How Can Organizations Create Team Players? Discuss

How Can Organizations Create Team Players? Discuss.

While a team is made up of individuals, it should not merely be a group of individuals; a team should be a set of individuals that are willing to work together and play their designated roles in order to accomplish a common goal that will benefit everyone. People are born and raised in different environments which consequently make everyone communicate, perceive, process and behave differently. Some people are "natural born team players" and others are not, and the latter must learn how, or be taught to be effective team players.

Hiring team players is one way to ensure that there is cohesion within work teams. Organizations which are teamwork oriented should try to hire individuals who are not only qualified for the positions but individuals who also posses the people and communication skills to work effectively with others. A lot of people do not naturally possess team oriented characteristics, especially in countries like the United States which are high in individualism (according to Hofstede's Intercultural Dimensions). In such cases it is difficult to recruit good team players through the hiring process. Individuals that come from other organizations may not be team players as well if they worked in environments where work was individual oriented.

In order to solve the issue of not finding candidates who are team players, organizations must sometimes train employees to work with others. Employees are trained with exercises that allow them to experience the benefits and satisfaction that teamwork can bring. Training also includes workshops that assist employees in developing their skills in communication, problem-solving, negotiation, conflict management and coaching. Training employees is no guarantee of course because there will be individuals who are too exposed to individuals, stubborn, or not patient enough. Working with teams can be a very different experience from working on one's own and some individuals are not able to cope or conform.

Finally, providing incentives is another way that organizations can mold individuals into team players. Aside from rewarding and recognizing individual efforts and accomplishments, organizations can also tailor their rewards systems towards teams. Rewards for contributing to overall team accomplishments should be given to individual team members.