Team leadership plays a critical role in the in the failure or success of any given team. Mainly, this is because the team leader helps to unite the group to work towards a specified goal set by the organization (“Team Leadership”, n.d.). In addition, they help develop innovative teams to take advantage of new opportunities in the industry. Furthermore, they help in preserving a high degree of optimism and team spirit within a company, thereby enhancing the level of cooperation among members. Moreover, they help in driving for great performance among the group members. For this reason, team leadership is an important element in every organization and managers should work towards developing effective team leadership in their firms in order to achieve the best results.
For this study, the research question is “what is the connection between effective team leadership and performance within an organization”
Purpose of the study
This research paper seeks to establish the connection between effective team leadership and performance of teams within an organization.
Problem statement
The importance of teamwork cannot be downplayed. Every organization has teams that operate to achieve different results, be it marketing, sales, production and even human resources. Thu, teams are a crucial component of every organization. The success of a team, however, is influenced largely by its leadership. Importantly, team leadership is a crucial element in every group within any form of organization, either large or small. In business, team leadership plays an important role of steering the team towards the achievement of these specified goals within the organization. The style utilized by the team leader has a significant influence on the performance of the team as a whole. For this reason, it is crucial for the management to adopt measures that work towards effective team leadership within its company groups.
My thesis will focus on the relationship that exists between the effectiveness of leadership within a team and the performance of the same team. In every company, leaders are tasked with the role of effectively guiding his or her members towards goal achievement while considering the desired output.
Assumptions
Team- this refers to a group of individuals with a full set of complementary skills who are charged with the responsibility of accomplishing a specified project, task or job (“Team,” n.d.).
Teamwork – This is the combined effort and action of a group of individuals to provide constructive feedback despite their individual differences (“Teamwork,” n.d.”).
Leadership- It is the act of motivating and inspiring a group of individuals to act towards the achievement a specified goal (Ward, 2017).
Leader- An individual charged with the responsibility of motivating and inspiring a group of people towards achieving a specific goal within an organization (Scott, 2018).
Effective leadership- This pertains to the ability of a team leader to inculcate confidence within the team and contribute to the growth of the company through improved team productivity (Scott, 2018).
For team leaders to be effective, they must possess characteristics and traits that encourage group members to follow them (Scott, 2018). In addition, an effective team leader is organized, a clear communicator, respectful of others, confident, kind, fair and influential (Wyles, 2012). They are also skilled negotiators, powerful facilitators and are willing to delegate tasks to other trustworthy members (Shaw, n.d.). Furthermore, effective leaders are able to create a culture of inclusivity among their teams. Indeed, these qualities will inspire and earn the trust and respect of the team and, thereby cause an increase in productivity among members (Starks, 2015). Thus, one may argue that there is a positive relationship between the performance of a team and the effectiveness of its leadership.
Team performance and trust in leadership
So far, various studies have been conducted on the topic of leadership. In his study, Dirks (2000) examines the relationship between trust in leadership and team performance using the case of NCAA basketball. Through the study, the researcher is able to determine that there is a positive correlation between the relationship between leadership, trust and team performance. Using theories of trust with an attribution theory of leadership, the study proves that the degree of trust that team members have on their team leader has a significant influence on their overall performance.
By and large, the research of Dirks (2000) proves that trust in team leadership is not only a product of team performance, but also a major determinant. Indeed, the trustworthiness of a leader is one of the major attributes of effective leadership. Also noteworthy is the fact that without trust there is no leadership (Walter, n.d.). As such, when a leader establishes trust within the team, the members feel secure in sharing their input without the fear of retribution or judgment. Thus, as they freely share their views and information, and as a result are able to openly collaborate on projects with motivation. Consequently, this improves team performance.
Transformational leadership and team performance
In another study, Dione, Yammarino, Atwater and Spangler (2004) investigate the relationship between transformational leaders and the team performance. Specifically, the study focuses on how a transformational approach to leadership can provide a framework for improving a leaders impact on the performance of a team. They argue that idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, and inspirational motivation can result in intermediate outcomes in the form of improved performance among group members.
It is important to note that transformational leadership also results in positive communication among members of a team, cohesion and better conflict resolution strategies. Indeed, this implies that members can work together constructively to attain a higher level of performance and quality results within the organization. In this regard, there exists a positive relationship between team leadership and the performance of its members
Participatory and directive team leadership and performance
Rahmani, Roels and Karmarkar (2017) show that ‘directive’ and ‘participatory’ approaches to team leadership have significant influences on the degree of team performance. The findings of the study reveal that directive team leadership is optimal when their rewards are low, failure is not too costly and the size of the team is large.
In retrospect, a participatory leadership approach is optimal and results in greater team performance (Rahmani et al., 2017). Mainly, this is due to the fact that participatory team leadership contributes to greater alignment in team members efforts as they work towards the realization of company goals and objectives.
From the research I have carried out, there exists no opposing evidence on the relationship between effective team leadership and the performance of the team.
As a whole, this research is significant to the field of management and leadership as it offers great insights on the importance of team leadership to the performance of a team within the organization.
Conclusion
The purpose of this study was to determine the nature of the relationship between effective team leadership and performance. Indeed, there is a positive relationship between the two elements. As such, Effective leadership is both an influence and determinant of team performance within any organization. Major evidence that support this comes from studies by Dione et al. (2004) which show that there is a positive correlation between transformational leadership and performance. Likewise, Dirks (2000) show that trust in leadership results in better team performance.
After the study, we recommend that further research be done on the concept of team leadership and how it can help improve team performance within organizations.
References
Dionne, S. (2004). Transformational leadership and team performance. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 17(2).
Dirks, T., Yammarino, F. J., Atwater, L. E., & Spangler, W. (2004). Trust in Leadership and team performance. Journal of Applied Psychology 85(6) p. 1004-1010
Rahmani, M., Roels, G., & Karmarkar, U. (2017). Team Leadership and Performance: Combining the Roles of Direction and Participation. SSRN. Retrieved 9 April 2018, from https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2752523
Scott, S. (2018). The 10 Effective Qualities of a Team Leader. Chron. Retrieved 9 April 2018, from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/10-effective-qualities-team-leader-23281.html
Shaw, J. (n.d.). The Attributes of an Effective Team Leader. AZCentral. Retrieved 9 April 2018, from https://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/attributes-effective-team-leader-9627.html
Starks, F. (2015). Leaders Influence Team Performance and Goal Achievement. About Leaders. Retrieved 9 April 2018, from https://aboutleaders.com/leaders-influence-team-performance-and-goal-achievement/#gs.KWrUt4s
Team. (n.d.). Business Dictionary. Retrieved 9 April 2018, from https://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/team.html
Teamwork. (n.d.). Business Dictionary. Retrieved 9 April 2018, from https://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/teamwork.html
Walter, E. (2017).12 Leadership Behaviors That Build Team Trust. Forbes. Retrieved 9 April 2018, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/ekaterinawalter/2015/12/01/12-leadership-behaviors-that-build-team-trust/#2b1bb0107221
Ward, S. (2017). Leadership Definition. The Balance. Retrieved 9 April 2018, from https://www.thebalance.com/leadership-definition-2948275
Wyles, G. (2012). How to be an effective team leader. HR Magazine. Retrieved 9 April 2018, from https://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/article-details/how-to-be-an-effective-team-leader
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