TICHAONA MUSORODZATA

ID – UB34028BPR42602

Team Development

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ATLANTIC INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY HONOLULU, HAWAII

2015

Table of Contents

Topic Page

1.0 Introduction…………………………………………………………….. 32.0 The Key To Project Success……………………………………………. 42.1. Responsibility Of The Project Manager……………………………… 5 2.1.1. Planning……………………………………………………………… 6 2.1.2 Leading………………………………………………………...…….. 6 2.1.3. Organizing………………………………………………………….... 6 2.1.4. Controlling…………………………………………………………… 72.2. The Project Manager’s Ability To Develop People………………….. 72.3. Team Development And Effectiveness………………………………... 9 2.3.1. Stages Of Team Development………………………………………. 9 2.3.1.1 Forming Stage……………………………………………………… 10 2.3.1.2 Storming Stage…………………………………………………….. 11 2.3.1.3. Norming……………………………………………………………. 12 2.3.1.4. Performing…………………………………………………………. 132.4. Barriers To Team Work……………………………………………….. 13 2.4.1 Undefined Team Structure…………………………………………… 13 2.4.2 Dominating Team Members………………………………………….. 14

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2.4.3 Lack Of Clear Goal Definition And Lack Of Communication…….. 15 2.4.5. Lack Of Commitment And Wayward Behaviour………………….. 152.5 Conflict In Project Teams……………………………………………….. 16 2.5.1 Sources Of Conflict……………………………………………………. 16 2.5.2 Conflict Handling……………………………………………………… 17 2.5.2.1 Withdrawing………………………………………………………… 18 2.5.2.2. Forcing……………………………………………………………… 18 2.5.2.3. Smoothing…………………………………………………………... 18 2.5.2.4. Compromising……………………………………………………… 19 2.5.2.5 Collaborating………………………………………………………………. 192.6. Buidling A Project Team………………………………………………... 192.7. Ethical Behaviour………………………………………………………... 213.0. Conclusion………………………………………………………………... 22 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………. 23

Figure 2.1. Team Development Stages……………………………………. 10

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The importance of team development is explored in this essay.

The essay starts with the emphasis that teams of people are a

major key to project success i.e. in section 2. People should

be pysched up in order to work together simply because

together people achieve more. The role of the project manager

in a project team is also touched on. A team functions well

when the project manager supports the team by co-ordinating

their various activities. A project manager obviously plays a

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crucial role in developing his team. Section 2 also deals with

team development and effectiveness, barriers to team

development, conflicts in project teams and how to handle them

as well as stages in team development. Team building and

ethical behaviour are dealt with at the end of the section.

Section 3 is the conclusion in which suggestions and

observations have been made. The bibliography is the last

section in which references to existing literature has been

made. A simple way of recognising the help obtained from

people who have written books already. Throughout the essay,

sketches have been used, where necessary, to illustrate an

idea.

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2.0. THE KEY TO PROJECT SUCCESS

A team is a group of people with diversified but complementary

skills with the sole intention of achieving the same result.

To achieve the intended result, team members should work

interdependently with shared accountability, responsibility

and authority as well as a common understanding. Nowadays

organisations are preaching the gospel of teamwork because

together people achieve more rather than on individual basis.

A highly successful team should be able to set goals, make

decisions and solve problems together. For a group or team to

work effectively members need to psychologically join the

group, otherwise it is a group of people who have just come

together without common purpose. There must be a willingness

to want to join and work within a group to achieve the

intended goals. Members enter the team with personal needs and

goals, and they implicitly evaluate how this team will aid or

get in the way of their personal needs and goals, Busher &

Coetzer (2007).

Organisations have now started to look at rewarding

performance of a team rather than an individual because there

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are more benefits to be derived from group work than

individualistic play. Individualism may mean, at times, that

there is selfishness – where a person does not want to share

ideas with others. However, at very exceptional cases

individual performance can be recognised. We are not there

fully yet but the world is moving towards that direction.

Although all members of a multicultural team may be

characterized by a considerable degree of easy

internationalism, tolerance, and cultural sensitivity, they

will bring with them their own national values and core

beliefs, taboos and prejudices, preferences, pet hates,

perspectives – in short, their own worldview, Lewis (2012 p,

114). These are the things which the team leader needs to deal

with for the good of the group. There are certain things which

cannot just be wished away. The diversity of cultures needs to

be considered and dealt with.

Systems, procedures and techniques do not perform any work. It

is the people who use them to do their work in order to

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achieve their pre-set objectives. But for people to achieve

those objectives they need to be organised in a certain

manner. Clements and Gido (2006) mentioned that the project

manager provides leadership to the project team – leadership

in planning, organising and controlling the work effort to

accomplish the project objective. In a project work, the

ultimate responsibility is that the project is achieved within

the pre-set timeframe, within budget and should be of

acceptable quality. The project manager should have the

ability to inspire and give confidence to the project team.

It is, therefore, a fact that the project success hinges on

the Project Manager and his Project Team – the people. All

lines of communication among the project members should be

kept open so that they are free to consult amongst themselves.

2.1. RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PROJECT MANAGER

In a broader perspective, the project manager has four

responsibilities which are leading, planning, organizing and

controlling. If the project team was a soccer squad, the

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project manager would be the coach. If the project team was a

bus, the project manager would be the

conductor. The project manager co-ordinates the activities of

the various team members to ensure that they perform the right

tasks at the proper time, as a cohesive group, Clements and

Gido (2006, P. 292).

2.1.1. PLANNING

The project objectives and milestones are clearly defined by

the project manager who then agrees with the customer and

other stakeholders. He oversees the development of a project

implementation plan and seeks its adoption by other

stakeholders. He is also responsible for checking actual

progress versus planned progress.

2.1.2 LEADING

The Project Manager must not be a dictator, he achieves

results by working together with the team. Psychologists view

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leadership as a team oriented phenomenon that is best thought

of involving particular roles. Still other psychologists see

leadership as primarily a two-person relationship in which the

leader motivates the follower to carry out certain task-

relevant activities, typically by offering concrete rewards

(such as pay) or psychological rewards (such as recognition),

Chalofsky, Rocco and Morris (2014).

2.1.3. ORGANIZING.

In order to perform the work, the project manager must secure

all required resources. The project manager makes a decision

on which resources must be acquired first and also which

resources must be outsourced. Clements and Gideo (2006) state

that for tasks that will be carried out in house, the project

manager gains a commitment from the specific people who will

work on the project. For tasks that will be performed by sub-

contractors, the project manager clearly defines the work

scope and deliverables and negotiates a contract with each

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sub-contractor. The project manager should assign

responsibility and delegate responsibility so that the team is

fully accountable for their tasks. Team leaders or supervisors

could be created, especially, for larger projects.

2.1.4. CONTROLLING

Here, the project manager and/or his team of supervisors make

sure that all activities are not deviating from set standards

and procedures. No regulations must be flouted. Controlling is

directly linked to planning because the latter has set out the

objectives that the organisation (or its units) is expected to

achieve, and controlling determines if this has occurred.

2.2. THE PROJECT MANAGER’S ABILITY TO DEVELOP PEOPLE.

The project manager finds an opportunity in a project to add

value in his team by training his staff so that all members of

the project team are well conversant with the requirements of

their job. The project manager should establish an environment

where people can learn from the tasks they perform and the

situations they experience or observe, and he or she must

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communicate to the team the importance of continuous self-

development activities,

Clements & Gideo (2006). The project manager can improve the

development of his staff by exercising the following;

- He must understand that all individuals add value to an

organisation and they can contribute more to an

organisation by allowing them to learn more

- Encourage all staff to take the initiative whenever in a

crux, take risks and make decisions.

- He must acknowledge that mistakes are part of learning

and growth curves.

- He can give a stretch assignment in which individuals are

given tasks that are not necessarily within their

qualifications. This makes the individual learn more

about other functions of the company.

- Assigning a less experienced person to work with a more

experienced person. This is also part of on-the-job

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training. The experienced person’s responsibility, in

this situation, is to coach, mentor and even teach the

less experienced.

- Allow people to attend formal learning sessions. Such

sessions must not be allowed to make the job suffer. The

project manager should strike a balance between what is

to be lost and what is to be gained by such formal

sessions.

- The project manager should be approachable by any member

of the team. Should be able to clear any confusion and

ambiguity by providing plain and clear communication on

all aspects of the project.

- The project manager builds morale in his subordinates,

give them the impetus to want to achieve more and give

them the freedom to act.

2.3. TEAM DEVELOPMENT AND EFFECTIVENESS

To achieve that common objective, members should exercise

teamwork as a co-operative effort. The project success or

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project failure is determined by the effectiveness of the

project team. Naturally the relationship between people takes

time to materialise. In that relationship, the difference in

attitudes and values will manifest during the course of the

relationships but people should just learn to get better and

become friends. Similarly, team development goes through an

evolution because people who have never known each other can

be assigned the same task. This group must grow into a team

that will be able to achieve the project objective. Once a

team begins to jell, the probability of success goes way up.

The team can become unstoppable, a juggernaut for success…They

don’t need to be managed in the traditional way, and they

certainly don’t need to be motivated. They have got momentum,

Pressman (2010. P. 653). So it goes without saying that a team

that is jelled becomes so strongly knit that the whole is

bigger than the sum of parts.

2.3.1. STAGES OF TEAM DEVELOPMENT

Tuchman has defined four stages of team development as

Forming, Storming, Norming and performing as indicated in

figure 2.1.

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Figure 2.1. Team Development Stages

First Stage

Second Stage

Third Stage

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Storming

Norming

Performing

Forming

Forth Stage

2.3.1.1 FORMING STAGE

This is the first stage of the development of a team.

Eagerness characterises members at this stage and positive

expectations are all over people’s minds. The group begins to

establish an

identity and attempts to define and plan the tasks that need

to be done, Clements & Gideo (2006). There is a lot of

anxiety so much that very little work is done as people are

upbeat

about their new found relationship. Group members are not yet

sure about their roles as well as roles of other team members.

The project manager is still very much involved at this stage

in giving direction to the members. The group’s needs and

goals are of little concern until members come to identify

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with the group, Busher & Coerzter (2007). To sum it up the

characteristics of this stage are hesitation, suspicion,

excitement, anxiety and anticipation. There is a lot of

probing questions at this stage. The project manager should

then give orientation and sensitisation to the group – just to

help then to acquaint to each other. Things like project

scope, time scale, budget, operations systems and procedures,

and expectations, if explained to the teams, will help in the

forming stage.

2.3.1.2 STORMING STAGE.

Reality is setting in now, the projects goals become clearer

at this stage. Team members start to show case their skills

slowly. Dissatisfaction takes its toll and members await

direction of the project manager. The project manager’s limits

are even tested. Tension and conflicts start to crop in when

members try to express their divergent views and expertise

about work activities. Levitt (2013) postulates that this can

lead to extensive in-fighting, gossiping, criticizing,

blaming, and overall tension that typically worsen due to the

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team’s lack of knowledge and experience to control

disagreement. At this stage the project manager is less

directive than he is in the forming stages. Problem solving

and decision making should now start to be shared between the

project manager and his team so as to empower the teams. The

project manager should stop being defensive, personal and even

offensive about work issues, but should remain professional in

supporting his team during this challenging stage. Team

members should be allowed to express their views, queries and

concerns while the project manager fosters guidance and

conflict resolution. If concerns are not addressed at this

stage, it may affect project operations even in later stages –

so the time to take corrective action is now.

2.3.1.3. NORMING

Relations among team members including the project manager

start to bear some meaning. The skills, ideas and even

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performance become complementary. Although interpersonal

conflict is still there, it is now lower than it was in the

norming stage. The people have now become adapted to the

situation on the ground, i.e. the constraints in resources,

the work timescales and the work to be performed. Even the

project manager feels safe to transfer most of his

responsibilities to the team. Clements and Gideo (2006)

postulate that trust begins to develop in this stage, as team

members start to confide in one another. There is greater

sharing of information, ideas and feelings; co-operation

increases. There is cohesion in whatever the team does in the

project.

2.3.1.4. PERFORMING

Performing is the final stage in which the team is

tremendously dedicated and anxious to accomplish the project

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goals. There is a sense of oneness in the team – they feel

they belong

to each other. Confidence, frankness, communication and a

greater degree of interdependency will characterise the team

through and through. Members start to have the autonomy to

form sub-teams each time they are faced with a challenge.

Individual members will always feel the growing experience

each time they accomplish a task. The project manager empowers

his team by delegating responsibility and authority. The

project manager’s role is to facilitate and support the

development and implementation of corrective action if actual

progress falls behind planned progress, Clements and Gideo

(2006). The team completes tasks with highest levels of

confidence, proficiency, consistence and dedication, Levitt

(2013).

2.4. BARRIERS TO TEAM WORK

A project team should always be cognisant of barriers to

effective team work. Naturally any team is bound to face

challenges in the performance of their duties. Problems

hurting the effectiveness of team members may unexpectedly

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arise. Explained below are some of the things that hinder team

success.

2.4.1 UNDEFINED TEAM STRUCTURE

When there is no clear cut team structure confusion may ensue

as team members may pull in different directions. The team

will not be sure as to who to report to or who the most senior

member is amongst themselves. Clements and Gideo (2006) posit

that individuals may feel that their roles and

responsibilities are ambiguous or that there is overlap in the

responsibilities of some individuals. It is therefore, prudent

for the project manager to hold a briefing with team members

during which he explains roles of each individual. In fact,

all roles should be clarified before any work commences in

order to control such confusions. Also the project team

members should ask for clarity where roles appear to be

ambiguous. The work breakdown structure (WBS), Gantt chart,

responsibility matrix or the network diagram can be used to

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illustrate these roles. It is of utmost importance if members

could sign to indicate that he/she has understood his roles.

2.4.2 DOMINATING TEAM MEMBERS

Some people have a tendency of encroaching in the path of

others when executing duties. Some people have a know-it-all

attitude when in actual fact they don’t know anything at all.

This leads to animosity among team members. The project

manager can control this by holding meetings and explaining

each member’s role. Knowing that fair and equitable

participation by all will affect the team’s performance

evaluation will help team members limit domination by one

member and encourage participation from all members, even shy

or reluctant ones.

2.4.3 LACK OF CLEAR GOAL DEFINITION AND LACK OF COMMUNICATION.

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The project manager needs to articulate the project objective,

as well as the project scope, level of quality, budget and

schedule, Clements & Gideo (2006). Such information must be

conveyed to all project team members and make sure it is

understood clearly. Also during

update/progress meetings, the goals should be discussed as a

way of reminding people about them.

When project team members appear not to know what is going on

in the project the project will obviously fail. Team members

fail to share information and individualism start to manifest.

The project manager should encourage participation and members

should feel free to ask questions. Members should learn to

solve problems as a team. Social activities during non-working

hours should also be encouraged so that the team come to know

each other well.

2.4.5. LACK OF COMMITMENT AND WAYWARD BEHAVIOUR

In any association there are people who are not dedicated to

their work hence giving minimum effort to their works. Some

people spend work hours doing their personal activities which

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make the job to suffer. Some even display some disruptive

behaviour thereby affecting the development of the team. Lack

of respect of each other, lack of seriousness and excessive

clowning are things that can be detrimental to smooth work

flow. Here the project manager should just be strict and

demands that wayward behaviour be stopped. The project manager

should ask for any problems regularly because some people may

not be at liberty to talk

about their personal problems which in turn affect work. Even

the team members themselves should encourage each other and

even denounce any form of wayward behaviour among team

members. If certain kinds of behaviour are not kept under

check, even new project members will inherit the wrong

behaviour.

2.5 CONFLICT IN PROJECT TEAMS.

Conflicts cannot be avoided but must be managed in a

professional manner. The fact that people have got differences

in opinions means that conflict exists. It is foolhardy to try

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to suppress conflict because benefits can be derived from the

difference of opinion. New information can be gained, new

ideas are hatched and people tend to learn from their

mistakes. The project manager and his team need to acknowledge

that conflict is bound to take place but should find ways on

how to handle them. The extent of the conflict depends not

only on the problem or issue involved, but also on the skill

of the team in addressing it early before it escalates, Levitt

(2013). Open discussions about conflicts should occur at the

beginning of the project and not to wait for the first

situation to happen.

2.5.1 SOURCES OF CONFLICT

A conflict can arise out of any situations – a variety of

situations. The project manager, his team and the customer can

be the source of the conflict. Conflict can arise from

difference of opinion on how the work should be done, how much

work should be done or at what level of quality the work

should be done, Clements and Gideo (2006, P, 340). A conflict

may also

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arise from resource assignments in which certain members may

think that there is a wrong prioritisation of resources.

Schedules can cause conflict because team members may disagree

on which sequence to adopt to accomplish a task. When at the

planning stage, a team member

may suggest that his task will take 5 weeks to complete and

the manager thinks that 5 weeks is too long a period he may

disagree. Conflict will ensue. The two then need to sit and

agree on the activities leading to the completion of the task.

A conflict can also arise because of disagreement on the cost

of the project. For example, a contractor can agree with the

customer that the project cost is $20 000,00 but when the

project is 75% complete the project manager realises that the

project will gobble $30 000,00. A fierce disagreement will

follow.

Certain other issues also cause conflict such as

organisational issues and personal differences. Differences in

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the personal attributes, values and attitudes are all a source

of conflicts. Sometimes an individual may think that X was not

supposed to be the manager, obviously there will be lack of

respect on that aspect.

2.5.2 CONFLICT HANDLING.

Japanese see conflict resolution not as a victory by one side

over the other, but as a gradual convergence of points of view

that, when merging, extract the best elements from originally

diverging standpoints, Lewis (2012, p.151). The larger share

of responsibility of solving a conflict lies with the team

members themselves, not the project manager. Too much

involvement of the project manager in solving the conflict may

not be satisfactory as it should be. Explained below, are five

approaches that have been identified to handle conflict:

2.5.2.1 WITHDRAWING

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Individuals involved in the conflict may decide to withdraw

from the conflict situation to avoid a full blown disagreement

which may degenerate into e.g. fist fight or other detrimental

consequences. Withdrawing may mean remaining quiet, leaving

the conflict situation or changing the topic in discussion.

2.5.2.2. FORCING.

This is a win lose situation. Clements and Gideo (2006) posit

that the value placed on winning the conflict is higher than

the value placed on the relationship between the individuals,

and the individual who is in a position to do so handles the

conflict by exerting power over the other individual. For

example, if the conflict is between the project manager and

his subordinate, the project manager may simply say, ‘do it my

way’. Admittedly, yes, this kind of approach may result in

resentment and the deterioration of an already bad scenario.

2.5.2.3. SMOOTHING

Also known as accommodating, this approach is more about

finding common ground in which both parties appear satisfied

with the resolution. All areas that may cause hurt are

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avoided. More emphasis is placed on the value of friendship

between the individuals in conflict. This is a temporary

solution because the problem is not fully addressed.

2.5.2.4. COMPROMISING.

Here, team members seek for a solution that will please both

parties. They focus on splitting the difference. It may not

be the best solution. For example, if some members of the

group suggest that a certain task may take 10 days but others

think that it may take 3 days. They can split the difference

and agree on 7 days.

2.5.2.5 COLLABORATING

Here, team members confront the issue directly. They look for

a win-win situation. High value is placed on both the

relationship between the individuals and the outcome. There is

constructive attitude and willingness to reach a consensus for

the good of everybody. This appoach works in a conducive

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project environment which all members involved are willing to

abandon or redefine their stances. Emotions need to be managed

and not suppressed.

2.6. BUIDLING A PROJECT TEAM

The whole is greater than the sum of parts. People work better

and have more fun when the team comes together, Demarco and

Lister (2013). Developing a team of people to achieve the

project goals should be a continuous task. Both the project

manager and his team should

Involve themselves in this process. A sense of openness and

trust is created during team building.

Socialising also supports team building. Team building is

enhanced as the team gets to know each other more. Social

activities such as soccer, games of chess, parties, etc ensure

that members get to communicate with each other quite

frequently.

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The team can request to be left alone so that they can solve

burning issues on their own with limited involvement of the

project manager. The us-versus-them mentality can be removed

from people’s minds as they feel they are also part of the

whole process. Allowing the team to celebrate the reaching of

certain milestones or the completing of certain task can be of

good benefit to the team. An afterwork pizza party, a team

luncheon, an informal lunch in the conference room, a weekend

family picnic and a trip to see a sport event or threatre

production are examples of events the team can organise to

foster socilizing and team building, Clements and Gideo (2006,

P.336). A good rule of thump is to always try to interact with

someone you don’t know quite well and start an informal

conversation.

As opposed to just project meetings, the team can arrange for

periodical team meetings. Purpose is to discuss things that

hinder their working together as a cohesive team. Means to

overcome these barriers and what needs to be done to improve

team work should be discussed as well. Even if the project

manager is present in the team meeting he should recuse

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himself as the chairman but rather become an equal team

member.

2.7. ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR.

Paying true allegiance to the tenets of professional behaviour

is the only way honest can be guaranteed. It is the duty of

every individual to exercise unquestionable ethical behaviour.

The fact that almost everyone in the company is receiving

kick-backs must not be the key for one to do it as well. The

following behaviours indicate bad ethics;

- Withholding or falsifying information is totally not

acceptable.

- Knowingly submitting a low bid with the intention of

charging more later when you have won the tender.

- Receving gifts from suppliers for doing business with

them.

- Intentionally using unsafe material for design works

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- Using project resources for personal gains.

- Approving test results that are inaccurate.

- Paying kick-backs to inspectors so that they can approve

your work.

There could be many situations that can degenerate into an

unethical behaviour. Above list is not exhaustive. Unethical

tendencies affect the success of businesses.

3.0 CONCLUSION.

It does not matter how much capital has been injected into a

project, as long as we forget to recognise the people who will

work in the project, that project is not guaranteed for

success. It is worthwhile for organisations to spend money in

developing their personnel (teams) because the best resource

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an organisation can ever own are its human resources. It does

not matter how much we can push them to do work, as long as

they do not want to work, they will not bring the results

home. An emphasis on team building, team work, conflict

management in teams as well as training personnel on proper

professional conduct (ethics) helps the company to achieve

better results.

It is naturally impossible for a project team to finalise a

project without having faced problems. Problem solving

techniques should be adopted. It is recommended to draw up a

problem statement in order to give definitions and boundaries

of the problem. Then identify the potential causes of the

problem and explore possible solutions. Evaluate possible

solutions and pick up the best one. It is also helpful to

revise the poject implementation plan before implementing the

corrective solution. The point that conflict need to be

managed and not avoided cannot be over emphasised. New ideas,

revelations and solutions can be realised from conflicts.

Providing a training session on ethical behaviour to inform

the project team of the organisation’s policy, and

incorporating case studies or role-plays, is a helpful

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approach. Once employees receive such training they become

less likely to engage in unethical behaviour.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Chalofsky, N, E,; Rocco, T, S and Morris, M, L. (2014). The HandBook Of Human ResourcesManagement. New Jersey. John Wiley and Sons.

Clements, J, C and Gido, J. (2006). Effective project Management. Canada. Thomson,South Western.

DeMarco, T and Lister, T. (2013). Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams. USA.Addinson-Wesley.

Levitt, G. (2013). Team Planning For Project Managers And Business Analyst. NewYork. Taylor and Francis Group.

Lewis R, D. (2010). When teams collide: leading the international team successfully:UK. Nicholas Brealey Publishing.

Pressman, R, S. (2010). Software Engineering: A practitioner’s Approach.Singapore.McGraw Hill.

Busher, G, R and Coetzer, G, H. Group Development and Group Effectiveness: THEJOURNAL OF APPLIED BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE, Vol. 43, 2007.

Carpenter, M,; Bauer, T and Erdogan, B. Barriers To Effective Teams. PRINCIPLES OFMANAGEMENT. http://catalog.flatworldknowledge.com/bookhub/5?e=carpenter-ch13_s04.

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