and nature the team work culture