TEAM COMMUNICATION
1
Team Communication
Gerald Bell Jr
Sorrell College of Business
MSM 6633 XTIB
Dr. Voss
February 14, 2021
TEAM COMMUNICATION
2
Executive Summary
Team communication is the interaction that the team members have with one another.
Effective team communication is vital for the normal functioning of an organization. There is a
relationship between team communication and individual performance, which becomes more
potent when focusing on quality (Griffith & Dunham, 2015). The quality is undermined when there
are communication issues that affect the collaboration process. In the apprentice show,
communication issues show how teams can be affected by disagreements among the members.
These issues include the lack of communication skills, interpersonal conflicts, lack of trust, and
lack of team culture. Identifying issues is possible on analysis of the methods of interaction of the
team members and the results. Handling these issues can be made possible by having an open-door
policy, focusing on consistency, and listening. This paper provides an analysis of the issues in the
apprentice case and the remedies to the issues.
TEAM COMMUNICATION
3
Introduction
Communication in a team is vital for the achievement of the overall goal. Communication
is evident in the apprentice show, which displays the achievements related to team collaboration.
In the television show, 16 individuals have to compete against one another, with the winner
becoming the president of one of Donald Trump's companies. In the show, the contestants are
grouped into two teams with group leaders. While the winning team gets an opportunity for
management, the losing team must explain their failure to Donald Trump and his panel. Mr. Donny
Deutsch was chosen to determine the winning team.
The panel led by Mr. Donny was torn between the sex appeal ad by the women and the
men's advertisement. The women's team's advertisement was considered creative, and as a result,
men lost the competition. The losing team leader, Jason, noted that one of the team members, Sam,
undermined the team's success by not focusing on the team's performance. On the other hand, Sam
argued that the team did not take time to understand the customers' specific needs. As a result,
Jason was fired, and Sam assumed a team leader's role for the next season. From the season, it is
evident that one member of a team's shortcomings can result in the lack of the realization of the
team's goals. Effective team communication is influenced by the establishment of norms that all
the members follow.
Gap Analysis
In a team, communication should be open where all team members can exchange ideas
without being criticized. There was no effective communication between the two teams, which
resulted in the two teams not altogether attracting the panel's attention. In the ladies' team, the
TEAM COMMUNICATION
4
members repeatedly blamed one another when coming up with the advertisement's right ad. The
constant blaming of one another contributed to the lack of consistency in the flow of ideas. Also,
a considerable length of time was used when formatting the ad. The team leader should have
considered ensuring personal differences do not affect the well-being of the team.
In the men's team, there were disagreements between the team and Sam. As brought out by
the team leader, Sam did not stay on topic and was frequently absent during critical decisions. In
other instances, Sam napped on the floor when the team was focusing on the creation of a
competitive ad. Sam also stayed by his ideas and continuously made the team members adopt
them. The team member did not act against Sam's behavior, which resulted in defeat. The team
should have considered ways to make Sam contribute to the team or support any idea generated.
This is an effective way to ensure there are no disagreements and that a common path is followed.
In the two teams, it is evident that the team leaders did not consider the communication
facets that are important in team collaboration and results from delivery. One of the facets is
belonging, which is significant in the performance of a team. For a team to ensure there is
belonging, the level of members' motivation should be increased (Welch & Jackson, 2007). In the
ladies' team, the members are less motivated as they have not adopted the right teamwork
strategies. Another facet is the commitment, which is the enthusiasm level an individual has
towards a team. In the men's team, not all members are committed to the success of the team. Sam
continually disagrees with the decisions adopted by the team. This is an indication that the level
of commitment is affected by the lack of team coordination.
The third facet of communication is understanding. (Welch & Jackson, 2007) note that
understanding the team members' roles and actions is essential in the achievement of set goals. It
TEAM COMMUNICATION
5
is evident that there is no understanding in the men's team as they do not consider Sam's ideas.
This has played a part in the failure of the team. The lack of awareness as a communication facet
can be analyzed with respect to the two teams. The ladies' team's lack of awareness is evident as
some of the members did not understand the significance of a sexual ad. Some of the team members
did not agree with the decision to use sexual content to lure the customers. Two of the members
particularly displayed their dislike regarding the adopted content. The teams should have
considered informing the two members of the importance of the sexual content in advertising.
The lack of a team culture plays a part in undermining a team's success (Griffith &
Dunham, 2015). Team culture is made up of shared attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs. In the men's
team, the team culture is not effective as there is constant disagreement on the idea to adopt. There
are interpersonal barriers to the formation of a working team culture in the men’s team.
Interpersonal barriers occur as a result of a lack of self-awareness and flexibility (Kelly, 2000).
Some of the interpersonal barriers include the desire to explore, the desire to participate, and the
existence of personal criticism. With the effective handling of the interpersonal issues between
Sam and the team, the team's goals are achieved.
The issues that arise from the gap analysis are the lack of effective communication skills,
lack of team culture, interpersonal conflicts, and the lack of trust. These issues are present in the
two teams despite the ladies' team's ability to become the winner. On analysis, the two teams
struggled with the lack of team culture. The team culture in the team was not effective as some of
the members did not share the other members' beliefs and attitudes. The two teams are
characterized by the existence of interpersonal conflicts, which undermined the successful
TEAM COMMUNICATION
6
coordination of the two teams. Handling these issues requires the input of all members of the two
teams.
Recommendations
To effectively handle the two teams' issues related to the communication process, it is
important to focus on collaborative approaches. The team leaders should consider the adoption of
an open-door policy. This policy involves setting precedence where all team members can ask for
clarification and also contribute ideas. According to (Harshman & Harshman, 1999), the opendoor policy is important in building the team members' trust. In the men's team, the open-door
policy can be effective as Sam can contribute to the discussion and also ask for clarification. On
the other hand, in the ladies' team, the open-door policy is hindered by the communication process
adopted. It is evident that not all members have an equal opportunity of contributing.
The team members should consider focusing on consistency as a method of handling the
issues related to communication. Focusing on consistency allows the team members to stay on
track with the discussion. This prevents the frustration of the team members as a result of decisions
adopted. All the issues presented in the two teams are a result of a lack of listening. The team
members undermine the input of other members resulting in disagreements. Based on this, it is
important to focus on listening to the team members. Listening is important as it provides a basis
for understanding what is being shared by the team members (Harshman & Harshman, 1999).
Listening also allows the effective gaining of feedback, which contributes to engagement and
productivity.
TEAM COMMUNICATION
7
Conclusion
This paper has provided information on the issues related to team communication and how
they can be handled. Effective team communication is influenced by the establishment of norms
that all the members follow. Team communication can be improved by handling specific issues
related to the communication process. On analysis of the two teams in the apprentice, it is evident
that there are no effective methods of handling issues related to the communication process. The
following issues are evident with the lack of effective methods: lack of communication skills,
interpersonal conflicts, lack of trust, and lack of team culture.
The communication issues can be handled by adopting an open-door policy, focusing on
consistency, and listening. The open-door policy's expected results are increased participation of
the members and the creation of a communication culture. The results relate to the outcomes of
the recommendation on focusing on consistency. This recommendation is expected to ensure there
is a continuous flow of ideas and information among the team members. With the adoption of this
recommendation, disagreements can be effectively handled. The outcome of listening to the team
members is the building of working interpersonal relationships. However, the application of these
recommendations requires the contribution of all members.
TEAM COMMUNICATION
8
References
Griffith, B. A., & Dunham, E. B. (2015). Working in teams: Moving from high potential to high
performance. SAGE.
Harshman, E. F., & Harshman, C. L. (1999). Communicating with employees: Building on an
ethical foundation. Journal of Business Ethics, 19(1), 3–19. Retrieved from:
https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006141704179
Kelly, D. (2000). Using vision to improve organizational communication. Leadership and
Organization
Development
Journal,
21(2),
92–101.
Retrieved
from:
https://doi.org/10.1108/01437730010318183
Welch, M., & Jackson, P. R. (2007). Rethinking internal communication: A stakeholder approach.
Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 12(2), 177–198. retrieved from:
https://doi.org/10.1108/13563280710744847
MSM 6633—LEADING AND DEVELOPING HIGH-PERFORMANCE TEAMS
—SUMMATIVE ESSAY ON TEAM DYNAMICS—
This essay is an extension of your previously written Application Essay, which was an opportunity
to analyze a textbook case from the perspective of team dynamics. In this extension, you will recast
your previous report as an academic essay in all normal respects. This transformation includes
enhancing the paper’s theoretical content by inserting a literature review after the introduction and
before the Gap Analysis section. Apply your concepts correctly, as presented in this class.
To convert your Application Essay into your Summative Essay, perform three tasks: (a) add the
literature review as described below; (b) reread your Application Essay in search of opportunities
to correct errors, add theory, or extend commentary; and (c) change the executive summary to an
abstract by renaming the header accordingly and adding some keywords after, as shown in the
sample APA-styled paper (the abstract does not count toward the required length of the full paper).
Literature review. After the introduction, before Gap Analysis. Follow these guidelines:
First paragraph: Provide an overview of what areas of the literature you will discuss. Your first
topic to cover is one of the essential elements of team effectiveness outlined by Warrick (2014)
that you found to be most in need of attention in the case. Your second topic to cover is one of the
theoretical frameworks listed below, to help explain your perspective in theoretical terms.
Subsection headers. You will have two distinct subsections in your literature review, each of which
is more than one paragraph, so you should separate each subsection with a secondary header. Both
primary and secondary headers are in bold type. APA style requires centering the primary section
header (Literature Review). It requires secondary section headers to be flush-left.
First subsection. Name your first subsection after your selected element of team effectiveness from
Warrick’s (2014) model, namely, one of the following (note the abbreviated renderings here): (a)
Leadership; (b) Teamship; (c) Team Norms; (d) Team Structure; (e) Team Processes; and (f)
Team Results. Describe the selected element, citing correctly, without referring to the case.
Second subsection. Name your second subsection after your selected theoretical framework.
Decide among the following theories: (a) Team Member Exchange; (b) Team Development
Theory (phases of team development); (c) Conflict Theory; (d) Communication Theory; or (e)
Power Theory. Describe the theory by itself, citing correctly, without referring to the case.
Refer to the posted sample of an APA-styled paper in this week’s Course Materials. Your literature
review may reach about two pages. Write complete sentences to demonstrate your thinking. Avoid
inserting tables or bulleted or numbered items, aside from an enumerated list of recommendations.
Cite at least one additional source in this essay, beyond what the Application Essay required. If
you have yet to find at least five qualifying journal articles (the requirement for the Application
Essay), you will need to make up for the lacuna here, or fix your reference entries, as appropriate.
Standards. See the posted APA-styled sample paper. Minimum length is 2,000 words, from the
start of the introduction (after the abstract) to the end of the concluding section, excluding abstract,
quoted or parenthetical content, and section headers. Cite at least the textbook and six (6)
qualifying sources based on the criteria listed in the syllabus. Remember your doi-numbers!
TEAM COMMUNICATION
1
Team Communication
Gerald Bell Jr
Sorrell College of Business
MSM 6633 XTIB
Dr. Voss
February 14, 2021
TEAM COMMUNICATION
2
Executive Summary
Team communication is the interaction that the team members have with one another.
Effective team communication is vital for the normal functioning of an organization. There is a
relationship between team communication and individual performance, which becomes more
potent when focusing on quality (Griffith & Dunham, 2015). The quality is undermined when there
are communication issues that affect the collaboration process. In the apprentice show,
communication issues show how teams can be affected by disagreements among the members.
These issues include the lack of communication skills, interpersonal conflicts, lack of trust, and
lack of team culture. Identifying issues is possible on analysis of the methods of interaction of the
team members and the results. Handling these issues can be made possible by having an open-door
policy, focusing on consistency, and listening. This paper provides an analysis of the issues in the
apprentice case and the remedies to the issues.
TEAM COMMUNICATION
3
Introduction
Communication in a team is vital for the achievement of the overall goal. Communication
is evident in the apprentice show, which displays the achievements related to team collaboration.
In the television show, 16 individuals have to compete against one another, with the winner
becoming the president of one of Donald Trump's companies. In the show, the contestants are
grouped into two teams with group leaders. While the winning team gets an opportunity for
management, the losing team must explain their failure to Donald Trump and his panel. Mr. Donny
Deutsch was chosen to determine the winning team.
The panel led by Mr. Donny was torn between the sex appeal ad by the women and the
men's advertisement. The women's team's advertisement was considered creative, and as a result,
men lost the competition. The losing team leader, Jason, noted that one of the team members, Sam,
undermined the team's success by not focusing on the team's performance. On the other hand, Sam
argued that the team did not take time to understand the customers' specific needs. As a result,
Jason was fired, and Sam assumed a team leader's role for the next season. From the season, it is
evident that one member of a team's shortcomings can result in the lack of the realization of the
team's goals. Effective team communication is influenced by the establishment of norms that all
the members follow.
Gap Analysis
In a team, communication should be open where all team members can exchange ideas
without being criticized. There was no effective communication between the two teams, which
resulted in the two teams not altogether attracting the panel's attention. In the ladies' team, the
TEAM COMMUNICATION
4
members repeatedly blamed one another when coming up with the advertisement's right ad. The
constant blaming of one another contributed to the lack of consistency in the flow of ideas. Also,
a considerable length of time was used when formatting the ad. The team leader should have
considered ensuring personal differences do not affect the well-being of the team.
In the men's team, there were disagreements between the team and Sam. As brought out by
the team leader, Sam did not stay on topic and was frequently absent during critical decisions. In
other instances, Sam napped on the floor when the team was focusing on the creation of a
competitive ad. Sam also stayed by his ideas and continuously made the team members adopt
them. The team member did not act against Sam's behavior, which resulted in defeat. The team
should have considered ways to make Sam contribute to the team or support any idea generated.
This is an effective way to ensure there are no disagreements and that a common path is followed.
In the two teams, it is evident that the team leaders did not consider the communication
facets that are important in team collaboration and results from delivery. One of the facets is
belonging, which is significant in the performance of a team. For a team to ensure there is
belonging, the level of members' motivation should be increased (Welch & Jackson, 2007). In the
ladies' team, the members are less motivated as they have not adopted the right teamwork
strategies. Another facet is the commitment, which is the enthusiasm level an individual has
towards a team. In the men's team, not all members are committed to the success of the team. Sam
continually disagrees with the decisions adopted by the team. This is an indication that the level
of commitment is affected by the lack of team coordination.
The third facet of communication is understanding. (Welch & Jackson, 2007) note that
understanding the team members' roles and actions is essential in the achievement of set goals. It
TEAM COMMUNICATION
5
is evident that there is no understanding in the men's team as they do not consider Sam's ideas.
This has played a part in the failure of the team. The lack of awareness as a communication facet
can be analyzed with respect to the two teams. The ladies' team's lack of awareness is evident as
some of the members did not understand the significance of a sexual ad. Some of the team members
did not agree with the decision to use sexual content to lure the customers. Two of the members
particularly displayed their dislike regarding the adopted content. The teams should have
considered informing the two members of the importance of the sexual content in advertising.
The lack of a team culture plays a part in undermining a team's success (Griffith &
Dunham, 2015). Team culture is made up of shared attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs. In the men's
team, the team culture is not effective as there is constant disagreement on the idea to adopt. There
are interpersonal barriers to the formation of a working team culture in the men’s team.
Interpersonal barriers occur as a result of a lack of self-awareness and flexibility (Kelly, 2000).
Some of the interpersonal barriers include the desire to explore, the desire to participate, and the
existence of personal criticism. With the effective handling of the interpersonal issues between
Sam and the team, the team's goals are achieved.
The issues that arise from the gap analysis are the lack of effective communication skills,
lack of team culture, interpersonal conflicts, and the lack of trust. These issues are present in the
two teams despite the ladies' team's ability to become the winner. On analysis, the two teams
struggled with the lack of team culture. The team culture in the team was not effective as some of
the members did not share the other members' beliefs and attitudes. The two teams are
characterized by the existence of interpersonal conflicts, which undermined the successful
TEAM COMMUNICATION
6
coordination of the two teams. Handling these issues requires the input of all members of the two
teams.
Recommendations
To effectively handle the two teams' issues related to the communication process, it is
important to focus on collaborative approaches. The team leaders should consider the adoption of
an open-door policy. This policy involves setting precedence where all team members can ask for
clarification and also contribute ideas. According to (Harshman & Harshman, 1999), the opendoor policy is important in building the team members' trust. In the men's team, the open-door
policy can be effective as Sam can contribute to the discussion and also ask for clarification. On
the other hand, in the ladies' team, the open-door policy is hindered by the communication process
adopted. It is evident that not all members have an equal opportunity of contributing.
The team members should consider focusing on consistency as a method of handling the
issues related to communication. Focusing on consistency allows the team members to stay on
track with the discussion. This prevents the frustration of the team members as a result of decisions
adopted. All the issues presented in the two teams are a result of a lack of listening. The team
members undermine the input of other members resulting in disagreements. Based on this, it is
important to focus on listening to the team members. Listening is important as it provides a basis
for understanding what is being shared by the team members (Harshman & Harshman, 1999).
Listening also allows the effective gaining of feedback, which contributes to engagement and
productivity.
TEAM COMMUNICATION
7
Conclusion
This paper has provided information on the issues related to team communication and how
they can be handled. Effective team communication is influenced by the establishment of norms
that all the members follow. Team communication can be improved by handling specific issues
related to the communication process. On analysis of the two teams in the apprentice, it is evident
that there are no effective methods of handling issues related to the communication process. The
following issues are evident with the lack of effective methods: lack of communication skills,
interpersonal conflicts, lack of trust, and lack of team culture.
The communication issues can be handled by adopting an open-door policy, focusing on
consistency, and listening. The open-door policy's expected results are increased participation of
the members and the creation of a communication culture. The results relate to the outcomes of
the recommendation on focusing on consistency. This recommendation is expected to ensure there
is a continuous flow of ideas and information among the team members. With the adoption of this
recommendation, disagreements can be effectively handled. The outcome of listening to the team
members is the building of working interpersonal relationships. However, the application of these
recommendations requires the contribution of all members.
TEAM COMMUNICATION
8
References
Griffith, B. A., & Dunham, E. B. (2015). Working in teams: Moving from high potential to high
performance. SAGE.
Harshman, E. F., & Harshman, C. L. (1999). Communicating with employees: Building on an
ethical foundation. Journal of Business Ethics, 19(1), 3–19. Retrieved from:
https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006141704179
Kelly, D. (2000). Using vision to improve organizational communication. Leadership and
Organization
Development
Journal,
21(2),
92–101.
Retrieved
from:
https://doi.org/10.1108/01437730010318183
Welch, M., & Jackson, P. R. (2007). Rethinking internal communication: A stakeholder approach.
Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 12(2), 177–198. retrieved from:
https://doi.org/10.1108/13563280710744847
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