The on-guard stage is the politeness stage where everyone is afraid to look stupid or step on others toes so they keep quiet and keep their ideas quiet.  Once the barriers of fear and pride are overcome the team can move forward and the ideas start flowing.  In the dueling stage the tempers flare and division is likely to occur since members of the team don’t listen to other teammates.  The healing stage is where members settle down and compromise starts happening.  Healing leads to victory.

These stages are illustrated in team sports and in any organization that produces winning results. The stages are repeated as new members join the team, leadership changes, or new projects begin.  There is no I in team.

This can be seen overwhelmingly in our small church where it functions by the contribution of each member’s gifts and talents.  We may be small in numbers but make up for it in our desire to spread our gifts and talents to others.  For the past two years our church has hosted a week long summer art camp for youth in the community.  Our first year we had 10 youth in attendance while this past year we expanded to 30 youth that ranged in age from 13 months to 16 years old.  Each day the children heard stories from the Bible, learned different crafts, ate meals, and worked together.  By the end of the week the staff of four was very tired but filled with joy as each child showed their parents what they accomplished that week and said they wanted to return next year.  The staff worked exhaustively and cooperatively together to make the week a success.  At times through the week we thought it is way too much but each of us supported and encouraged each other.

Teamwork takes work from everyone involved and each have to take their role seriously and respect others of the team.  According to Salas, Bowers, and Edens (2001), the collective efficacy of the team can be viewed as the controller’s confidence in the individual teammates abilities as well as the team’s ability to coordinate and adapt to the rapidly changing situations it encounters.

In summary, teamwork has success in any organization regardless of size when the stages of team development are worked through and the individual teammates work together to complete its intended goals and objectives.

References:

Team spirit – a deeper look. (2006). Christian Science Monitor, Retrieved Saturday, February 03, 2007 from the Academic Search Premier database.

Salas, Eduardo.; Bowers, Clint A.; Edens, Eleana. (2001). Improving Teamwork in Organizations: Applications of Resource Management Training. Mahwah, N.J. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 2001.  Retrieved Saturday, February 03, 2007 from the Net Library database.

Mackall, Dandi Daley. (1998). Teamwork Skills, Retrieved Saturday, February 3, 2007 from the Net Library database.  (pp. 101-107)

teamwork. (2003). In The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language. Retrieved February 8, 2007, from http://www.xreferplus.com.library.capella.edu/entry/4138864teamwork. (2003). In The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language. Retrieved February 11, 2007, from DISPLAYURL