Team Cohesion

Literature Review

This is the extent to which each and every member of the team contributes to the discussions and plans of the team, hence allowing the team to be able to grow (Paul, Drake & Liang, 2016). Cohesive teams have members with both social and emotional bonds which help in linking them together, and also to the team as a whole (Haddera, 2016). The ties in a team are consequently significant as they enable the members to withstand their struggles on behalf of the team, hence bettering the chances of the team in achieving its goals. Collaboration among the team members really helps in improving the cohesion in the team, since the members become connected to each other. In addition, similarities in background levels also help in improving cohesion among team members, hence being able to foster the performance of the team.

Team cohesion is usually improved by having similar goals between the team members. Most team members tend to work very hard in order to support each other, due to the common goals that they have. This helps in allowing the team to grow, since most of the members are willing to offer support to the team, hence being able to achieve the desired goals (Hansen, 2016). Moreover, depending on each member really allows the team members to be able to work effectively, since each and every member of the team always has something to offer for the team. For instance, if the team is experiencing a problem which other members cannot be able to solve, then there will always be a member of the team who will deal such an issue. Not only does this improve cohesion in the team, but it also allows the team members to be able to create a bond either emotional or social amongst themselves (Notgrass, Conner, & Bell, 2013).

Most companies are currently using team cohesion as a means of improving the performance of its employees (Franz et al, 2017). This companies therefore group their employees according to their capabilities, hence forming a team. The employees are then given a task, which the management of the company knows the team can easily achieve. The members then discuss on how they can be able to come up with a solution to the given task (Haddera, 2016). This helps in building relationships among the employees, making it easier for them to be able to work effectively, hence reaching greater heights. It is estimated that, 80% of companies’ success have been attributed to team cohesion. Each and every employee feels respected due to team cohesion, a thing which consequently makes most employees to offer maximum support to the team (Paul, Drake & Liang, 2016). Furthermore, this also helps in allowing the management of the company to spend less time in supervising the employees, since they are very productive in their teams, making them to concentrate and focus on the tasks assigned to them.

Discussion of the Concept

            Team cohesion experience was exhibited in my team, since each and every member participated in team work, a thing which really helped us in achieving more. We have also become very best friends, since we usually support each other in matters which concern each other. Moreover, we have come up with possible ways of dealing with our challenges. Each and every member of the team has a challenge, and each one of us understands the challenges of our partners. This has enabled us to be able to use our strengths in order to be able to void our challenges. On the other hand, we realized that each person has his or her own weaknesses and strengths. My weakness might be another person’s strength and my strength might be another person’s weakness. We therefore use our strengths in order to support each other’s weaknesses, hence being able to avoid experiencing aby challenges.

            For instance, Loren provides the team with the plans which we are supposed to execute in order to be able to complete our assignments on time. Moreover, she breaks down the tasks in such a way that each and every person can be given his or her own task which we can be able to accomplish on our own. After each and every person accomplishes his or her own tasks, we come together and discuss the tasks which had been assigned to each and every member. Suggestions are then made and we also add some points on each of the assigned tasks. Brian, provides us with ways through which we can be able to study, through giving us a midterm study guide. Through the use of Brian’s study guide, we have been able to cover a lot of topics within a very short period of time. This has given us an opportunity to be able to easily better our grades.

            Kendra is more like a leader, as she always advises us on how we can be able to reach our goals. Moreover, she unites us and provides us with ways through which we can be able to perform better in our studies. She has seen most of us working very hard, as she does not like to see people idling. In addition, she has been able to bond us together, thus we have become more like a family than friends. On the other hand, Rodrigo who is the eldest member of our team, consequently helps us in doing our exercises in groups. He breaks down the topics and helps us in being able to understand the tasks assigned to us. Liana helps us in solving issues related to calculations, since she is very good at mathematics. I am good at coming up with strategies and techniques of solving different tasks, and since I am a foreigner with English being my second language, all the team members usually assist me in being able to communicate in English.

Integration of the Concept

            In order to allow maximum participation among the team members, first and foremost, each and every member should be able to understand the impact of team cohesion. This will definitely help in bringing the members of the team together, hence making them to work very hard in order to see the team performing better (Haddera, 2016). Moreover, each and every member must be of help to the team, thus enabling the group to benefit from each and every person fully. In addition, good relationships between the members should also be maintained as this will really help in allowing the members to be able to easily share their weaknesses and ideas with members hence being able to solve different issues (Paul, Drake & Liang, 2016). Furthermore, different tasks should be discussed within the team, thus giving the team members the tasks that they can be able to easily deal with.

            In our team, we will therefore be able to share our goals, whereby each and every member come up with his or her goals for the team (Hansen, 2016). We shall then choose the common goal amongst the members. We shall then focus on this goal, a thing which will consequently enable us in being able to avoid experiencing any obstacles. Furthermore, having a common goal will really help us in improving team cohesion, since we will be able to work hard in order to achieve the goal which most of us want the group to achieve (Notgrass, Conner, & Bell, 2013). Each member will therefore be depended upon, a thing which will really help in enabling us to be able to foster hard work and maximum participation amongst all the members.

            Moreover, we will also socialize as a group from time to time, in order to know each other, a thing which will help us in being able to understand each other (Haddera, 2016). We will therefore be able to know each other’s weaknesses, and come up with solutions of dealing with such problems. We will use the solutions which we had come up with earlier, in order to be able to deal with our weaknesses (Paul, Drake & Liang, 2016). Furthermore, we will also discuss each one’s strengths and interests a thing which will also enable us to be able to understand the tasks which our colleagues can be able to achieve. This will help in understanding the type of tasks which can be assigned to certain people. Each member will therefore be able to understand where he or she fits in the team, thus being able to deal with the tasks assigned to him or her.

Reference

Haddera, T. A. (2016). Investigating the Relationship between Team Cohesion and Self-Presentation among Different Competitive Team Sports of Ethiopian Universities. Momona Ethiopian Journal Of Science, 8(1), 62-74.

Hansen, D. E. (2016). Cohesion in Online Student Teams Versus Traditional Teams. Journal Of Marketing Education, 38(1), 37-46.

Paul, R., Drake, J. R., & Liang, H. (2016). Global Virtual Team Performance: The Effect of Coordination Effectiveness, Trust, and Team Cohesion. IEEE Transactions On Professional Communication, 59(3), 186-202. doi:10.1109/TPC.2016.2583319

Notgrass, D., Conner, C., & Bell, T. J. (2013). LEADING EXTERNAL AUDITING TEAMS: THE CORRELATION BETWEEN LEADERS' BEHAVIORS AND TEAM DYNAMICS OF COHESION AND CONFLICT. International Journal Of Business & Public Administration, 10(2), 1-14.

Franz, B., Leicht, R., Molenaar, K., & Messner, J. (2017). Impact of Team Integration and Group Cohesion on Project Delivery Performance. Journal Of Construction Engineering & Management, 143(1), 1-12. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001219