Running head: MOTIVATION AND LEADERSHIP

Motivation and Leadership in Teams

Ashley Daniels
Siena Heights University
8/3/16

MOTIVATION AND LEADERSHIP

Motivation and Leadership in Teams

Teams are a group of people working together towards a common goal. These groups
work in many different types of exchanges between people. There are work teams, sports teams,
virtual teams, family teams, music teams, and service teams. Each one is a collaboration of
individuals working together to support one another. These teams learn how to interact and
develop a sense of trust and communication. The foundation of any successful relationship is
built upon those two characteristics. Teams are in several everyday life events. Daily functions
such as putting out a newspaper, a doctors office, a restaurant, and building a house all thrive off
of teamwork. Working in teams is often encouraged, especially within an organization. The
justification is that teams are better at solving problems and learn more rapidly and with more
effect than individuals (Serrat, 2009).
Teams need to have sound leadership. Leaders can help to motivate and move the
strategic plan along. A good leader will create a solid foundation for the team, and then help to
bring out the best in each individual. All humans want to believe in something. Having a purpose
or working towards an important goal, drives people to accomplishment. Believing in the
purpose of a team encourages the drive to get a job done. Loder (2015), states that if the goal is
to motivate employees and attract investors, the most vital piece is to give the employees a
why to believe in.
Motivation is a tough piece in leadership. Effective leaders strive to engage and excite
team members to reach both personal and professional goals. Ability and skill determine whether
a worker can do the job, but motivation determines whether the worker will do it properly
(Aamodt, 2013). There has to be a certain internal motivation within people. If all of the
motivation comes from leadership, the fire will soon fizzle out. Certain types of people will

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generally be satisfied and motivated regardless of the type of job they hold (Aamodt, 2013).
These internally satisfied people are the ones leaders need on their team.
Creating these high performance teams is crucial not only to the bottom line, but also to
the creation of humane, interesting, diverse, and challenging workplaces (Wheelan, 2016). Every
organization works to keep a competitive edge. When the high performance teams are
operational, the outcomes surpass those that single individuals would.
What makes a good team?
People work in groups every day. That is a concept that will never change. There is a
large difference in definition of groups and teams. Not all groups work effectively. Most groups
have a shared view of goals and work towards accomplishing those goals. A group becomes a
team when shared goals have been established and effective methods to accomplish those goals
are put in place (Wheelan, 2016, p. 3). Teams are thriving when they help to create a productive
environment, problem solve, improve culture, and members are able trust one another. The
collectiveness of these important factors helps to develop high performing teams. Wheelan
(2016) explains that teams function best in an organizational culture that encourages high
performance by following these principles:

Clearly define the organizations mission

Support innovation
Expect success
Value team recommendations
Set clear expectations
All members of the team should be on the same page and find an importance in the mission of
the organization. The mission helps to keep the focus on the end goals. This does not mean that
people cannot bring in creative and new ideas. When teams work together they are able to share
ideas and thoughts then build off one another. This web of ideas supports innovation. All ideas

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should be valued and laid out on the table. Teams are created and relationships are built to be
successful, nothing less should be accepted. Most teams are composed of individuals that have
never worked together. If a leader sets the foundation and clear expectations, members will know
what needs to be accomplished. The purpose of teaming is to expand knowledge and expertise so
that organizations and their customers can capture the value (Edmondson, 2012).
Leadership in Teams
Teams need a go-to person to advise the group. When teams are created, it is easy for
silos to be formed in the organization. People can feel isolated when separated. Teams are
meant to be beneficial and to build relationships, but if there is no leadership in place to help
break down those barriers, there will not be collaboration in the overall organization. Tuckman
(1965) identifies four stages in the development of a team: forming, norming, storming, and
performing. Each stage is vital for the leader to design and guide their members through the
processes. The leader most directly influences the forming stage. The rest of the stages are team
member-involved and member-driven, with the organizational leader establishing organizational
norms and values and facilitating or guiding the teams as needed (Barbour & Harrell, 2005).
Forming
Forming a team requires the leader to set structural elements first. There must be a
supportive, but guiding atmosphere for the team to succeed. Employees are influenced by others
within their workplace, therefore is it essential for an organization to be conscious of how well
an employee fits with their joba persons personal interest, set of values, personality,
lifestyle and skill-set all factor into how an individual will fit into the organization or team
(Aamodt, 2013). Gathering members for a team relies heavily on the leader. Making sure these

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personal factors align with the mission of the team or organization will be vital. Conversations
can begin with the members. Asking for and listening to their input helps to develop trust.
Norming and Storming
The norming and storming stages will build upon one another. While norming is a
groups responsibility once the teams are formed, a leaders role is to guide and monitor the
development of team norms (Barbour & Harrell, 2005). Setting the norms of the team, develops
the culture and creates an understanding of how members will act or work within the group. This
gives the members a guideline to follow and sets the expectation bar. This stage also gives the
leader a chance to see how the team is performing together. If changes need to be made, it is up
to the leader to guide the behavioral modifications. If communication is poor within the group
there is likely to be conflict. Some conflict is good because it challenges members to critical
think. This is called functional conflict. Moderate levels of functional conflict can stimulate new
ideas, increase friendly competition, and increase team effectiveness (Aamodt, 2013, p. 489).
The leader will have to carefully monitor conflict. If the leader ignores or improperly handles the
conflict, dissention or resentment can set in (Barbour & Harrell, 2005). Most conflict occurs
because of group members perceptions. When ideas are communicated, people perceive the
information differently. Leadership guiding a discussion will help to discard any assumptions and
seek out to understand the viewpoints of other members.
Performing
Teams in the performing stage are functioning mostly on their own at this point. If the
leader has established norms within the team and the environment is safe for the free exchange
of feelings, thought and ideas, the performance of the group should contribute to the
effectiveness of the organization (Barbour & Harrell, 2005). Although leaders will not be as

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involved as the members in the team, it is important that their presence is known. The leader will
be a guiding light as well as someone to keep the team grounded.
Motivation in Teams
As stated earlier, motivation is so powerful, but can also be draining on leadership. This
is why the formation stage of developing a team is so important. There has to be some level of
intrinsic motivation shown when choosing team members. Locke & Latham (2002), state that
industrial psychologists generally define work motivation as the internal force that drives a
worker to action as well as the external factors that encourage that action. During the process of
making sure members fit into the team, it is vital to also make sure the individuals personal
missions align with the overall mission of the group. There has to be a clear understanding of the
team for the individuals to believe in achieving the goals set for the team. Great leaders know
that people are intrinsically motivated when they understand why they are doing something, and
the best leaders put the correct conditions in place to ensure people gain this deeper connection
(Loder, 2015). When people feel connected to what they are doing, they are going to put in more
effort to making sure the job is done effectively. When the personal and team missions align, the
task at hand begins to not feel so much like a job and more enjoyable.
The struggle with motivation comes into play when leadership is more motivated than the
team member. The leader should not have to work relentlessly to motivate the members. If the
intrinsic motivation is not there, the leader will not be able to force the individual make changes.
A prime example of this is coaching. Coaches are there to break down barriers and educate on
how to move forward with the proposed goals. The motivation piece is the support that the coach
offers throughout the process. If the teammate does not have or loses their intrinsic motivation,
they cannot make the individual change. That change must come within. Progress can still be

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made, but it will not be to the extent as it would be if there were passion and drive to reach
aspired goals. When individuals are extrinsically motivated, they do not particularly enjoy the
tasks but are motivated to perform to receive some type of reward or avoid negative consequence
(Deci & Ryan, 1985).
Achievable Goals
Setting goals can also be used to increase motivation in teams. For goal setting to be most
successful, the goals themselves should possess certain qualities, like SMART goals: specific,
measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (Aamodt, 2013, p. 333). Many times leaders
work to set goals while in the forming phase. As discussed earlier, it is important to receive
feedback and ideas from the group members. Employee participation in goal setting increases the
commitment to reaching a goal (Aamodt, 2013, p. 336). The aim towards these SMART goals
gives team members a vision and purpose to work towards. What makes up a SMART goal?
Setting specific goals helps to define clear guidelines. Without guidelines, there leaves too much
room for question, and conflict can result. The goals must also be measurable. Objectives should
be quantified so that the degree of accomplishment can be accurately measured (MacLeod,
2012). There has to be an assessable outcome to make sure goals are being attained. With any
goal, it has to be realistic. Setting goals that are unattainable are only setting the team and
organization up for failure. The goals also should not be so easy that there is no challenge in
reaching them. All companies want to continue to grow, and setting effortless goals will not
accomplish that. Goals must also be relevant. Few things are more frustrating to organizational
leadership than to observe busy professionals using up scarce resources without a clear direction
(MacLeod, 2012). Irrelevant goals are sure to decrease motivation. Working towards something
that is of purpose has been expressed as vital in overall achievement of the team. Lastly is time-

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bound goals. Goals are more motivating when there is a time frame for their completion
(Aamodt, 2013, p. 334). A lack of time frame is bound to cause conflict, because people work at
different speeds. If all members are on the same page, they are more likely to be in accord.
Conclusion
Working with people in teams will continue to be a norm in organizations and in
everyday life. Having a strong foundation of how teams function best, are lead, and motivated
will help to ensure collaboration when it is needed. Studies have shown that working in teams
increases productivity and effectiveness. Teams bring about many different ideas that each
member is able to digest and build off of. Teams are a key source of such advantage, because a
competitor cannot replicate an entire teams capabilities by hiring away an individual member
(Huckman & Staats, 2013). This inability to replicate concepts is the competitive advantage that
every organization strives for.
Leadership is there to mentor and channel the team members. Creating a culture that
motivates all members towards a shared mission is bound to create greatness. Making sure
everyone is on the same page creates a sense of relationship. Most members will find drive and
passion if they are already coming onto the team with an internal fire. Communication,
transparency, and respect will help everyone involved to build a relationship that all high
performing teams have. One is too small a number to achieve greatness (Maxwell, 2013, p. 383).

References

MOTIVATION AND LEADERSHIP

Aamodt, M. (2013). Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage

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Barbour, J. D. & Harrell, D. D. (2005). Leader as teacher: conversations to grow teams. Retrieved
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%20-%20Conversations%20to%20Grow%20Teams.pdf
Deci, E. L. & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior.
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Edmondson, A. (2012, April 25). The importance of teaming. Harvard Business School. Retrieved
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Loder, V. (2015, February 25). How great leaders motivate their teams. Forbes.com. Retrieved
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Serrat, O. (2009). Working in teams. Knowledge Solutions. Retrieved from:

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