Communication in a Team Setting
Communication in a Team Setting
"On January 3, 2006 at approximately 11:50pm, CNN and other news outlets reported that 12 of 13 miners trapped in the Sago Mine were alive. Families of the victims celebrated for three hours before mine company officials informed them that the report was wrong and 12 of the 13 miners were dead. The families would later report that a mine foreman, who had overheard the rescue team, had contacted the families with the information and the media picked the story up from the families. Beyond compounding the mental anguish of the families, many professional news media outlets appeared unprofessional and the mine company experienced a far worse public relations problem than if they had communicated properly. While most business communication issues don 't result in such dramatic public displays, they often prevent teams from functioning properly and cost companies uncountable billions of dollars". (Wikibooks, 2006, p. 1)
Communication, in a team setting, is the most critical element needed for success. A breakdown in communication can create a nightmare situation as described above and result in untold tangible and intangible company losses.
Teams, loosely described as a group of individuals within an organization working together toward a common goal, can be a major asset to a company. Teams can sometimes achieve goals more readily due to the various strengths and talents of the individuals involved. Employing the team concept has been a longtime tradition in many major corporations. Companies such as Proctor & Gamble, Ford, Monsanto, AT&T and General Electric have used teams to improve production, increase profits and lower absenteeism and turnover. (The Journal for Quality and Participation, 1994, p. 1) The concept of teams has been used in the business world as early as the 1960s and is increasing in popularity every day. However, if the team does not work as a unit, or there are internal or external influences that hinder that
"On January 3, 2006 at approximately 11:50pm, CNN and other news outlets reported that 12 of 13 miners trapped in the Sago Mine were alive. Families of the victims celebrated for three hours before mine company officials informed them that the report was wrong and 12 of the 13 miners were dead. The families would later report that a mine foreman, who had overheard the rescue team, had contacted the families with the information and the media picked the story up from the families. Beyond compounding the mental anguish of the families, many professional news media outlets appeared unprofessional and the mine company experienced a far worse public relations problem than if they had communicated properly. While most business communication issues don 't result in such dramatic public displays, they often prevent teams from functioning properly and cost companies uncountable billions of dollars". (Wikibooks, 2006, p. 1)
Communication, in a team setting, is the most critical element needed for success. A breakdown in communication can create a nightmare situation as described above and result in untold tangible and intangible company losses.
Teams, loosely described as a group of individuals within an organization working together toward a common goal, can be a major asset to a company. Teams can sometimes achieve goals more readily due to the various strengths and talents of the individuals involved. Employing the team concept has been a longtime tradition in many major corporations. Companies such as Proctor & Gamble, Ford, Monsanto, AT&T and General Electric have used teams to improve production, increase profits and lower absenteeism and turnover. (The Journal for Quality and Participation, 1994, p. 1) The concept of teams has been used in the business world as early as the 1960s and is increasing in popularity every day. However, if the team does not work as a unit, or there are internal or external influences that hinder that
References: Wikibooks. (2006) Managing Groups and Teams/Communication. Retrieved April 8, 2007 from http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Managing_Groups_and_Teams/Communication The Journal for Quality and Participation. (1994) The Historical Emergence of Teams. Retrieved April 21, 2007 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3616/is_199409/ai_n8724019 Wikipedia. (2007) Team Building. Retrieved April 20, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_building