We have all probably heard the phrase, “Teamwork makes dream(s) work”. Belief that a team of people can accomplish something greater than an individual is a smart assumption. This stood out to me when reading over the lesson and the topic of networking came up. When we think of networking I doubt many of us would think of team leadership in this setting. However if you join a specific group of people, such as the APA, someone has to lead that organization. Networking can be thought of as a team looking to tackle goals, typically goals relevant to the group you are associated with. As an example a LinkedIn group for recent graduates in psychology looking for entry level jobs would have a common goal. This is one of the three components mentioned by Hackman and Walton, a clear engaging direction.
I have noticed in my personal life that some groups I have joined have failed because they lacked a direction and goal. Last year I had joined a flag football league in my city to try and meet people with similar interests. It was with good intention, but it turned out to be a wasted effort that frustrated all parties involved. The team was made up of mostly individuals with no prior meetings with each other. We had went through the first two stages of team leadership in the forming and storming concepts. This team was riddled with conflict though in how we approach game strategy and positions. The problem with the group was we never made it to the norming stage, where one emerges as a leader and group norms are set. Due to this we lacked the most important aspect of a group being successful, a clear and engaging goal. It is interesting thinking back to this moment and how certain strategies would have helped us to become more successful in the group. It would have been better for this group to approach leadership as a shared responsibility, rather than a traditional leadership setting. Specifically with sports I think ideas can be shared and everyone can contribute something. Wrapping back to my original point, networking only works when we work as a team trying to accomplish a similar goal. We would have been more effective and learned more about each other if less time was spent debating strategy instead of just picking one and committing to that goal.
Letticia Cheri Banda says
You have a great point. Teamwork does make the dream work. A team or group may be comprised of many individuals who come from different walks of life. There must be a goal set ahead for regulating a group to function. When a goal is agreed upon by individuals of the group, every member is looked upon as a fellow member working toward the goal for the betterment of the group as one. If a leader is selected because he or she may have significant expertise in the goal that are being strived for then that is good too.
Before I read your blog, I just so happen to watch, The Wizard of Oz. I thought about teamwork making a dream work. Within this movie a lot of teamwork is exchanged to better each character along their journey. They each shared the same goal in hopes to seeing the Wizard of Oz. They each faced challenges but helped each other along the way. “Team members must work collectively to achieve their goal”. (Northouse,2016)
If they had not helped each other along the journey they wouldn’t have made it. Their teamwork involved each member to share a responsibility in working through challenges with each other and along the journey. “The ability of a team to collaborate or work well together is essential to team effectiveness”. (Northouse, 2016) Despite the Scarecrow not having a brain, he displayed a sense of optimism through Dorothy. She asked him to go on the journey with her to find the Wizard of Oz in hopes that he would grant them the desires of their hearts. It forced him to think about whether, or not this journey would be beneficial to him. The Scarecrow longed to have a brain, but he felt as if he never would until Dorothy appeared in his life. She gave him the courage he needed to be able to think on his own, and although he felt as if he didn’t have a brain, irony was displayed when he came up with the plan to trick the trees to get the apples for Dorothy. This occurred all before ever reaching the Wizard. Dorothy’s optimism was displayed throughout the entirety of the movie. She found herself on a journey with strangers who each had their own individual issues, but somehow, she found a way to not only help herself but also help them conquer their problems. Dorothy demonstrated self-efficacy every time she convinced her friends to display the very ability that they thought they lacked. She became the gateway to her company reaching their full potential. The Tin Man’s journey began when Dorothy came across him after he had been rusted for an unknown amount of time. Dorothy began to coat him in oil and celebrated by saying “perfect!”. The Tin Man thought that he was far from perfect because he lacked a heart thus letting the audience know that he couldn’t feel emotions. He became optimistic when Dorothy asked him to join her on her journey, hoping that the Wizard could find a solution to his issue. The Tin Man showed self-efficacy when they reached Oz. With which he received some much-needed lubrication, thus making him feel like a brand-new person, despite still not having a physical heart. The cowardly Lion had hopes to one day be brave and fearless. The Lion displayed bravery by saying, “yes”, when asked to join Dorothy and company on their journey to find the Wizard of Oz. This was also a showing of optimism by the Lion because e he believed that the Wizard could help him. “Shared team leadership occurs when members of the team take on leadership behaviors to influence the team and to maximize team effectiveness”. (Bergman, Rentsch, Small, Davenport, & Bergman,2012) He showed self-efficacy without even knowing it. Based on his behavior, he decided to follow strangers down a yellow brick road, although he initially tried to attack them. He took a chance having faith in hopes to reach the Wizard, displaying fearlessness. Leadership is a quality that many people desire to have but not all are able to possess. “Such power shifting within teams can lead to positive outcomes as long as team members see these shifting sources of power legitimate”. (Northouse, 2016)
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications
ajv5386 says
One of the criticisms for the Hill Model for team leadership is that there are many skills that
leadership might need to use to form a decision (Northouse, 2016, p. 383). Since your flag football team had trouble deciding on a clear objective. It also seems that none in the group was skilled in conflict resolution and interpersonal communication (Northouse, 2016, p. 384). It would also seem that your team had sharded leadership. In this type of team leadership, all members have to possess some type of leadership skills (Northouse, 2016, p. 384). It is important that all members know what the goal so that the team can be successful.
References
Northouse, P. (2016). Leadership Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks: SAGE.