Software project team dynamics a study of enablers and barriers to successful teams

Team dynamics is the term used to define how people work and interact together in teams. Positive team dynamics are those that enable and contribute to high performing successful teams. Negative team dynamics are the dynamics that create barriers preventing teams from achieving their full potential. Teamwork is more effective with the existence of positive team dynamics and will encourage a better working environment with satisfied, fulfilled employees, who will in turn be more productive. Participation in a team should be of benefit to team members on both a personal and professional level. The absence of the positive dynamics can lead to a decrease in performance, preventing teams from achieving their full potential. If team members feel that being part of the team is not meeting their personal development needs or that their contribution to the team’s success is not relevant, then this will lead to a decrease in their level of motivation and commitment, which will in turn lead to a reduction in their level of productivity. When the individual roles of the team have not been clearly defined, this will lead to confusion and a sense of aimlessness. The objective of this research was to identify the positive and negative team dynamics, as well as the internal and external team dynamics. In the context of this research, teams are referring to those that exist within software/IT organisations. Team dynamics is the term used to define how people work and interact in small groups. Positive team dynamics are the dynamics, which contribute to high-performing, successful teams and Negative team dynamics are the dynamics, which prevent teams from reaching their full potential. These team dynamics have been investigated and methods of dealing with them and preventing them have been identified. This paper describes a research study which investigated the dynamics of software/IT teams. The positive dynamics, which contribute to high-performing successful teams, are investigated to show how they make teams more productive and more successful, and the negative dynamics which create barriers to this success are also investigated, and the ways they prevent teams from achieving their full potential were identified.