{"id":189,"date":"2018-10-19T15:05:16","date_gmt":"2018-10-19T19:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/chrisvacher\/?p=189"},"modified":"2018-10-19T15:05:16","modified_gmt":"2018-10-19T19:05:16","slug":"critical-functions-of-team-effectiveness-unit-5-learning-activity-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/chrisvacher\/2018\/10\/19\/critical-functions-of-team-effectiveness-unit-5-learning-activity-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Critical Functions of Team Effectiveness – Unit 5, Learning Activity 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

Team leadership and the effectiveness of teams has been an area of focus for me since most of my leadership experience has been within the context of teams. Team leadership effectiveness can bring joy and pain to everyone involved!<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Northouse (2018), the two critical functions of team effectiveness are performance and development. Nadler (1998, as cited in Northouse, 2018) expands on these two functions with performance referring to the quality of work produced by the team and development referring to the growth among and within the team itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

Components of effective team leadership are found through answers to these six questions asked by Hackman (2012, as cited in Northouse, 2018, p. 375):<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. It is a real team?<\/li>\n
  2. Does it have a compelling purpose?<\/li>\n
  3. Does it have the right people?<\/li>\n
  4. Are the norms of conduct clear?<\/li>\n
  5. Is there support from the organizational context?<\/li>\n
  6. Is there team-focused coaching?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    As these questions are answered, more questions answered affirmatively is an indicator of higher team leadership effectiveness.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Larson & LaFasto (1989, as cited in Northouse, 2018) identified eight characteristics \u201cconsistently associated with team excellence\u201d (Northouse, 2018, p. 376). Team leadership at its most excellent is characterized by:<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Clear, elevating goal<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Results-Driven Structure<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Competent Team Members<\/span><\/li>\n
    4. Unified Commitment<\/span><\/li>\n
    5. Collaborative Climate<\/span><\/li>\n
    6. Standards of Excellence<\/span><\/li>\n
    7. External Support and Recognition<\/span><\/li>\n
    8. Principled Leadership<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      I have the privilege of currently working as part of a team with a compelling purpose and clear, elevating goal of becoming a regional church of 10,000 meeting the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of people in Jesus\u2019 name.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Competent team members, I\u2019m very happy to say, surround me in the work I am currently doing. They help make our team better, they help me do better work and they help those we are leading.<\/span><\/p>\n

      I am also grateful to work in a team with a collaborative climate yet where there is also the desire for increased collaboration among our leadership team and across departments. As our organization grows this becomes more challenging but when it occurs the results are always better and the overall effectiveness of our team grows.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Principled leadership is the ability of the leader of a team to allow the team to work according to agreed upon principles, stepping in only when \u201cone or more of the eight characteristics of team success are not being achieved\u201d (Northouse, 2018, p. 379). <\/span><\/p>\n

      Zaccaro, Heinen, & Shuffler (2001, as cited in Northouse, 2018) identified four processes which influence team leadership. The cognitive process helps the team identify and understand problems. The motivational process helps the team achieve high performing goals. The affective process helps the team overcome obstacles and stressful situations. The process of coordination helps the team become more effective by matching skills to the correct roles and through change, adaptation and feedback as growth is experienced (Northouse, 2018).<\/span><\/p>\n

      When I joined the team in my current role the staff had just agreed to a five-year strategic plan. On its own, this plan was filled with objectives which were well beyond the reach, capability and skill set of the existing team of staff and volunteers.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Over the past five years, we have been led by a team leader who has encouraged, resourced, challenged and celebrated us as we\u2019ve seen these seemingly out-of-reach goals come to reality. The collective work of our team became more and more encouraging as we saw some of these big, audacious goals come into focus and then to see them accomplished.<\/span><\/p>\n

      These accomplishments and successes then become fuel for the next challenge, the next big goal, the next dream which seems so far away. This motivational process becomes itself a way for the team to grow in ability and confidence as we work together and grow in effectiveness.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Reference<\/strong>
      \nNorthouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Team leadership and the effectiveness of teams has been an area of focus for me since most of my leadership experience has been within the context of teams. Team leadership effectiveness can bring joy and pain to everyone involved! According to Northouse (2018), the two critical functions of team effectiveness are performance and development. Nadler … <\/p>\n

      Continue reading “Critical Functions of Team Effectiveness – Unit 5, Learning Activity 1”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":342,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,37,56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ldrs500","category-team-leadership","category-unit-5"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/chrisvacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/chrisvacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/chrisvacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/chrisvacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/342"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/chrisvacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=189"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/chrisvacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":190,"href":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/chrisvacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189\/revisions\/190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/chrisvacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/chrisvacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/chrisvacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}