Summative assessment activity 2

Question 1
a) Informal teams
Informal teams are generally formed for social purposes. They can help to facilitate
employee pursuits of common concerns, such as improving work conditions.

Traditional teams
Traditional teams are the organisational groups commonly thought of as departments or
functional areas. The team is expected to produce a product, deliver a service, or
perform a function that the organisation has assigned.

Problem-solving teams
Problem-solving teams or task forces are formed when a problem arises that cannot be
solved within the standard organizational structure.

b) A business is a comprehensive vision of the founder, owner, etc. This business would
have a vision and a mission of the founders that needs to be filled. This is then broken
down into smaller objectives – namely departments where similar functions are
grouped together to achieve the smaller part of the goal. In each department certain
tasks and activities need to be performed to achieve the smaller goals, people are given
these tasks and activities to do.
Therefore, we can safely say that if a team doesn’t perform it could lead to the overall
objective of the organisation not being met or it may not be met effectively and cost the
organisation money and time.
When members in a team contribute the characteristics as set out above, the individual
goals are met in accordance with the required performance, this then contributes to the
overall success of the organisation.

c) A group is a collection of people who do not share a common goal and do not work
together to achieve it. For example, a few strangers travelling in a lift is a group and not
a team.
A team can be defined as “a number of people, usually in the same place at the same
time, with the same general goals, who have the collective and coordinated skills
necessary to carry out their purpose or goal successfully”.
From the characteristics set out above and what we know about a group, it would be
fair to say a team compared to a group has a socially constructed phenomenon and
linking mechanisms that integrate individuals to form a team of people. Whereas a
group on the other hand doesn’t have a common goal or specific roles that are
dependent on each other.
 d) For a team to develop the characteristics of a good team, needs to establish the force
that stimulates change or progress within a system or process – hence a dynamic.
 Forming
 Storming
 Norming
 Preforming

Question 2

Stage 1: Forming
In the Forming stage, team members are getting to know one another and get comfortable with
one another. Members will naturally try to understand their own roles, the roles of the other
team members and their purpose in the group. This is entirely natural and to be expected.
People are unsure, suspicious, and nervous.

• Characteristics of Forming

Look for the following behaviours in the Forming stage:

• Members trying to define the task

• Idealistic, conceptual discussions as people try to express who they are

• Discussions about what information needs to be gathered

Help team members get to know one another. Make sure the purpose and task are clearly
defined and share management expectations of the group. Give the team time to get
comfortable with one another but move the team along as well.

Stage 2: Storming
Once the team has worked together for a while, they will leave the Forming stage and enter
Storming. This is where members become more familiar with each other and politeness begins
to wear off, and disagreement occurs over the basic mission and operating procedures. Control
often becomes the primary issue. Who is going to decide what? Disagreements can be either
obvious or subtle.
The ideas, attitudes, and behaviour that team members have brought with them are challenged
and sometimes dismissed. Competition between team members is typical at this time, but if the
members come through this stage, then a strong team will ensue.
Storming is the most difficult stage for a team to weather, but it is necessary for healthy team
development. When team members begin to trust one another enough to air differences, this
signals readiness to work things out.

• Characteristics of Storming
Look for the following behaviours in the storming stage:
• Members begin to show their true styles.

• A growing impatience will surface over the lack of progress.

• Members will get into one another's territory, causing irritation.

• General disagreement over process, task, and overall purpose of the team.

During this stage is important not to ignore the goings-on. Acknowledge it with the team as a
natural developmental step. The leader should bring the conflicts out into the open and address
them. This is a good time to review ground rules and revisit the purpose and related
administrative matters of the team.

Stage 3: Norming
The norming stage is when teams recognise their differences and deal with them, they move to
Norming, the stage when they ask, "How are we going to accomplish our work?"
Beyond the politeness and nervousness of Forming and past the issues and concerns of
Storming, teams will want to review how they are functioning. As team members learn to work
out their differences and emotional conflicts are reduced, they will have more time and energy
to focus on their purpose.
The team is settling down and establishing the norms under which it will operate. Experiments
with ideas establish the norms. It is at this stage that the team establishes patterns of
behaviour, levels of trust and decision methods.
• Characteristics of Norming

Look for the following behaviours in the norming stage:

• Ground rules and formal procedures that may have been overlooked in the beginning
are now taken more seriously.

• The team will want to discuss items more; less time will be spent on idea generation and
more on decision-making.

• Members will want to limit agenda items to focus on specific topics.

• Subgroups may be formed to move along faster.

• Conflicts are addressed and resolved.

At this stage, the team has the process down well. The task will take on new significance as the
team will want to accomplish its purpose. Leaders should keep this in mind and remind the
team of the task.

Stage 4: Performing
Finally, the team is complete, working together and capable of performing to its full capability.
Conflicts, roles, and problems of adjustment have been resolved, the team has entered the
‘performing’ stage.
Performing teams are just that, a highly effective, problem-solving units that can reach
solutions quickly and can even head off issues before they become problems.

• Characteristics of Performing

A team in the performing stage will:

• Be productive. Tasks will be accomplished, and the team will look for more to do.

• Be proactive, and not necessarily wait for direction from management.

• Demonstrate loyalty to the group, and respect for individual dissension and
Disagreement.

Question 3

Because Team Leaders are often hands-on, they can address any challenges that face the team
immediately, providing flexibility, evaluating performance, and examining the efficiency of
individual tasks. They improve effectiveness because they obtain mutual respect and solidarity,
by developing followership by building trust, respect, and loyalty amongst team members.
Furthermore, they allow for tough conversations and challenging debates or even negotiations
of business matters, they allow the team to be fully involved in decision making and goal
setting.

Question 4

We can conclude that the impact of the effectiveness of a style on improving team
effectiveness, is largely dependent on the individual members of a team and readiness to
accept the method. The Situational Leadership theories aim at addressing this through the
application of a variety of styles based on the situation. Therefore, if you had team members
that are self-motivated, disciplined, etc. Apply a leadership style that aims to achieve the best
result from each member based on their readiness.

Question 5

Build a healthy workplace culture:

Create an environment in which people can thrive, that has a positive impact on their
wellbeing. A place where they can feel safe to share their ideas – put up scribble boards (that
members can walk by and share their ideas in a quick note on the board or write down a
challenge for another member.
Understand Diversity
Help people understand that having leverage of a diverse team will equip the organisation
better in achieving ambitious objectives. Understand and educate members about the power of
diversity.
Diversity generally allows for other views from different people that have had different
experiences, which leads to different insights and perspectives.

Value Relationships
People enjoying working with one another tend to be more likely to fully engage and share
talents. Relationships of trust and respect provide great foundations for great teams.
Taking time to acknowledge and deal with conflicts that may arise, shows that you value the
members and is important in quality relationships.

Set the Behavioural Standards

Make members aware of what type of behaviour will and will not be accepted in the team.
Develop a set of core values and rules for the team to ensure that everyone understands what
is expected. While individual needs and objectives are important, ensuring commitment to the
team’s objectives is essential.

Hold Members Accountable

It is far too often that there are no consequences for unaccountability. Hold members
accountable, there is no point in setting expectations and there is no follow-through. If
someone doesn’t meet the expectations, act decisively to address the misalignment.

Resolve Conflict
No matter how tight-nit and efficient your team is at any stage, things can go wrong for many
reasons. Members may be overworked, have problems at home, disagree on what should be
done, etc. The point is conflict is inevitable. Recognise when members are struggling to relate
to each other, acknowledge and address them. Encourage open, honest, respectful discussions
that aim to resolve rather than hurt.