Have you ever been a part of a team where there weren’t clear direction of goals? Did you notice a sense of lack of trust? Or that some members ventured off doing their own thing, while others sat back and blamed “lack of communication” for their lack of effort? Now think back to a time where there was a leader that stepped up and took control. Did they give the group a clear sense of direction and maintained constant communication with the group to encourage collaboration and timely input and feedback of all members? As Cieri (2016) stated, “A cohesive team can consistently outperform a collection of talented individuals”. More than likely, the positive experience displayed Hackman and Walton’s (1986) three components of effective teams (Pennsylvania State University, 2018, p. 6).
The first component for an effective team as defined by Hackman and Walton (1986) is “clear, engaging direction” (Pennsylvania State University, 2018, p. 6). The goal(s) of the team should be clear and concise. All members should be competent (Pennsylvania State University, 2018, p. 6) and know their responsibility in reaching the team goals.
The second component for an effective team is “an enabling performance situation” (Pennsylvania State University, 2018, p. 6). This means that the “members must have a sense of identification with one another” (Pennsylvania State University, 2018, p. 6). When I think back to the most effective teams that I have been a part of, I know there was a relational part of the team where we were able to get to know a little about each other in regards to likes, dislikes and personality. We also were also aware when one person was struggling, whether it was a personal or professional issue. The team would pull together to help in any way we could. This helped develop trust, meaning we were “able to work together and rely on one another” (Pennsylvania State University, 2018, p. 6).
In my personal situation of being on an effective team, we also held each other accountable to ensure “standards of excellence”. Our individual work was shared with the group and the group was allowed to make edits. The individual could either accept or reject the edits, but the whole group had access to the edits. This encouraged each person “to perform at their highest level” (Pennsylvania State University, 2018, p. 6).
The third component for an effective team as determined by Hackman and Walton (1986) is “adequate material resources” (Pennsylvania State University, 2018, p. 6). This means having the “money, equipment, or supplies to accomplish” (Pennsylvania State University, 2018, p. 6) the team’s goals.
I have been a part of both effective and non-effective teams. It is true that “Teams will have great difficulty in organizational cultures that are not supportive of such collaborative work and decision making” (Northouse, 2016). I saw this great difficulty in my non-effective teams and witnessed a breakdown in communication and trust. Whereas on my effective team, we had trust, collaboration, respect, encouragement, productivity and positive outcomes.
Cieri, M. (2018). (2016, January 2). LinkedIn. The Balancing act of team leadership. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/balancing-act-team-leadership-mike-cieri
Hackman, J.R., & Walton, R.E. (1986). Leading groups in organizations. In P.S. Goodman &Y Associates (Eds.), Designing effective work groups (pp. 72-119). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory in practice. Team Leadership. Western Michigan University. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Pennsylvania State University. (2018). Lesson 9: Team leadership. PSYCH 485: Leadership in work settings. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1925331/modules/items/23786592
djh5474 says
Learning to be part of a team is a challenge in and of itself then being able to add knowledge and information so that the team members can use while creating a plan adds another level of complexity that most of us are not trained for. The three components as defined by Hackman and Walton (1986) are an excellent process to learn from to form effective teams with members that can build a sharing leadership experience and standard of excellent to reach the final project goal or plan (Williams, 2018, p. 6).
I have also working in teams that were effective and ineffective. Learning the components to guide team leaders on how to motivate members and maintain team functions is key to overall success of the project outcome. Goals that are clear, concise, and well-defined help the team members set left and right limits during their development stages (Northouse, 2016, p. 368). A shared leadership environment can also assist the team members in creating a unified commitment and collaborative environment which enhances team cohesion and planning success as I have learned from my many leadership courses and team planning events (Northouse, 2016, p. 369-370).
Working in my organization, we are taught to motivate, direct, and empower our team members by involving everyone’s specialty to mold and shape the path necessary to reach our clear and concise goal along with alternate plans that can be reviewed or implemented to create a final project (ADRP 6-22, 2012, p. 1-4). Blending both the components from Hackman and Walton (1996) with my organization’s leadership style, a team can truly be effective and create a project that has been thoroughly reviewed and discussed with everyone’s specialty that involves the experience and knowledge from every member resulting in a team that can be effective on future projects.
I believe you nailed developing an effective team on the head with the three components from Hackman and Walton (1996) and illustrate a process that can be used by team members from many different work environments. I also think that learning a shared leadership process can help influence leaders, inexperienced and experienced, to help guide their team members and reduce stressors that can hinder project outcomes. Excellent post!
Respectfully,
Debra
References:
Headquarters, Department of the Army. (2015) Commander and Staff Organization and Operations. Army Doctrine Reference Publication No. 6-22. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/djharleygirl/AppData/Local/Temp/Temp1_Pubs.zip/Pubs/fm6_0.pdf, p. 1-4.
Northouse, Peter G. (2016). Team Leadership. Leadership: Theory and Practice (7th ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Williams, Jason. (2018). Critical Functions of Team Leadership. PSYCH 485 – Lesson 9 Lecture Notes. Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1923777/modules/items/23736260