None of us is as smart as all of us -Ken Blanchard. In an organization every one is a part of a team. It may be the Management Team, the Marketing Team or the HR Team, etc. Members of the team may have different ideologies, different aspects on an issue to be solved and they may represent different back grounds. Nevertheless, each team member has their strengths and weaknesses, and whilst each member of the team is an expert in what they do, we have to realize that not any one of us is as smart as all of us “together” as a team. When one acquires an opportunity to work in a team, he or she should know how effectively the team can work together and how they can get the right mix of skills and personalities. In addition they also need to understand that behind every successful team are team dynamics which must be practiced. It is these key ingredients that make it or break it for any business.
What do you really understand by the term “Team Dynamics”? It was initially mentioned by Kurt Lewin, an influential social psychologist in 1939 and he defined team dynamics as “positive and negative forces within groups of people. This can be explained as to how each group has its own psychological climate that influences group behaviour and performance. Moreover, each personality involved in the group subconsciously sets the direction of the group’s dynamics, regardless of whether it’s positive or negative.
Furthermore, team dynamics relates to how effective a team is going to be in their work performance and generating new ideas. As a result, it subsequently influences the overall outcome of the business organization. It is also a vital duty of Management and Human Resource managers to create positive group dynamics in teams. Thus, a team is created where the team members trust each other. They are ready to work collectively, provide support, productively brainstorm ideas and listen to other group members effectively. In groups with positive dynamics, team members feel comfortable with sharing their ideas and having constructive dialogue.
Every Business Organization needs to create team dynamics in order to achieve their goals, but it is important to recognize the signs of positive team dynamics. The first is “Open Communication” in the team; where the team will be free to discuss the issues, problems and innovative ideas about the project or work assigned to them. Secondly the “Alignment” of the team; where each team member clearly understands their duties , the roles they play , objective of the overall project and where it should be heading towards and the development to reach the set target. Furthermore, another crucial aspect is “Conflict resolution”; where each team member feels comfortable enough to resolve conflicts through discussion or take it to the group for public discussion. Additionally, another key aspect is “Commitment” to the project; each team member should be involved deeply and feels at ease to share their ideas on how to improve in a critical manner and accepting those ideas in order to reach their predetermined goals. Last but not the least is “Optimistic Thinking”; at a time when everything is going wrong the action of still believing in one another and having faith in them while committing themselves to make the project a success.
Team dynamics is a powerful force which can take any organization to a successful path and cause the organization to rise beyond expectation.
