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LEADERSHIP
LEADERSHIP

Teamwork In Organizations

By Dr . Kellen Kiambati

A team is a group of people coming together to collaborate in order to reach a goal they hold themselves mutually accountable to . Further , it can be defined as a group of people with a high degree of inter-dependence working towards the achievement of a common goal or completion of a task . In forming a team , there is the focal point which is an individual who brings people together . This individual at a certain point relinquishes the team ownership to the members as a whole .

Katsenbach and Smith defined a team as a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose , performance goals , and a common approach that they hold themselves mutually accountable ( Banerjee , 2011 ).
A team is able to perform better than a group due to its synergistic effect arising from the fact that its members are deeply committed to each other ’ s personal growth and success . All members participate in the planning , organizing , setting performance targets , evaluating team ’ s performance , developing strategies and interventions and securing of the team ’ s resources . Teams produce work that is based on collaboration and collective effort .
Teams are formed due to various reasons which include : completion of tasks that require joint efforts from several individuals working together ; collusion between members that provides each member with an opportunity for initiative and creativity ; creating companionship and a source of mutual understanding and support from colleagues thus reducing

A group on the other hand is a collection of people for a specific purpose . A small group has between three and twelve people who influence each other through persuasion and convincing . Small groups often make better decisions depending on the effectiveness of leadership . A group of two people is called a dyad . the stressful and demanding working conditions ; membership provides an individual with a sense of belonging ; providing guidelines on generally acceptable behavior by clarifying ambiguous situations ; and protection for its members through collaborating to protect their interests from outside pressures or threats .

On the other hand , a group is a collection of people for a specific purpose . A small group has between three and twelve people who influence each other through persuasion and convincing . Small groups often make better decisions depending on the effectiveness of leadership . A group of two people is called a dyad .
A work group is a collection of people who share most of the following characteristics : a definable membership ; group consciousness ; sense of shared purpose ; inter-dependence ; interaction ; and ability to act in a unitary manner .
Groups can be formal ( created to achieve specific organizational objectives and are concerned with the coordination of work activities ) and informal ( based on personal relationships and the agreement of the group ’ s members ’ than on defined role relationships ).
Informal group ’ s membership cuts across the formal structures and its functions include : perpetuation of the group ’ s
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