Does Teamwork Makeup for Human Flaws? Paper Example

Introduction

In the contemporary world, teams are essential in every organization or project that have a set of objectives formulated to be accomplished. Moreover, it is human nature for every team member possess some flaws that may negatively impact the team performance as well as its productivity. Therefore, various team bonding activities and procedures that help make up for human flaws are needed. Teamwork activities enhance operations and collaborations between the members who undertake various individual roles to contribute to the accomplishment of the overall objective. Concurrently, teamwork helps when it comes to joint roles which members have to undertake together as a group efficiently. In light of this, this paper aims to discuss whether teamwork makeup for human flaws and review the various ways in which this is achieved.

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The reason for selecting this topic is that in every organizational setting globally objectives and goals are achieved as a result of collective efforts by different teams members. Typically, every department in an organization has a team that is tasked with a certain defined task that entails a set of activities, processes, and procedures that have to be performed by individuals on different levels. In light of this, these activities and operations require different sets of skills and expertise which raises the need to have a number of workers in a team who possess the required technical know-how. The team members have to work collectively, share information and assist one other in their different responsibilities. However, every team member has some character traits that is human flaws which make them ineffective in accomplishing their duties or negatively impacting those of others. Understanding these flaws and whether teamwork makes up for them will assist me to become a better team leader and manage my team effectively. The main aim of discussing this topic is to draw out the relationship between teamwork and human flaws.

Literature Review

Teams are needed in every sector of the economy to be directly engaged in performing different roles and responsibilities. As such, for teams to be effective, they have to undertake various interdependent roles to achieve a common goal through sets of different activities Salas et al. (p.1), defines teamwork as a set of two or more individuals who relate with one another adaptively, interdependently, as well as dynamically to accomplish a given goal. Teams work under uncertainties affect their working (Cummings, 2). The structures of groups are determined by individual roles of the members, skills and the coordination among them.

All humans are flawed in different ways (Desy, 1). Some of the notable human flaws include arrogance, dishonesty, being short-tempered, conceit, perfectionism, being self-centered or playing the blame game among others. These flaws can induce dysfunctionality within a team the form of poor communication, a breakdown of processes, wrong use of available resources among others. Pat Lencioni has discussed five dysfunctions within a team which include the absence of trust, fear of conflict, inattention to results, avoidance of accountability and lack of commitment (Shore, 1). These dysfunctions have profound impacts on the performance and productivity o teams. The absence of trust entails employees being reluctant to offer or ask for assistance in their duties and time wastage when it comes to collective decision making.

It is typical for humans to get into conflict with one another especially when there are rewards or duties involved. Conflict between team members delays the decision making and achievement of results (Shore, 5). Some team members may desire to get credit for a job they did not perform or try to avoid certain responsibilities for others. In light of this, team leaders are tasked with encouraging and motivating the members to work in order to achieve the common goal. As such, effective teamwork is characterized by ground rules, information sharing, as well as collective decision making. When all these are achieved, the individual team members are accorded defined roles and performance expectations. In this manner, teamwork allows them to suppress some of their flaws which may significantly impact their performance taking into account what is expected of them.

There are many aspects of a team that dictates the relationship between members and the team's capacity to deliver the expected results. Sometimes the self-centered attitude of some workers and their lack of attention to results get in the way of the team objectives. According to Tarricone and Luca (641), teamwork is reliant on individual contributions in a cooperative environment that is characterized by knowledge as well as skill sharing. In this manner, the various human flaws possessed by individual members have a tremendous influence on their relationship and cooperation. However, effective teamwork can make up for these flaws where the team members learn how to be part of a bigger puzzle and focus on the team results.

Teams have a set of goals, plans as well as objectives that are executed by the members through collaborative relationships (Sanyal & Hisam, 15). In light of this, the relationship between them needs to favor their working requirements. There have to be adequate communication, cooperation, and coordination which can be hindered by some of the flaws identified above such as dishonesty or arrogance. Teams are gradually replacing individual workers as the building blocks in contemporary organizations (Sanyal & Hisam, 16). As such, it is essential to ensure that they function properly. Sanyal and Hisam argue that teams cannot function efficiently if there is disagreement between members regarding sharing or roles and responsibilities within the group (Sanyal & Hisam, 17). A research undertaking conducted by Rodger and Mickan revealed that trust is essential to team performance. A team that is trustworthy is able to achieve interdependent roles by different members efficiently.

Teamwork is all about cooperation which is difficult to achieve in teams which comprise of individuals that possess traits which hinder the process. Cooperation can be defined as a scenario where individuals undertake interrelated tasks to achieve a common objective (Eliasa, p. 198). Teamwork entails respect to others which means that individual members have to accord a certain degree of respect to their colleagues to maintain productive relationships. Team members learn to cooperate and coordinate with one another in team activities overtime which positively impacts their performance and job attitudes (Jungert, 2). They come to understand the importance of sharing opinions and thoughts where challenges arise, and they face them together. In light of this, teamwork helps the team to act as an individual that can operate efficiently. As such, lack of commitment among different individual members is discouraged which implies that teamwork makes up for the flaws in some situations.

Teamwork is a direct contributor of increased professional accountability where it directly influences the performance of a team (Jiang, 224). During team activities, procedures and processes, there are different sets of policies and requirements that teams have to adhere to as required by regulatory bodies. Effective team leadership ensures that every individual takes account of the stipulated guidelines and policies to avoid issues that may arise from not accomplishing the same. Adequate communication from the team leader assist the workers to understand their duties properly and be more responsible regarding the same (Jiang, 225). As such, arrogance at the workplace is regulated where team members are under strict instructions to follow these principles as well as policies. It is a human flaw for some team members to blame others for a certain action or inaction to avoid receiving the associated punishment. However, when there is effective teamwork, every member as well as aware of their duties which reduce the room for blame games. In light of this, teamwork helps make up for such as human flaw.

Teamwork is dependent on team cohesiveness. Studies have shown that interpersonal skills have a profound impact on team performance (Salman & Hassan, 79). Team workers have to work together, and as such, they have to be able to effectively convey information with each other and connect on a personal level. Human flaws such as arrogance and perfectionism can hinder the establishment of effective networks among the employees. Teamwork instills a sense of team identity where the members are expected to properly socialize among themselves which will ensure that conflicts are minimized and productivity enhanced. In such cases, teamwork helps make up for human flaws to a great extent. The workers learn how to behave in a collective manner where they do not allow personal traits to have adverse ramifications on team activities and procedures.

Teamwork has a positive impact on employee attitudes. Studies suggest that teambuilding activities and arrangements under certain circumstances, significantly contribute to positive attitudes among workers with different levels of complementary skills which encourage them to perform and achieve team targets (Fapohunda, 4). Typically, some human flaws arrogance and being self-centered can hinder negatively influence the attitudes of employees to work. Being short-tempered and self-centeredness can discourage some members from working properly with others. However, when team activities are properly performed under an effective leader, attitudes of the members are positively influenced which indicates that teamwork makes up for human flaws in some situations.

Conclusion

Ultimately, organizations are dependent on teams to accomplish their strategic objectives and implement their plans and other processes. Human flaws such as dishonesty, aggression, and poor communication have profound negative impacts on the performance and productivity of a team. Teamwork involves communication, cooperation, and coordination between members which helps make up for certain human flaws in different circumstances. It helps enhance accountability among workers where one is held liable for the outcomes of their actions or inactions within the team. The interpersonal skills practiced during teamwork helps to enhance the team cohesiveness and formation of networks between the workers. Furthermore, teamwork positively impacts on the attitudes of the team members towards work. Teamwork reduces the act of workers being self-centered since they entail achieving a common goal. In light of this, teamwork helps make up for human flaws.

Works Cited

Cummings, F.G.M.L. (2014). 'Barriers to robust and effective Human-Agent Teamwork.' Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Desy, P.L. (2018). 'Ten ugliest character flaws.' Retrieved November 23, 2018 from https://www.thoughtco.com/character-flaws-1730977

Eliasa, E.I. (2013). 'Increasing values of teamwork and responsibility of the students through games: Integrating education character in lectures.' Yogyakarta State University.

Fapohunda, T.M. (2013). 'Towards effective team building in the workplace.' International Journal of Education and Research, Vol. 1, No. 4

Jiang, X. (2010). 'How to motivate people working in teams.' International Journal of Business and Management, Vol. 5, No. 10.

Jungert, T. (2012). 'The meaning of support from co-workers and managers in teams when working.' (FOG-Report no 72). Linkoping: Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning (IBL), Linkoping University.

Salas, E. Shuffler, M.L., Thayer, A.L., Bedwell, W.L. & Lazzara, E.H. (2014). 'Understanding and improving teamwork in organizations: A scientifically based practical guide.' Human Resource Management, Wiley Perio...