The Effect of Integration on Project Delivery Team Effectiveness, Coursework Example

The team environment represents a number of core strengths that have been largely effective in supporting the team’s overall abilities and progression as a cohesive unit. It is important to recognize the primary strengths that include strong and assertive team leadership, team members who possess a very strong skillset and mindset regarding what is required to be successful, and the ability to collaborate in order to get the job done on every level. This is a necessary opportunity to convey the realities of the situation and to be proactive in working towards team-based solutions that are mutually beneficial and appropriate for the team as a whole. This reflects the team-based cooperation that exists and the overall ability to recognize the need to improve outcomes with each and every task that is performed.

Team members possess a strong ability to collaborate effectively regarding the required tasks, along with effective interpersonal relationships and a high degree of organization and cohesiveness in order to achieve the necessary results. The team’s diplomacy is also admirable and represents a means of understanding the need to communicate effectively at all times on behalf of team members and to recognize the value of idea sharing to express the team’s overall strengths in an effective manner. In addition, team members possess a high degree of flexibility and versatility, both of which support the team environment in a positive manner. Finally, the team includes a very knowledgeable and experienced external member who possesses a strong work ethic and seasoned ability to improve team-based outcomes.

In spite of the success of the team dynamic, a number of challenges must also be considered, including but not limited to making decisions regarding the topic to address for the team project, because in the early stages, the team was highly disorganized and did not assign a leader. In addition, the forming and storming stages of team development were difficult to manage, given the abilities of each team member and the overall limitations of the team at this stage. Early on, the team also had no well-defined goals or objectives, no clear team norms, no task clarifications, and no team contract. Therefore, the team struggled for survival in its early stages at a high level. These served as learning experiences to enable the team to become more cohesive with patience and time.

For this team, it was evident that its members required a period of adjustment in order to produce at the highest possible level, and this was achieved through a specific dynamic that represented strong cohesiveness and an understanding of teamwork as a facilitator for team success. In this context, recognizing human capital and what each member brings to the team is of critical importance in shaping how the environment responds to change and adversity at all stages of development (Bartel, Beaulieu, Phibbs, & Stone, 2014). Furthermore, all team members, particularly the leader, must demonstrate authenticity in all team-based activities and objectives (Hannah, Walumbwa, & Fry, 2011). The team leader possesses a significant responsibility to be effective as best as possible and to set the tone for leadership and overall effectiveness at all times (Sperry, 2013). This requires an examination of the different aspects that reflect the challenges of the process and demonstrate a greater need to examine how the team is able to manage diversity and move forward.

Decision-making was managed by the team fairly well, using open discussions to communicate ideas and express concerns among its members. In addition, diplomatic and supportive leadership was critical to overall team success and the opportunities to maximize the team process to achieve the necessary results. Decision-making was achieved via consensus, and the leader was responsible for facilitating the team process at all stages. Within the team dynamic, there was a climate of trust, support, and psychological safety to improve the team’s overall capabilities and strengths. Differences among team members were managed at their onset and were not ignored by the team leader. It is known that team effectiveness is contingent upon these issues and provides further evidence of the challenges of delivering a product that is necessary to move forward in solving an important issue (Baiden & Price, 2011). Therefore, these tasks represent a need to form and sustain a cohesive unit that provides an important and meaningful opportunity for the team to make a difference as it moves forward to improve communication, idea sharing, creativity, and support among team members.

The technology-based component of any team continues to expand in purpose and scope; therefore, this requires the ability of the team members to be effective contributors in advancing the team’s overall ability to utilize technology in a productive manner. This reflects a greater need to understand how an organization is able to contribute at a high level and to make the most of the situation that is in place. The team used technology to its advantage using the computer to send emails and share documents throughout all stages. In addition, teleconferencing was used to bring all of the team members together to discuss progress and other issues that required further analysis. This was an important step for the team to take in order to effectively produce at a high level to meet expectations and to improve team communication on many levels.

In summary, the team environment and dynamic struggled at the onset to achieve a level of cohesiveness and support that would carry the team forward to the next level. However, these issues improved as the team moved forward and represented a means of understanding how to improve team-based productivity and strength in order to effectively produce at a high level and to optimize the circumstances under which the team is able to perform. This required a full commitment and support from all team members and the ability to be flexible yet supportive in the necessary activities in order to make a difference in the team’s overall level of success over the long term.

References

Baiden, B. K., & Price, A. D. (2011). The effect of integration on project delivery team effectiveness. International Journal of Project Management,29(2), 129-136.

Bartel, A. P., Beaulieu, N. D., Phibbs, C. S., & Stone, P. W. (2014). Human Capital and Productivity in a Team Environment: Evidence from the Healthcare Sector. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 6(2), 231-59.

Hannah, S. T., Walumbwa, F. O., & Fry, L. W. (2011). Leadership In Action Teams: Team Leader And Members’authenticity, Authenticity Strength, And Team Outcomes. Personnel Psychology, 64(3), 771-802.

Sperry, L. (2013). Effective leadership: Strategies for maximizing executive productivity and health. Routledge.