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Building Teams

The best project teams are the ones whose members understand the goals to be achieved
as well as the process to be followed. the first step would be to set SMART goals that align with
the objectives of each department within the company. To ensure that personal goals of each
member align with those of the project, I would communicate the mandate of the team to all the
members and then urge all members to link their goals with the strategic mandate. I would work
with all team members to ensure that the common goals are well-aligned. For every goal set, I
would create an action plan with the participation for every team member to ensure that everyone
is well versed with their roles in the achievement of the set goals. Creating an action plan aligns
with the “measurable” aspect of SMART goals as it allows for the creation of milestones that
each member can use to track their progress throughout the period until completion (Bloom et
al., 2003). Understanding the goals goes hand in hand with having the necessary tools to achieve
them. So, I would ensure that resources are available.
A successful team is strong, cohesive, and knows how to communicate and share the
workload needed to have a project completed. In building such a team, I would first analyze the
personalities, skills, and abilities of staff members and then select a team whose strengths and
weaknesses balance to create an effective team. Also, I would establish goals and expectations,
then assign everyone roles to encourage them to work together. Another step would be to
constantly emphasize the mission of the team to keep everyone focused (Bloom et al., 2003).
Also, standards would be set on how communications should take place. In case of conflicts,
they would be resolved immediately. Most importantly, I would celebrate the team’s
achievements to keep them motivated.

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Overall, proper management of interactions within a team is vital for the maximization of
its productivity. Members will be encouraged to have purposeful interactions with each other and
be mindful of individual differences. I will create organizational efficiency and remove obstacles
to effective communication through internal efficiency. Members will be encouraged to take
positive and genuine advantage of each other’s skills, abilities, and competencies in a
constructive way that will aid in the achievement of the set goals (Huy, 2011). For example, it is
all right for a member to be shown how to complete a task, but if one asks another member to do
the task for him or her, then that would be exploitation and unacceptable. Also, members will be
sensitized on diversity and how to respect each other; despite their differences.

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References

Bloom, G., Stevens, D., & Wickwire, T. (2003). Expert coaches’ perceptions of team
building. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 15(2), 129-143.
Huy, Q. N. (2011). How middle managers’ group‐focus emotions and social identities influence
strategy implementation. Strategic management journal, 32(13), 1387-1410.