"The instrument of sustained and lasting success in management is not the individual but the team" Anthony Jay.
Long ago it was considered that teamwork can generate great benefits when carrying out a task, "two heads think more than one" or "the united people will never be defeated" are popular phrases that demonstrate this, but beyond this conception Popular in the business environment is rarely analyzed, in a rigorous way, the formation of Teams or Work Groups.
There are several key elements to keep in mind for teams to be highly efficient, for example, it would be difficult for a group to achieve good results if there is no trust among its members. Basically the elements are the following three pairs:
Assessment and Motivation
Trust and Empathy
Communication and Commitment
- Valuation and Motivation: it is vital that each member of the group carries out a task that is recognized and valued by the other members, but also, this activity must be satisfactory for himself. These two characteristics, assessment of others and self-assessment, become the best motivating factor for individuals specifically and for the team in general.
- Trust and Empathy: Although members do not have to be close friends, it is important that there is a good working relationship between them and that each one trusts the work of others. Each member must be sure of what he or she does and what others do, and must also understand the importance of their own work and the general function of the group.
- Communication and Commitment: each element of an organization has a function that mixes with that of the others and the merger of all leads to the achievement of business objectives. When forming a work team, it is necessary to ensure that there are sufficient communication channels that allow all members to know the general objectives that guide their work. In addition, each member must have the commitment to achieve the objectives of the group and the organization in general.
In addition to the three basic factors, in order to form effective work teams that achieve results and in which a minimum amount of conflict occurs, it is necessary to be very clear about the functions that each member will perform and the characteristics of the individual that will perform these functions..
Meredith Belbin, through different studies carried out in the United Kingdom, identified in her book "Management Teams: why they succed or fail" nine functions that contribute to the construction of ideal teams. The nine functions describe the positions of the individuals according to the characteristics of each one. These are:
1. Plant: Whoever performs this function has great ingenuity and creativity, has the ability to solve difficult problems and is not characterized by being attached to the rules or etiquette. Its main weakness is the difficulty in relating to ordinary people who do not have high levels of creativity.
2. Coordinator: coordinators are self-confident, have a high degree of maturity in all aspects of their lives, radiate confidence through the pores, do not necessarily make decisions but do promote others to make them, it is a great goal-setting and not necessarily the smartest of the group members.
3. Trainer: He is an extrovert and relates easily to others, pressures and challenges others to achieve goals, is good at solving problems and tends to be angry.
4. Teamworker: makes friends easily, is accommodating, prefers to listen, avoids conflict, is highly perceptive but very indecisive in making critical decisions.
5. Finisher: perfectionist, accomplished his job, anxious, meticulous, discovers mistakes that others would not discover, is not good at delegating and tends to worry about more.
6. Initiator: conservative, prefers action to ideas, is suspicious, disciplined, and uncompromising.
7. Resource Investigator: Initially, he is very enthusiastic but after this fervor he loses interest, is an extrovert, enthusiastic and a good communicator.
8. Specialist: focuses on a narrow field of action but does it very well, is dedicated and dynamic, provides unusual knowledge.
9. Supervisory Evaluator: he is the strategic one of the group, he is insightful and moderate, good analyst but bad motivator.
The nine functional categories added to the three basic factors will allow to create work teams in which individuals complement each other and can develop their group activity in a successful way.
