Team Motivation
Introduction
For a team to deliver results, plan work, find solutions, address problems as well as handle a wide variety of challenges, the phases developed by Tuckman in regard to group development are largely inevitable. In this text, I discuss the developmental stage as well as process of my group.
A discussion
Recently, a group of friends and I formed a team in which we would contribute small amounts of money every month for investment purposes. Based on the concept of pooling resources together, it was felt that as a group, we would be better placed to invest wisely and efficiently. According to Blair (2006), the relevance of a team comes about due t the wide range of skills members of the team bring t the board as well as self monitoring tendency that tends to make a group perform better especially when it comes to delegated responsibility. At this stage, we are largely trying to know each other better as well as finding common ground on how we are gong to approach the task at hand. We are also currently formulating guideline on how the team shall operate i.e. when and how meetings should be held, the responsibilities of each member of the team as well as the amount of money to be contributed by each member on a monthly basis.
It is important to note that based on the Tuckerman model and the results of the teamwork survey I have undertaken, it is clear that my team is in the forming stage. According to Sing (2009), the forming stage is driven by the need of every team member to gain acceptance from the others. This stage actually forms the foundation stage for the other subsequent team stages including the storming stage, the norming stage and finally the performing stage. It is hence e relevant stage as far as group development is concerned. Sing (2009) notes that though this is one of the most comfortable stages of a team, not much can be done as the insistence at this stage is the avoidance of conflict. This is a fact that can be gleaned from my own team where team members have time and again avoided discussing some issues which are largely thought to be contentious. This includes but is not in any way limited to the exact amount of money each team member is expected to contribute on a monthly basis as well as how member contribution defaults should be handled. While it is clear these issues are of grave concern given the mandate of our team as well as purpose of operation, there has been a tendency of team members to avoid discussing the same to avid creating acrimony.
It is important to note that to make the other stages of group development after the forming stage function effectively; there is a great need to ensure that the team is sufficiently motivated. This also applies to our investment team. According to Grazier (2004), one of the factors that influence motivation is purpose. As long as we still have unity of purpose, I am confident our team shall function at optimum o fulfill its mandate past its current stage of forming.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is important to note hat the success of a team going forward is largely dependent on the motivational level of a team as well as its sense of camaraderie. This is what determines whether the team survives some of the more difficult stages of group development such as storming.
References
Blair, G., (2006). Groups that work, Retrieved July 21, 2011 at: http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/~gerard/Management/art0.html?http://oldeee.see.ed.ac.uk/~gerard/Management/art0.html
Grazier, P. (2004). Team motivation. Retrieved July 21, 2011 at: http://www.teambuildinginc.com/article_teammotivation.htm
Sing, K. (2009). Organizational Behavior: Text and Cases. Pearson Education India
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