Tuckman’s model and team work Essay Example for Free

Tuckmans model and squad progress to EssayIntroduction People live and work within the modeling of some kind of organization, a context that provides written and unwritten, formal and informal rules and guidelines about how its subdivisions should conduct themselves. Individuals belong to protestent families and each family has distinct religious beliefs that differ from a nonher family. This paper is anchored on the theoretical viewpoint of Bruce Tuckman referring to how groups argon formed whether these groups can be seen in formal or informal organizations and set-ups of on the unhurt kinds. This is oddly applied on the aggroupwork and/or groupbuilding.DiscussionDescription of the model Tuckman introduced his theory of how groups emerge and better known by the concepts that he ascribed to the stages. His theory arose out of old age of scientific observations and research in various types of groups (Tuckman, p.1). The forming stage is withdrawd as consisting of ori entation, testing, and dependence that are mutually present in almost all of the groups studied. The chip phase or stage is to a greater extent seen by the type of characteristic behaviors or attitudes manifested by the people or individuals of a particular group where concepts much(prenominal) as combat and polarization arise which in the process characterize more the resistance that is being experience by the groups immediate scope of influence. This second stage is called the storming stage (Tuckman, p.2) The third phase is known as norming when eventually most of the struggles and/or resistance has been resolved giving focusing to an in-group feeling or group cohesiveness. More often at this stage, individual members are more open, expressing themselves more and dedicate shed their guardedness (Tuckman, p.2). The fourth phase is called the execute stage which is more known by the characteristic traits manifested by individual members where they become more yielding to th e roles and they become more cooperative to the functions whatever they may be. In addition they overly are able to let their energies be directed to the tasks that are supposed to be responded to in the first place (Tuckman, p.2). The perish stage is an addendum or an additional stage to the four stages mentioned, which is adjourning and is described as the implied actionment or attainment of goals (usually) where dependency is at a minimum, where the tasks were already completed and the roles are no longer necessary and functional hence the group most likely must be dissolved (Tuckman, p.2).Application to Teamwork and Teambuilding Understandably, onward teamwork is effectively put in place and in operation, the first three stages or phases should have taken place. People adjust to new things and new situations and as Tuckman describes it, it is inherent in the process that progression from non-cohesiveness to more cohesiveness which also implies that people cooperate less and then if the norming is achieved, will exhibit cooperativeness among themselves. This is also the process of teambuilding. Sadly, many organizations have non manifested teamwork or have not acgieved the performing stage where tasks become central to everybody just not only that, all contributions from all members are crucial and necessary. What are the salient factors within the first two to three stages that pauperisation to be addressed?Team Conflicts Disagreements with how one sees lifetime situations are just a few of the reasons that strifes happen so ordinarily. Just as bouts are also total parts of daily existence so does negotiating through them (Amason, 1996 Amason, Thompson, Hochwarter, Harrison, 1995). Studies reveal that there is no one size fits all when it comes to navigating the disagreements and weather through storms where run afouls are concerned. However, there are principles that are observed when self-made involvement management has taken place.Manag ers, group leaders or any person who handles a team must have the abilities to handle people task before this proceeds or develops into a team problem or before this affects performance. Conflicts therefore must be confronted and understood at the individual level where a person experiences inner personal struggles at varying degrees. However, this short study tackles in detail a much larger picture as it attempts to provide a succinct look at conflict resolution strategies in the area of team dynamics by examining, describing and explaining various concepts as to the accord of these significant concepts. Individual personal conflicts are inevitable occurrences that are usually taken for granted because of its ordinariness. Unless people undertakes a formal study on conflict management, he/she goes through life hitting and missing (at most) at ways of resolving issues and inner conflicts and in all probabilities, somehow manages to escape conflicts. The following important feature s in team dynamics are ad hocally indicated and described because these are crucial points in developing effective management of conflicts and developing efficient team dynamics. Defining conflict, it is the state of disharmony brought about by differences of impulses, desires, or tendencies (Rayeski Bryant, 1994, p. 217). there are benefits as to the presence of conflicts but definitely when these are worked out. Benefits of working teams in relationship to conflict resolution strategies Working teams in relationship to conflict resolution strategies provide benefits including personal and team growth as team members undertake insights with relationships and how these relationships are utilized to better reach worthwhile goals. In addition, working teams have optional choices rather than solitary attempts at confronting conflicts, such as higher(prenominal) possibility arriving at the solutions of the problems, promoting cohesiveness among the team, and increasing the involveme nt or participation of members. Types of Conflict Based on the study presented by Johnson (2005), few researches actually describe how to identify conflict. There are seven types of conflicts depending on who is in conflict with whom (Fisher et al, 1995 in Johnson, 2005). These are an individual with inner conflicts totally unrelated to the team but whose best performance for the team is not achieved due to the personal problem, thus influencing the self-colored team two distinct members are in direct conflict with each other one against all members all against one member a lot of members against a lot of others as well one whole team as against another team all of the team as against one person not a part of the team. Another type of conflict focuses on two kinds of conflict existing in a team task (Jennsen et al., 1999) and affect (Amason et al., 1995) types of conflict. The first type is usually beneficial as it relates to objectives and goals that are to be achieved essentially in a group. The second involves relationships which entails personal preferences and the like. Most conflicts boil down to the level of affect type and more difficult to steal with especially when people really do not want to cooperate. This can also occur at the same time. Managing Conflict Since conflict and disagreements are integral to the growth and performance of teams, it is therefore necessary that individual members and as a group, go through an education process to understand the nuances of conflict. They necessitate the learning to acknowl bounce what healthy debates are, brainstorming and normal ex transmute of ideas which are important to team achieving corporate goals (Johnson, 2005). Studies by Tjosvold and colleagues (1999) show that when disagreements are brought into the open and talked about, conflicts are minimized and feelings of frustration, exasperation and doubts or suspicions are abated. How to prepare or prevent conflict The presence of a team facilitat or can help prepare people in conflict in confronting their fundamental disagreements and/or prevent conflicts to escalate at alarming levels. A good or excellent team facilitator can be the team leader, supervisor or an outside who knows very well the dynamics of conducting team resolutions. He/she aids everyone involved into the process and assists them to air out their grievances in a careful, non-violent manner much like in a healthy debate (Bens, 1997). Team agreements Team agreements start off with ground rules to be able to achieve or attain at something. Coordination in any given work must take into careful account that everyone starts at somewhere and concur at a particular set of guidelines to direct the group to definite goals. Uncoordinated teams will still definitely go somewhere but perhaps not where they or someone in charge of them would want them to be.What are involved then in team agreements? Team agreements develop, protect and help preserve adept and the aspect s this specifically takes on are the responsibilities and expectations, communication, participation, decision making and problem solving, managing those disagreements, conduct of participants or cooperators during and between meetings and consequences. The baseline agreements like these are different when management of conflict is the issue. Research reveals that whenever teams utilize this dodging, difficulties and even conflicts are reduced to a minimum (Davison, 2003).Solutions to conflict Preparation to any eventuality tops the list when it comes to coming up with a solution to conflict. This meat that catch of the whole gamut of team dynamics including potential destructive behavior is important and essential to preventing and providing solutions to conflict. Skills by any member towards conflict resolutions, facilities to allow participants to express or ventilate themselves without threat or fear of censure are also vital. Of course, per advices by experts, those techniqu es and memory accesses that increase enhance task-related conflict and reduce affect-related conflict help reduce the presence of conflict and even remove its threat from the group. Effective planning is also a good strategy as it minimizes the conflict from escalating to a point that it becomes hard to manage already. Employing a conflict checklist can be an excellent ingredient as well in resolving and minimizing the incidence of conflict.Team CommunicationOrganizations in whatever form or state thrive fundamentally on communication. Inherent in the understand of progress, development and growth of any institution is the reality that in order to be ahead, its members should be able to know what its goals are and are united towards accomplishing those goals. As expected, team communication is a must for this to occur. It is very important that communication is always flowing and open to everyone involved. Without effective communication, an organization as teamwork, like a human body, will experience atrophy at some point and eventual deterioration of the whole system if the problem is not addressed previous(predicate) on.However, overdoing the system of communication or doing little for crucial areas can also become detrimental for the overall organizational health (Guffey, 2003). It is then important to flip over the (1) Nature and timing of communication, (2) the Methods or technology necessary for implementation and effectiveness, and (3) the Various functions or placements of individuals and team members within that communication network (Kimball at http//www.groupjazz.com/pdf/matrix,accessed Feb.15, 2007).Many more can be added on the list except that these three are the most important when it comes to building a strategic structure on team communication. It is precisely through this rationale that a team is able to survive or flourish in the context of a bigger organization. When its individual members have highly developed communication skills the n the whole team will enjoy the benefits of its resources which include the achievement of its goals. Nature or Timing of Communication This means firstly, that the team leader knows what he needs to communicate. It is to establish a clear goal or inspiring purpose statement that can jumpstart as well as sustain all team members in the process of achieving the teams overarching objectives. Bear in mind also that constant change is the only thing that anybody can expect in this technology oriented society.The team must be constantly updated and able to cope and compete in such a milieu. Because of this a sensitivity to change is a must for a leader and for the rest of the team to be on the cutting edge and never waning in the process of time. Again, what is crucial here is the identification of who will be involved, what are at stake, what limitations should be imposed so as to provide focus and measurable steps for the team (Kimball at http//www.groupjazz.com/pdf/matrix,accessed Fe b.15, 2007). Methods and/or Technology To develop a communication strategy, the determination of different kinds of work need to be dealt with at the outset and constantly reinforced so as to align and create an effective network of team players. This portion precisely gears toward the understanding of the nitty gritty of the whole system. Details of the job become easier to comprehend and implement when every member is placed strategically based on their known skills, abilities and interests.There is of course, a need for apparatuses or tools other than the human resource that are provided to enhance and speed up the process. Also important is the classification of what is routine, what are the usual problems encountered on a regular basis, and also whether there are new patterns that come into view and perhaps need to be addressed in the earliest possible time (Kimball at http//www.groupjazz.com/pdf/matrix,accessed Feb.15, 2007). Various functions or placements of individuals or team members within that communication network. In a sports game like basketball, the positioning of players is lively to the winnability of the team. It is not to be taken for granted. The accurate placement of the players capability and ability ascertains, to a large extent, the possibility of the teams becoming the champion in the duration of the game.The coach does not leave to chance their aim to win the game rather, he sees to it that his team is positioned to such a degree that winning is not only a probability but a surety. On the other hand, imagine that the players are all misplaced. A supposed guard has been placed to the means role, and the center player plays as a forward, the latter then plays as a guard. Obviously, this kind of team is a total mess. Being in that position guarantees the team a loss and not a victory.The human resource is unpredictable and complex. Effective communication strategies between and among team players on their specific functioning on how they perform and relate should be made and reinforced constantly. According to Lisa Kimball, The nature of communications among the team about different parts of the work including the frequency, the volume, and the degree of interactivity is different depending on where that work falls in the matrix (Kimball at http//www.groupjazz.com/pdf/matrix,accessed Feb.15, 2007).As stated above, to avoid information overload, there should always be only a right measure of communication because to overdo it will diminish the interest of team members either to listen or to communicate.Conclusion vital to the life and continuity of a team or organization is the proper dissemination of information. This includes enough knowledge of those things and people that are involved in the whole set-up. When team communication is prioritized, teamwork is enhanced and the achievement of goals is within reach. There are many more qualities that can enhance team communication nevertheless, this paper limi ts its approach to only three strategies. However, the smallness of amount of strategies in this thesis does not mean lack of comprehensiveness in dealing with the need for effective communication. The points herein discussed are generic and therefore applicable to any given situation and can be expanded to cover other details necessary to vouch good communication in a team.ReferenceAmason, A. C. (1996). Distinguishing the effects of functional and dysfunctional conflict on strategic decision making Resolving a paradox for top management teams. Academy of Management Journal, 39(1), 123-148.Amason, A. C., Thompson, K. R., Hochwarter, W. A., Harrison, A. W. (1995). Conflict An important dimension in successful management teams. Organizational Dynamics, 24(2), 20-35.Bens, I. (1997). Facilitating conflict. In M. Goldman (Ed.), Facilitating with ease (pp. 83-108). Sarasota, FL Participative Dynamics.Davison, march Canney. 2003. Creating Working Normas and Agreements. Accessed April 26 , 2008 www.genderdiversity.cgiar.org/CreatingWorkingAgreementsDavison3.doc Kimball, Lisa. Developing the Teams Communication Strategy accessed Feb.15, 2007 at http//www.groupjazz.com/pdf/matrix.Guffey, Mary Ellen. 2003. Business Communication. Thomson learning, Mason Ohio, Ch.1, p.3.Fisher, K., Rayner, S., Belgard, W. (1995). Tips for teams A ready reference for solving greenness team problems. NY, NY McGraw-Hill, Inc.Jennsen, O., Van De Vliert, E., Veenstra, C. (1999). How task and person conflict shape the role of positive interdependence in management teams. Journal of Management, 25(2), 117-141.Johnson, Debbi-Wagner. 2005. Managing Work-Team Conflict Assessment and Preventatve Strategies. mettle for Collaborative Organizations, University of North Texas. All rights reserved.Rayeski, E., Bryant, J. D. (1994). Team resolution process A guideline for teams to manage conflict, performance, and discipline. In M. Beyerlein M. BullockTjosvold, D., Morshima, M., Belsheim, J. A. ( 1999). Complaint handling on the range floor Cooperative relationships and open-minded strategies. International Journal of Conflict Management, 10(1), 45-68.Tuckman, Bruce. Forming, storming norming and performing in groups.file///C/DOCUME1/ew_tuckman-forming,storming,normingandperformingingroups.htm