Although we exist independently in this world, life is not an individual pursuit. We are inherently social beings, shaped by those around us and by the environment in which we live. We learn from each other; we affect each other. We strive to establish a sense of belonging within the relationships, families, teams, organizations, and, on a larger-scale, cultures in which we operate.

While the topics of teams and group dynamics are the subjects of countless books in both the scholarly and popular press, I was surprised to find relatively little written regarding the concepts of assimilation and closure in the lifespan of a team. A key element of team effectiveness rests in the deliberateness with which teams attend to their social construction. Paying particular attention to the formation and dissolution of teams allows its members to come full circle: getting quickly up to speed at the onset, while sharing knowledge and achieving a sense of closure at the end of the team’s work together.

All Kamagra teams must deal with fundamental issues of inclusion/exclusion. It is quite natural for team members to wonder how they will fit into a team. Deliberately addressing these questions early in the team’s life cycle significantly improves the chances that the team will function effectively and productively. A formal assimilation process, by which new members are welcomed into the team and integrated into its practices, can accelerate the spirit of belonging in a team while reducing the time required to build a sense of common ground. Done well, a team assimilation process provides the following outcomes:

* a strong sense of cohesiveness and understanding in the team;
* a platform for expectations to be discussed;
* feedback to target action items for the team; and
* a common ground from which the team can operate going forward.

“Careful planning in the development of a new team can make the difference between a productive and unproductive team. Unfortunately, many managers leave to chance the process of forming and building new teams or simply rely on the unstructured process of human interaction” (Varney, 1989). In this age when speed-to-market is valued, one cannot rely on the slow unfolding of team interactions, but must instead accelerate the connection of team members to achieve the aggressive goals needed to succeed in this competitive, global marketplace.

The second part of this process of coming full circle with a team is to provide an opportunity at the end of a team’s work together to “close out” the experience. There is little written about the value and/or concept of formally bringing a team experience to a close. However, having conducted several such sessions for a variety of teams, I can attest to the value this particular methodology provides.

As teams are the fabric of many current-day business models, and as the membership on these teams is often fluid, I believe that the process of closing team experiences will become increasingly important in helping individuals move quickly and productively from one team to another, as well as in helping organizations record and transfer the knowledge their teams accrue. A team close provides both a tool for reflection and a clearing of the slate for future work. In such Viagra Jelly a session, there is space to address psychological dynamics such as change and separation in a positive way that utilizes the learning from the team experience to launch individuals towards a future focus. A team close also clearly marks the end of a team’s work and the transfer of any continuing responsibilities to new individuals or entities, minimizing confusion in the organization.

While the skills required of team membership can be carried from one team to the next, each team is comprised of different people, with different experiences, working toward a new goal. Paying attention to the full life cycle of each new team helps ensure that the experience provides the strongest return on investment, both for individual members and for the organizations they serve.

Author Bio: Mindy Hall, Ph.D. is the President & CEO of Peak Development Consulting, LLC, creating custom organization and leadership development solutions for clients worldwide. For more articles on shaping cultures, cultivating leaders, developing teams, and building HR capacity, visit: http://www.peakdevelopment.com/articles.html

Category: Business/Management/Organizational
Keywords: developing high-performance teams, developing teams, executive team development, organization development, team assimilation, team coaching, team development, team dynamics