TEAM COMMUNICATION
The current change of stake holders elements and expectations of high standard and quality goods and services have led to change in organisations’ operations. Many organisations have restructured their management and operation systems to meet their demands and to compete effectively with other organisations.
Managers have realised that the quality of product/service cannot be improved by mangers in the big office but by the workers who do the real job. This has led to formation of work teams (Elder, 1994).
A team is a collection of people who depend on each other’s’ contributions or input and efforts to achieve a common goal or output; it may be given power and authority to make their own decisions to control and plan their activities; they may or may not need leadership.
Team members communicate openly and they ensure there is flow of information; they also have conflicts which is normal in in people working together. Team members have a feeling of belonging and this makes them more committed to their goals (Eunson, 2012).
TEAMS: STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
What really makes teams effective and more desirable and what challenges do they face that tends to spoil the broth? The following are challenges and some advantages of teams? (Eunson 2012):
Advantages:
1. They contribute new ideas
2. Best in remembering information accurately, this is because many people came across the same information.
3. Teams bring democracy to work place. If a team is fully empowered or self-managing, all members get the opportunity to make decision, to be heard and to contribute fully in key issues. Thus HR only in teamwork where everyone tastes power and feels like a boss.
4. Present a variety of skills, personalities, expertise, experiences and styles.
5. Good in managing risks, as many people will come up with different ideas on how to handle the issues. Risk remedy is knowledge and teams are full of knowledge.
6. Team is the mother of innovation, creativity and productivity.
Disadvantages:
1. Decline accountability, everyone is responsible in a team and this makes it difficult to penalise a team or an individual in case of mistakes. Some workers can joy ride and hide their weaknesses.
2. Teams are slow and costly. The bigger the team the more time it takes to make a decision.
3. If teams are not well tamed they can tyrannize, that is, using majority to push for adoption of ideas which some maybe not realistic.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS WITHIN A WORKTEAM
a. Assertiveness: This is the ability to express one’s genuine thoughts, ideas, feelings and desires directly (openly while putting in mind other peoples’ feelings and thoughts. (Watson, 2000). This skill is very important in a team. There should be a member who is able to present team’s point of view confidently and respectably. This attracts attention and feedback (Elder, 1994). Assertiveness cannot be confused with aggressiveness. Being assertive means being considerate about others’ rights and feelings while being aggressive means being selfish and unreasonable about others’ feelings (Eunson, 2012).
b. Listening: In a team, there is a lot of sharing of ideas, thoughts, views and feelings. It is important for all members to develop good listening skills to allow them to obtain, digest, absorb and give information (Eunson, 2012). This will enable them to decide on the useful ideas to take on board.
There are three useful listening techniques which are:
· Paraphrasing techniques: This is repeating of what has been said using your own words and also depending on your understanding to see clarification. This is to make sure you received the right information and is it also gives room for more explanation (Elder, 1994).
· Quiet listening technique: This is listening carefully without interruption, making judgement or making final decision. It enables the listener to take in all information and use it to make final decision.
· Active feedback: Group members should give genuine response. This is through expressing their thoughts and actively contributing to what has been said.
C. speaking: This is one of the key skills in a team. This is because the main business of a team is to exchange ideas, feelings, suggestions and thoughts. This is done through speaking (Watson, 2000). A team should establish a conducive environment for members to speak freely and honestly. This can be achieved through giving all members equal attention and time to share out their ideas. Team members should also embrace a policy of ------------“ I’m interested in what you have to say” (Elder,1994). This policy encourages members to speak out their minds without worrying if they are right or wrong; this means that there is no information held by a member because he/she is afraid the idea might be wrong or dumb.
c. Questioning: Questions are asked for clarification or for more information. In team communication, the art of questioning is important; this is because if the question is well asked, you get the right information and vise versa (Watson, 2000).
The following techniques should be learned for successful questioning in a work team.
Ø Using of open rather than closed questions -----Open questions give room for more explanation or elaboration. Most open questions start with “who”, “what”, “where”, “when”, and “how” (Elder, 1994) while closed questions provide one simple answer, and straight to the point. Most of the answers is either “yes” or “no”.
Ø Use of clear and unambiguous phrased questions----a question should be straight to the point, not beating around the bush or over phrased. This is to avoid confusion; it can also lead to getting the wrong answer and misunderstanding.
e. Handling criticism- In work team not all ideas are accepted and when one’s idea is rejected or questioned, it is important for the members to know that he/she is not the one being rejected or dismissed but his/her idea (Watson, 2000). It is important for members to learn to handle criticism because their idea cannot be right all the time,
f. Giving feedback- members of a team have a feeling of belonging and one way of maintaining their feeling is through positive feedback on their contribution. Members should appreciate other members’ contributions by saying positive things like ‘that was very brilliant idea”, “thank you for your continuous research and contribution”, etc. Their positive feedback boosts the morale of the group members. (McComb, Schroeder, Kennedy, & Vozdolska ,2012).).
g. Non-verbal communication- It is wise for group members to learn to read their members nonverbal messages. This helps them to know if they are agreeing to their ideas or not, if they are following or not, if the idea is interesting or not, etc. (Eunson, 2012).
The following non-verbal message should be looked at carefully ----------.
1. Non-verbal signs---do peoples’ non-verbal signs match what they are saying?
2. Body language---is it positive and supportive?
3. Are people relaxed and confident? Do they maintain eye contact? Do they lean forward to indicate agreement?
STRAGTEGIES TO ESTABLISH A WORK TEAM COMMUNICATION CLIMATE
GROUP DECISION MAKING
Decision making in a group is not an easy task. That is because members have different values, believes and ideas. To enable easy decision making in a team, members build or develop trust amongst themselves and support on another. This will enable people to speak out their ideas without the fear of being judged, laughed at, criticised or mocked. (Choudrie,2005)
INFORMATION-SHARING AND COOPERATION: Team members work towards the same goal and they should work together to achieve it through sharing of ideas and information. Members should put their personal differences aside so as to achieve their goals because their goal is greater and more important than their personal differences. (Dreachslin, Hunt, Sprainer, & Snook,1999).
Elder (1994) argued that --------------- (cooperation involves sharing with others. In a good team everyone is honest with everyone else, there are no secrets, and individuals are open to each other and try and improve on the ideas of team members.
.
TASK CLARIFICATION
Unless you know your destination, you cannot stat a journey and if you do, it will take you to nowhere. The same thing applies to teams. They must start by clearly outlining their goals and objectives. This will help them to know why they started and their main goal and to come up with a good plan on how to achieve them (Den Otter, & Emmitt, 2007).
REFERENCES
Elder,B. (1994) communication Skills: Australia, Macmillan education Australia pty ltd.
Eunson,B.(2012).Communicating in the 21st century 3rd edition.Australia:John Wiley & sons.
McComb, S., Schroeder, A., Kennedy, D., & Vozdolska, R. (2012). The five ws of team communication. Industrial Management,54(5), 10-13,5. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1197642511?accountid=39715
Choudrie, J. (2005). Understanding the role of communication and conflict on reengineering team development. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 18(1), 64-78. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/220024127?accountid=39715
Dreachslin, J. L., Hunt, P. L., Sprainer, E., & Snook, I. D. (1999). Communication patterns and group composition: Implications for patient-centered care team effectiveness / practitioner response. Journal of Healthcare Management, 44(4), 252-66; discussion 266-8. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/206684554?accountid=39715
Den Otter, A., & Emmitt, S. (2007). Exploring effectiveness of team communication. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 14(5), 408-419. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/09699980710780728
The current change of stake holders elements and expectations of high standard and quality goods and services have led to change in organisations’ operations. Many organisations have restructured their management and operation systems to meet their demands and to compete effectively with other organisations.
Managers have realised that the quality of product/service cannot be improved by mangers in the big office but by the workers who do the real job. This has led to formation of work teams (Elder, 1994).
A team is a collection of people who depend on each other’s’ contributions or input and efforts to achieve a common goal or output; it may be given power and authority to make their own decisions to control and plan their activities; they may or may not need leadership.
Team members communicate openly and they ensure there is flow of information; they also have conflicts which is normal in in people working together. Team members have a feeling of belonging and this makes them more committed to their goals (Eunson, 2012).
TEAMS: STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
What really makes teams effective and more desirable and what challenges do they face that tends to spoil the broth? The following are challenges and some advantages of teams? (Eunson 2012):
Advantages:
1. They contribute new ideas
2. Best in remembering information accurately, this is because many people came across the same information.
3. Teams bring democracy to work place. If a team is fully empowered or self-managing, all members get the opportunity to make decision, to be heard and to contribute fully in key issues. Thus HR only in teamwork where everyone tastes power and feels like a boss.
4. Present a variety of skills, personalities, expertise, experiences and styles.
5. Good in managing risks, as many people will come up with different ideas on how to handle the issues. Risk remedy is knowledge and teams are full of knowledge.
6. Team is the mother of innovation, creativity and productivity.
Disadvantages:
1. Decline accountability, everyone is responsible in a team and this makes it difficult to penalise a team or an individual in case of mistakes. Some workers can joy ride and hide their weaknesses.
2. Teams are slow and costly. The bigger the team the more time it takes to make a decision.
3. If teams are not well tamed they can tyrannize, that is, using majority to push for adoption of ideas which some maybe not realistic.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS WITHIN A WORKTEAM
a. Assertiveness: This is the ability to express one’s genuine thoughts, ideas, feelings and desires directly (openly while putting in mind other peoples’ feelings and thoughts. (Watson, 2000). This skill is very important in a team. There should be a member who is able to present team’s point of view confidently and respectably. This attracts attention and feedback (Elder, 1994). Assertiveness cannot be confused with aggressiveness. Being assertive means being considerate about others’ rights and feelings while being aggressive means being selfish and unreasonable about others’ feelings (Eunson, 2012).
b. Listening: In a team, there is a lot of sharing of ideas, thoughts, views and feelings. It is important for all members to develop good listening skills to allow them to obtain, digest, absorb and give information (Eunson, 2012). This will enable them to decide on the useful ideas to take on board.
There are three useful listening techniques which are:
· Paraphrasing techniques: This is repeating of what has been said using your own words and also depending on your understanding to see clarification. This is to make sure you received the right information and is it also gives room for more explanation (Elder, 1994).
· Quiet listening technique: This is listening carefully without interruption, making judgement or making final decision. It enables the listener to take in all information and use it to make final decision.
· Active feedback: Group members should give genuine response. This is through expressing their thoughts and actively contributing to what has been said.
C. speaking: This is one of the key skills in a team. This is because the main business of a team is to exchange ideas, feelings, suggestions and thoughts. This is done through speaking (Watson, 2000). A team should establish a conducive environment for members to speak freely and honestly. This can be achieved through giving all members equal attention and time to share out their ideas. Team members should also embrace a policy of ------------“ I’m interested in what you have to say” (Elder,1994). This policy encourages members to speak out their minds without worrying if they are right or wrong; this means that there is no information held by a member because he/she is afraid the idea might be wrong or dumb.
c. Questioning: Questions are asked for clarification or for more information. In team communication, the art of questioning is important; this is because if the question is well asked, you get the right information and vise versa (Watson, 2000).
The following techniques should be learned for successful questioning in a work team.
Ø Using of open rather than closed questions -----Open questions give room for more explanation or elaboration. Most open questions start with “who”, “what”, “where”, “when”, and “how” (Elder, 1994) while closed questions provide one simple answer, and straight to the point. Most of the answers is either “yes” or “no”.
Ø Use of clear and unambiguous phrased questions----a question should be straight to the point, not beating around the bush or over phrased. This is to avoid confusion; it can also lead to getting the wrong answer and misunderstanding.
e. Handling criticism- In work team not all ideas are accepted and when one’s idea is rejected or questioned, it is important for the members to know that he/she is not the one being rejected or dismissed but his/her idea (Watson, 2000). It is important for members to learn to handle criticism because their idea cannot be right all the time,
f. Giving feedback- members of a team have a feeling of belonging and one way of maintaining their feeling is through positive feedback on their contribution. Members should appreciate other members’ contributions by saying positive things like ‘that was very brilliant idea”, “thank you for your continuous research and contribution”, etc. Their positive feedback boosts the morale of the group members. (McComb, Schroeder, Kennedy, & Vozdolska ,2012).).
g. Non-verbal communication- It is wise for group members to learn to read their members nonverbal messages. This helps them to know if they are agreeing to their ideas or not, if they are following or not, if the idea is interesting or not, etc. (Eunson, 2012).
The following non-verbal message should be looked at carefully ----------.
1. Non-verbal signs---do peoples’ non-verbal signs match what they are saying?
2. Body language---is it positive and supportive?
3. Are people relaxed and confident? Do they maintain eye contact? Do they lean forward to indicate agreement?
STRAGTEGIES TO ESTABLISH A WORK TEAM COMMUNICATION CLIMATE
GROUP DECISION MAKING
Decision making in a group is not an easy task. That is because members have different values, believes and ideas. To enable easy decision making in a team, members build or develop trust amongst themselves and support on another. This will enable people to speak out their ideas without the fear of being judged, laughed at, criticised or mocked. (Choudrie,2005)
INFORMATION-SHARING AND COOPERATION: Team members work towards the same goal and they should work together to achieve it through sharing of ideas and information. Members should put their personal differences aside so as to achieve their goals because their goal is greater and more important than their personal differences. (Dreachslin, Hunt, Sprainer, & Snook,1999).
Elder (1994) argued that --------------- (cooperation involves sharing with others. In a good team everyone is honest with everyone else, there are no secrets, and individuals are open to each other and try and improve on the ideas of team members.
.
TASK CLARIFICATION
Unless you know your destination, you cannot stat a journey and if you do, it will take you to nowhere. The same thing applies to teams. They must start by clearly outlining their goals and objectives. This will help them to know why they started and their main goal and to come up with a good plan on how to achieve them (Den Otter, & Emmitt, 2007).
REFERENCES
Elder,B. (1994) communication Skills: Australia, Macmillan education Australia pty ltd.
Eunson,B.(2012).Communicating in the 21st century 3rd edition.Australia:John Wiley & sons.
McComb, S., Schroeder, A., Kennedy, D., & Vozdolska, R. (2012). The five ws of team communication. Industrial Management,54(5), 10-13,5. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1197642511?accountid=39715
Choudrie, J. (2005). Understanding the role of communication and conflict on reengineering team development. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 18(1), 64-78. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/220024127?accountid=39715
Dreachslin, J. L., Hunt, P. L., Sprainer, E., & Snook, I. D. (1999). Communication patterns and group composition: Implications for patient-centered care team effectiveness / practitioner response. Journal of Healthcare Management, 44(4), 252-66; discussion 266-8. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/206684554?accountid=39715
Den Otter, A., & Emmitt, S. (2007). Exploring effectiveness of team communication. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 14(5), 408-419. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/09699980710780728