Team & Team Building

Table of Contents
Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………….1
Objective of the study
Classical Concept

1

2

Matrix Organization 3
Life Cycle of Team

4

Ingredients of Effective Teams

7

Potential Team Problems………………………………………………………………………………..9
Consequences of social loafing………………………………………………………………………..10
Causes of social loafing………………………………………………………………………………..10
Counseling the social loafer……………………………………………………………………………12
Ways to improve social loafing……………………………………………………………………......12
Group composition……………………………………………………………………………………..14
Trust………………………………………………………………………………………………………16
Ways to restore trust in workplace…………………………………………………………………….17
Other problems………………………………………………………………………………………….18
The Need for Team Building…………………………………………………………………………...19
The Process……………………………………………………………………………………………..20
Specific Team-Building Issues………………………………………………………………………..23
Skills Useful in Team Building…………………………………………………………………………26
Characteristics of Mature Teams……………………………………………………………………..28
Self-Managing Teams…………………………………………………………………………………..31
Advantages of Self-Managing Teams………………………………………………………………..31
Disadvantages of Self-Managing Teams……………………………………………………………34
Virtual Teams…………………………………………………………………………………………..37
Advantages of Virtual Teams………………………………………………………………………….37
Disadvantages of Virtual Teams………………………………………………………………………39
Findings………………………………………………………………………………………………….40
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………….41

Bibliography

Introduction
Every organization has teams with members working as one. Every team is normally built on a
foundation that bonds or ties the members together in every activity to encourage growth within

the unit. This is what is known as team building. Team building pertains to a variety of activities
and programs used by various organizations such as businesses, academic institutions, sports,
religious and non-profit groups with a purpose of enhancing team performance.
The activities are manifested using various methods and approaches, from a simple bonding
activity to challenging simulations to planned team building outings and retreats aimed to
develop everyone individually and collectively. Team building activities may include games,
exercises, drills, and team practices.
This report will explain the basic definition of a team, team concept, and the stages of a team
formation in order to gain a better understanding of the concept of team building. The need for
careful development of teams is stressed, and a new structure is self-managed team and virtual
team will be discussed.

Objectives of the study
The main objective of the study is to understand about team and different process of the team
building.
The following are the specific objectives of the study:


To know about the nature of the teams



Analysis a team life cycle



To discuss about the ingredients of effective teams



Identify the characteristics of mature team



To gain in depth knowledge about self-manage and virtual teams

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Classical Concept
Classical Concept Theory is the process of starting with the total amount of work to be done &
divide it to peoples.
So, it is basically,
Division of work:
Divide the work into different divisions, departments, work clusters, jobs & assignment of
responsibilities to people.
Delegation:
Assign duties, authority & responsibility to others which results multiple level of authority in an
operating hierarchy.
Strength & Weakness:
Classical Structure provides much support to the peoples. They act as like as mechanistic in their
attempts to get people to as effectively. Peoples are specialized in many activities. So, everyone
gets specialized support. They also get appropriate resources to perform the job, required security
& fairly dependable conditions of work.
On the other hand, there are some weak points also. It is not as good in psychological support. So
the people will not get psychological support during their work. But, organization should provide
both task support & psychological support for better output.

To mitigate the issues, organizations are using Modern Organizations now. Modern
Organizations has three characteristics.
Firstly, modern organizations are more flexible in nature. Many organizations have reduced their
hierarchy by downsizing & eliminating middle management positions. A number of
organizations tried to create boundary less organization system by eliminating the rigid barrier
among different functional units. Organizations are now ready to change according to the need.

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Secondly, organizations which have dynamic business environment basically follow the organic
forms of Modern Organizations which allow employees to think out of the box as there is no
specific way. Organic form is best for the employees who want autonomy, openness, variety,
changes & try new approaches.
Last but not the least; modern Organization is also open in nature. As people can work
according to their way, so people can express their feedback regarding different issues which
creates an open environment within the organization.

Matrix Organization:
Matrix organization is basically the development to meet the changing environment needs. It is
an overlay of one type of organization on another so that 2 chains of commands are directing
individual employees. It is especially used for large specialized project that needs people from
different skills.
Though handling more than 1 supervisor by individuals for matrix organizations is complex, but
its undoubtedly best in team focus on a single project, permitting better planning and control to
meet the deadlines within the budgets.
As people normally assigned to different role in different projects, so it gives them the great
opportunity to gain expertize in different sides. Additionally, it gives the practical experience to
handle the complex project.
To conduct big project by using Matrix Organization, organization creates cross functional teams
to achieve the goal. It basically used when you need to work across the whole organizational
boundaries. BY using people from different functions, this group brings diversity in works.
People from different specializations come together to work in a group for a specific goal. So,
cross functional teams creates to solve or mitigate special problem by specialized people from
different functions.

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Life Cycle of a Team
Teams move through a series of stages, beginning when they are formed and ending when they
are disbanded. These Stages of team Development are not rigidly followed but they do represent
a broad pattern that may be observed and predicted in many settings across the teams together.
The stages are the result of several questions and issues that team normally faces.
Forming:
In this stage, most team members are positive and polite. Some are anxious, as they haven't fully
understood what work the team will do. Others are simply excited about the task ahead. As leader; you
play a dominant role at this stage, because team members' roles and responsibilities aren't clear.

This stage can last for some time, as people start to work together, and as they make an effort to
get to know their new colleagues. Team members share personal information, start to get to know
each other and accept one another. And begin turning their attention towards the group’s task. In
addition to focusing on the scope of the team's purpose and how to approach it, individuals in the
formation stage are also gathering information and impressions about each other. Since people
generally want to be accepted by others, during this period they usually avoid conflict and
disagreement.
Storming
Next, the team moves into the storming phase, where people start to push against the boundaries
established in the forming stage. This is the stage where many teams fail.
Storming often starts where there is a conflict between team members' natural working styles.
People may work in different ways for all sorts of reasons, but if differing working styles cause
unforeseen problems, they may become frustrated.
Storming can also happen in other situations. For example, team members may challenge your
authority, or jockey for position as their roles are clarified. Or, if you haven't defined clearly how
the team will work, people may feel overwhelmed by their workload, or they could be

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uncomfortable with the approach you're using. Some may question the worth of the team's goal,
and they may resist taking on tasks.
Team members who stick with the task at hand may experience stress, particularly as they don't
have the support of established processes, or strong relationships with their colleagues.

Forming
Adjourni
ng

Stormin
g

Perform
ing

Norming

Figure: Life cycle of a team

Norming
Gradually, the team moves into the norming stage. This is when people start to resolve their
differences, appreciate colleagues' strengths, and respect your authority as a leader.
Now that your team members know one-another better, they may socialize together, and they are
able to ask each other for help and provide constructive feedback. People develop a stronger
commitment to the team goal, and you start to see good progress towards it.
There is often a prolonged overlap between storming and norming, because, as new tasks come
up, the team may lapse back into behavior from the storming stage.
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Performing
The team reaches the performing stage when hard work leads, without friction, to the
achievement of the team's goal. The structures and processes that you have set up support this
well. As leader, you can delegate much of your work, and you can concentrate on developing
team members.
It feels easy to be part of the team at this stage, and people who join or leave won't disrupt
performance.
Adjourning
Many teams will reach this stage eventually. For example, project teams exist for only a fixed
period, and even permanent teams may be disbanded through organizational restructuring.
Team members who like routine, or who have developed close working relationships with other
team members, may find this stage difficult, particularly if their future now looks uncertain.
Groups are always different; consequently not all teams will clearly experience all the stages of
the cycle. Some groups May temporary stuck in a certain stage and others may find themselves
reverting to an earlier stage.

Ingredients of Effective Teams

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Supportive Environment
A supportive environment helps to build successful team work .Creating a an environment teams
members should act like a team
A team works well when it:


accepts the need for difference and diversity



is supportive of each other’s strengths



Manages members needs in times of personal or professional challenge.

Employers can help create a supportive team environment by:


challenging myths about physical health conditions, cultural diversity and mental illness



preventing the use of inappropriate language or behaviors



having regular team meetings that encourage active communication

Celebrating achievements and strengthening interpersonal relationships.
This might include out of house activities like shared lunches. These events
should be optional as


some people who experience social phobia or anxiety may find these stressful



encouraging home and work balance

Skills and role clarity
A major characteristic of effective teams is clear expectations about the roles played by each team
member. In such a team, action is taken and clear assignments are made. These roles are duly accepted as
well as carried out. Work needs to be distributed fairly among team members, as per each person’s skill
and capability.

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Superordinate Goals
A superordinate goal is something that is big enough and compelling enough to aid individuals
and groups overlook personal differences in order to achieve something significantly beyond
their current reach, something that cannot be privately held by any of the members, and is instead
closer in nature to a Commons. A major responsibility of mangers is try to keep team members
oriented toward the overall task. Sometimes an organization policy creates obstacle against
individual efforts and discourage team work.
Team Rewards:
Team rewards is the another important element of team work. Team rewards present a great opportunity to
help foster team bonding. With the proper application of a reward and recognition program, you can help
build a high-performance team, and foster cross-organizational cooperation. But team rewards are not to
be treated carelessly or misapplication could lead to unhealthy competition, lack of cooperation, and
ultimately

severe

financial

consequences

for

the

organization.

Team motivation and rewards programs should make up part of your overall employee recognition
program. You need to consider a mix of team and individual rewards, and balance the mix between
awards that encourage both cooperative and competitive behaviors

Empowered Teams
Above discussion mainly emphasized on four structural ingredients for effective team. Member
motivation plays a powerful role in team success. Team member will feel motivated and
empowered when they:


Share a Sense of potency



Experience Meaningfulness

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

Are given autonomy



See their impact on results

The combination of four forces can build an outstanding team which will be productive and
proactive for their customers.

Potential Team problems:
Two particularly troublesome team problems involve changing team composition and social
loafing.

Social Loafing:
Definition of social loafing:
Social loafing describes the tendency of individuals to put forth less effort when they are part of
a group than when they work alone. Because all members of the group are pooling their effort to
achieve a common goal, each member of the group contributes less than they would if they were
individually responsible.
For example, imagine that your teacher assigned you to work on a class project with a group of
five with other students. If you were working on your own, you would have broken down the
assignment into steps and started work right away. Since you are part of a group, however, the
social loafing tendency makes it likely that you would put less effort into the project. Instead of
assuming responsibility for certain tasks, you might simply assume that one of the other group
members will take care of it.
It is the Tendency of certain members of a group to get by with less effort than what they would
have put when working alone. Its two common manifestations are (1) Free-rider effect, where
some members do not put in their share of work under the assumption that others' efforts

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will cover their shortfall, and thus cause (2) Sucker effect, where the other (fully
performing) members lower their efforts in response to the free-riders' attitude.
The first known research on the social loafing effect began in 1913 with Max Ringelmann's
study. He found that when he asked a group of men to pull on a rope, that they did not pull
as hard collectively, as they did when each was pulling alone.

Consequences of Social Loafing:
Social loafing has negative consequence for both the group and the individuals in the group. The
group dynamic is affected when certain individuals are seen as weak contributors to the group
purpose. It tends to split the group and fosters a lack of coordination. For example, if only five of
the eight members of a team are doing most of the work, it will often create an 'in'
group (those members that are working hard) and an ‘out' group (those members that are
not contributing as much). Resentment can easily build between the two factions, causing less
productivity and more emotional tension than a cohesive group would experience.
Individuals in the group can also be affected by social loafing. When there is a disparity of effort
between members of a group, individuals start to gauge their own effort based on what others are
doing instead of maintaining a standard of excellence toward achieving the goal. This lowers the
level of satisfaction for the task in all members of the group. For example, if a motivated team
member repeatedly feels others are relying on them to do most of the work, they might
deliberately reduce their workload or even stop collaborating with group members because they
no longer want to feel exploited by the less productive members.

Causes of Social Loafing:
 Equitable contribution: Team members believe that others are not putting forth as much
effort as themselves. Since they feel that the others in the group are slacking, they lessen

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their efforts too. This causes a downward cycle that ends at the point where only the
minimum amount of work is performed.
 Sub maximal goal setting: Team members may perceive that with a well-defined goal
and with several people working towards it, they can work less for it. The task then
becomes optimizing rather than maximizing.
 Lessened contingency between input and outcome: Team members may feel they can
hide in the crowd and avoid the consequences of not contributing. Or, a team member
may feel lost in the crowd and unable to gain recognition for their contributions.
Therefore, these group members lose motivation to offer their full ability since it will not
be acknowledged. Additionally, large group sizes can cause individuals to feel lost in the
crowd. With so many individuals contributing, some may feel that their efforts are not
needed or will not be recognized.
 Lack of evaluation: Loafing begins or is strengthened in the absence of an individual
evaluation structure imposed by the environment. This occurs because working in the
group environment results in less self-awareness. For example, a member of a sales team
will loaf when sales of the group are measured rather than individual sales efforts.
 Unequal distribution of compensation: In the workplace, compensation comes in
monetary forms and promotions and in academics it is in the form of grades or positive
feedback. If an individual believes compensation has not been allotted equally amongst
group members, he will withdraw his individual efforts.
 Non-cohesive group: A group functions effectively when members have bonded and
created high-quality relationships. If the group is not cohesive, members are more prone
to social loafing since they are not concerned about letting down their teammates

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Counselling the social loafer
 Private counselling: The team leader or a selected team member should confront the
social loafer individually. This individual should solicit the reasons for the lacklustre
effort. Additionally, the loafer should be encouraged to participate and understand the
importance of his contributions.
 Group counselling: The entire group can address the problem to the dissenting team
member and specifically address the problem(s) they have observed. They should attempt
to resolve the problem and refrain from deleterious attacks on the slacking individual.
 Superior assistance: After trying to address the problem with the individual both
privately and as a group, group members should seek the advice of a superior, whether it
be a teacher, boss or other authority figure.
 Exclusion: The loafer should only be booted out of the group as a last resort. However,
this option may not be feasible in some instances.
 Circumvention: If all the above steps have been attempted without result, then the group
can reorganize tasks and responsibilities. This should be done in a manner that will result
in a desirable outcome whether or not the loafer contributes.

Ways to prevent social loafing:

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 Develop rules of conduct: Setting rules at the beginning will help all team members
achieve the team objectives and performance goals. Establishing ground rules can help to
prevent social loafing and free-riding behaviours by providing assurances that free-riding
attempts will be dealt with extra caution.
 Create appropriate group sizes: Do not create or allow a team to undertake a two-man
job. For example, municipal maintenance crews often have crew members standing
around watching one or two individuals work. Does that job really require that many
crew members?
 Establish individual accountability: This is critical for initial assignments that set the
stage for the rest of the task (Team Based). Tasks that require pre-work and input from all
group members produce a set of dynamics that largely prevent social loafing from
happening in the first place. If this expectation is set early, individuals will avoid the
consequences of being held accountable for poor work.
 Encourage group loyalty: Not all cultures experience social loafing. In China, social
striving, the opposite of social loafing, occurs. In these cases, individual performance is
enhanced by being in a group (Davies, 2006). The individuals care more about the
success of the group than their own success. They have a clear view of the group’s
objective and what leads to its fulfilment. This sense of group loyalty is created by
individual awareness of the team’s position in reaching the goal.
 Write a team contract: Confusion and miscommunication can cause social loafing.
Although it may seem formal, writing a team contract is a good first step in setting group
rules and preventing social loafing. This contract should include several important pieces
of information such as group expectations, individual responsibilities, forms of group
communication, and methods of discipline.
 Choose complementary team members: When possible, carefully choose individuals
to join a team. Make sure they have strengths and personalities that will complement
other group members rather than deter from reaching the group goal.
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 Minimize group size: Whenever possible, minimize the amount of people within a
group. The less people available to diffuse responsibility to, the less likely social loafing
will occur.
 Establish ground rules: Discuss what the team’s goals and objectives are and then
develop a process to meet them.
 Create personal relationships: Provide opportunities for members to socialize and
establish trusting relationships. Dedicated relationships cause people to fulfil their duties
more efficiently.
 Highlight achievement: Invite members of management to attend team sessions. Allow
team accomplishments to shine through to superiors. Close meetings by summarizing
their group’s successes. Pat them on the back and remind them of their upcoming duties.
 Establish task importance: Allow team members the opportunity to demonstrate their
willingness to do their work in a timely fashion.
 Evaluate progress: Meet individually with team members to assess their successes and
areas of improvement. Discuss ways in which the team leader may provide additional
support so the task may be completed. When possible, develop an evaluation based on an
individual contribution. This can be accomplished through individual group members
evaluations of others on team

Group composition
Group composition refers to the overall mix of characteristics among people in a team, which is
a unit of two or more individuals who interact interdependently to achieve a common objective.

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It is based on the attributes among individuals that comprise the team, in addition to their main
objective.
Team composition is usually either homogeneous, in which all members are the same, or
heterogeneous, in which team members all contain significant differences. It has also been
identified as a key factor that influences team performance. It factors in the individual attributes
of team members (e.g. skill, experience, and ability) and how these contributions can potentially
combine to dictate overall performance outcomes for the team.
In the past decade, research on team effectiveness has burgeoned as teams have become
increasingly common in organizations of all kinds. Research conducted on this topic has focused
on aggregated member characteristics, member heterogeneity and team size as categories
associated with team composition. The fashion in which a team is configured has a strong
influence on team processes and the outcomes that the team achieves The main outcomes
associated with team performance can be classified mostly as performance outcomes (overall
quality/precision of work produced, etc.) internal member outcomes (group cohesion, etc.) and
behavioral outcomes (absenteeism, etc.).
Group composed of members who share the same motivation (homogeneous) can be problematic
•

Task-oriented - everyone wants to do their own thing;

•

Self-oriented - everyone wants to be the boss;

•

Interaction-oriented - too much chatting, not enough work.

 An effective group has a balance of all types.
 This can be difficult to achieve software engineers are often task-oriented.
 Interaction-oriented people are very important as they can detect and defuse tensions that
arise.
Attributes of Team composition:

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Team Size:
The preferred team size has a significant impact on team sport. Team size is determined by the
original purpose for the team, the individual expectations for the members of the team, the roles
that the team members need to play, the amount of cohesiveness and inter-connectivity optimal
for team performance and the functions, activities and overall goals of the team.

Homogeneous vs. Heterogeneous

Homogeneous teams may perform better due to similarities in experience and thought, while
heterogeneous teams may perform better due to diversity and greater ability to take on multiple
roles. For example, homogeneous groups displayed better initial performance than heterogeneous
groups, but these effects dissipated across time and heterogeneous groups later performed better
than more homogenous groups.

These terms, however, must be given a framework, as a team could be homogeneous for some
characteristics and heterogeneous for others. The importance placed on team design derives from
the need to align a team's composition with organizational goals and resources. Research on team
composition has suggested that homogeneous teams are more satisfied and experience more
positive reactions, while heterogeneous teams experience enhanced team creativity and also
bring a wider variety of solutions to a given problem.
Demographic Traits

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a section of the population sharing common characteristics, such age, age, sex, education level,
income level, marital status, occupation, religion, size of a family, average age at marriage. A
census is a collection of the demographic factors associated with every member of a group.

Trust: trust is also very important factor in a workplace.
Reason which breaks trust in work place:
1. Failure to hold individuals accountable to their goals.
2. Lack of commitment in group effort
3. reluctant to engage in debate and conflict
3. Mishandling of disputes
4. Unequal distribution of work
5. Sense of deprivation
6. Corruption of team members or leader
7. Social loafing
8. Politics
9. Lack of democracy
10. Interpersonal conflict.

Ways to restore trust in workplace:
1. Establish and maintain integrity: It is the foundation of trust in any organization.
Integrity must begin at the top and then move down. This means, among other things,
keeping promises and always telling the truth, no matter how difficult it might be. If its
people have integrity, an organization can be believed.
2. Communicate vision and value: Communication is important, since it provides the artery
for information and truth. By communicating the organization's vision, management
defines where it's going. By communicating its values, the methods for getting there are
established.

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3. Consider all employees as equal partners: Trust is established when even the newest
rookie, a part-timer, or the lowest paid employee feels important and part of the team.
This begins with management not being aloof, as well as getting out and meeting the
troops. This should be followed by leaders seeking opinions and ideas (and giving credit
for them), knowing the names of employees and their families and treating one and all
with genuine respect.
4. Focus on shared, rather than personal goals: When employees feel everyone is pulling
together to accomplish a shared vision, rather than a series of personal agendas, trust
results. This is the essence of teamwork. When a team really works, the players trust one
another.
5. Do what's right, regardless of personal risk: We all know intuitively what's "right" in
nearly every situation. Following this instinctive sense, and ignoring any personal
consequences will nearly always create respect from those around us. From this respect
will become trust.

Other Problems:
There are more behaviors which can distract team environment such as non-stop talking, side
conversations, uncontrolled anger, interruptions etc.
There are more disturbing persons who are:
1. Blocker: is a person who find minor flaws in arguments and resist and fight against
almost everything.
2. Aggressors: is a person who questions, attack, uses sarcasm and hurt other feelings.
3. Detractors: is a person who tells anecdotes, play the role of “comic”, or builds up their
own egos via glowing success stories.
4. Controllers: is a person who dominates discussions, assert their status, and try to get their
own way.
5.

Withdrawers: is a passive individual who daydream, stay consistently silent, or merely
express personal problems in an attempt to gain sympathy.
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Need of the team building
Team building is part of a psychological discipline called organizational psychology. It inspires
groups of workers to communicate through a series of planned events that are fun &
motivational.

These events can be used to determine strong points in an individual’s personality, such as
leadership skills. This can benefit the individual by giving them greater job satisfaction & the
opportunity to progress to their full potential as their strengths are highlighted. This is a circle of
reward, with positive feedback following positive action; a far more efficient way to have
efficient workers.

Job satisfaction is an important part of a person's employment. Feeling worthwhile, worthy, part
of a team & having a sense of achievement within the working environment are essential
elements to happiness. These feelings can motivate a workforce & ensure they are at their most
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productive, & in turn, this attitude will motivate their colleagues. Working on the premise that
happy staff are productive staff, companies often find that team-building events positively affect
the productivity of individuals, teams & the company as a whole.

Team building also benefits the team as a whole. When people who rarely work together are
forced to communicate, they can discover that they enjoy the interaction & continue to network
& bond with different people back at the office. Those who previously may not have been getting
along will have to forget their differences in order to overcome an obstacle & their dislike is be
diminished as the work together for a common goal.
Most offices contain allegiances between certain groups of workmates & divisions are often clear
between these groups. Team building helps break down these barriers by creating a forced
interaction between the established groups & creates opportunities for networks & friendships to
develop.

Need for team building
1. Improving communication
2. Making the workplace more enjoyable
3. Motivating a team
4. Getting to know each other
5. Getting everyone "onto the same page", including goal setting
6. Teaching the team self-regulation strategies
7. Helping participants to learn more about themselves (strengths & weaknesses)
8. Identifying and utilizing the strengths of team members
9. Improving team productivity
10. Practicing effective collaboration with team members
Team Building encourages the improvement of Interpersonal Skills such as: communication,
negotiation, leadership, & motivation.

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Team Building Process
The team building process is a collection of steps which lead to a specific change in the approach
among people, to make effective teams. It is a process that consists of about 4 stages through
which team members are taught the importance of collective work in workplaces or any social
place. These stages improve the team building skills of individuals. They are used to put forth the
positive and negative aspects of a team before the members, so they adapt to the two sides and
carry out the tasks given to them as a team. In the paragraphs below, you will read more about
these stages of team development and its importance, take a look.
Exploring the Teams
In every team building process, there have to be teams which are made by putting together a
group or people to carry out a particular job or task. In a group of people, every individual is
unique and has some or the other qualities. When the teams are made, it is very essential for the
team members to find out the strengths and weaknesses of their team and use them accordingly
for the task allotted to them. In every team, there are specific people who do an assigned job
perfectly. Therefore, the team can be divided into a leader, creative people, those who make
decisions faster, and those who can work faster.
Identifying the Task
The specialty of some quick team building activities which require less than a few minutes for
completion is that, they make a group of people work as a team in the shortest time period
provided. They later reward the winning team, because of their collective efforts as a team. When
a task is given to a team, it is very important for the team members to analyze it and then identify
what are the requirements for its successful completion. Thus, when every team member is
allotted with a specific job, knowing what he/she is good at, the team functions faster and more
effectively.
Developing a Vision
After the teammates are allotted their roles, there is a need to chalk out a strategy for the task to
be completed either before the given time period or right on time. This too, is a team effort but

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can be led by the team leader, who usually has the last word. The teammates can express and
share their ideas, tactics and strategies that can help in getting work done faster with effective
results. They should be consulted equally and asked for their opinions before the final plan for
the protocol is made by the team leader. This is known as, coming up with a vision or an insight
of how the task is to be carried out and who will carry out what role respectively.
Performing as a Team
Every team building activity has a preparation or planning duration, where the teams are
supposed to build their team agendas for the tasks. Therefore, the above mentioned points can be
used in this time as once the strategies are built, the implementation is not difficult. When the
task is to be performed in a specific duration, the teammates are expected to carry out their
respective roles appropriately at the required time. When the teammates act according to the
team building techniques, there is a trust or bonding developed among them, proving beneficial
for the task. This is the team spirit which is required, where each team member thinks about the
success of his/her team first.
With these stages, you must have understood the team building process. This is beneficial for any

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team activity and when this process is used there is 100% guaranteed success.

Exploring
the Teams

Identifying
the Task

Developing
a Vision

Performing
as a Team

Figure: The process of Team building

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Specific team building issues
As a team, problems are inevitable and unavoidable considering that the team members come
from different cultural and social backgrounds and exhibit different values and attitudes. Of
course, there are several factors to take into consideration as well, such as areas of
communication, leadership abilities, and job efficiency.
In any case, team problems must be dealt with accordingly otherwise these issues can create
unhealthy team conflicts and dissolve a team. Once these problems within the team arise,
immediate action should be done to address it before the situation worsens. The team leader must
be responsible in taking the lead in attacking existing issues. There must be awareness in every
team member about the current situation and everyone is expected to take action as well. This is
essentially, what a team is all about. The fault of one person is the fault of the entire team,
especially when the flaw is on the failure to carry out a task.
What are the common team issues and problems that should be addressed by a team? How are
these issues manifested and what impact do these problems bring to the team? There are many
possible causes of team issues and this article will highlight three major problems that a team
commonly encounters: communication, leadership, and personality differences.
Communication Issues
Effective communication is being able to relay a message with clarity and understanding. When
the recipient of the message is able to comprehend what is being said by proper
acknowledgement and appreciation, it is good communication. Yet, there are many hindrances to
be effectively communicated in a team. Here are some of the manifestations of poor
communication among team members:

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• Interruptions during a talk or in a team meeting
• Making personal attacks or rude gestures toward other members in the team
• Passive response in a team discussion
• Withholding information necessary for team growth
• Poor listening skills
• Poor expression of ideas or inability to express oneself
Imagine how a team can survive a conflict if communication is weak and ineffective. Individuals
in the team must learn how to openly express opinions and always ask questions to clarify certain
issues. Even non-verbal cues communicate a lot. Therefore, when talking to fellow teammates,
facial expressions and gestures have to be carefully exhibited.
Leadership Issues
A team headed by an efficient leader is an effective team. The leader does not have to do
everything and be everything for the team. Instead, leaders must serve as a guide to the team,
keeping everyone on the right track in completing a task. Leaders are also known to be good
motivators. When team members are close to the point of giving up, a leader inspires and
encourages the team to strive hard. Without a leader, members will resort to having their own
strategies, own goals, and approaches. Yet, some teams have issues with their team leader. An
ineffective leader manifests one of the following:
• Failure to take responsibility on the roles of a leader
• Lack of respect toward team members
• Lack of trust to the ability of team members
• Poor delegation of tasks
• Inability to manage conflicts and arguments
• Manipulating the decisions for the team
As a role model for the team, the leader must make sure to step into a full leadership role. Just
like the captain of a ship, a leader must be responsible for leading the team to the right direction
and destination.

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Personality Differences
Even with matching skills set, individuals in a team still differ in personality traits that would
include values, attitudes and behaviors. How are personality differences shown in a team?
• Frequent misunderstanding due to opposing values and attitudes
• Inability to adjust to the work styles of other individuals
• Little tolerance to even the minor individual differences
• Pushing individuals beliefs and convictions
• Making prejudices of a person’s personality
If individual differences are not identified and acknowledged as early as the formation stage, a
team may end up experiencing personality clashes, which could lead to unwanted conflicts. A
team must have a combination of values that they support and are deemed beneficial to everyone.
All these team issues can be managed and prevented if the team works collaboratively to attain
shared goals.

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Skill useful in team building
The facilitators who assist the development of effective teams need to apply some skills like
diagnosing issues, confliction parties, scheming programs for change), interpersonal skills,
research skills, interpersonal skills.
The primary skills in this process are recognizing the right issues, and tackling them in an
appropriate way and an appropriate order. Team building can also take a different form
depending on the size and nature of the team.
Consultation
A functional guide that focuses on putting the concept of group-process consultation into actual
practice! You'll learn how and under what circumstances a process consultant should intervene to
make a group's work more effective.




Determine the appropriate type and depth of an intervention
Realize the competencies required of the group-process consultant
View the role, future, and ethical considerations of group-process consultation

Interpersonal skills
Interpersonal skills are the life skills we use every day to communicate and interact with other
people, both individually and in groups. People who have worked on developing strong
interpersonal skills are usually more successful in both their professional and personal lives.
Employers often seek to hire staff with 'strong interpersonal skills' - they want people who will
work well in a team and be able to communicate effectively with colleagues, customers and
clients.
Research skills
Research Skills Research activity, the systematic investigation of phenomena, problems, issues,
questions, etc., to increase knowledge and understanding, is a core activity in universities.

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Research skills assist graduates to critically investigate issues and, where appropriate, generate
and evaluate relevant data, form and test ideas, theories and hypotheses, and successfully
navigate their way through the sea of information that characterizes the ‘information age’.

Presentation skills
Presentations skills and public speaking skills are very useful in many aspects of work and life.
Effective presentations and public speaking skills are important in business, sales and selling,
training, teaching, lecturing, and generally feeling comfortable speaking to a group of people.
Developing the confidence and capability to give good presentations, and to stand up in front of
an audience and speak well, are also extremely helpful competencies for self-development and
social situations. Presentation skills and public speaking abilities are not limited to certain special
people - anyone can give a good presentation, or perform public speaking to a professional and
impressive standard. Like most specialism’s, this requires preparation and practice.
Process consultation
Process consultation is often part of team building, but it is commonly used as a separate, more
narrowly focused on intervention. Teambuilding may focus on the possess of getting a job itself
done. Process consultation focused on how people interact as the get job done. Team dynamics
includes how the team communicates, allocates work, resolve conflict, handles leadership, solves
problems, and make decisions. Training may also be conducted to improve group skills.

Facilitating behaviors

Desired effects on team members

 Observing team meetings

 Examine intended versus actual roles

 Probing and questioning

 Identify problems

 Conforming individuals

 Examine consequences of behavior

 Encouraging open communication

 React

 Stimulating problem solving

constructively

to

current

behavioral events

 Preventing disruptive behaviors

 Explore new alternatives

 Attending to nonverbal cues

 Think and act independently

 Ensuring widespread contributions

 Develop cohesiveness
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 Encouraging learning

Figure: Process consultants use facilitating behavior to help teams function more
effectively.
Feedback
In terms of open and honest communication is critical to achieving results. There are two types
of feedback in this book. Team will be provided traditional feedback in the form of results, they
can gauge their effectiveness. In addition a task observation from will be used whereby a team
member assumes the role of and records the interaction of the team.
The total quantity movements has stressed the importance of using data for action planning,
decision making, problem solving , and change efforts.

Characteristics of Mature Teams
Communication
One of the most important characteristics of a good team is open communication. Each team
member must be able to communicate with the rest of the group for project updates, questions,
ideas and general input. A team that encourages open communication allows everyone to be able
to share their ideas and opinions without fear.
Respect
For a team to be a comfortable and safe place for all members, each person must respect
everyone else. Members should respect every aspect of other members, though they may not

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agree with it: ideas, communication abilities, background, religion, work style and cultural
traditions. Because a great team requires open communication, respect can create the trust that
will allow members to be vulnerable.
Collaboration
Teamwork requires effective collaboration; each person must figure out how her skills and
talents fit with those of the other team members. For a team to work, everyone must understand
what their role is and how to use it to contribute to the team's success. Depending on the team,
the roles might be as simple as providing support and morale; a well-functioning team uses each
person's complementary skill sets. Each member of the team should understand that everyone's
part in the project is equally valid.
Problem Solving
An effective team must develop its own strategy of problem solving and conflict management.
The strategy will differ from team to team based on the situation and the individual members; the
individual team must work out the problem-solving methods that work best for it. When your
team members can work through roadblocks together, the team will be able to work smoothly
even during rough times.
Common Goal
A shared mission can help a group of people work together and create enthusiasm. When
everyone is using their own abilities to work toward a common goal, the result is greater than the
efforts of a single person. In a strong team, the good of the common goal comes before the
individual preferences and interests of the members. The goal also contributes to a smooth
operation; the team can resolve problems and disagreements by determining what is best for the
team and the end goal.
Equal contributors
In a mature team no single member dominates the group. There are also no decorative pieces
who do not contribute anything to the team. Everybody does his bit for the team.
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Feedback
Team members are open to feedback and do not hesitate to ask anything that they do not
understand or follow. Even criticism is done in a constructive manner.
Respect and trust
There is a healthy respect for each other among team members. The members have faith and trust
in the actions of the other members.
Support and stability
There is stability in the group and members do not feel threatened by change. They encourage
and assist each other. The feeling of ‘we’ dominate over the feeling of ‘
Standards of excellence
Quality orientation is vital to the success of any organization.
External support and recognition
Appreciation as well as appraisal is required to keep the morale of the team high.
Principled leadership
Leadership defines a team. An able-bodied leadership can chart the team’s path to success.
Team goals are clearly understood by all
Communication is vital for achieving successful completion of any project.
Each team member trusts the judgment of others
Mutual trust and respect is highly important for the team. This is the only way to achieve the
organization goals.
The team has to be willing to take risks
Risk taking is an attitude which comes with confidence. Confidence on yourself as well as on the
team, besides the ability to face all consequences.
Dissenting opinions are never ignored
In fact, they are always recorded in order to be revisited in case the future situations dictate so.
Teams are given realistic deadlines
External support as well as aid is vital to the success of any team.

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Self-Managing Teams
A self-managed team is a team in which the members take collective responsibility for
ensuring that the team operates effectively and meets its targets. Typically, members of selfmanaged teams are employees within an organization who work together, within a broad
framework of aims and objectives, to reach a common goal. When setting up the team, two of
the parameters that have to be defined are the levels of responsibility and autonomy that are
given to the self-managed team. So teams can have varying degrees of autonomy, from teams
who have considerable control over their work, and the boundaries within which they operate,
to self-managed teams that are set boundaries by team leaders. In general, self-managed teams
have considerable discretion over: the work done and setting team goal show work is achieved
– which processes are used and how work is scheduled internal performance issues –
distributing the work and the contribution made by each member of the team decision making
and problem solving.
In general, self-managed teams have considerable discretion over:


The work done and setting team goals



How work is achieved – which processes are used and how work is scheduled



Internal performance issues – distributing the work and the contribution made by
each member of the team



Decision making and problem solving.

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Advantages of self-managed team
Lower Absenteeism and turnover rates
Organizations having self-managed teams experience lower absenteeism and turnover
rates.
Accountability reduces costs
When you get your team to work in a self-managed and accountable way, your
management costs reduce substantially. You also get secondary gains because instead of
in the past, where they may have left things to others to do because it wasn’t in their job
description, team members are more likely to lift their game to get jobs completed. This
gives you employees with greater depth of knowledge within your business who are able
to contribute innovation in systems and processes.
Remain focused on business outcomes
Self-managed teams have a greater focus on the overall business outcomes rather than
being governed by project level objectives. They look for ways to achieve the company
objectives through solutions to problems that they are tasked with solving, which gives
you more productive outcomes from their efforts. Instead of just working on getting
projects done, they constantly have one eye on the big picture.
Resourcefulness and initiatives driven
When teams are given greater scope and chartered with finding solutions to bigger
problems, they become far more innovative and resourceful. They combine together to
discover new way to do more with less and uncover areas within the business that need
attention and new ways of getting things done. And, they are willing and able to start
initiatives that benefit the business for growth and expansion.

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Conflicts are resolved internally
Self-managed teams can be useful if a business has difficulties with employee
satisfaction and retention of staff. With greater scope and responsibilities, individuals find
greater happiness in their employment, and when emotional difficulties arise are more
empowered to find a solution from within their team. The need for an external mediator
can still be required when philosophical disputes arise, however this is to be expected
when you move to a more leadership and self-managed team culture within your
business.
Improved flexibility
When teams are self-managed, roles for individuals become far more flexible. People
who may have taken on the role of a manager for one project, can become an important
team member that isn’t the manager for another project. This dynamic shifting of roles
and responsibilities allows people to get experience at different levels of accountability
within your organization for personal development and growth.

Cross skilled specialists
Just as roles are more flexible, individuals can also choose to become specialists in one
specific area of your business. In a self-managed team, your employees are given the
freedom to make role and reasonability trade-offs that enable them to govern their own
career path. By having the team members arrive and a set roles and responsibilities, they
develop various degrees of specialist skills. Employees can take on work that may have
been hierarchically structured in the past and seen as being beyond their skills and
capability with much greater confidence.
Retain knowledge in the business
Over time your team gains better skills across more of your business so that the
intellectual property of a single individual doesn’t cripple your business if they decide to

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move on. Having more of your team know how to do all aspects of your business keeps
more of the knowledge in your business when employees leave.
Identifies skills weakness
Self-managed teams are also quicker at identifying when there’s a skills and knowledge
gap in your business. Through their problem solving and task delegation processes, selfmanaged teams are able to quickly identify when there just isn’t enough information or
local knowledge to get something achieved. Making it much easier to identify skills and
knowledge that needs to be recruited into the business when the time comes to grow your
head count.
Less wastage
As self-managed teams work according to set methods. So they can ensure minimum
waste.
More discipline
Members of self-managed teams ensure disciplined life during operations.
High commitment
Self-managed teams gain high level of commitment.
Minimum supervision
With minimum supervision organization can get better result and output.
Many of today’s organizations are moving to self-managed teams and achieving success on many
different levels because of the remarkable benefits this approach demonstrates in places like
Apple Computers, Google and Xerox.

Disadvantage of self-managed team
High training investment

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High training investment require in order to develop skill and it is one of the biggest
disadvantage of self-managed teams is that it have to investment lot of money in training.
It also require time to train employee to develop certain skill.
Inefficiencies due to job rotation
Job rotation is a common thing in self-managed teams. But it leads to inefficiencies in
job. Employees take some time to acquaint to new process and setup. It also does not
consider the time wasted in training someone who does not deserve it. Frequent job
rotation also leads to stress and anxiety among employee
Effect on Work Productivity
A possible decrease on efficiency of employees may happen if the organization did not
make the necessary preparations when shifting from a traditional structure to a more selfdirected approach in the workplace. In addition, the employees’ work productivity will
also be affected, although this is not always the case. As mentioned earlier, this can
possibly occur in a company that is not sufficiently prepared to incorporate selfsupervision to its employees.

Tendency to be Authoritative
Some people have been used to self-supervising especially if there is a lack of support
and guidance from parents while growing up. These individuals are bound to work hard
to survive and direct their own lives without the assistance of other people. When they
start building their own careers, it will not be hard for them to adjust to any work
environment because they can handle various situations and can perform their work with
less supervision.

Conflicts

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There is a chance that conflict may arise between group members. One may be disagree
with the ideas of other member. So manager must effectively manage team to keep
conflict at minimum.
Employee inability
Some employees become unable to adapt to a team structure.
Demand for equal treatment
Self-managed team members sometimes demand for equal treatment for their success.
Recklessness
Due to better performance, self-managed teams become reckless and show
insubordination
Extended time to implement
Sometimes self-managed teams require extended time to complement plans and policies.

Contrasting supervisory roles under different structure
Supervisory role is very different in self-managed team structure from traditional structure. In
traditional structure manager have direct authority over employee. In contrast, manager have
little or no authority over self-managed team because self-managed team supervise themselves,
manager need to aid or coach them to develop a particular skill.
Traditional Structure
Authority figure
Expert
Teacher
Problem solver
Coordinator

Self-Managing Team Structure
Coach and counselor
Champion and cheerleader
Resource allocator
Liaison and boundary manager
Facilitator

Figure: contrast between traditional structure roles and self-managing team structure roles

From the figure it is clear that what kind of roles manager play in traditional structure and selfmanaged team structure. In traditional structure manage may be authority figure, expert or
coordinator but in self-managed team a manager may be coach, liaison or resource allocator.

Boundary Spanners
Boundary spanning is reaching across borders, margins, or sections to 'build relationships,
interconnections and interdependencies in order to manage complex problems. Boundary-

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spanning individuals develop partnerships

and collaboration by 'building sustainable

relationships, managing through influence and negotiation, and seeking to understand motives,
roles and responsibilities. Boundary spanners identify internal and external customers, ensure
resource availability on a timely basis, and keep the team focused on continues improvements.
Boundary spanners have little or no authority, and so their task accomplished through skills as
these:

Social
Awareness
Persuadin
g

Influencin
g the
team

Skil
ls

Obtaining
external
support

Relating
to Ohters

Genuine
caring

Investigati
ng
problems

Figure: Various skill used by boundary spanners to communicate with team

Virtual team
A Virtual Team – also known as a Geographically Dispersed Team (GDT) – is a group of individuals

who work across time, space, and organizational boundaries with links strengthened by webs of
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communication technology. They have complementary skills and are committed to a common
purpose, have interdependent performance goals, and share an approach to work for which they
hold themselves mutually accountable. Geographically dispersed teams allow organizations to
hire and retain the best people regardless of location. A virtual team does not always mean
teleworkers. Teleworkers are defined as individuals who work from home. Many virtual teams in
today’s organizations consist of employees both working at home and small groups in the office
but in different geographic locations.

Advantages of Virtual Teams
Cost savings
The biggest advantage of virtual team enjoyed by an organization is the associated cost
savings. The organization can do away with huge expenses on real estate, office spaces,
utilities bills such as gas, electricity, water etc. and executives’ travel. Many organizations
outsource their operations to the low-cost regions. Thus production cost also decreases
with the reduced raw material cost, operational costs and lower wages of the employees
in these geographic locations.
Leverage Global Talent
Virtual Teams allows organizations to look for talent beyond their country of origin. This
brings together the experts and specialists from across the globe to work together on the
project. Increased knowledge sharing and greater innovation happens as organization’s
human capital share their understanding of global and local markets as well as best
business practices.

Increased Productivity & Higher Profits
Members of virtual teams tend to have higher focus on the task at hand. As a practice
virtual team supports flatter organization structure. The members do not have to deal with
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unnecessary bureaucracy which slows down the decision making. This enhances the
productivity which shows as higher profits.
Reduced Time to Market
Since the members span the time zones, there could be different team working on the
same project 24*7, so when one member sleeps there will be another one somewhere else
who would start work where the former had left. This shortens the product development
time as well as faster response time to demands in both global and local markets.
Newer Opportunities
If we see at larger societal level, virtual teams have created newer opportunities for
people who are less mobile and hesitant to relocate due to either family requirement or
physical challenge. Now any task that does not require the physical presence of a person
and which can be supported by communication technology throws an opportunity for
many deserving candidates.
Less Overhead
A virtual team does not need any office so they can avoid paying for office space and
parking for employees. Even if they set up an office for employees, the cost remains
significantly lower than renting a regular office.
Flexible Scheduling
Employees at tech companies often have flexible schedules anyway. But the ability to
pick up the kids from school in the middle of the day, take a refreshing nap, or work after
the family has gone to sleep gives your employees additional options.

Disadvantages of Virtual Teams
Cost of Technology
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The successful working of virtual team is supported by the efficient use of multiple
communication technologies such as instant messaging, emails and video-conferencing,
among others. No one tool can provide the complete support. The cost associated with
these installation and maintenance tools is little on the higher side.
Conflicts, Lack of Trust & Collaboration
The cultural differences between the members of virtual teams gives rise to number of
conflicts. For example, while an American would write a straightforward email
describing a bad situation, this would be perceived as impolite by a South Asian (say
Japanese) member of the team. This would lead to conflicts, mistrust and difficulties in
fruitful collaboration which is so vital for the success of virtual team functioning. These
challenges are also precipitated by the absence of non-verbal cues so intrinsic to face-toface interactions.
Social Isolation
Many members of virtual teams are adversely affected by the lack of physical
interactions. Most of the communications in virtual environment is task-oriented. In
today’s society where job is an important social force for most of us because many of our
workplace colleagues also constitute our close friends, this gives a not-so-good feeling of
social isolation. This in turn counter-effects productivity as well as leads to stress.

All these disadvantages can be overcome by following a different leadership/managerial
approach, trainings, greater role clarity and effective communication strategies. Organization
both big ones such as IBM, Microsoft, Google as well as SMEs are reaping the benefits of virtual
teams for some time now. It has been a well-recognized fact that Virtual Team is not a passing
tide but it is here to stay.

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Findings


Classical organization structures did not rely heavily on teams, despite the division of
work into functional units and multiple levels.



The costs associated with using team building are minuscule when compared to the
benefits received.



The decision to use the team building process was made primarily because the process
was viewed as a proactive way to manage a project in a “win-win” environment.



The team building process forms a group into an aligned, focused and motivated work
team that strives for a common project mission.



Team building is an important and continuous process which can be aided by managerial
attention to process consultation and feedback skills



Self-managing teams are empowered groups that are provided with the training, resources
and authority to assume responsibility for many management level functions.



Virtual teams are popular these day, but they also present some problems.

Conclusion
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Team building will therefore be more successful when there is a structured program which will
allow specific objectives to be met. Activities that allow opportunity to reveal the way we think,
make decisions and react will create better and further understanding of work mates. Finally, a
team building event that allow each other’s attitudes and behavior to surface creates better
relationships in the office. However, managers are reminded that team building does not just
happen in one day or two days, it has to happen in the workplace every day and it takes time.
Managers must promote interaction in the workplace among work mates to learn how each
member thinks and works, to allow team building to work. This might also involve several
different training methods including class room training, role plays, profiling tests and many
others. Managers need to contribute to the process rather than being hopeful for the best results
from one or two team building events. Based on the understanding of the principles of team
building as cited above, it is hoped that managers will be able to make a better decision when
organizing team building events.

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