1、1 中文 3456 字 2000 单词 原文： The Art of Team Building The success of a company depends on the people that work there. The staff must work and collaborate as a team with a focus on the companys mission statements. Any conflict within the staff can lead to potential quarrels and disunity, hampering the suc
2、cess of the company. Todays modern software firm consists of several work and project teams that must cooperate and share resources if a quality job is to be produced within budget. Team building is an organizational development intervention strategy that investigates the personalities and behavior
3、characteristics of the team membership. Team building consists of a series of exercises that collect data and feedback. This serves as input into proposed improvements for the companys process - both at an individual and team level. It is a powerful tool, but is not always practical. The document in
4、vestigates the cycle of team building and provides a quantity of tools that would be useful in the team building process. These tools collect data that can provide the source of conflicts. Teams in Todays Workplace A team is defined as a collection of people who rely on group collaboration such that
5、 each of its members experiences an optimum of success level reaching of of both personal and team based goals (Dyer, 1977). Suppose one was to take a look at a typical business operation - a restaurant, golf course, home builder, oil patch, or software firm. We will note that this business operatio
6、n (assuming it is not a home based business) consists of of staff members who work together to provide a service. Each member of the staff strives towards meeting personal and company goals. In teamwork, everybody makes their own contributions and performs their tasks. The staff members also interac
7、t and communicate with each other. Therefore, the concept of team goes beyond professional sports. They exist everywhere in society. At work, there may be several different work groups 2 (requirements, quality assurance, testing). Each one is a team. Project teams consist of people from different gr
8、oups brought together for a specific activity. A worker may be a member of more than one team at work. Even the family is considered a team (Dyer, 1977). Team dynamics run through the family in the same way as at work. However, success in any team environment is a challenge. Because individuals have
9、 different behavior and thinking styles, this leads to conflict. Poor handling of conflict leads to disunity, quarrels, jealousy, and reduced morale. The process of team building investigates the personal characteristics of team members. The result is the recommendation of changes in the companys pr
10、ocess and team interaction such that the teams can perform together. If we look at the software industrys reputation of being late and over budget, team building would serve as a good tool in software process improvement. It is also a good tool when new teams are being formed for new projects. Succe
11、ssful performing teams are paramount to producing a quality software project within budget. In todays typical software company, each phase of the software development process is performed by one or more people with the appropriate expertise. Each of these teams meld together to form one team respons
12、ible for that project. The Stages of the Performance Team. Any team - including the family - may encounter one or more of the following stages. Forming: The forming stage is a get acquainted stage. It is an exciting time as people get to know each other. Storming: This stage is a very emotional stag
13、e. The different personality types, thinking styles, and roles may conflict. This leads to some very heated arguments as well as reduced morale and disunity. Some teams even fall apart. Norming: The membership appreciates each others differences. They start to get settled down. Performing: The membe
14、rs are dedicated to getting the job done, without disruption caused by poor team dynamics. Conflicts are handled constructively. The team can enter any of these stages at any time. A performing team can easily return 3 to the storming stage over what may not be a major conflict. A proper team buildi
15、ng program will not guarantee a performing team, but can help a team learn of each members strengths and weaknesses and account for them in collaboration. Team Building Objectives. In determining objectives for a specific team building process, it should be sensitive to the specific team based proce
16、ss improvement goals that the team as a whole have identified. The most common objectives of team building are as follows (Phillips and Elledge, 1989). Allowing the work unit to engage in a continuous process of self improvement. Providing a forum for the team to evaluate strengths and weaknesses. D
17、etermining problems in a teams behavior and suggesting corrective actions to be taken. Developing specific team processes such as conflict management. Improving interpersonal communication skills. Determining roles and responsibilities of the membership. Evaluation of problem solving strategies. The
18、 Cycle of Team Building. Team building can be precisely defined as a long range program for uniting people into shared efforts for improving the effectiveness of a working group. (Dyer, 1977). It can revitalize the companys social interaction system, but is only useful if it can be proved that the w
19、ork unit is no longer functioning productively (Tontini, 1979). An external consultant be acquired for this process, particularly if a manager feels that he or she may be part of the problem. The consultant may be either external or an staff member external to the affected work unit. A consultant is
20、 also neutral, eliminating bias and any attitudes between management and staff. The manager may do the process himself, but he must know exactly what actions to take and how to do it. Dyer defines a cycle of six stages that constitute the team building process. These will be described in further detail.
