Building Effective Teams- HRM345- Unit 2 - Discussion Board Building Teams

Human resources professionals are frequently assigned to be members of newly formed project teams. In most cases, the HR person's role in the team is to keep the group focused and on task.

Primary Task Response: Within the Discussion Board area, write 400–600 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas.

You have been asked to lead a team on a new project. Discuss the steps that you will take to complete the following:

• Ensure that the goals of the team are clearly understood by all members.

• Build a strong, cohesive team.

• Manage the interactions in the team.

“This assignment was originally submitted during the January session in Building Effective Teams (HRM345-2201B) with Professor Brett Gordon. Approval to resubmit this assignment was obtained from instructor Sandra White on 04/15/2022”.

To ensure that each member has a clear understanding of the team goals, there are few things that you as the team leader need to accomplish. First, establish SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound). Ensure that you have only a few goals at any given time that are simple and clear. Your team members must be able to explain the goal and what the outcome should be. When the goal is a bit more complicated or considered to be a high-performance goal, your team should perceive the objectives to be challenging but within their control in order to motivate the next level of performance (How to make goals and accountabilities clear to your team, 2022). Find out the personal goals of your team members and help them see how their goals align with the goals of team and vice versa. You will find it easier to establish team goals if individual members also have personal goals to

reach for (Stack, 2016).

According to Huhman, there are eight ways to build a cohesive team (Huhman, 2013). First, you must establish the team’s mission before you select your team members. You then select your team members based on who will best contribute to your team’s mission. Second, you want to build a diverse team. Having diversity with ensure that your team members have a variety of skills and experiences. Third, practice teamwork by holding team building exercises before you execute tasks. This will allow your team members to bond and give you an opportunity to evaluate each members strengths and weaknesses. Fourth, utilizing the knowledge you gained from step three, assign tasks to your team members based on their strengths. Fifth, you want to ensure communication is effective and consistent. You cannot have a cohesive team without effective communication. Sixth, provide feedback to individual team members and the entire team throughout the entire process, not just at the completion of the project. Be sure the feedback you provide is constructive not destructive.

Seventh, ask your team members to provide feedback at any time so any kinks in the process can be corrected before it is too late. This also lets your team members feel more included in the project by showing them their opinions matter. Eighth, at the completion of the project, recognize your team members by showing your appreciation for all their hard work.

The best team interaction often takes place in open, face-to-face meetings (Fortin, n.d.). In today’s world of business where your team members may be spread across the globe, face-to-face meetings are not always possible. One work around is something we already do here in our classes at CTU. You can hold your meeting at specific date and time and provide a recording to those that are unable to attend. For this to be successful for your project, you would need to incorporate accountability by setting participation requirements.

References:

Fortin, D. (n.d.). 8 tips on how to best interact with your team members. Retrieved from The Predictive Index: https://www.predictiveindex.com/blog/eight-tips-on-how-to-best-interact-with-your-team-members/

How to make goals and accountabilities clear to your team. (2021, October 25). Retrieved from LSA Global: https://lsaglobal.com/blog/how-to-make-goals-and-accountabilities-clear-to-your-team/

Huhman, H. (2013, June 5). 8 Ways to Build a Cohesive Team. Retrieved from Huffpost: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/8-ways-to-build-a-cohesiv_b_3390565

Stack, L. (2016, February 26). 5 Ways to Set Clear and Focused Team Goals. Retrieved from TLNT: https://www.tlnt.com/5-ways-to-set-clear-and-focused-team-goals/