"Teamwork is worth more than the sum of the contributions of the individuals that comprise it." Bradley L. Kirkman (Univ. North Carolina).
Work teams
General
A group in a general sense can be said to be a set of people who can relate to each other, regardless of the formality of their composition, now, in our case we will study it not as the algebraic sum of people, but much more, it is:
"A group of people who work towards a common goal for a time and with an equally common procedure or methodology."
The study of groups is largely due to the one who is regarded as its initiator, the German psychologist Kurt Lewin, nationalized in the US, who is considered to be the creator of the science of groups. Consideration is also given to the work carried out by Dr. Meredith Belbin, especially the relevance of her work related to the differences between functional roles and team roles and her considerations on their importance.
The activities must be distributed according to the knowledge, characteristics and possibilities of the members of the group, in such a way that it allows obtaining the desired result, which would not be possible to achieve with individual work, or at least in the same magnitude and productivity.
Every team has a work content that expresses its task, also considering the relationships between its members.
We can express that an organization is made up of several teams or groups (with the proposed approach), so the results of its work will depend on the combination of the results of the teams.
Characteristics of the Work Teams
A team must be formed when certain circumstances that require it are present, among which are: when the work to be carried out requires different specialties, skills or knowledge that are not feasible for a single individual to achieve; when with the team we can achieve greater effectiveness, efficiency, speed, quality or another specific attribute; when the work is very exhausting or stressful for an individual and may affect his or her physical or mental health.
In addition to the above, it is necessary to state that a team may have certain characteristics which we must know in order to carry out our work in order to guarantee the best work results, we can cite some of them:
• The number of members is dependent on the tasks to be carried out and the resources available for it.
• Its members must possess complementary knowledge, skills and competencies, this allows each member to play a role within the team, the roles are posed through different ways among them, what is expected of the person who occupies the role, what the individual believes that he must do and ultimately what he really does.
• They can be homogeneous when the knowledge, needs, motivations and other aspects are similar, otherwise they will be heterogeneous.
• Teams can be formal or informal. The first when they are created by the formal structure of the organization, its activities and functions are defined. and they can have different variants such as: project teams, committees, management groups, departmental groups and others. Informal teams are created as a consequence of the interrelation and interaction of people and the latter in many occasions overestimate the needs of the group to the individual ones. They do not have the official ties of formal groups and their members feel socially satisfied and have a high spirit of communication and collaboration.
• Each member, with their individual and collective responsibility, depending on the group or the organization as a whole.
• Cohesion and solidarity among its members, to the extent that it is greater, so will the results be obtained. According to Stonner (2004).
Administration, cohesion is "the degree of solidarity and positive feelings that individuals feel for their group", it is also stated that they contribute to raising group cohesion: setting common goals and objectives, deepening the interrelation and interaction between its members. Komanecky and Nicholas, in the cited work, express that “the conflict with individuals or outside groups increases the cohesion of the team.
• Values are individual, collective, and shared.
• There is leadership through a leader who can be formal (appointed by the organization) or informal (when the authority is given by the group), the coincidence of both leaders in the same person can occur. The formal leader guides the team towards achieving its objectives and tasks and the informal leader focuses her work on the social satisfaction of the members of the group, trying to increase solidarity and group unity.
• The behavior of the group is largely governed by its task or by the interrelationships of its members.
• Existence of rules, norms or procedures of common application, which must be shared by all. Norms can be created to try to guarantee the fulfillment of the task, that is, the work to be done, and also to fulfill the team's non-formal objectives. They may correspond to the particularities of the group or to elements external to it, such as the organization, country region or branch of work. The acceptance of the rules by the individual is a function of some aspects such as: coincidence of their interests with those of the group and / or wishing for the acceptance of the group, among others. The norms make it possible to assess the behavior of the members and contribute to regulating it both individually and collectively.
• Each team has its group dynamics, which are the acting psychic forces such as dominance, love, grudges, sympathy, and others.
Stages of team building
The teams are not formed with the simple union of the participants but through a process of several stages, before reaching maturity, which are:
• Training (affiliation).
• Organization.
• Realization.
• Maturity.
They begin with training (affiliation), then organization, realization and finally maturity.
In this training stage, members try to get to know each other and integrate through an initial information process carried out by team members. In this learning period, the members know each other, begin to understand the size of the problem that is presented to them, implement the rules and objectives as a team, and begin to share the values on which the group will be based, although it does not yet exist in the members the appropriate sharpness in the values and objectives.
This stage is characterized by: although they try to appear safe, there is insecurity of the members before the others, the performance is not yet free but shy, there is no defined leadership, some members are not accepted, the personal interests of the members are still maintained hidden and have not defined what the group expects of them. In the formation, policies will be formulated to regulate the performance of the group, the members must designate a leader-moderator for the best performance of the group. The members will establish borders although they will try to avoid conflicts between them.
In the organization stage, the roles of the members are delimited and the team spirit is formed, which makes it possible to unite it, although there is still no deep identity. Confidence increases and ideas and opinions are exposed to the group, beginning to lose fear and take risks that were previously avoided. Knowledge of values and objectives is deepened, although personal objectives predominate. At this point the team dynamics begins. The figure of a leader is brewing; whose function is to stimulate communication and interaction, moderates the members, and provides feedback to the members regarding their behaviors and attitudes. Informal groups begin to form. At this stage it will be defined who will be the leader, which will motivate and facilitate the cohesion of the team.The activity of the leader will not be permanent, since in the long term it is sought that the team be self-directed.
In the realization stage, the highest productivity is achieved. Greater productivity is having greater results with the same or fewer resources. In the team at this stage, its objectives predominate, communication and cooperation are expanded and members know and manage the rules and values are shared, as well as information. The feeling of belonging to the group increases. A common method is applied, the skills and talent of the members are used to solve the problems.
The leader facilitates processes and helps group decision-making, supports opinions and motivates members to improve the solution that has been reached. It works and supports in the elaboration of the action plan to take advantage of the opportunities or the solution of problems, it makes possible and achieves integration and interrelates the members, making possible the use of the qualities of each one.
At this stage, a mechanism must be created that allows the group to take decisions appropriately.
At maturity the members have internalized the objectives and made them part of their own interests and act interdependently. Acting in this way is carried out in collaboration with the group and with its collaboration. Members work with high creativity and respond consciously to solving problems or taking advantage of opportunities. The objectives are achieved with logical, adequate and coherent decisions. High confidence among the members of the group allows antagonistic contradictions between formal and informal groups not to manifest.
The leader in the maturity stage does not exert the same influence, his work is aimed at helping the group to guarantee high productivity of work and continuous improvement of the same.
These stages should not be seen as a rigid element in terms of duration of each one of them nor of the total process, nor as a scheme where each aspect appears in detail in an identical way. Each group has its specificities and its situational characteristics, so that no process will be the same as another even if the stages in question are followed.
Dr. Belbin's criteria in the analysis of team roles
We know that Belbin has carried out important work related to groups and above all with the different team roles that may arise and that, according to him, it is necessary to take into account when forming a team and for which the characteristics of the same combining them with the different roles posed by him.
The nine roles that Belbin has exposed are the following:
• Coordinator (President).
Focus the team towards the objectives, with an adequate vision of them. It manages the interaction between members through its authority, taking into account the characteristics of each one and with a profile towards the common objective. In general, they have the characteristics of people with self-control, discipline and delegate authority according to the potential of each member of the team.
• Thinker (Ideologist).
They are creative people, with great intelligence and knowledge. Their originality and creativity leads them to express clear and well-focused ideas in solving problems or taking advantage of opportunities. They are not characterized by developing their ideas in practice or attending to details.
• Resource researcher.
They can be creative but not in generating new ideas, they are characterized by developing other people's ideas. They are very good at gathering information and negotiating, especially with people outside their team, which allows them to solve problems or take advantage of opportunities. They are not intimidated by challenges, which is why they motivate and enthuse the members of the collective.
• Modeler (Shaper).
They are people whose role is task oriented, displaying great dynamism and energy in meeting the team's objectives. They work in the unit of objectives within the group, they are capable of making quick and accurate decisions. They like challenges and are not afraid of them.
• Constructor (Worker) of equipment.
His work focus is towards the relational, listening and supporting people. They are promoters of harmony, cohesion and the creation of team spirit, being very capable and important in groups prone to conflict. Sometimes they are not very dynamic.
• Controller (Evaluator).
Its main characteristic is the conscientious analysis of the problems and situations that are presented to it, not issuing answers or criteria lightly.
In conflictive situations they are highly analytical evaluating the different options that may be presented, determining the best solution with fairness and efficiency. They are also forward-looking in situations where problems may arise.
• Specialist.
Their tendency is towards acquiring knowledge and skills about a specialty with the aim of becoming experts in that field or branch. They have a high ego towards their professional improvement, but they do not show themselves in the same way before the work of the other team members. The decisions they make are based on their high professional level.
• Finisher (Finisher).
They are very concerned that the results turn out well, being exhaustively careful with the details, checking them to make sure the task is completed. Compliants with the scheduled both in time and quality.
• Director (Implementer).
The role of this person is to organize and find the method to carry out specific tasks and with the possibility of carrying out the ideas, approaches, criteria and decisions that are made or contributed, that is, they are concentrated on practical plans and programs. They are characterized by methodical and systematic work, contributing great effort to achieve it without taking into account a particular taste for some task, they tend to manifest themselves in this way with any task.
According to Balbín, it is unlikely that a team can bring together exactly the nine roles, each one in a person, another essential aspect is that each activity will require certain roles more than others, so according to the task the most necessary roles can be determined..
In Jay, R. (1995). How to create a management team (Pages 34 and 35), some factors expressed by Balbín for a team to succeed are raised, they are:
• The profile of the role of the person leading the team should be similar to that of the Coordinator.
• A good team needs a thinker.
• There must be someone to stimulate.
• The more roles the team has, the better it will perform.
• Match the characteristics of the members with the responsibility assumed within the team.
• Adjust appropriately and as quickly as possible the imbalances that occur.
Team work advantages
Teamwork provides us with multiple advantages, not only that of being able to use all the capabilities of its members, let us expose some of them:
• Increases productivity and quality of work.
• Provide a greater number of suggestions or proposals in solving problems or taking advantage of opportunities.
• Thanks to collaboration and consistent work, team members feel a greater motivation for work and also have greater job satisfaction.
• The teams have greater knowledge and skills than the individual to solve problems.
• The rotation (fluctuation) of the work is decreased.
• Greater participation in decision-making increases the sense of belonging.
Despite these undeniable advantages, it is necessary to consider the appropriate handling of different situations that, when focused or managed incorrectly, could be disadvantageous for the group, among them we have: taking into account the time taken to make a decision, this should not lead us to limit improperly analysis; attention to the different interests that may exist between team members; as well as with different ideas and opinions.
Suggestions for improving teamwork
• Periodically review the performance of each member and the group, acknowledging success, especially the team as a whole since it increases collective morale and cohesion, this does not mean that the personal merits of any member cannot be recognized.
• The group's objective must be present in all the actions, which, like the tasks, must be concrete and involve all members.
• Freely express your ideas and opinions, clearly and honestly, without subterfuge or double intentions.
• Solve problems in time and use creative decisions and criteria, being very helpful if they have arisen from the group members themselves.
• Plan the steps of the action.
• Sharing the necessary information, thus increasing the members' ability to act, another aspect of utmost importance is the constant elevation of communication and coordination between members and between team leaders and team members.
• Constantly increase the cohesion of the group, through all possible routes.
• Promote the participation and expression of ideas by everyone, also allowing group autonomy so that it can carry out its work. It must be ensured not to minimize or underestimate the ideas, opinions and criteria of the members.
• Do not allow the proliferation of destructive conflicts and in unavoidable cases, do not ignore them but manage them adequately in an open way and encouraging them to find the best solution.
These aspects that have been exposed are very important to take into account during the work of the team, this is a necessary but not a suffering condition since on repeated occasions when success and good results are achieved in the team there is a tendency towards staticity without taking into account that people's interests and motivations may vary, as well as the task to be carried out or other conditions for which it is necessary, even if working successfully, to guarantee a preparation plan for the members that allows not only to increase the technical training but also in other general aspects such as teamwork, communication; Another element is the incentive and promotion of the team through different routes such as more demanding tasks, increasing responsibilities,salary increase or other material or moral stimulation, the above should contribute to growth not only numerically but in category or rank within the organization.
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