LITERATURE REVIEW: TEAM LEADERSHIP

Literature review: Team Leadership



Literature review: Team Leadership

Today, when leadership is increasingly taking place within a team context and more organizations are using work teams, the role of the leader in guiding team members has become increasingly important. Traditional leader role considerably differs from team leader role and does not fit new requirements. I am seeking to determine which functions team leaders are expected to perform, when leading a team, and to learn what it means to be an effective team leader(Love, 2005, p57). My interest in this lies in the fact that I myself will be looking leadership positions in my career after graduation and probably will perform team leader role.

In order to succeed in this role, it is important to understand how team leader role is different from a traditional leader role, and how to successfully lead employee teams. After completing this report I expect to have a better understanding of a team leader role, and how an individual should perform in order to succeed in this role(Sanderson, 2007, p68).

More and more organizations are using work teams today, and, therefore, role of the leader guiding employee teams become very important. But what is involved in being a team leader?

I think definition of a team should be given first. Usually, it is a small group with complementary skills committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and working approach for which they hold themselves mutually responsible.

Learning how to become an effective team leader is a serious challenge for many managers. They have to learn skills such as having the patience to share information, being able to trust others and to give up authority, and understanding when to intervene. Effective team leaders should be able to balance a difficult act of knowing when to leave their teams alone and when to get involved. Inexperienced team leaders may try to control team members who in fact need more autonomy, or they may leave their teams alone when they actually need support and help(Caminiti, 1995, pp.93).

Also, team leaders are primary responsible for creating of a team spirit. In order to get a group of individuals to function as a team, several keys need to be present. First key is clearly defined goals, roles, and responsibilities. Every team member needs to know what he or she is supposed to accomplish and how it fits in with what other team members do. Next important thing is open and honest communication among all team members. Team members cannot hold back on any comments that will help the team grow and prosper. Third, and very important part, is supportive and knowledgeable team manager/leader(Caminiti, 1995, pp.93). The team leader has to have the technical knowledge of what the team is doing, as well as be able to motivate and inspire the team. Leader should let members to make decisions that impact their work products and services. When we give people ownership over what they are doing, they perform much ...