Module III- Profiling Your Team: Internal and External Dynamics

Team Dynamics are the unseen forces that operate in a team between different people or groups. Team Dynamics can strongly influence how a team reacts, behaves or performs, and the effects of team dynamics are often very complex. .

Suppose in a small team of six people working in one office there are two people who have a particularly strong friendship. This friendship is a "natural force" that may have an influence on the rest of the team, and can be manifest in various ways, either positively or negatively. Other factors can also play an influence. or example, if a wall of cupboards were to be placed across the middle of the office, this would also form a !natural force! that influences the communication flow and may separate the group into two further sub"groups. Sometimes, an "absence" of a natural force can also be a team dynamic. or example, if the leader or manager is permanently removed from the office, the group may be drawn into a change of behaviour.

How Do You Recognise Team Dynamics?

#ou can recognise team dynamics by looking for the forces that influence team behaviour. These forces might include$ %ersonality styles &eg$ including or excluding people' Team (oles Office layout &eg$ cupboards dividing teams into two' Tools and technology &eg$ email, bulletin board, information pool enabling hidden communication'. Organisational culture &eg$ company cars acting as status symbols to separate groups of employees' %rocesses)methodologies)procedures &eg$ problem"solving methodology'

How

an Team Dynamics !e Managed

onstructi"ely?

#ou need to$ a. look for the team dynamics " the !natural forces! at play b. determine whether they are acting for good or ill,

c.

make interventions to make the effect of those dynamics more positive. or example, if a wall of cupboards is inhibiting communication within a group, that wall can be repositioned and the room layout designed to encourage communication &without making the environment too uncomfortable for those who value their privacy when working on individual tasks'.

Exam#le: T$e Im#act %f & 'riends$i#

The positive effect of a strong friendship in a team might be$ the friends communicate a lot together... ...which naturally results in other members being drawn into the discussion ...which results in a good !social! feel to the group ...which makes people en*oy being in the group ...which improves motivation and commitment

The negative effect of a strong friendship might be$ to cause the other four people to feel excluded... ...which means they are less likely to include the two friends in decision making ...which means that there are likely to be two sub"groups ...which means that information may not flow across the whole group, but only within the subgroups ...which means that miscommunication may lead to misunderstanding and poor collective performance

This friendship has an impact on the group!s performance, and is therefore a team dynamic. +hether it is good or bad depends on other factors. ,n the first, positive, example, there is a natural force of "inclusion" which results in people being drawn into productive discussions. ,n the second, negative example, there is a natural force of "exclusion" which results in communication between groups being stifled.

Internal team factors to consider

a)Task Structure: Is the team task clear, consistent with the teams purpose, and aligned with important organizational goals? Does the team have a meaningful piece of work to do for which members share responsibility and accountability and that provides opportunities for the team to learn how well it is doing? Is the outcome that the team is seeking clearly understood by each of the members? b)Team Composition: Is the team well staffed? Is it the right size, given the work to be done? Do members have the expertise required to perform the task well? Do they have sufficient interpersonal skill to function collaboratively? re team members so similar in background and perspectives that there is little for them to learn from one another? !r are they so different that they risk having difficulty communicating and coordinating with one another? c)Core Norms: "xpectations of what is #acceptable$ team behavior tend either to be #imported$ to the team by members or established very early in the teams lifespan% rticulating these #norms$ ahead of time via a #team charter$ or #team vision statement$ can be very helpful, and should cover areas such as how the team will make decisions, communicate and evaluate itself% d)Decision Making: Does the team have an appropriate process in place for making decisions, and does it in fact adhere to that process?

External team factors to consider

a)Re ard S!stem: Does the companys reward system provide recognition, reinforcement and compensation that are contingent on team performance? re rewards administered to the team as a whole or to individuals within the team? Does the reward system truly encourage team members to work collaboratively? b)Educational S!stem: Is training or technical assistance available to the team for any aspects of the work for which members do not already have adequate knowledge, skill or experience? c)Information S!stem: Does the team have ready access to the data, tools and other resources that enable superior performance? d)"rgani#ational Culture: Does the company for which the team works have a

collaborative culture that genuinely fosters and supports teams? !r is it a culture that still promotes and recognizes individual achievement? Do the companys top leaders really #buy&into$ the concept of teams? In summary, those who create, lead and evaluate work teams in organizations should focus their efforts on these internal and external factors that support effective team performance%