CREATING OF EFFICIENT PROJECT TEAMS FOR SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECTS

Abstract

PERFORMING TEAMS TURN A GENERAL GOAL INTO SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE GOALS THAT OFFER THEM THE ABILITY TO FOCUS ON SOLVING PROBLEMS AND CONFLICTS, AND SET STANDARDS FOR MEASURING OUTCOMES, HELPING TEAM MEMBERS UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY, NOT JUST INDIVIDUAL. [...]if in an organization one of the core values is even teamwork, but within the organization there is a rigid hierarchical structure that excludes collaboration (which can bring additional benefits to individual activity), teamwork is not encouraged, reward, success is far more difficult to achieve from the perspective of individual work, compared to the work done within an efficient team6. Individual obstacles that stand in the way of efficient teamwork are considered to be the following9: * the team members (starting from the leader and up to the team member who has the most simple tasks in the team), whose efficiency (of each) depends on the success of the whole team; * abilities are represented by: the technical skills, the skills of the team members, as well as the communication and strategic thinking skills; * the location in which team members work; in order to create an efficient team, it is necessary for it to work in the same location; * the number of members influences the efficiency of teamwork; the more members are, the smaller the team yield, and can appeared the phenomenon of non-synergy. The following are required to form an efficient team: - selected people have experience in project management; - it is necessary to encourage learning in the project teams, the least involved in project management from those with more experience; - selecting competent persons who have achieved performance in the areas covered by the project; - informing the members of the project team about the project as a whole; - providing specific information to those who are part of a specific team to know what the current situation is and where it is to be achieved as a result of implementing the project, what are the resources available and the risks that may arise; - assign responsibilities and leave the freedom of each member to define their own working methods to achieve the objectives; - it is necessary to solve all problems that arise and to know the individual merits. 4.

Headnote

ABSTRACT:

PERFORMANCE TEAMS HAVE SPECIFIC FEATURES THAT ENABLE THEM TO EXCEL IN TEAMWORK AND ACHIEVE PERFORMANCE. THEY HAVE STRONG FUNDAMENTAL VALUES, VALUES THAT HAVE THE ROLE OF A TEAM CONTROL SYSTEM. PERFORMING TEAMS TURN A GENERAL GOAL INTO SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE GOALS THAT OFFER THEM THE ABILITY TO FOCUS ON SOLVING PROBLEMS AND CONFLICTS, AND SET STANDARDS FOR MEASURING OUTCOMES, HELPING TEAM MEMBERS UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY, NOT JUST INDIVIDUAL. TO CREATE COMPETENT TEAMS MEANS COMBINING SKILLS, INCLUDING TECHNICAL ONES. AN EFFICIENT TEAM IS CREATIVE, CREATIVELY USED TO CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVE ORGANIZATIONAL PROCESSES. THE PAPER PRESENTS THEORETICAL ASPECTS REGARDING THE FORMATION OF A PERFORMING TEAM AND HOW THE TEAMS THAT IMPLEMENT THE PROJECTS ARE CREATED.

KEY WORDS: EFFECTIVE TEAMS, COMMUNICATION, LEARNING, CREATIVITY, COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY

INTRODUCTION

Throughout the world, organizations discover the strength of properly constructed teams.

The world we live in is far too complicated, the changes are too rapid, and the problems that need to be solved are often too technical for a single leader to solve them. No leader can think today that he can cope with all of the problems that arise. That is why it is necessary to create teams of performers2.

To adapt to change, organizations need to change what they are doing, but also how they do it. The trend is to codify past successful practices, turn them into rules for the future, and keep them even after they no longer apply. That is the traditional practices are preserved! The leader's role is to have vision, to achieve results, focusing on ideas, inspired by correct principles and values.

Reality demonstrates that some leaders have a vision but lack the talent to build teams, other leaders can build teams, inspire people, but lack vision. Happy cases are those in which organizations are led by leaders with insight and inspiration and motivating people to go on the way to success3.

2. CREATING THE TEAMS

Most organizations set their own values and a vision of their future4. Due to the rapid changes in the external environment of the organization and in its internal environment, creating effective working teams means: linking the leader's visions with those of the organization; developing changes in structure and system to ensure alignment to visions and values of the organization.

Managers are the most costly resource of an organization, which devalues quickly, and needs to be improved. It takes years to build a high-performance management team that can be quickly destroyed without clear rules on how to operate5.

Thus, if in an organization one of the core values is even teamwork, but within the organization there is a rigid hierarchical structure that excludes collaboration (which can bring additional benefits to individual activity), teamwork is not encouraged, reward, success is far more difficult to achieve from the perspective of individual work, compared to the work done within an efficient team6.

An effective team has a common goal that every member of the team knows and wishes to reach with his team. In Figure 2.1 the features of an efficient team are presented.

Why is not it an easy-to-build efficient team? Why not any team built is an efficient team? We will present the obstacles to the success of building an efficient team. There are two categories of obstacles identified7:

* organizational or cultural obstacles;

* obstacles of an individual nature.

Cultural barriers are the organization's beliefs about the benefits of teamwork. If there is a culture in the organization that opposes teamwork, it is inadequate for the organization to tell employees to believe in teams. It is necessary for the organization to become involved in the formation of efficient teams by8:

* abandoning classical, rigid hierarchical structures; introducing flexible hierarchical structures that allow, for example, building efficient working teams with members in several departments of the organization, teams to be coordinated by a leader who is not one of the organization's managers (whether they are top managers or other hierarchical levels);

* flexibility of classical rewarding systems for individual work that discourages teamwork;

* discovering leaders who, regardless of the obstacles they encounter, have the ability to form effective teams.

Individual obstacles that stand in the way of efficient teamwork are considered to be the following9:

* the team members (starting from the leader and up to the team member who has the most simple tasks in the team), whose efficiency (of each) depends on the success of the whole team;

* abilities are represented by: the technical skills, the skills of the team members, as well as the communication and strategic thinking skills;

* the location in which team members work; in order to create an efficient team, it is necessary for it to work in the same location;

* the number of members influences the efficiency of teamwork; the more members are, the smaller the team yield, and can appeared the phenomenon of non-synergy. The number of team members depends on the requirements, the complexity of the project to be implemented.

3. EFFICIENT PROJECT TEAMS FOR SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECTS

The way of building and leading a project team depends on the successful implementation of a project. These are the tasks of the project manager. The team of a project is made up of members with distinct personalities, specific knowledge, qualifications and different qualities.

Team spirit is the state that reflects the desire of people to think, feel and act according with other team members to achieve common goals10.

The role of the project manager is to evaluate the project before choosing its staff, building a team that is valued and using the qualities of each member. It is necessary to know the activities to be done, the knowledge and skills necessary to carry out each activity, the risks that may arise, the persons proposed to be involved in the project.

The selection of team members starts with informal discussions, regarding the availability and willingness to participate in the project. The basic team of the project, the team directly responsible for implementing the project, consists of two to four persons (project manager, project assistant, financial officer, human resource manager) to better coordinate all members of the project.

The following are required to form an efficient team:

- selected people have experience in project management;

- it is necessary to encourage learning in the project teams, the least involved in project management from those with more experience;

- selecting competent persons who have achieved performance in the areas covered by the project;

- informing the members of the project team about the project as a whole;

- providing specific information to those who are part of a specific team to know what the current situation is and where it is to be achieved as a result of implementing the project, what are the resources available and the risks that may arise;

- assign responsibilities and leave the freedom of each member to define their own working methods to achieve the objectives;

- it is necessary to solve all problems that arise and to know the individual merits.

4. CONCLUSION

The necessary conditions for forming an efficient team are related to some important elements. It is therefore necessary for all members of the project team to have a common view of the purpose and objectives pursued. People who are part of the project team must be the right people for the tasks to be done. It is necessary for an efficient team to be allocated the necessary resources, the working methods to be clear, the team meetings to be effective, the team to be documented.

The project management team should apply as management methods and techniques: time management, conflict management, stress management. There must be good communication and flexibility among the project team members, the team must be strongly motivated to achieve their goals.

An effective management team that successfully implements a project is a team that communicates, motivates and is made up of professionals in the project area, people motivated by the desire to learn continuously.

Footnote

2 Bogáthy, Z., Erdei, I., Ilin, C. - Formarea şi dezvoltarea echipei - suport de curs, Timişoara, 2007 http://www.diasporatm.ro/regi/upload/files/DECOMP-Formarea-si-dezvoltarea-echipei.pdf

3 Bogáthy, Z., Erdei, I., Ilin, C. - Formarea şi dezvoltarea echipei - suport de curs...

4 Eales-White, R. - Cum sa formezi echipe eficiente, (Bucureşti: Editura All Beck, 2004), 18

5 Drucker, P., F. - Management Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices, TRUMAN TALLEY BOOKS / E.P. DUTTON / New York, 22 http ://www.icmbpl.com/Management%20 - %20Tasks,%20Responsibilities,%20Practices%20by%20Peter%20Drucker%20e%20book.pdf

6 Eales-White, R. - Cum sa formezi echipe eficiente, (Bucureşti: Editura All Beck, 2004), 18

7 Eales-White, R. - Cum sa formezi echipe eficiente..., 21

8 Eales-White, R. - Cum sa formezi echipe eficiente ., 24

9 Eales-White, R. - Cum sa formezi echipe eficiente..., 25

10 Niculescu, O., Verboncu, I. - Fundamentele managementului organizational - curs în format digital http ://www.biblioteca-digitala. ase.ro/biblioteca/carte2. asp?id=60&idb=8

References

REFERENCES

1. Bogáthy, Z., Erdei, I., Ilin, C. - Formarea şi dezvoltarea echipei - suport de curs, Timişoara, 2007 http://www.diasporatm.ro/regi/upload/files/DECOMP-Formarea-si-dezvoltarea-echipei.pdf

2. Drucker, P., F. - Management Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices, TRUMAN TALLEY BOOKS / E.P. DUTTON / New York http ://www.icmbpl.com/Management%20 - %20Tasks,%20Responsibilities,%20Practices%20by%20Peter%20Dmcker%20e%20book.pdf

3. Niculescu, O., Verboncu, I. - Fundamentele managementului organizational - curs în format digital http://www.biblioteca-digitala.ase.ro/biblioteca/carte2.asp?id=60&idb=8

4. Eales-White, R. - Cum sa formezi echipe eficiente, Editura All Beck, Bucureşti, 2004

5. https://www.wall-street.ro/articol/Careers/209613/strategii-eficiente-pentru-a-construi-o-echipa-de-succes-cu-performante-de-neegalat.html