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Academic Task – 2

School Of Computer Science And Engineering

Project Report

On

MGN313

Section: D1714

Submitted to Submitted By

Ms. Jaskiran Kaur Yuvraj (11604084)

 Annexure-V- Cover Page for Academic Tasks

Course Code: MGN313 Course Title: Management Practices and

Organizational Behaviour
Course Instructor: Ms. Jaskiran Kaur

Academic Task No.: 2 Academic Task Title: Assignment

Date of Allotment: 02/09/2019 Date of submission: 18/09/2019

Student’s Name: Yuvraj Student’s Reg. no: 11604084

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UMS at the time of assigning the task by the instructor)

Learning Outcomes: (Student to write briefly about learnings obtained from the academic tasks)

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I declare that this Assignment is my individual work. I have not copied it from any other student‟s work or
from any other source except where due acknowledgement is made explicitly in the text, nor has any part
been written for me by any other person.

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Teamwork is the collaborative effort of a group to achieve a common goal or to complete a
task in the most effective and efficient way. This concept is seen within the greater framework
of a team, which is a group of interdependent individuals who work together towards a
common goal. Basic requirements for effective teamwork are an adequate team size. The
context is important, and team sizes can vary depending upon the objective. A team must
include at least 2 or more members, and most teams range in size from 2 to 100. Sports teams
generally have fixed sizes based upon set rules, and work teams may change in size depending
upon the phase and complexity of the objective. Teams need to be able to leverage resources
to be productive, and clearly defined roles within the team in order for everyone to have a clear
purpose. Teamwork is present in any context where a group of people are working together to
achieve a common goal. These contexts include an industrial organization, athletics, a school
(classmates working on a project), and the healthcare system (operating room teams). In each
of these settings, the level of teamwork and interdependence can vary from low (e.g. golf, track
and field), to intermediate (e.g. baseball, football), to high (e.g. basketball, soccer), depending
on the amount of communication, interaction, and collaboration present between team
members.

Effective Team Work

In addition to practical components required for efficient teamwork, there are certain
characteristics that members of the team must have in order to produce effective teamwork.
Firstly, there must be a high level of interdependence among team members, a characteristic
that stems from open communication and the increase of trust and risk-taking. Through
interdependence come the group dynamics, which are the ways in which team members interact
with each other. Healthy dynamics lead to team members being more satisfied and therefore
working more efficiently together, whereas unhealthy dynamics lead to conflict, and
consequentially to unsatisfied team members. Due to this, an important characteristic of
efficient teamwork is healthy conflict resolution, that comes along with open communication.
In order for efficient teamwork to exist, a team needs to have clear and attainable goals, through
which team members can feel accomplished and motivated. Finally, sharing leadership
positions between team members enhances teamwork due to the feeling of shared responsibility
and accountability. Team effectiveness and chemistry may also be linked to personality types.
Depending on personality types, teams may be more or less efficient.

Improve teamwork
Overall, teamwork and performance can be enhanced through specific training that targets the
individual team members and the team as a whole. Bruce Tuckman proposed a team
developmental model that separated the stages of a team's lifespan and the level of teamwork
for each stage:
1. Forming
o This stage is described by approach/avoidance issues, as well as internal conflicts
about being independent vs. wanting to be a part of the team.
o Team members usually tend to 'play it safe' and minimize their risk taking in case
something goes wrong.
o Teamwork in this stage is at its lowest levels.
2. Storming
o The second stage is characterized by a competition for power and authority, which
is the source of most of the conflicts and doubts about the success of the team.
o If teamwork is low in this stage, it is very unlikely that the team will get past their
conflicts. If there is a high degree of teamwork and willingness to collaborate, then
the team might have a brighter future.
3. Norming
o The third stage is characterized by increasing levels of solidarity, interdependence,
and cohesiveness, while simultaneously making an effort to adjust to the team
environment.
o This stage shows much higher levels of teamwork that make it easier for the above
characteristics to occur.
4. Performing
o This final stage of team development includes a comfortable environment in which
team members are effectively completing tasks in an interdependent and cohesive
manner.
o This stage is characterized by the highest levels of comfort, success,
interdependence, and maturity, and therefore includes the highest levels of
teamwork.

Reasons for importance of teamwork

Teams don't work well without teamwork! Teamwork is important for the success of all
businesses. To have a meaningful and lifelong career, you need to work well with others which
is why teamwork is so important in the professional world.
It brings new ideas. Businesses need new, fresh ideas to succeed in the competitive world.
You have a unique perspective to bring to the table which will benefit the business overall.
Businesses thrive when they have a diverse team of people who can contribute individual ideas.
Teamwork helps solve problems. Collaboration within a group can help solve difficult
problems. Brainstorming is a good opportunity for the team to exchange ideas and come up
with creative ways of doing things. By working together, teams can find the solutions that work
best.
It's supportive. Teamwork creates a system to ensure that deadlines are met and that there's
high quality work. When one team member falls behind, there's another to pick up the pieces.
When work is divvied up among members of a team, it gets done faster, making the overall
business operate more efficiently. Your team will develop a sense of comradery as you work
toward a common goal.

Teamwork builds morale. You'll feel that your work is valued when you contribute to
something that produces results. If you offer an idea that helps improve productivity, such as a
new filing system, confidence and trust is built within the team. Each team member has
something special to offer. By working together, members of a team feel a strong sense of
belonging and deep commitment to each other and the common goal.
It's one thing to have a team, it's a whole other thing to have teamwork. A team that works well
together can succeed together and produce great results.

Factors that enhance teamwork

1.The role of leaders
It starts at the top. If you don’t already have good teamwork at the grassroots level, then it’s
time for the leadership team to, well, lead. By example. They’re the ones that the rest of your
company look to for guidance, so they should be establishing teamwork as the norm. Their
behaviour will trickle down through the company to leaders at each level of the company, then
to all members of the teams. Eventually the whole organization will come to accept and expect
this mode of working.

2.Communicate, every day, every way

Good communication is at the heart of great teamwork. Great teams communicate well and
often, their members are happy to share ideas, brainstorm together, ask for feedback, and be
contradicted.

This doesn’t mean team members always agree, but they’re able to communicate through their
differences to settle on a sound solution and continue moving forwards as a team.

3.Exercise together

I’m not talking about aerobics here - don’t make your team complete a set of jumping jacks at
your next meeting. I’m referring to team building exercises. These don’t have to be groan-
inducing company retreats, they can be short and sweet tasks that take less than 10 minutes
(and it may even be better that way).

Before deciding on a team building exercise, it’s important to assess what specific challenges
your team is facing. For example, does your team need to become more familiar with each
other, or do they need to recover from a conflict? You may pick different exercises for each of
these situations.
4.Establish team rules

“Rules?” I hear you thinking, “that doesn’t sound fun at all.” Think again. Rules don’t have to
be a dampener, but they do have to exist to keep everyone aligned.

Rules are everywhere - on the sports field, in daily interactions - and they exist to keep everyone
safe and on the same page. How can we move forward together if we don’t know where we
stand? Rules will safeguard the success and productivity of a team.

5.Clarity purpose

If a team doesn’t understand the purpose of their work, their attention and enthusiasm can
dwindle. Be clear about why you’re doing what you’re doing - it’s the key to motivation. Simon
Sinek, author and marketing consultant, unravels this game-changing concept in his TED talk.

So, find the "why" - the purpose - for your current project or final goal, and why you’re taking
each of the steps that lead you there. Not only will this keep everyone motivated and aligned,
it’s a great way to review your process and ensure you’re taking the best steps to get to where
you need to be.

6. Recognize and reward

Recognized employees are satisfied employees, according to this recent survey. And satisfied
employees do better at work (you can find out more here if you’re interested). If you want a
happier, stronger team, recognition is key - are this doesn’t refer to a monetary reward.

Here are some of the way’s employees want to be recognized and rewarded:

 Company or team-wide emails recognizing individuals/teams

 In-person recognition and thanks
 Promotions
 Bonuses
 Extra vacation days

7. Office space

How constructive is your workspace for the growth of teamwork? Research from Herman
Miller shows that the physical workspace needs to evolve to support collaboration.

“Project rooms that teams can use for months, conference rooms equipped with the latest
remote conferencing tools, and areas of benching, where people can do heads-down work but
also easily confer with each other support the various needs people have when collaborating.”

The needs of your teams should be reflected in your workspace. Look around your office and
consider what could be done to encourage impromptu huddles for productive conversation,
accessibility to knowledge experts, and semi-permanent spaces for group projects.
8. Take a break

Team building doesn’t have to happen while you’re actively working. In fact, it’s proven that
taking breaks together can result in a higher level of productivity and help re-evaluate goals as
needed.

One week, you could round up the team and grab a coffee together, or pick-up some sweet
treats for your team on the way to work and gather for a morning chat. Getting together in a
less formal setting will encourage better communication, sharing, and bonding between team
members. If you want to start small, break up the day by stepping outside to have one of your
team meetings on foot.

9. Focus on strengths

Focusing on the weaknesses of your team members can seriously affect engagement and
consequently lower the team’s productivity. According to Gallup research, employees who use
their strengths every day are six times more likely to be engaged in their jobs.

Everyone is different - we have different strengths, passions, and weaknesses. One of the
cornerstones of a good team leader is focusing on individuals’ strengths, and bringing together
a team of people that has a combined skillset to get the job done. As long as everyone
contributes by bringing a strong skill to the team, their weakness should not be dwelt on.

10. Show gratitude

How much gratitude do you show? A survey of 2,000 people, found that people are less likely
to express gratitude at work than any other place. In fact, 60% of those people said they “either
never express gratitude at work or do so perhaps once a year.”

It’s quite surprising then, to discover that people actually want to be thanked. 70% of the
surveyed people would feel better about themselves if their boss were more grateful, and 81%
would work harder. Gratitude is actually proven to lead to an increased sense of self-worth and
trust within the workplace.

References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teamwork

https://www.yti.edu/blog/reasons-teamwork-is-important-in-the-workplace.asp

https://blog.jostle.me/blog/12-easy-ways-to-improve-workplace-teamwork