Team Dynamics

Team Dynamics

Throughout life people have been learned to be autonomous; individuals looking out for themselves. The culture of the United States most certainly is individualistic, as opposed to collectivistic. In a collectivistic society the good of the whole is always the frontrunner in the mind’s eye, even with survival being the only true instinct, that survival is focused on the group as a whole. Working as a team is a lesson learned well in Basic Training, working as a team is mandatory in a situation where your life depends on your buddy’s life; unfortunately not everyone gets to enjoy that experience. Nevertheless, there are a myriad of other ways in which one may learn the dynamics of a team and how to be a productive member. Attending this class, GEN300, is one of the ways in which many people who may never have another opportunity to work as a team, get a taste of what working as a team is like. People hear what being a part of a team is like from the popular song, “People who need people are the luckiest people in the world” (Merrill, & Styne, 1964).

Interpersonal skills are paramount for life in any society, where human beings live, they live together and not just in close proximity to one another. Human beings are social creatures; humans must interact with other humans in order for the species to survive. Humans must interact with other people in order to understand themselves and grow in their world. People must understand themselves and grow in harmony with universal principles [ethics] in order to understand and help other people in the world (Pasanno, 1999). In short, everyone is very much in this together, whether they call themselves �members of a team’ or �the team,’ they are ultimately one.

Important characteristics of effective teams are interdependence, goal specification, cohesiveness, roles and norms, and communication (McNiell, et al., 2000). Interdependence in the team shows just how much the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. A team that is struggling to work as one, because of certain members working independently of the goal and of one another, will not be as productive as a truly interdependent team that has put their individualistic tendencies aside for the good of the whole; when any system works for the good of the whole there is no I, you, or me, there is no us or them, there is only one and that is “we.” Goal specification can be likened to forming a Team Charter, in many ways. Forming of a Team Charter sets the stage, in the mind’s eye of every member, for the production about to begin and once that stage is set, everyone has their role, as part of the whole, and follows it. Cohesiveness encompasses social cohesiveness and task cohesiveness. Social cohesiveness refers to the attraction between and bonding of team members on a more personal level, this could be going to a bridal shower for a member of the team, Friday night bowling with team members, or even sexual relationships with other members of the team. This type of cohesiveness is important for team development, but not as important as task cohesiveness when it comes to project completion for the goal of the team. Task cohesiveness refers to the ability of team members to discover their individual strengths and weaknesses and use this knowledge to assign specific tasks within a given project to ensure that each member’s abilities are being used advantageously for the team. This can be done in several different ways. Questionnaires can be given out to be completed by the team members, tests can be administered, or if there is time, the team can watch and see who gravitates to which role. Roles can and optimally should be considered before assembling the team; these vary with team objectives and can be adjusted over time. Norms develop over time and are an enhanced version of task cohesiveness. Communication is vital to team development and effectiveness. Communication within a team can be likened to the �heart’ within a body, when communication is effective and flowing smoothly any other problems that may arise can be handled. If there is a problem with communication and it is recognized and dealt with effectively, the team can move forward. If communication stops altogether,