Measurement, Data Display, and Data-Based Decisions

Running head: TEAMWORK BEHAVIOR IN THE WORKPLACE 1

Target Behavior and Outcome Criteria Definition

Nicole L. Thomas

Iss in Assess Interv Support PSY7706

Professor: Jennifer Davy

January 23, 2017

Teamwork Behavior in the Workplace

Case Study Description

How an organization describes teamwork is important as it helps in measuring the potential of achieving its objectives. For example, if a company considers a particular strategy regarding its concern of reaching certain performance criteria, the top management team can only suggest what other levels of the organization can implement. In that regard, collaborative efforts are required, since, on their own, this can only be a nightmare. Often, being authoritative in implementing organizational policies makes the entire process fail. Politi and Street (2010) asserted that achieving a shared goal reflects the capacity to think and communicate (p.580). Taking views from others helps to build a shared spirit among them and, hence, working as a team towards achieving it.

In the working environment, employees may demand to work alternative arrangements to enable them to have a work-life balance. Here, the company or the managers need to consider what a significant number of the employees view as beneficial to them and the organization alike. After all, the workforce determines the level of performance. Many of the businesses have changed the dance to suit the music of new demands in the market including the employees’ point of view.

Many organizations describe teamwork as one plus one equals one. In that regard, they tend to believe that the efforts of the management team and that of the workers results in the improvement of the performance. Therefore, the overall consensus is that neither the managers nor the workers can accomplish the organizational goals without the participation of each of them (Politi & Street, 2010). With that in mind, many companies would rather seek to encourage teamwork behavior among the employees for the sake of performance. As such, this concept of synergy describes why some of the businesses succeed while others do not.

Teamwork is more in-depth than a mere cooperation among the employees. Whereas cooperation is of vital importance to teamwork, it only partially paves ways towards achieving certain goals. A willingness to support cooperation stems from the culture of an organization that emphasizes the importance of developing relationships between coworkers (Ng & Burke, 2005, p.1205). In that regard, organizations that portray discrimination in various levels of administration only nurture deviant behaviors among the workers. Consequently, it becomes hard for the business to realize its goals. Teamwork cannot exist in a working environment where each employee does things separately. Therefore, it is important that organizations cultivate teamwork behaviors or culture among the workers.

In some cases, teamwork is more than just reaching the ultimate goals. Organizations must cultivate a culture that encourages workers to develop relationships among themselves. Through this, it would be possible to promote teamwork. Therefore, the concept should be understood as facilitating an establishment of employees knowing each other on deeper levels. Consequently, this relational learning could contribute to future endeavors as employees are influenced to understanding each other. The culture helps to discourage behaviors that could bring discriminatory practices in the workplace.

Target Behavior Definition

Teamwork is a term that has become common in the modern business world. However, the exact meaning of the term “teamwork” differs from one workplace to another or even among the employees. The difficulty that manifests in the definition coins from the several facets it consists. For instance, it starts by identifying the people constituting the team, the aspirations, and the organizational concerns.

The term “team” is widely deployed in many aspects of life. It can be understood as a functioning unit of individuals with a work task, whereby an effort contributed by each of them accounts for the ultimate success of the targeted objective. In other words, it requires collaboration and coordination of the participants (Politi & Street, 2010). As a team, dedicated members solve problems affecting them as a fraternity, make plans, brainstorm and manage the anticipated changes. A team often than not, seek to achieve a common goal. The perception that working together as a team bears more fruits than working alone makes it a reliable approach to improving performance.

Similarly, teamwork can be viewed as a sense of unity, which in turn imparts enthusiasm for shared goals and responsibilities. It is developed among individuals closely linked to a task. Additionally, teamwork can be analogous to two compounds moving towards achieving goals of common interest. Thus, it binds them together to enhance strength, reliability, unity and importantly, each other’s support. Teamwork acts like an oil that lubricates the working environment with the aim of overcoming obstacles.

Overall, teamwork creates the potential of underpinning much of what an organization or any other working place considers valuable. In fact, teamwork synergies facilitate the essentials of effective resource management. It blends the employees’ strength of complementing each other. In so doing, it brings workers together in a camaraderie sense, which enhances the direction towards common objectives.

Outcome Criteria Definition

In developing an insight into the impact of embracing teamwork, organizations can identify the various criteria available to measure the outcomes. Outcome criteria encompass standards that aim to measure noticeable results of the set objectives. In this case, there are several ways a company can measure the extent to which employees have adopted teamwork. These include communication, respect, and responsibility among the employees in the workplace.

Communication plays a vital role in the organizational setup. It helps the top managers to delegate duties to the employees. Similarly, it helps the workers to make their concerns understood. In the long run, it creates an environment where each employee understands their designated boundaries of operation and need of accomplishing tasks assigned to them (Parker, Axtell, & Turner, 2001). Importantly, an organization must embrace a culture where each worker feels being of value to the business and part of the performance (Ng & Burke, 2005). In cases where employees do not communicate well, there are slim chances of understanding each other. Consequently, this can lead to misdirection besides tasks falling behind schedule. Since each worker has unique talents, members who participate in teamwork are likely to develop superior written and verbal skills from their colleagues. Besides, they will develop higher capabilities of brainstorming, collective decision-making and problem-solving approaches. All these qualities are beneficial towards the achievement of the organizational goals. Therefore, communication can be used as a criterion for measuring the outcomes of teamwork.

Another criterion for measuring teamwork outcomes is gauging how responsible are the employees. It is imperative that all employees must be responsible for the work they are designated and the associated responsibilities (Parker, Axtell, & Turner, 2001). With that, it requires that employees embrace cooperation with their colleagues for support whenever necessary to accomplish tasks that might seem challenging to them. The ability of each employee of finishing the assigned tasks in time indicates that teamwork is at the fore of the workplace. Members who do not embrace the spirit of teamwork drag in their assignments as they find it hard to consult whenever they are overwhelmed.

Lastly, respect among the employees to others can be used to measure the outcomes of teamwork. It is a requirement that each team member respects each other if their efforts must be fruitful. Therefore, it means that each employee must respect their colleagues’ gender, culture, religion, customs and race among other aspects. Additionally, they should understand that people from various walks of life have differing opinions (Ng & Burke, 2005). Therefore, they should have a commitment not to lambast one another. Talking negatively about other cultivates mistrust as well as decreased morale. Measuring the determination of employees to accomplish tasks allocated to them signals the extent they embrace teamwork.

In sum, teamwork facilitates efficiency, learning, enhances communication, improves the employees’ abilities to share the workload. Ultimately, this increases organizational performance. However, the spirit to embrace teamwork does not come on its own. Rather, it requires organizations to leverage channels that cultivate the desire to work as teams in the workplace. For example, promoting part of workers on merit and assigning duties according to one’s capabilities enhances cooperation among the employees. Additionally, deploying work diversity concepts at the working environment promotes teamwork.

References

Ng, E. & Burke, R. (2005). Person–organization fit and the war for talent: does diversity management make a difference?. The International Journal Of Human Resource Management, 16(7), 1195-1210. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09585190500144038

Parker, S., Axtell, C., & Turner, N. (2001). Designing a safer workplace: Importance of job autonomy, communication quality, and supportive supervisors. Journal Of Occupational Health Psychology, 6(3), 211-228. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//1076-8998.6.3.211

Politi, M. & Street, R. (2010). The importance of communication in collaborative decision making: facilitating shared mind and the management of uncertainty. Journal Of Evaluation In Clinical Practice, 17(4), 579-584. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2753.2010.01549.x

Feedback and grading rubic:

I like the idea of taking an OBM approach for the course project. Please provide background into the company/organization that you are working with. Provide a clear operational definition of teamwork as it pertains to your client(s). Discuss the specific benefits that organization will gain from an increase in this skill. Define the outcome criteria for your intervention. What is the current responding? What is your proposed criteria in 6 months and a year? What strategies have been implemented to increase teamwork previously. Please send me a course message if you wish to resubmit this assignment. I am sorry to hear about your mother, she is lucky to have you there helping her. Please do not hesitate to request an extension when necessary.

Measurement, Data Display, and Data-Based Decisions Scoring Guide

Due Date: End of Unit 4.

Percentage of Course Grade: 8%.

CRITERIA NON-PERFORMANCE BASIC PROFICIENT DISTINGUISHED

Select an appropriate data display to communicate quantitative relations, given a set of behavioral data.

33% Does not provide an appropriate data display to communicate quantitative relations, given a set of behavioral data. Selects a somewhat appropriate data display to communicate quantitative relations, given a set of behavioral data. Selects an appropriate data display to communicate quantitative relations, given a set of behavioral data. Selects an appropriate data display to communicate quantitative relations, given a set of behavioral data; measures behavior to answer questions about the existence and nature of functional relations between socially significant behavior and environmental variables.

Apply measurement and data display (graphing) to make changes in human behavior.

33% Does not provide measurement and data display (graphing) to make changes in human behavior. Applies at a basic level measurement and data display (graphing) to make changes in human behavior. Applies measurement and data display (graphing) to make changes in human behavior. Applies measurement and data display (graphing) to make changes in human behavior; relates measurement methods to the environmental variables, available resources, and behavior of interest.

Apply data-based decision-making skills to make changes in human behavior.

34% Does not display data-based decision-making skills to make changes in human behavior. Applies at a basic level data-based decision-making skills to make changes in human behavior. Applies data-based decision-making skills to make changes in human behavior. Applies data-based decision-making skills to make changes in human behavior; applies graphic displays of behavioral data to provide a format from which valid and reliable decisions from raw data are best analyzed.