The word Motivation has been paired with Team since it is one of the most crucial and essential factors. There is a common confusion between groups and teams. There is however a slight difference in the formation of both. A brief introduction of the team and its characteristics has been given below.
Team
A team is a group of people who possess complementary skills and abilities. They work together for a common goal and each member is accountable to the other team member.
It is believed that the ideal size of a team is 7-12 individuals since a smaller number is easy to manage. Larger teams require comparatively larger support and structure. The team members comprise a number of people that have similar and competent characteristics which prove to be helpful in achieving an organization’s goal in a much better way. Their combined skills and abilities tend to complement the purpose of the team. It is not necessary that all the members have the same skills but when put together they can give excellent results. In a team, the members share their roles and responsibilities and constantly make efforts to enhance and improve their skills so as to produce better results. They can easily identify and evaluate the consensus of a team’s purpose rather than turning to the leader for every minor detail.
The team should be used when an organization needs a broad buy-in for the desired and best results. A team is considered over a group when a single person does not have the required ideas and skills and when it is necessary to share the responsibility in order to make the purpose successful (Quik, p. 97)
It takes time for the group to transform into a team. It takes time to develop accurate skills, to have a better understanding of the problems so that the decisions can be taken effectively and efficiently. Some of the distinguishing characteristics of a team are given below (Levi, 359). Or it can also be said that the following factors are resent in a team and lack in a group. They are listed below:
- Understanding
- Ownership
- Creativity and Creation
- Trust
- Common understanding
- Personal Development
- Conflict Resolution
- Participative Decision Making
- Clear Leadership
- Commitment
Role of Motivation in Team
The key to holding a team together is Motivation. The factor of motivation stimulates an individual’s interests towards a particular goal. It is indeed very important to ensure that a team is highly motivated. Lack of motivation of a single can have a negative effect on other team members’ performance. It can lead to de-motivation. It retards an organization’s efficiency. It is important for the leader to inculcate the factor of motivation in each and every team member.
In order to make an individual realize the importance of motivation, it is necessary to highlight the merits of motivation. A leader must make a team member see that motivation has a very significant effect on the team’s output in terms of both quantity and quality. Without motivation, an individual is bound to lag behind and this indirectly affects the organization’s performance. There is no sense of competition, an individual becomes lethargic and a prominent monotony is visible in the actions and performance. Due to this a team member does not strive to enhance his skills and hence there is no improvement in the quality of work. It is the requirement of any work that the members should keep up with the required pace but in case of lack of motivation, this is however impossible. It is necessary for every team member to identify the goals of the organization and fulfill the requirements. They need to feel a team motivation spirit so that the goal can be achieved through competitive coordination (Ackerman, p.20).
Works Cited
- Ackerman, A. The Importance of Motivation. Helen Arkell. (2000)
- Levi, D. Group Dynamics for Teams. Ney York. Sage Publishers. (2007)
- Quick, T. Successful Team Building. America. AMACON div America. (1992).