Stages of Team Development

Teamwork and Team player are regularly used terms to boost one’s desirability in a working environment. A firm always seeks to hire an individual who can mesh well with its framework. An individual seeks to work in an environment where the workload is split. To ideally deal with the problems that arise in a competitive world, we built teams.

A Team is an assimilation of individuals with skill sets that complement each other. No one person can know it all. No one person can do it all. Especially when we are facing deadlines and deliverables.

In the competitive world of CA, it is much more brutal to survive alone. Even as a CA firm it is difficult to delegate tasks on an individual basis. It takes too much effort to keep watch and follow up with every employee. Which is why, having specialized teams with specific goals set is ideal. But it is not entirely enough to build a team and leave it at that.

TEAM DEVELOPMENT

Team development is an important concept that needs to be understood thoroughly by any firm. In a competitive world where results are everything, team improvement is a must. The firm needs to make sure the teams are well versed and up to date. A team will consist of various people with different skill sets. So it is important that the overall ability of the team must be maintained and enhanced.

STAGES OF TEAM DEVELOPMENT

It takes a lot of effort to form and get a team functioning as a well oiled machine. According to a popular study, there are 5 stages of team development.

Initial Phase

Forming: As a CA firm, you need to look with a fine toothed comb before you decide to build a team. It is much more challenging. The team that will be formed, needs to have a combination of skill sets that will cater to the clients needs. Furthermore, the members of the team must be familiar with each others working style. They should understand that they all are working on the same side. Above all they should know the motto “Client First”. It is the duty of a CA firm to make the team members know each other and their purpose.

Storming: A CA works in a high stress environment with deadlines on their heads. As the team gets to know each other and their work styles, there are bound to be disagreements. Consequently member might feel they can cater better by a different approach. It is not that they think they are better. It is because the team was just formed and communication has just begun. Therefore it is the duty of the firm to step in and make sure the team has healthy communication.

Norming: At this stage, the team has started working together more or less. The team members know to focus on the purpose of the team and cater to the client needs. Furthermore, they will start sharing ideas and improvements so that the team will be able to meet their deadlines efficiently. As a CA firm, it is good to keep yourself updated on the status of the team.

Final Phase

Performing: Finally, we reach to the stage where the real work of the team happens, the deliverables. The journey so far has brought the team together in its goals and objectives. During this stage, it is important that a firm provides much needed support to the team. The firm should help in establishing streamlined communication with the client. By also using tools like unpaper, the firm can help the team cut off time overhead and improve their efficiency. Using such tools will certainly help in reaching the deadline and give your team a much needed edge in the delivery.

Adjourning: This is the final stage of the team development. The work is done and the members of the team will move to other tasks. Usually the team itself will focus on a different task but wont be technically adjourned. The team will still exist to cater to the client as the work of the CA is never truly done.