Abstract

This paper presents the importance of teamwork, as well as those behavioral science principles relative to team-building in an organization. Therefore the study seeks to identify the impact teamwork has on organizational performance. The objective of this study was to identify factors associated with teamwork, identify the positive or negative effects of teamwork on employees and to examine the impact of teamwork on organization performance. Characteristics of an effective work team and some important dimensions of supervisory leadership including inputs on how members of a task group can contribute to team-building. We are supposed to be endowed with group consciousness, a sense of purpose, an interaction among ourselves and interdependence in the satisfaction of our needs in a unitary manner. In essence, we are linked by some common, identifiable characteristics bound by the element of teamwork for the achievement of a common desirable goal. A leadership style that emphasizes team-building, therefore ensures not only that a job gets done but it is done efficiently, effectively and harmoniously.

                                       CHAPTER ONE

                                      INTRODUCTION

Team building is the process of turning a group of individual employees into a cohesive team, a group of people organized to work together interdependently and cooperatively to meet the needs of their customers by accomplishing their purpose and goal.

It can include the daily interaction that employees engage in when working together to carry out the requirements of their jobs. It can also involve structured activities and exercises that employees can lead or with the proper budget and goals, managers can contract out for facilitation with an external resource.

The term “team building” has become a buzzword in recent years, and has many connotations. In terms of corporate development, team-building exercises are important not for the immediate experience of the activities performed by the team but also for the group skills, communication and bonding that result. The activity, be it an obstacle course or the Chocolate challenge is merely the means to the end: a high-impact learning experience. Team-building programmes provide realistic experiences that empower individuals to contribute to common goals. The success of most organisations depends on the ability of individuals to build effective teams.

The main goals of team-building are to improve productivity and motivation. Taking employees out of the office helps groups break down political and personal barriers, eliminate distractions, and have fun. The benefits of team-building programs are so significant that many corporations have incorporated teambuilding strategies into their standard training curriculum.

The term “team” is often used to refer to groups that meet over time to complete a project and then wind down (e.g., cross-functional teams) or is used to describe a group that operates solely as a team, with the role of leader alternating (self-directed work teams).

Many departments do not operate as teams—that is, “practice teamwork.” Members may talk to each other at the printer or over lunch, and their work efforts may be designed to meet the overarching objectives of the department, but these employees’ work on a day-to-day basis is largely done as individuals, which is unfortunate, for many business experts now believe that teamwork is critical to organization productivity and profitability.

Downsizing, right-sizing, reorganizing, reengineering—all are indications of the pressure on organizations to reduce the size of their workforces. The only way to cope with this need to do more with less is by working cooperatively in an environment of respect, drawing on all the resources available to get the job done.

When people work together in an atmosphere of trust and accountability toward a common goal, they put aside turf issues and politics and focus on the tasks to be done.

• Statement of the research problem

Modern workplaces often arrange workers into teams so groups of workers with related skills can collaborate and solve problems more efficiently. During the hiring process, employers may consider factors beyond individual skills, such as how well new workers will fit into their current work teams. Teams can suffer from a variety of problems that can inhibit trust and effective teamwork. 

Some of the factors that affects employees productivity in Nigeria are:

Poor  communication

Poor communication is common problem that can limit team effectiveness. If certain members of a team aren’t aware of the team’s overall goals and the responsibilities of each member, there can be confusion about what needs to be done. This can lead to inefficiencies, such as duplicated work or tasks completed improperly. It is up to team leaders to ensure that each team member understands his responsibilities. 

Arguments

Disputes and arguments about personal or work-related issues can inhibit teamwork and hurt productivity. Workers may disagree about the best way to complete projects and how work should be divided among team members. Group leaders need to assess the strengths and weaknesses of team members and delegate work accordingly. Hiring workers who fit in well with teams is important, as arguments between workers with clashing personalities affect the productivity and morale of the entire team.

Bad leadership

Strong leadership is essential for effective teams. If a team leader is indecisive or fails to command the respect of team members, the entire team suffers. Poor leadership can lead to insubordination, a situation in which workers openly defy authority figures such as supervisors and managers. Team leaders are the glue that hold teams together; weak leaders cause teams to fall apart. 

Weak links

For a team to be effective, every member needs to contribute toward the end goal. Even inexperienced workers can be useful to teams by carrying out routine tasks and supporting experienced workers. If workers are assigned tasks that are too difficult, it can hamper team productivity since other workers may end up working harder to pick up the slack. In some cases, certain workers may simply not be willing or able to work as hard as others, which can hurt team productivity.

The main objective of the study is to ascertain the effect of team building on employees productivity in Nigeria. However, for the successful completion of the study, the following sub objectives were put forward by the researcher:

• This study is aimed at looking possible areas workers can be motivated to increase their level of performance and high productivity.

• The objective of this study is aimed at describing what motivation is, where it comes from and why managers need to promote high level of it for an organization to be effective and achieve it’s goals.

• To evaluate the relationship between team mates and the employer.
• To ascertain the different roles in which each of the team mates play for productivity.

For the successful completion of the study, the following research questions were formulated:

• What are the effects of team building on employees productivity in Nigeria?
• What are the impacts of employees productivity in team building?
• What is the relationship between team building and employees productivity?
• What are the impacts of team building in productivity?

• Significance of the study

The importance of this study is mainly for the expansion of knowledge whether the employees are encouraged by some motivational factors or encouraged by their habit to work hard in order to achieve organizational goals or objectives.

An unmotivated employee is a threat to any organization concerned,  When an employee fails to achieve a goal or perceive that he cannot achieve a goal, he feels frustrated and could develop other peculiarity characteristics of the position in which he finds himself.

No matter how good an organization is, it does not get anything done properly until people who make the organization do it. 

• Scope and limitations of the study

For the purpose of this study as the topic depicts, the scope of the essay will be focused on motivational factors on employees performance.

However, the study has some constrained and limitations which are:

(a)   Availability of research material:- The research material available to the researcher is insufficient, thereby limiting the study

(b)   Time:- The time frame allocated to the study does not enhance wider coverage as the researcher has to combine other academic activities and examinations with the study.

(c)   Finance:- The finance available for the research work does not allow for wider coverage as resources are very limited as the researcher has other academic bills to cover.

Team building

It is a collective term for various types of activities used to enhance social relations and define roles within teams, often involving collaborative tasks. It is distinct from team training, which is designed to improve the efficiency, rather than interpersonal relations. 

Employee

A person who is hired to provide services to a company on a regular basis in exchange for compensation and who does not provide these services as part of an independent business.

Productivity

It is an average measure of the efficiency of production. It can be expressed as the ratio of output to inputs used in the production process, i.e. output per unit of input.