Around the world today people have become very educated which has resulted in great success stories in organizations. However that alone does not guarantee achievement, a person is now suppose to have certain levels of personal and interpersonal efficiency, to make it in current day organizations.
In a quest to improve my interpersonal efficiency I realized a need to improve on my team interactions. I have always preferred to work individually as opposed to working in a team. I see this preference to work individually as a major weakness as it results in a failure to build relations inside and outside of the team and to maintain a positive team climate. This has obviously also hindered my participation in teams. This inefficiency to work in teams limits the knowledge I can acquire working well with others thus not growing holistically in all aspects of life namely socially, academically and in organizations. A lot of work has however been done that provides guidance on how to improve in this area.
Great writers and successful individuals have shared loads of information on how imperative working in teams is. Many writers do recognize the need to work alone but; they place greater emphasis in team effort. Maxwell (2001) suggests that some people prefer to work individually because they feel they can do more working unaided, some have egos, others naïve and others temperament. He however emphasizes to that one is too small a number to achieve greatness. This ideally translates to that as people we need people. Maxwell further suggests that to grow in this area we should be self aware. This will equip us with the skills to understand the players in a group. Understanding these players means knowing their skills, learning styles, passion and potential. This allows one to tailor his actions accordingly with every person. Learning to be an active listener and being able to express yourself clearly and accurately is also essential to improve in team interactions (Bluck, 1996). This counters the side effects of negative communication which can result in resistance. Owen (1997) encapsulates the core lesson to grow in team interactions eloquently. She states that:
‘A characteristic of teams is that they share a common purpose which is clear to each member and to achieve this stated goal the effort of everyone is required.’

The idea she aims to emphasize is to commit to team goals. In case of any misfit between personal and team values, a review is necessary.
My 10 step approach to improving team interactions.

1. be self aware and confident

2. Re-frame attitude towards working in teams

3. Take responsibility for communication (be an active listener and be assertive)

4. be careful on the non-verbal messages I pass

5. Understand the people I work with (learning styles, skills, potential etc)

6. Learn to support and trust my team members

7. Commit to group goals and shared values

8. Active participation (share opinions and thoughts)

9. Honesty (be true about feelings to avoid any hidden agendas)

10. Regular reviews of progress

I believe if I follow my 10 step approach above on how to improve in my team interactions there would be a positive change in organizational performance. This (organizational performance) is the effectiveness of the organization in fulfilling its goals and objectives. The team purpose is aligned to the organization purpose so it follows that an improvement in my team interactions results in a team that operates at maximum potential. Productivity of the organization would increase as I assist manage the team’s work load and ensure that it reaches its goals. There would also be an increase in the organization’s innovativeness as I participate actively in the team sharing ideas and supporting team members. Improving in my weakness also results in an ability to maintain a positive team climate which also impacts in organizational performance as it reinforces the culture that prevails. A commitment to team goals also means I have an energizing impact on the team which impacts organizational performance positively.
Improving in interpersonal skills is very essential in today’s working environments. It is therefore just as essential if you have a weakness you have identified to try and overcome it as it’s become extremely difficult to succeed in life without having the necessary people skills. People do need people. The steps one follows to improve in these skills are not once off; it is an on-going process that constantly needs review.

APPENDIX A: List of references