Individuals Adaptability for Teamwork

Individual adaptability for teamwork Name University Date Individual adaptability for teamwork A team comprises people who possess corresponding skills and are dedicated towards a shared vision and goal. Teamwork means holding each other mutually accountable for both failures and accomplishments of the team. In essence, team members develop a unique identity and mutually coordinate their activities while offering support to one another. Adapting to teamwork environment requires supportive supervision and training of individual members. The primary aim of any team is to achieve their desired goal. Any successful team has mutual trust and respect for team members (Mattick & Miller, 2006). This paper seeks to discuss how individuals adapt in teamwork environment, and benefits and challenges of their adaptability. Adapting to teamwork environment is not easy especially when an individual has been working alone for sometimes. There are stages involved in creating and adapting to teamwork environment. Teamwork involves working towards a shared mission and common goals (Raesch, 2012). Team formation results in high performing teams. Effective team leaders make adjustment to their working style based on team development stage. Team awareness of the teamwork phases creates endurance and understanding among members of the team members. In addition, team leadership is well inspired. Even though scholars and consultants use different terminologies for the four teamwork development stages, there is not a single incongruity of the four teamwork development stages. These stages include: team forming, team storming, team norming, and team performing (Stuhldreher, 2012). In the early group interaction stages (forming and storming), structure is needed in teamwork as well as a defined statement of vision and mission. Autocratic and/or directive style of leadership is proper at this stage, it may be important to have input from group members prior to the initial group meeting (Raesch, 2012). After familiarity among team members has been developed and implementation of group activities begin (norming and performing stages), democratic style of leadership is appropriate. When team members are starting to know one another, there is an anticipation of structure and assertive leadership. The sizing up of the role and influence of the roles and duties of team members in accomplishing the major goal of the team is also done. Interpersonal factors of trust are used to evaluate each member of the team (Mattick & Miller, 2006). More precisely, team leader needs to provide a sense of vision, direction, and structure to the team members during formation. Members need to be given time to know each other, to actively involve and belong, demonstrate their communication and listening skills, and create team meetings ground rules. In order to adapt, climate of optimist and full interdependency is created. Team members also need to access training as well as education facilities in order to adapt to the team work environment and achieve the goals (Klarica, 2011). The individual members are then taken over to the storming stage where team members engage in argument, debate, conflict, and basic struggles of power. This is the stage where interpersonal trust is questioned when team members try to insert personal control and exercise the progress of individual sup team and look at the team meetings as time consuming. In order to keep the team to task in the team work environment, strong leadership is a necessity at this stage (Stuhldreher, 2012). As a teamwork environment facilitator, team effective leaders needs to help members of the team weather the storm through: articulating positive anticipation, recognizing the norm about conflict, refreshing the minds of team members about goals and mission, identifying the worth of diversity, leading members to a consensus in discussions to embrace responsibilities related to the team mission, and offering training and education on team mission. Some of the team members may feel aggravated with the members` lack of commitment (Stuhldreher, 2012). To completely adapt to the teamwork environment, team members are subjected to productive activities beginning norming stage. Team and individual roles are developed in order to work together. This is the point where individual talents are acknowledged and mutual respect and trust developed. Cohesion among the team members grow as individual members begin to adapt to teamwork environment. The process, synergy and interdependency are emphasized for effective adaptability to the teamwork environment (Nunamaker, Jay, Reinig & Robert, 2009). Adapting to teamwork environment is quite demanding. Team leaders may have to give support to individual members in order to fully adapt to the environment. This may be carried out through: offering support and feedback founded on individual behavior, advocating for full member participation, acknowledging the achievements of both individuals and team as a whole, giving room for flexibility and minimal structure, and working towards preventing a situation in which members of a team have common motivation in achieving consensus, as this may lead to lose of conceptual ability to assess distinct viewpoints (Klarica, 2011). In addition, team leaders may also need to request for members` suggestions on strategies for promoting, and improving cohesion among the groups as well as interpersonal trust. The forming stage is also essential to the adaptation of individuals to teamwork environment. This is the point where synergy is recognized. The norms at this stage include team loyalty, team thinking, and team behavior. Once individuals adapt to the teamwork environment, they are able to acknowledge and identify themselves with the achievements of the team. This is also where interpersonal trust and interdependency is valued (Mattick & Miller, 2006). The team leader is not noticeable once individuals adapt to the teamwork environment. Such a leader may now serve as team consultant or sponsor to the adapting individuals by: offering information and strategies on demand, providing supportive supervision and corrective feedback to individuals, letting team members organize themselves, sponsor and plan events of the team, offer education and training to individuals, keeping effective communication with candidness, honesty and openness, and watching out for burnout sign (Raesch, 2012). The dynamics of a group at this stage takes place when team mission is accomplished, celebration on the accomplishments, and may be disbanding the group. It is necessary for team members to recognize that when there is a need for c...