Managing Individual Performance

Managing Individual Performance

Selecting members of a team can be compared to the process of a new hire employee. At times it can be less formal because one may already know something about the person being suggested for the team. There may be different criteria for different teams. It depends on what the purpose of the team may be. To facilitate the focal point of the team, leaders must be clear about the expectations, structure of the team and the individual roles that the members should put into effect.

According to McClough & Rogelberg (2003), "the selection of team members should be based on the preference for teamwork, assessment center ratings and personality. Through out their research it was discovered that personality predicted performance over and above cognitive ability and skills. The score on the Knowledge Skill and Ability Test predicted behavior when the member was confident in his or her abilities. The validity of the KSA test may need further examination. The KSA test is a good step in addressing the team selection along with predicting individual behavior within teams." For a team to function effectively, as previously stated, interpersonal skills and task-appropriate knowledge appear to be important determinants of group performance.

It is thought that the success of a team is based on the interpersonal compatibility. The current study investigates the types of information that prospective team members may want about each other, including the types of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other qualifications (KSAOs) that are perceived.

My team consisted of Lisa Stafford, John Connor, Michelle Levy and Daniel Nichols. At first I was unsure of who will be part of my team. I then decided to focus on the required personality of the volunteer and compared it to the actual personality profile of the volunteer. From comparing the personality traits, deduced to move on to the knowledge, skills, abilities or other qualifications that the volunteers may have. That's when I selected Lisa to build case files based on her communication and analytical skills. For moderate self groups, John, great taskmaster and values teamwork along with his liking to pass on knowledge through training programs. Michelle, perform follow-ups, her knowledge for identifying problems and analyzing all issues. Daniel for supervise confrontations, excellent at resolving issues.

There are many factors to consider when managing an effective team. The situation may vary between members. One team member's motivational factor may not be the same for all the members in the team. For instance take the simulation, in order to manage this team of volunteers effectively, as a manager one should consider team cohesiveness. Team cohesiveness is the degree of attraction people feel toward the team and their motivation to remain members in the organizations. In the simulation for example, Lisa's boss was concerned because she was falling behind on her regular work since she started DARE. My evaluation was that Lisa craves the appreciation of the company. My implementation was to stress the importance of both her work and DARE. Reschedule the task and clarify her goals. It is apparent that Lisa seeks growth. The way to motivate her is by informing her of the areas of concern and emphasize the areas where she can excel on the great job she is doing. This is what motivates her to complete her work and stay on track. Organizational leadership is another factor that I considered. It is important to demonstrate constant support to members of the team. This support can be emotional, professional or just by giving the members the necessary resources to get the job done. As a leader one should take the time to understand each member. Keeping the morale of the members in an upbeat momentum is what gets the job done without interruptions. John for instance, his 12 years of marriage is coming to an end. Due to his present life situation, he feels that he is unable to help others. My evaluation was that he is in need of acceptance and appreciation. My implementation was to praise him for his work with DARE and reset his goals. As a leader showing support to your team members whether is work related or personal issues motivates them. We are all exposed to some type of failure the key is to not let it affect every aspect of your life.

Most definitely when selecting team members, personality plays a big role. In the articles by Connerley & Mael (2001) is recommend that "employees use personality testing to find out what personality styles best describe themselves and to start noticing the styles of others around them." As a leader assembles a team, he or she wants to be sure not to create a team all of one personality type. By building a diverse team, one can combine the strengths of all the personality types. Personality preference adds to the effectiveness of any team.

A person's personality can tell a great deal. In accordance with, Personality Type Preferences of Social Work Students, (2006) "the MBTI consists of self-reported, forced-choice items that classify individuals according to their preferences in each of the four dichotomous dimensions each representing an opposing preference. The Extraversion-Introversion (E-I) dimension represents the direction from which individuals seek their sources of energy. Extraverts seek energy from their external environment and are energized through interaction with others. Extraverts are verbal, enthusiastic, and comfortable with new experiences. They prefer action to reflection and learn best through active engagement and experimentation. Introverts seek energy from within themselves, and are more comfortable alone or in small groups. They are generally reserved in their communication patterns, and may appear detached or uninvolved. Introverts learn through reflective observation and prefer to process information before acting. The Sensing-Intuition (S-N) dimension represents perception, or an individual's preferred manner of gathering information. Sensors use their five senses to gather information about the world around them, focusing on practical facts and specific information. They are keen observers of detail, focusing on facts and information that is concretely obtainable. Sensors prefer the conventional and work in a thoughtful and planned manner, following each step in sequence. Intuitives use their insight to gather information about the external environment, focusing on possibilities and abstract conceptualization. They use