As noted in previous training sessions, your project team will need
to function effectively as a group to build a quality information system. This training and the ideas presented on this form
are designed to help your team function well together.
This training session is designed to acquaint you with information about the
role of leadership and how this relates to your role in helping your team to function
effectively. A major emphasis of these
training activities is to encourage you to look for ways to improve how your team
functions so that you can generate a quality team project.
Quality leadership is important because it provides the team with direction, focus, and guidance that encourages beneficial behaviors from team members. In summary, quality leaders help the team to focus on quality, structure work, facilitate discussion, encourage cooperation, and look for opportunities to learn and improve the team's functionality. Each of these benefits is important; therefore we will review them briefly below:
1.
Focus on Quality: Leaders should help
teams to focus their efforts on quality by reminding team members of the goals of the team
and the importance of staying on schedule.
2.
Structure Work: All work has a structure. Leaders help a group to find the structure in a
task and devise processes appropriate for these structures.
By doing this, the team develops a deeper understanding of the project and
of potential approaches for successfully completing the project.
3.
Facilitate discussion: Leaders need to
make sure that every team member has the opportunity to evaluate the project and
vocalize their opinions without being criticized by other team members. The leader makes sure that each project fault is
objectively discussed without being influenced by personality problems or other conflicts
within the team.
4.
Encourage Cooperation and Participation:
Leaders must resolve intrateam conflicts by initiating talks between the troubled team
members, encouraging them to resolve their personal grievances for the good of the team. No one should be "left out" of the
team's activities. If someone is not
participating, the leader should encourage that person to do his or her part. When everyone participates, the team will perform
more effectively and product a better quality project.
5.
Look for Opportunities to Learn and Improve:
The leader should always be looking for ways to improve on the team's performance and be
willing to listen to the suggestions of others. Often, team members have special talents
or insights. Leaders should insure that all
of the members' skills and energies are used effectively.
Team members can help the
leader by respecting the leader's position, informing the leader of any potential
problem, and by maintaining a compassionate and cooperative attitude, even when you don't
get your way. Anger only causes problems to
escalate, whereas a soft word reveals wisdom.
Leadership in your team is important because quality leadership will help your group function better as it develops into a performing team. Each of you will find that there will be times when you will need to lead the team in some way. If you are aware of the role of leaders and the characteristics of good leaders you will be better equipped to lead your team when your role dictates that you lead your team. This should help your team to produce a better quality project.
[i] Many of these ideas were obtained from The Team Handbook (by P.R. Scholter, 1988, Madison, WI: Joiner Press).