Team members develop good knowledge of each other when they have working relationship; They are able to understand and judge each other’s work ethics, character, workplace behaviour and skills. This fosters an atmosphere of mutual respect in the workplace and further helps in the delegation of duties to the appropriate individuals. It further enables the leader to know when and how to support individuals.
A team with an already established relationship handles project efficiently in the best way possible. Team members are familiar; hence time wasting activities like testing each other’s abilities are automatically eliminated. Team members also trust and have mutual respect for one another, leading to a shared enthusiasm that promotes efficiency.
Identifying the values and characteristics of individual team members allow the team lead and other members to know who to turn to for what. With clarity of role description, team members are able to contribute to team activities. Team resources will be accurately allocated and put to the best use for development.
An effective working relationship identifies with mutual respect, a value craved by all as an evidence of their team worth. When members feel they are key players in a team, their morale get a positive boost; they become more committed to team goals and collective performance. More so, working in an affable environment where co workers are friendly makes work enjoyable and reflects well on organization’s outlook.
Atmosphere created by good working relationships helps keep employees from moving out to seek employment elsewhere. At a stage where the friendship developed among team members has peaked at a family kind of relationship, workers feel comfortable working with each other, with strong inclination to playing crucial roles in achieving organizational vision.
2. Describe behaviours which could develop and maintain trust at work (16 marks)
Trust in the workplace results from a good interchange of perception and expectation; both from the managers and team members. To achieve trust in the workplace, all parties should fulfill their obligations on time, be honest, and demonstrate commitment and readiness to take responsibilities, as well as participate in processes effectively.
Fulfilling responsibilities on time creates an awareness of worker’s commitment to purpose. It helps others to align their functions to deadlines. Observation of repeated efficiency will make others trust an individual to get work done and delivered on time.
Being honest about feelings in criticizing and complimenting others helps team members know where they stand and how they can improve. Honest feedbacks from a leader make it easy for trust to develop amongst team members. In situations where workers may not be able to meet deadlines, communicating such makes room for trust to develop when validating reasons are provided.
Providing an avenue for general participation helps workers feel trusted with tasks. Having an opportunity to improve the lot of the organization through individual contributions motivates the worker to be committed and makes it easy for them to take pride in their job. In cases where workers are assigned to projects, providing support by explaining and training them on the job; especially in times of conflict, further instills trust in their abilities and in their organization to come through for them when it is demanded. Giving them an unflinching backing in times of need improves their positive perception of their organization.
Providing motivations and rewards help build self-image as compliments also go a long way in helping people develop trust; they become more aware of their roles and will want to do more.
3. Explain the role of communication in developing effective team working (20 marks)
Communication helps in passing directives and establishing team goals. Passing such information without ambiguity ensures that the team members understand team objectives and is working towards a common goal. When team goals are understood, workers become more productive and efficient because they are working towards a defined target. Errors and failures are also minimized to the barest minimum and the propensity for success is increased.
Possession of good communication skills by team leads and members also help in managing workplace diversity. People at workplace may come from different background along ethnicity, religion etc. which may have profound impact on their perspectives and opinions. Good communication allows for resolves and accurate understanding of concepts that foster cohesion in a working team.
Negotiations, conflicts and abrupt changes, are better managed with good communication up and down the management line. In situations where an organization’s management want to cut remunerations, workers may be motivated to stay and help build the company if the reasons for such are adequately explained to them.
