QUESTION
Topic
Choose an organisational behaviour topic from the course and discuss that topic from all of the following perspectives: The open-systems perspective, the organisational learning perspective, the high-performance work practices perspective, and the stakeholder perspective.
SOLUTION
This essay will give us an insight of the functions of Teams in a workplace and what Team work is from various learning prospective. It also describes about Organizational Design and Team Structure, high-performance of a Team why teams come together and what they do?
Teams can be defined as groups of two or more individuals who interact or influence each other and are mutually accountable for achieving common goals associated with organizational objectives and who perceive themselves as a social entity within a particular organization (McShane & Von Glinow, 2010). McShane and Von Glinow elaborate further that under the right conditions, teams tend to make better decisions, develop better products and services while creating a more engaged workforce than do those employees who work alone. With such in mind, it may well be to the benefit of organizations to stake an interest in team building and determine the best processes by which to do so.
Organizational Design and Team Structure
Organizational design is a good first step for organizations to take and such will have a critical impact on the development of teams (Kates &Galbraith, 2007). The Team Structure Design organizes separate functions into groups which are based on one overall objective. As per Kates and Galbraith in their 2007 work, Five Approaches were defining Organizational Design as Functional, Divisional, Matrix, Team, Networking activities. It details the departments, as well as employees affected by the team structure and their impact on organizational processes.
The intent of the Team Structure is to break down functional barriers among departments to create a more effective relationship among individuals within the organization so that ongoing systemic problems can be better solved. The idea of taking individuals from different areas allows for diversity within the team as each individual will approach challenges with their specific knowledge base, thus opening up new solutions that others might miss.
Why Teams?
Since organizational structure is so important to the organization, both in terms of its initial existence and on-going practice, the question may well become one of why choosing the Team Structure over other organizational structures. Indeed, the research done by DTI suggests that employees will not engage in continuous improvement activities without a commitment from senior managers (DTI, 2011) and other organizational structures tend to provide more engagement with such management levels (Kates & Galbraith, p. 231, 2007). Not only is managements role critical, but the workplace culture must be defined for ongoing improvement and used as an effective mechanism for capturing individual contributions (DTI, 2011). Through such actions, one might observe that management showcases the individual and highlights their successes.
When teamwork processes are properly managed and developed, results tend to be produced quickly and more economically through the free exchange of ideas, information, knowledge and data. Additionally, teamwork tends to inspire a building of trust, improving communication and the development of a culture of interdependence, rather than one of independence (Jones, 2010).
Teamwork Model
The teamwork model was first developed by John Adair between the 1960’s and 70’s (Atlanta Challenge, 2009) and was designed to identify the three overlapping areas of concerns regarding the team’s ability to respond to leadership. The areas are illustrated with their overlapping area indicating where a team leader needs to focus the attention.
Team Leader Responsibilities
- Planning
- Initiating
- Controlling
- Supporting
- Informing
- Evaluating
In order for teams to operate, they need a clearly defined task, with the achievement of that task being related to the needs of the team as well as the needs of the individuals within the team. The team leader’s role is to take on the responsibilities as indicated on the chart above.
Beyond taking on the lead, the team leader has the indicated set of responsibilities toward the team. During the planning stage, the team’s task is defined, as well as the establishment of a workable plan. Through initiating, the leader explains why the plan is necessary, allocates tasks to each of the team members and establishes the standards which will govern the team’s actions. By the process of controlling, the team leader influences the pace of the group’s activities, ensures that all actions move toward defined objectives, keeps discussions relevant and guides the team to action and decision. Team leaders need to be supporting; this can be accomplished by encouraging and disciplining the team and individuals, creating a team spirit, relieving tension and reconciling disagreements. Informing is a key role played by the team leader; they do this by giving new information to the team, receiving information from the team and summarizing suggestions and ideas. Finally, team leaders must evaluate; testing proposed solutions, evaluating team performance and helping the team to evaluate its own performance against standards are all examples of this particular function (DTI, 2011). The team process is like any other process—it has inputs and outputs. The team leader’s responsibilities and the follow through of those responsibilities can go a long way toward negating the disadvantages of teamwork (Jones, 2010).
Team development goes through four stages; forming, storming, norming and performing (McShane & Von Glinow, p. 245, 2010). In the forming stage, which the Department of Trade and Industry identifies as the awareness stage, feelings, weaknesses and mistakes are often covered up and there no shared understanding of what needs to be done (DTI, 2011). McShane and Von Glinow define this stage as when expectations are discovered, an evaluation of membership is performed with deference to existing authority and that boundaries of behavior are tested. Through this stage, the individuals of the group learn about each other. The storming stage is determined as the conflict stage by the DTI. It is at this stage that personal issues are opened up and the team becomes more inward looking. There is more concern for values, views and problems of others in the team at this point (DTI, 2011). McShane and Von Glinow identify the norming stage as the establishment of roles, an agreement on team objectives with the formation of team mental models and the development of cohesion as group (p. 246). The DTI research indicates its findings to be of a similar vein with this stage identified as the cooperation stage where confidence and trust begin to emerge. Finally, the performing stage, which is also identified as the productivity stage (DTI, 2011), takes place; the team becomes task oriented and committed, with efficient coordination, a highly cooperative and trusting environment where conflicts are typically resolved quickly. McShane and Von Glinow also identify a final stage, not shared by the DTI, of adjourning, where the team dissolves upon successful completion of its tasks.
Teams that go through these stages successfully should become effective process improvement teams. The teams should display clear objectives and agreed performance goals while creating an environment of both openness and confrontation. Additionally, they should exhibit support and trust developed through both cooperation and conflict. Successful teams will develop good decision making, with appropriate leadership and a complete review of the team process. Through this process, sound inter-group relationships will be formed with individual development opportunities taking place throughout the process (DTI, 2011).
Collaboration: Advantages and Disadvantages
The potential values for teamwork include the breaking down of intradepartmental barriers, which lead to a more organizational mindset on the part of the individual; they see how their work impacts others and other departments more easily. Decision making and response times tend to speed up, as redundancies can be more easily determined and eliminated as needed. Additionally, employees tend to be more motivated, as they are learning new ideas and overcoming obstacles. Subsequent levels of management may be eliminated, due to the efficiency of the teams put into place, thus administrative costs may be lowered (Kates & Galbraith, 2007, p. 8). Production may increase as employees push each other to exceed their normal limits, both at the individual level and among the workforce as a whole; competition can be a driving impulse (Lewis, 2011). Self-improvement may also be a factor; though pay incentives are always a plus, those who see the bigger picture in terms of advancement and their own goals may well take on better organization, using visualization and goal setting to performing higher quality work. Diversity within the workplace can be maximized through the use of the team structure, allowing not only individuals from various teams to come together but also those from different backgrounds or cultural mindsets to share their unique perspectives more easily (Jones, 2010, p. 2).
Some disadvantages to the teamwork model, which can be shared in other organizational structures, include the conflicting loyalties that may be present among team members. Their loyalty to their own work group may be placed ahead of that of the team as a whole and they may tend to reflect such in their decision making/problem solving actions. Additionally, time management may become a key concern as the employees take on additional duties to the team as well as their ongoing commitments within their own departments. This can be further complicated by an increase in the time spent in meetings (Kates and Galbraith, 2007, p. 17). Unhealthy rivalries may develop which result in individuals resenting one another; this is especially true when one individual or team always prevails in competitions. The end result of such is a gap between the “haves” and the “have nots”, thus damaging internal work relations (Lewis, 2011). Group think can also occur and comes about by individuals with stronger personalities becoming so persuasive that they manage to take over the discussion and supplant their ideas as the outcomes of the group. Process losses or the resources expended toward team development and other maintenance rather than the task at hand, can also be a detrimental side effect of the teamwork process (McShane &Von Glinow, p. 237, 2010). Project lead times may actually increase, dependent upon the make-up of the team; the more individuals who need to be consulted before a decision can be made, the increased likelihood that overall time may be increased (Jones, 2010). Group conflict can also play a detrimental role and occurs when key players cannot reach consensus over major points of the project; again, much of this can be avoided by studying the appropriate make-up of personalities prior to the formation of the team (DTI, 2011).
Teams role from shareholders prospective
A shareholder has a major stake in a team of an organization there motive of interests is by maximizing profits and decreasing costs. This is to preserve the interest of the owners. The responsibility to Teams is to come up with innovative thoughts for the benefits of the organization along with their full utilization.
Conclusion
From the learner’s perspective, teamwork is becoming an ever increasing workplace entity; this may be in part from the development of IT advances which allow the global marketplace to be more reachable at the local level. These same advances and changes in the marketplace can also create new challenges and opportunities for businesses to change their own focus or processes. Due to such circumstances, it may be observed that companies have evolved to make better use of such technology and that team work might be observed as a key aspect to the better utilization of those resources. With that in mind, one might make the speculation that it is not simply enough to determine what the advantages and disadvantages of teams may be, but instead to also pay attention to the dynamics that surround the teamwork/teambuilding processes. The conclusion that might be reached could include that these processes, as well as the environment in which the team is fostered are just as critical, if not even more so, than the presence of the team itself. Further, it could be determined that only through the monitoring and evaluation of team efficacy can improvements be made and assistance provided to teams, thereby empowering employees to perform their jobs better. This empowerment may well lead to a more complete and fuller sense of satisfaction on the part of the employee, thus making them a more valuable resource to the organization as a whole; all of this leads to the creation of a win/win scenario, the benefactor of which is ultimately the end consumer.
It would seem that, through the application of the ideas set forth by Adair, particularly in terms of the team leader’s role, many of the disadvantages commonly perceived in teamwork might be avoided. Conflict does not have to result in no solutions being determined. Problems are not just problems but challenges to overcome and opportunities for expanding thought horizons. The disadvantages of teams can be nullified or greatly reduced such that most organizations will see the benefit and advantages of the teamwork mentality and structure. With all that being said, one might also draw the conclusion that even with only advantages to teamwork being gained, the teamwork model may not always be the best for every single organization; instead, it depends on the needs and goals of the organization as a whole and the ability of the individuals involved to overcome their challenges.
References
The Adair team development model. (2009). Atlanta Challenge. Retrieved from http://www.atlantachallenge.com/articles/AdairTeamModel.pdf
Belbin, M. Belbin team role theory. Retrieved October 10, 2011 from: http://www.belbin.com/rte.asp?id=8
Campion, M. & Medsker, G. (1997). Handbook of human factors and ergonomics. Interscience.
People development and teamwork. (2011). Department of Trade and Industry. Retrieved from
http://www.dti.gov.uk/quality/people
Galbraith, J. & Kates, A. (2007). Five approaches to organizational design. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Jones, N. (2010, July 7). Collaboration at work: A look at the pros and cons. Retrieved from
Advantages and Disadvantages of Collaboration in the Workplace
Joseph, C. (2011). The disadvantages of teamwork in the workplace. Retrieved from
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/disadvantages-teamwork-workplace-1937.html
Kokemuller, N. (2007). The advantages and disadvantages of teams in the workplace. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-disadvantages-teams-workplace-21669.html
Lewis, J. (2011). The advantages and disadvantages of a competitive workplace. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-disadvantages-competitive-workplace-16085.html
Reinhold, R. (1997). Myers Briggs test*what is your Myers-Briggs personality type?. Retrieved from http://www.personalitypathways.com/type_inventory.html
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