Organisations’ major focus has always been on achieving long-term goals and objectives. And, to do so more smoothly they create a high-performing team, but this unfortunately does not guarantee business success. So, where does the problem lie?
In most cases, the issue is poor Team Dynamics. Without team unity, a team’s effectiveness suffers, affecting performance and resulting in lower productivity and engagement levels.
The baffling aspect of poor team dynamics is that even if your team is made up of world-class professionals, the outcome of their collaboration will be far from perfect (at best) or downright disastrous. To prevent this from happening, of course, you must promote positive team dynamics.
Team dynamics are essential, yet not as simple as getting the most talented individuals together.
Managers usually consider the skills and experience that individuals have when putting together a team, but the personalities that are being grouped are rarely considered.
Team dynamics are the unconscious, psychological factors that can influence the behaviour of a team.
Workplace team dynamics are important, the reason being that teamwork influences creativity, productivity, and effectiveness in organizations. So, what exactly is team dynamics, and why is it so important?
What is team dynamics?
Team dynamics describe how co-workers collaborate to complete projects and tasks. It is the relationships and interactions between individuals who work together to achieve a common goal. Good team dynamics are built on effective communication skills, interdependence on one another’s abilities, strong problem-solving abilities, and mutual respect.
Team dynamics include a team’s emotional and psychological behaviour and role, which has a direct impact on team performance and employee engagement. Having the right mix of employees is critical for teamwork.
The right mix of employees will result in an effective team that will propel the organization to success. So, why is it necessary to address team dynamics in your organisation?
Why is team dynamics necessary in organisations?
The answer is simple, group or team dynamics determine how effective your team will be in terms of work performance and idea generation. As a result, it has an impact on the overall project outcome.
Improving team dynamics is worth the time and effort required, as it provides numerous benefits to a company’s operations. Some may believe that a team works together by definition, but it is beyond that. Below we list some of the common characteristics of poor team dynamics that can be easily avoided:
Weak leadership: This occurs when your team lacks a strong leader who can delegate tasks, define project development direction, and effectively estimate completed work. When a team lacks a strong leader, it can allow a dominant team member to take over, resulting in a lack of direction and conflict.
Deference to authority and group-think: This is the inverse of weak leadership, and it occurs when team members are hesitant to express their opinions and contribute to the project.
Read also: Imperatives of teamwork in organisational success
For example, when members of a team are punished for making mistakes or disagreeing with the team leader. Excessive deference to authority can lead to team stagnation because members would rather agree with the leader than share innovative ideas or their own opinions.
Blocking behaviours: When team members conceal their emotions or are motivated at work by their emotions. They may have hidden aggression, a desire for recognition, or negative attitudes.
All of this leads to poor information communication that can inhibit the free flow of communication and information, leading to a negative attitude toward projects.
Free riding: When some team members aren’t involved in a project and dump parts of their work on other team-mates as a result, several team members do all of the work on a project. This can result in poor group dynamics and outcomes.
Evaluation apprehension: Team members may hold back their opinions and ideas as a result of feeling they are being judged harshly by other team members.
Groups with poor dynamics, disrupt work processes and fail to achieve positive results simply by making poor decisions that lead to even poorer choices. All of these things lead to negative conflicts within a team, making each member feel vulnerable and unwilling to share their ideas.
Benefits of team dynamics
Positive team dynamics can provide numerous benefits to your business, not the least of which is that they are the most certain way of maximizing the full potential of your employees’ skills and experience. Herein include some benefits among many:
Improved results: A team that is working to its full potential will naturally produce better results. They are more focused, have clearer goals, and work better together.
Greater collaboration: When teams work in a more informal and supportive environment, they can achieve higher levels of cooperation and collaboration.
Faster decision-making: Team members are more willing to listen, tolerate and communicate with each other and so make faster decisions.
Greater commitment: Individual team members are feeling more appreciated. Workers’ commitment and loyalty increase as a result.
In conclusion, positive team dynamics can provide numerous benefits to your business, not the least of which is that they are the most certain way of maximizing the full potential of your employees’ skills and experience.
The great thing about team dynamics is that you can influence them if you understand and monitor their parameters. This way, if one of your projects is off to a bad start, you can do something about it by attempting to change the team dynamics rather than watching your project slowly derail.
The project, as well as human resource managers, work hard to foster positive team dynamics. It means that team members trust one another, are willing to work collaboratively, provide support, and productively brainstorm ideas and listen to other members of the group. Team members feel at ease sharing their ideas and engaging in constructive dialogue in groups with positive dynamics.
References:
PMI Pulse of the Profession 2020 (2020).
Oltmann, J. (2008). Project portfolio management: how to do the right projects at the right time. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2008—North America, Denver, CO. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.
Bivins, S. S. & Bible, M. J. (2013). Portfolio decisions to maximize strategic benefits. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2013—North America, New Orleans, LA. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.
Ben Aston (2018). project-portfolio-management-guide Henrico Dolfing (2018). 10 Benefits of Project Portfolio Management Done Right.
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