6.1 Group, Team, Ringelmann effects and teamwork

UNIT 6: The Art of Working with Teams

  Figure 1 : The Ringelmann effect in sport

   Source : https://qz.com/848267/the-ringelmann-effect-productivity-increases-                                                         when-youre-working-solo-rather-than-on-a-team/ 

A group is a collection of people who work together and make their own endeavor. In other words, a team is a group of individuals sharing the same purposes and challenging goals (Sisson, 2013).

The Ringelmann effect describes the group member productivity or one’s effort in a team is inversely proportional with the group size (anonymous, 2016).  In modern day team dynamics, this effect has a strong relation with the team productivity. One of team productivities is due to complexity of the process such as communication inside the group. Due to the fact that maintained links of communication created a great strain and the bigger the size of a team is, the more links between individual members become, the size of a team should be idealized.  A team which has an ideal size to maximize productivity is 4.6 or 5 in reality (Threlfall, 2016).        

            Highly effective team characteristics are same objectives, well organized and time respects, never avoiding problems, having a good captain, diverse members, and opened communication for all members (Anonimous, 2020).  Common objectives that want to be achieved by all team members will make all members have the same purpose and vision. This can easily integrate all persons into a good heart based organization since all people are in the same resonance. This similar group frequency of diverse members with a very good leader and opened communication can make the team well organized, respecting time and never avoiding problems.

Some of the barriers for the teamwork are trust lacking, stunted and conflicting progress, members neglecting duties, influence of bias on decisions, team skill lacking, too many people thinking and confronting ideas (Kchessler, n.d).  Trust is the most important aspect of daily personal and organizational life. Without it, we can’t work in a group and even in personal love life. Non-existing trust needs to be built and existing one needs to be maintained.  If all team members holds or reminds this trust principle, then removing the other barriers will be very easy. The project will be progressing by good communication and giving trust to finish everyone’s duties, helping the other ones after one finishes his/her duties, and no one will neglect his/her own duties. Good trust of employees to the manager will also reduce the perception that the manager always gives unclear directions. Indeed, the manager will always trust subordinate skills by improving the lacking ones. Therefore, the good leader can solve the confronting ideas and too many people think and even make them as a big team asset. 

 

References

Sisson, J. (2013). The difference between a group and a team. Retrieved December 23, 2020, from https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/growth-strategies/2013/06/the-difference-between-a-group-and-a.html

Threlfall, D. (2016). What's the Ideal Team Size to Maximize Productivity?: TeamGantt. Retrieved December 23, 2020, from https://www.teamgantt.com/blog/what-is-the-ideal-team-size-to-maximize-productivity

Ringelmann Effect - IResearchNet. (2016). Retrieved December 23, 2020, from http://psychology.iresearchnet.com/social-psychology/group/ringelmann-effect/

Kchessler. (n.d.). Educational Planning. Retrieved December 23, 2020, from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-esc-educationalplanning/chapter/dealing-with-difficult-team-members/

8 Characteristics of Highly Effective Teams. (2020, January 14). Retrieved December 24, 2020, from https://www.basharsoft.com/8-characteristics-of-highly-effective-teams/

 

      Author : H. Lutfi Mulyadi, M.Sc