Assignment- Team Work in Business
TEAMWORK IN BUSINESS
ASSINMMENT 1 & 2
QUESTION 1
Discuss the reasons why some management teams succeed while other don’t
ANSWER
Some management teams are bound to succeed while other are not due to a number of factors. A team, according to Adair (1986), is more than just a group with a common aim. It is a group in which the contributions of individuals are seen as complementary. Collaboration, working together, is the keynote of a team activity. Adair suggests that the test of an effective team is: “whether its members can work as a team while they are apart, contributing to a sequence of activities rather than to a common task, which requires their presence in one place and at one time.”
Below is a discussion of some of the major factors that create a difference between winning and losing management teams . 1. Supportive Sponsor
Management teams are usually formed by a sponsor who recognizes that reaching an organizational goal will require a group of individuals working together to provide the leadership necessary to move a company, division or unit towards the organization 's goals. It is the sponsor’s responsibility to create a ‘charter’ that establishes the management team and its primary focus. In addition, the sponsor establishes specific goals the team is to accomplish. The sponsor will also select the team leader and gain his or her commitment to lead the leadership team in defining and carrying out the needed actions. Lack of will or proper direction by the sponsor ( e. g board of directors in a company) can lead to team failure.
2. Environmental factors
These include physical factors such as working proximity, plant or office layout. In general, close proximity aids group identity and loyalty, and distance reduces them. Other environmental issues include the traditions of the organisation under which the management team operates, and leadership styles. Formal organisations tend to adopt formal group practices. Autocratic leadership
ASSINMMENT 1 & 2
QUESTION 1
Discuss the reasons why some management teams succeed while other don’t
ANSWER
Some management teams are bound to succeed while other are not due to a number of factors. A team, according to Adair (1986), is more than just a group with a common aim. It is a group in which the contributions of individuals are seen as complementary. Collaboration, working together, is the keynote of a team activity. Adair suggests that the test of an effective team is: “whether its members can work as a team while they are apart, contributing to a sequence of activities rather than to a common task, which requires their presence in one place and at one time.”
Below is a discussion of some of the major factors that create a difference between winning and losing management teams . 1. Supportive Sponsor
Management teams are usually formed by a sponsor who recognizes that reaching an organizational goal will require a group of individuals working together to provide the leadership necessary to move a company, division or unit towards the organization 's goals. It is the sponsor’s responsibility to create a ‘charter’ that establishes the management team and its primary focus. In addition, the sponsor establishes specific goals the team is to accomplish. The sponsor will also select the team leader and gain his or her commitment to lead the leadership team in defining and carrying out the needed actions. Lack of will or proper direction by the sponsor ( e. g board of directors in a company) can lead to team failure.
2. Environmental factors
These include physical factors such as working proximity, plant or office layout. In general, close proximity aids group identity and loyalty, and distance reduces them. Other environmental issues include the traditions of the organisation under which the management team operates, and leadership styles. Formal organisations tend to adopt formal group practices. Autocratic leadership
References: 1. Gerald Cole (2000), Management Theory and Practice, 6th Edition. 2. Lawrence A. Pingree (2011), Manager’s Guide- Becoming Great. 3. Barbara Dexter (2010), Critical Success Factors for Developmental Team Projects, Team Performance Management Vol 16. 4. Meredith Belbin (1981), Management Teams –Why they Succeed or Fail. 5. Derek Torrington & Laura Hall (1991), Personnel Management, 2nd Edition. 6. Bernstein Penner Clarke- Stewart & Roy (2008), Psychology, 8th Edition.