Team Dynamics and Team Culture

Name: Team Dynamics and Team Culture
Author: Barry Davis

Learn how to improve team dynamics in the workplace

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Course: On-Demand

(upbeat music) A team member is anyone within a group that is part of a larger organization. As part of that group, they collaborate with other members to achieve goals. For example, an IT department might include a cybersecurity team. This team likely has members who specialize in different skills, but all team members work together to complete assigned roles and tasks. Because they are part of a larger organization, teams and their members fit into the structure of that organization. Organizational structure refers to how supervision, coordination of activities, and operations are carried out. Understanding these two concepts and how they work together can help you adapt and integrate your team's culture into the organizational structure. Here's an example. Imagine your organization adopts a new policy that requires messages for upper management to go through a secretary. If your team culture was accustomed to going directly to the manager, you may need to adapt and integrate new practices to match the change to organizational structure. To better understand team culture, let's look at some of its characteristics. Shared norms and behavioral standards are expectations for sharing ideas, deciding how disagreement is tolerated, and determining how criticism is handled. Next are customs and behaviors. As general routines and expectations develop, such as punctuality and appropriate behaviors, team members learn what is expected and accepted within their team. Another characteristic are the roles within a team and where each one fits. For example, your team may have a manager who leads the team and a lower level employee like an intern who helps to complete the more simple tasks. Values and ethics are also important characteristics. These are expectations for right and wrong, and the prioritization of what is most important to the team. The next characteristic is the attitude of the team. This characteristic sets the overall tone for the team. For example, does the team appreciate creativity and collaboration, or is the attitude more territorial and defensive? The last characteristic is adaptability. This refers to whether the team is open or closed to new ideas, different perspectives, and innovation. Together, these characteristics make up what is known as team culture. Try to keep these in mind while we discuss organizational structure. Organizational structure consists of a formal systematic arrangement of power and authority, task assignment, and reporting relationships. Organizational structures are the focal point for how things are coordinated. These structures help to achieve the vision, goals, objectives, and outcomes of the organization. Let's look at the characteristics of organizational structure. These include labor division. Employees have varying degrees of skills ranging from generalists to specialists in a certain task. Domain of control. This is the number of employees who report directly to someone. Chain of command. The chain of command is the level of authority that an employee has over others. CEOs have a lot of power over the entire organization, but a team manager likely only has power over their immediate team members. Formal structure. This is the degree to which policies, procedures, and communication are codified and adhered to. And distribution of power. Within the distribution of power, you can see the degree of centralization of authority. The organization's power could be concentrated to a few executives or delegated among numerous different employees. Now that you have a better understanding of the basic characteristics of team culture and organizational structure, let's discuss how these two concepts are related because some organizations will not allow certain characteristics of cultural dynamics in a team. This is especially true with how much innovation is allowed as well as communication methods. Let's look at how organizational structures have evolved. Shrinking domains of control. Rather than one manager for hundreds or thousands of employees, the trend is to set up smaller groups each reporting to its own manager. Changing chain of command. Reducing the domains of control can create more accessible leadership. Less formal structure. Policies guide the procedures while efficient communication and task assignment translate those procedures down to the smaller groups. And redistribution of power. This means more delegating tasks to specialized teams.

Advanced Provider : Barry Davis 6 Lessons · 27m in Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese

Course Description

Team dynamics are influenced by team culture and organization structure. This includes characteristics such as a team’s behavioral standards, expectations, and adaptability. Successful teams are interdependent, have mutual accountability, and share goals. These team dynamics have a direct impact on employee performance, engagement, and turnover. A manager navigates these dynamics by providing support and organizing activities. It can be difficult to implement strategies that improve team dynamics. So, how can you ensure effective team communication and cooperation? How do you manage your team to encourage progress and performance?

In this Team Dynamics and Team Culture course, you will learn the characteristics of team culture and organizational structure. These two factors intersect to create workplace dynamics. You will also learn about the relationship between teammates and leaders, and how to manage teams. By the end of this course, you will be able to create a better workplace environment for yourself and your team.

What You'll Learn

Explain how team culture and organizational structure relate to one another
Evaluate how team dynamics can impede or facilitate the flow of operations
Define the dynamics among team members and between teammates and team leaders
Recognize the mutual impact between managers and team dynamics
Apply strategies to manage teams and create a better workplace environment

Key Takeaways

Team dynamics are influenced by team culture and organizational structure, including behavioral standards, expectations, and adaptability.
Successful teams are interdependent, have mutual accountability, and share goals.
Team dynamics have a direct impact on employee performance, engagement, and turnover.
Managers navigate team dynamics by providing support and organizing activities.
Team culture and organizational structure intersect to create workplace dynamics.

Frequently Asked Questions

What will I learn in this course?

You will learn the characteristics of team culture and organizational structure, the relationship between teammates and leaders, and how to manage teams. By the end, you will be able to create a better workplace environment for yourself and your team.

What topics does this course cover?

The course covers Team Culture and Organizational Structure, Team Dynamics and Operational Flow, Dynamics Between Teammates, Dynamics Between Team Members and Team Leaders, and Management and Team Dynamics, and concludes with a Test Your Knowledge assessment.

Who is this course for?

It is suited to managers and team members who want to navigate team dynamics, since a manager navigates these dynamics by providing support and organizing activities, and the course teaches how to manage teams to encourage progress and performance.

Why do team dynamics matter?

Team dynamics have a direct impact on employee performance, engagement, and turnover, which is why managing them effectively helps ensure team communication and cooperation.