Teams

Question 1

Features of Effective Teams

Answer 1

Nature of the task
- How challenging a task is will have an effect on the success of a team

Leadership
- Presence of a good leader helps promote a positive atmosphere

Communication
- Strong communication means team members are encouraged to express their opinions

Shared vision
- When all team members have a clear idea of what they want to achieve

Support
- When team members support one another it leads to better decision making

Question 2

Importance of Strong Team Leadership

Answer 2

Clear direction
- Clear vision shared by leader can make a team more productive
- Leads to deadlines being met

Delegation
- Effective delegation empowers & motivates employees
- Leaders know strengths & weaknesses employees & tasks can be allocated to them that suit

Leading by example
- Team member’s skillset will improve
- Means talent can be developed for promotion

Supervision
- Staff will feel less stressed & are more likely to be productive

Communication
- Allows a dialogue to take place to develop understanding of tasks
- Better decisions can take place

Reduces conflict
- Can result in less disputes
- Team members more focussed on success which leads to lower staff turnover

Question 3

Benefits of Teams - Employees

Answer 3

Greater job satisfaction leading to increased morale

Increased confidence in work being done - less likely to be stressed

Will feel more supported at work

Skills may increase by learning from other team members - may lead to increased chances of promotion

If more productive & meet targets this could lead to higher pay

Question 4

Benefits of Teams - Organisations

Answer 4

Increased productivity with many members working on a task

Improved idea generation - leads to a team being more innovative & competitive

Improved communication between employees & management - less likely to resist change due to improved working relationships

Employees motivated working in a team - leads to reduced staff turnover & lower absenteeism rates

Employees more likely to take risks - leads to better decision making

Employees develop increased skills - this means there’s increased flexibility in the workforce if someone is absent
- Reduces cost for sending employees on training courses

Question 5

Skills of Team Members

Answer 5

Motivation
- Motivating other team members will improve morale and ensure a better working environment

Communication
- Team members should be able to communicate effectively to help members understand what’s being communicated

Organised
- In order to meet deadlines team members should prioritise work where required

Patient
- To avoid conflict, team members should be patient when working with each other

Enthusiastic
- Team members willing to take on responsibilities will feel empowered

Question 6

Belbin’s Team Roles

Answer 6

Plant
- Tends to be highly creative & good at solving problems

Specialist
- Brings in-depth knowledge of a key area to the team

Shaper
- Provides necessary drive to ensure team doesn’t lose focus

Implementer
- Plans a workable strategy & carries it out as efficiently as possible

Complete Finisher
- Good attention to detail