Leading a Team Today you will discover that the vast majority of employees in the workplace participate in some kind of work group or team. Very few individuals actually work totally alone. Leading a team of diverse individuals is no easy task. One of the main concerns for team leaders is the overall dynamics of the team, which simply means the way members on a team interact with each other. A social psychologist named Mr. Kurt Lewin, is credited with coining the term "group dynamics" in the early 1940s. Mr. Lewin recognized that individuals normally take on a specific role and behave in different ways when they work as part of a group or team. One of the most frustrating and challenging issues for a leader is how to keep a team’s dynamics positive. A team with positive dynamics is easy to recognize. The team has a strong trust for each other, they value each other’s opinion, communication is clear, roles/responsibilities are defined and they all work together to achieve a desired goal. In teams where the dynamics are poor, members are more focused on themselves and their actions can disrupt their work. There are many factors that can affect team dynamics in the workplace. One of the most important factors is strong leadership. If a team lacks strong leadership, the team is more susceptible to dominant members taking control, focusing on the wrong priorities and continual infighting. If you feel your team has a poor dynamic work relationship, here are a few steps that can help improve the team’s working dynamics:  Assess your team’s interactions to determine if everyone’s role and responsibilities are clearly defined.  Make sure team communication on goals and objectives are understood by all members.  Resolve issues quickly and in a fair, non-biased manner.  Remove barriers that restrict team members’ involvement and creativity.  Ensure that the team is making the right decision and not just making decisions for consensus purposes.  Ensure that all team members are contributing something to the team and not just letting their colleagues do all the thinking.  Work to make sure everyone feels comfortable expressing their ideas.  Keep each team member accountable for some portion of the entire team’s actions.  Recognize and pass along positive contributions to the team.  Provide training in problem solving and conflict management to team members.  Make sure the team has all the tools, training and supplies it needs to succeed. It is important to remember that, while all teams are groups of individuals, not all groups are teams. A group is comprised of two or more individuals that share common interests or characteristics. A team works together toward a common goal and share responsibility for the team's success. Are the individuals you manage just a group or are they a team? The goal of a leader should be to influence his/her team to have a true desire to achieve an objective and to do it peacefully. Source: Wikipedia. Group Dynamics. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_dynamics The information presented in “Safety Watch” has been compiled from sources believed to be reliable. However, it cannot be assumed that all acceptable measures are contained in this article nor that additional measures may not be required under particular or exceptional circumstances, or your own company procedures, or by federal, state/provincial and local law. Local, state/provincial and federal regulations take precedence over this material. Companies should rely on their own investigations and obtain professional advice specific to their needs before using these materials.