For successful development and implementation of Management Information Systems, effective teamwork is necessary. Various resources propose various levels of teams’ importance for implementation of this system. One of the resources that I find useful is Importance of Team and Team Work written by the Management Study Guide (2009).
Tips for Effective Team Behavior. Different scholars have postulated various ways for creating effectiveness within a team and its members. Firstly, Salas, Goodwin and Burke suggest that for a team to be effective all members must be committed towards achievement of the goals and objectives set up for a team (2009). High degree of commitment ensures that all activities are accomplished within appropriate timeframes.
Secondly, all team members must develop and maintain adequate trust. Good trust encourages strong relationships between team members, thus improves teamwork. Through trust and communication, team members freely express their views and opinions with regard to operational activities and attainment of team goals.
Thirdly, team members should show accountability towards their individual actions. They should be held responsible for any decision they make or any action they take (Salas, Goodwin & Burke 2009). Fourthly, effective team behavior entails clear assignment of duties and efficient division of responsibilities amongst team members. This helps in eliminating ambiguous roles within the teams.
Lastly, for a team to be effective, the work environment must be conducive and supportive. Team members should support each other, as adequate cooperation amongst team members is a vital tool for the whole company. Bauer and Bauer summarize that an effective team must have well defined goals, roles, processes and team members must maintain good relationships amongst them (2010).
Reasons why Teams might Fail. Firstly, teams fail due to poor group composition. This refers to a situation whereby team members have heterogeneous goals or objectives; hence each team member is pursuing personal interests. According to Leiter and Maslach, for teams to be successful, there must be homogenous goals or objective that every team member should strive to achieve (2011). These goals and objectives must be well communicated to all team members.
Secondly, teams often fail due to lack of clear communication between team members. Eckes suggests that the team would only succeed if there is clear communication boundaries set up amongst team members, hence adequate exchange of ideas, skills and knowledge and any other relevant information exist (2011).
Thirdly, teams usually fail due to conflicts of interests. For example, team members may fight for power within the team or pursue personal interests. Conflict of interests usually results into internal competition amongst team members. Furthermore, conflict of interests also leads to diversion of organizational resources and hence projects failure. Additionally, teams often fail due to lack of focus. This entails lack of well defined goals that are realistic and achievable.
Last, but not least, teams often fail due to poor planning and ineffective time management. According to Taylor, proper planning and time management are essential for effective execution of team activities (2008).