When I worked for a National Security Bank, as secretary to the President and Vice President in the Secondary Marketing Department, it was intense at times. I recall the day when head bank officials decided to move our department of approximately 50 employees, to another area of the building to increase productivity. I was assigned to a team of six employees, and our task was to coordinate the move. The department manager was responsible to oversee our team and during the initial task meeting, we were provided with a to-do-list. The manager (our leader) basically instructed us to complete the task on time, which meant, we were basically left on our own. The guideline was important to follow, as the timeline to complete the move was critical. It may sound like a simple task because the move would occur in the same building, however, everything would need to be moved (i.e., equipment, furniture, sensitive document files) within a narrow time frame. Bank officials from headquarters were meeting with investors on a specific day, and our department needed to be in order to generate documents required for bank officials to review for their meeting.
Team effectiveness, which focuses on team excellence or the desired outcomes of teamwork comprises of two critical functions of team effectiveness. Performance (task accomplishment) and development (team maintenance). Performance refers to the quality of the outcomes of the team’s work, and development refers to the cohesiveness of the team and the ability of team members to satisfy their own needs while working effectively with other team members (Nadler, 1998). Excellent teams accomplish both of these objectives: getting the job done and maintaining a cohesive team. Following the meeting with our leader, our goal was clear and elevating (Northouse, 2013).
Our team successfully completed the task on time and with minimal guidance. Our leader selected team members carefully based on our characteristics that demonstrated team excellence. We were given a clear, elevating goal. Our team developed/followed a results-driven structure (timeline), created a unified commitment within the team, displayed a collaborative climate as all team members worked well together, provided a standard of excellence, which was evident shown through our work habits, and utilized external support and recognition when necessary.
REFERENCES:
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications
fxc5120 says
Its good to hear that your team accomplished the task at hand in a timely manner eve though you were under a bit of pressure. I think it is important to take things into consideration when choosing a team. It really makes a difference when it comes to the outcome of the project. I recently had to interact with a coworker that didn’t see eye to eye with my way of going about things, and only because it was me leading the group. Although it was difficult to deal with we pulled through and completed the project. I think had I been paired with a different group of people the project would have went a lot smoother and faster. However, the upside to the group I was placed in allowed me to put my differences with this individual and do what was best for the team. A great lesson learned.
Darrin Thomas Leisey says
It is great that it seems like your boss chose a capable team that was enabled to complete the task with very little guidance. Often times in my company teams are chose because of job titles and the teams often lack the necessary skill set to accomplish tasks. They also receive little direction on how or when things need to be completed. Communication is the key to effective teamwork and without it the team has little chance in succeeding.
mmv5127 says
It’s great to hear that you team was effective in meeting the required deadline for your department and were able to deliver for your boss. It is disheartening though to hear that it sounds like he/she said “this is what needs to get done and when, go do it.” When you all completed the task you were probably tired, wore out, and hungry, then when it all comes together you might get a “thanks.” In the board room, that leader is probably getting congratulated on getting the office moved on-time and without incident and in the future will probably be looked at for a promotion. I guess my question based on looking from the outside is, did you receive any type of reward/feedback from leadership outside of him for completing the task in the given timeframe? By the sounds of it he is an extremely “directed” leadership style. Would you agree? I have been around those types of leaders who take all the credit for their subordinates work, it is upsetting if something is not said by those employees so they get the credit they deserve. If this is the case, did you all do anything to get any recognition or did you get any types of recognition?