Unit 5 Activity 1

The two critical functions of team effectiveness according to Hill (as mentioned in Northouse, 2016, pp. 367,368)) are performance and development. Performance is measured by whether the team achieved its goals and objectives in a quality manner. Development refers to whether the team members were able to satisfy their own needs while working with other team members as a unit (Nadler,1998). An effective team is on that is able to achieve its goal while working together, without compromising on individual members’ needs.

The six enabling conditions for effective team leadership as per Hackman (2012) are “right people, real team, compelling purpose, clear norms of conduct, supportive organizational context and team-focused coaching’. Larson and LaFasto’s (1989) eight characteristics of team excellence are listed as “clear goal, results driven structure, competent team members, unified commitment, collaborative climate, standards of excellence external support, principle leadership”. If you look at these 2 lists closely, they have a lot of similarities. The first and foremost characteristic in my practice is that the right people are designated to work in the right place. Secondly, we have a common mission and shared values of respect, stewardship, collaboration and social justice. Third, we all work towards one common goal, that is to provide care to seniors who come to our clinic, at the same time respecting and caring for them and each other. Finally, leadership in our organization is quite responsive to our concerns, and try to address them in a timely manner.

Principled leadership, as I understand it, is based on the premise that the success of an organization depends on the effectiveness of its leadership. “Effective team leadership has been found to consistently relate to team effectiveness” (Zaccaro, Heinen, & Shuffler, 2009), mentioned in Northouse (2016, p.371).

The four sets of processes that influence leadership are: cognitive, motivational, affective and coordination (Zaccaro, Rittman, & Marks, 2001). As per them, cognitively the leader helps the team understand the problem. Motivationally the leader challenges the team to perform as a unit to better themselves. Affectively the leader helps the team deal with the daily challenges. Coordinately, the leader designates right people to the right roles, monitoring and helping the team adapt to changes. In my clinical work, I don’t have to use the cognitive and motivational process everyday, these are mostly required when we are developing new processes or when we are working on process improvement. Working in the healthcare field does have emotional repercussions. We work in a very emotionally charged environment, dealing with sickness everyday. I am called upon on a regular basis to help my team (and myself) deal with stresses of these situations. This is done through affective modulation of our responses to those in need and to our own needs. I also rely on the fourth process of coordination by getting input from all members of the team, in creating the best possible care of our patients.

 

References

Hackman, J.R. (2012). From causes to conditions in group research. Journal of Organizational Behavior. 33, 428-44

Larson, C.E., LaFasto, F.M.J. ( 1989). Teamwork: What must go right/what can go wrong. Newbury Park, CA: SAGE

Nadler, D.A. ( 1998). Executive team effectiveness: Teamwork at the top. In D.A. Nadler & J.L. Spencer (Eds.). Executive teams ( pp. 21-39). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Northouse, P. G. ( 2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE

Zaccaro, S.J. Heinen, B., Shuffler, M. ( 2009). Team leadership and effectiveness . In E. Salas, G.F. Goodwin, & C.S. Burke (Eds.), Team effectiveness in complex organizations: Cross-disciplinary perspectives and approaches (pp. 83-111). New York: Taylor & Francis Group.

Zaccaro, S.J., Rittman, A.L., & Marks, M.A. ( 2001). Team leadership. Leadership Quarterly, 12, 451-483.