Teamwork
The explanatory dictionary defines the team as "a group of people who, under the leadership of a leader, perform a joint task or action at the same time", and in teamwork all members of the group cooperate to achieve the same goals. At its core is the team spirit, the connection that is created between people and the feeling of being part of a team and also contributing to the achievement of goals. However, things do not always work perfectly, they do not always live up to the expectations.
Team, teamwork and team spirit are formed over time and it is the responsibility of the leader to form a homogeneous and competitive team. But is the leader ready, trained for this challenging task? Is the framework in which a group of people can form a team created? In many cases, no. The new leaders promoted in the position - in production, logistics, maintenance, quality, etc., "find themselves" not ready to form and / or lead the team. The Management is responsible for training leaders and providing support whenever needed.
It is essential for a leader to be able to identify the stage of development of the team, to take appropriate action and to make the best decisions. Bruce Tuckman proposed, in 1965, the development model of the group, the phases that are necessary and inevitable for the growth and development of the team, the stages being Forming - Storming - Norming - Performing.
Forming is the stage of team formation, when people start to know each other, but make decisions independently, without having any common goals. It is probably the stage in which the leader has the most important role. He needs to give the team direction, a vision, answer many questions and be prepared, because the team members will test the tolerance of the leader and the system.
Storming is certainly the stage with the greatest difficulties for the whole team, due to the "clash of personalities" because everyone wants to stand out and does not back down from direct confrontations; The leader must not let things get out of hand, to avoid demotivation and dividing the team.
In the Norming phase, rules, working methods, values begin to be established, and the members begin to trust others, leaders, and the team. Teamwork begins to work, team members exchange know-how and become more motivated, thus gaining confidence.
A well-welded team will reach the Performing phase, where they can manage without the leader being there all the time, people share the same vision, work as a whole and are motivated to achieve results beyond expectations.
The goals for the team must be very clear, cascading from the goals of the company and each member of the team must know their role and how they contribute to achieving those goals. The team should be commended for the results and involved in solving the problems, so they will continue to be motivated to perform.
The success of teamwork consists in preparing and developing the leader, transparency in objectives, defining the role for each member and the permanent recognition of the efforts.
