Nut Island Effect

#1. Do the people at Nut Island represent a cohesive team?

The team from Nut Island had the potential to accomplish great things. They were a very cohesive team. Cohesiveness relates to the degree to which members are attracted to and motivated to remain part of that team. A cohesive group member values his or her membership and strives to maintain a positive relationship within the group. Every person working at Nut Island wanted to be there and would not let anything get in the way of their team.

When looking at only the cohesiveness of a team, Nut Island would be a good example. They worked together and enjoyed what they did at the sewage plant. Employees worked overtime without being paid for it and without complaining. They used everyone's skills to take care of the plant and the plant equipment.

#2. Is Nut Island an example of a successful team? Explain (a) why or why not and (b) the role team cohesiveness played.

(a.) 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....

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... does become too close, a manager can attempt to decrease the cohesiveness. The group needs to be shaken up, and changes need to be made. A manager can start a disagreement between members. A highly cohesive group will always avoid a conflict. Some sort of different between group members might allow them to realize they are not doing the right thing. A manager has the option of replacing group members and changing the size of a group. A new person with new ideas might stop groupthink from happening. A manager should make sure the members are focused on the right adversary. At Nut Island group members felt isolated from management. They were focused on the wrong adversary. This completely changed their goals and objectives, and they no longer worried about keeping the harbor clean. Finally, the team had to be disbanded when sewage treatment was moved to another plant.