One Team Term Papers example essay topic

... difference for the organization, some team leaders tend to grab strength through defiance. They challenge anything that was formerly established protocol and this can have a seriously detrimental result. Rayner relates the following anecdote: term papersfwefwefwefweefThe leader of a usually successful team became known as a 'corporate outlaw' (a troublemaker), because he didn't follow accepted procedures. But this wasn't critical point that led to his failure as an effective team leader. He had a lack of grace and acceptance of others.

His overblown ego led him to give ultimatums if a team member wasn't 'for' him, he must be 'against' him. He believed he could procedures and practices that had worked previously as long as he got the results from his team. However, theft eam fell apart due to his arrogance -- successes were overshadowed by his lack of humility. Team members are not going to for effective solutions to problems if they receive no credit for doing so, or if they feel are being dictated to as opposed to being part of the team they " ve formed. frqfrfrqwfrwThis particular leader's myopic vision of what constituted a good team never took that into w (Rayner 49). ' term papers term papersfwefwRayner also attacks existing methods as a means to gain motivation of his team members -- a 'we can do it better than they did' idea (Rayner 59).

Even teams that have proven success records tend to fall apart when they have poor interaction with other groups. term paper sIX. Plain and Simple -- Poor Management term paperswfrkTeams forming to accomplish a basic goal often fail due to being poorly managed. Gerard Blair's facetious description of this process says that: term papersfrfrfqrfqrfrqfIn the beginning, God made an individual - and then he made a pair. fwefwewefefThe pair formed a group, together they begat others and thus the group grew. wfwfweffwffUnfortunately, working in a group led to friction, the group disintegrated conflict and Cai an settled in the land of Nod - there has been trouble with groups ever since (Blair-Groups 1). term papersrfrfWhen people work in groups, there are usually two separate issues involved. The first issue is the task and the problems that are involved in getting the job done.

Frequently this is the only issue which the group considers. The second issue is the process of the group work itself -- the procedures by which the group acts as a team. But the disadvantage here is that without proper attention to this process, the value of the group can be diminished or even destroyed. All too often, teams can't manage to see group work as attractive, and there are too many problems inherent to group formation (Blair-Groups 1). term papersfwrfWhat many teams fail to recognize is that a group of people working in the same room, or even on a common project, does not necessarily invoke the group process. If the group is managed by a leader who relates to them in a totally autocratic manner, there may be little opportunity for interaction. If the group can't interact, the team eventually dissolves, or -- in some instances -- becomes a group of people all working separately instead of together. ffrffThe group process should lead to a spirit of cooperation, coordination and commonly understood procedures -- that's generally why a team was established in the first place.

But this isn't always the case. All too often there is one person, perhaps not even the leader, who wants to run the show. This paper is for research assistance only. Blair asks us to consider the effect that a 'self-opinionated, cantankerous loud-mouth' would have on performance efforts, as contrasted to working with a 'friendly, open, helpful associate' (Groups 1). One person can destroy the team just as effectively as if the entire team was unable to function together. term paperswrfrPoor management of teams also extends to the leaders not recognizing the team members as individuals.

Being expected to conform to group standards and set aside individual needs or preferences is one of the main reason teams don't work (Rees 42). Of course, some people are more comfortable being part of a group, but more independent workers tend to feel ill-at-ease when working in a team. Others may feel they don't have much in common with their team members -- an essential factor to a team's running smoothly -- whether it's due to sex, religion, age or culture. If team members feel 'left out' at the beginning due to societal differences, there is little reason to expect the team will be able to function as a cohesive group (Rees 42). term papers.

Too Many Qualifications; Too Little Time term paperswfwfThe role of the team leader is a critical one, not only in his view of each team member as an individual, but also in his personal philosophy of what makes a team work -- as well as the qualifications for a good leader. Too often, the leader is unprepared for the multitude of expectations that is put on him as the leader of the group. Rees suggests that, in part, an effective leader needs to: term papers term papers and think term papers Listen actively term papers Ask questions and listen to the entire answer term papers Reserve judgment and keep an open mind term papers Actively seek the opinions of the team members term papers Encourages different viewpoints term papers Models the behavior he wishes to see in his team members term papers Knows how to bring the right people together for a task Is aware of his own limitations term papers Doesn't take personal credit for group success term papers Understands that people's individual needs affect team effort (26) term papers fwefIt seems unlikely that there will be a team leader who will stand up to these, as well as several other, criteria, which of course implies that the team can't function effectively. Managers simply face too many challenges as they become team leaders. More than ever they need to be able to count on the workers in a team, moving away from 'the typical hierarchical conception of 'us' and 'them' (Sayles 9), and towards a more unified effort.

But this is easier said than done. The problem inherent in a manager's relinquishing his 'power' (or what he perceives as relinquishing it) is just one more reason why teams don't work. term paper sXI. Team Quality term paperswfwefAs has been discussed, the fate of a team generally rests with the Team Leader. The Team Leader has the authority and the power to define the work team, but too often there is a lack of focus.

The quality of the team is diluted and the solutions are ineffective. Gerard Blair suggests that by applying what he calls the 'principles of Quality' (1), the Team Leader can gain for the team the same benefits which work beneficially for the corporation. His first suggestion for attaining this is to become 'enthusiastic about one aspect at a time' (1). This is often a difficult concept, as the whole idea of working on a team is to toss out as many different ideas as possible. One problem is that by focusing on any one particular issue may cause the team members to lose enthusiasm. term papersfwekAnother trap to poor team work is that the team may focus upon the wrong type of problem. Team leaders need to make it clear any problem which they tackle should be: term papers term papers, term-papers, term papers, term papers related to their own work or environment, and term papers something which they can change. term papersvwvwUnfortunately, problem solving in teams can turn into 'gripe sessions about wages and holidays' (Blair-Quality 1). fw or some team leaders, the ability to enable failure is not a comfortable or familiar concept.

If the team is unable to try out ideas without rebuke for errors, then the scope of their solutions will be severely limited. Too often, the failures aren't recognized as they should be -- as an opportunity to gain knowledge. The quality of the team necessarily suffers because of this, and eventually, one can expect that the team itself will lack the enthusiasm or drive necessary to continue as an effective group (Blair-Quality 1). term papers XII. The Face is Familiar term papersfwefwAnother of the disadvantages to team work is that the teams themselves begin to 'fade' as they spend the necessary time together.

The same people saying the same things in an extended team situation, day-after-day, becomes tedious and stale. Of course, the obvious solution to this would be to bring in new people, either as new team members or as liaisons to other teams. The problem with this is that teams often resist letting 'outside' new members on their team. If the team has functioned as a group for any appreciable length of time, they often feel they know each other's quirks and have no desire to alter the dynamics of the group, even when it is apparent what they have isn't working (Harrington-Macklin 74). term papersddedIf not new members, then another solution to the 'same old, same old's itu ation is often to attempt job-sharing -- the team members may be encouraged to switch jobs and responsibilities.

This, too, is rarely easy to bring about. Team members are generally very resistant to job sharing because each member becomes territorial about the task to which he was first assigned (Harrington-Macklin 76). term papers X. Team Meetings term papers fProductive team work is almost always the result of successful team meeting (Kin law v). Unfortunately, team leaders as well as members don't receive adequate instruction on how to carry this out, or demonstrate the strategies for organizational development that are necessary. Team meetings, rather than being a productive and efficient means to solve an organization's problems, can deteriorate due to lack of proper facilitation. Teams that have a tendency to repeatedly set aside difficult decisions find their options are increasingly limited. Without the adequate instruction on how to effect solutions, the teams will eventually either dissolve, or worse -- make decisions by 'default rather than informed choice' (Rayner 167). term papersefefDisruptive team members are another pitfall in team meetings.

The reluctance of team members to provide honest and direct feedback to an objectionable member only leads to frustration and poor performance, yet many team members are uncomfortable with the inevitable confrontation (Rayner 169). term papersw Team managers have the responsibility to guide the team, but often they perceive this as a need to abdicate their authority in favor of letting the team members become more 'self-directed' (Rayner 167). Many teams simply can't handle this type of responsibility. term papers term papers Conclusion / Why Not Teams? fefefIt seems clear that working in teams is not always the most effective way to ensure quality solutions for organizations. The problems and pitfalls that are inherent to any team process don't, in my opinion, outweigh the limited advantages of having people work in a group. There are too many variables that can cause the team to fail -- personalities, misunderstandings, ineffective leaders -- and it seems to make more sense, as well as the fact that the organization can simply run more smoothly, if the standard and traditional procedures of having everyone assigned to a given job, working on his own, is the method used. People still can feel part of the organization by their own contributions, but they don't have the problems involved with several different people working on one team. term papers

Bibliography

term papers Blair, Gerard M. Groups That Work. term web (1997).
term papers term papers Blair, Gerard M. 'How to Build Quality into your Team' IEE Engineering Management Journal. : //spindle-ee- net 2. ee. ed. ac. uk/~gerard / Management/ (1996).
term papers term papers Blair, Gerard M. Laying the Foundations for Effective Teamwork. term web (1996).
David mann, Manfred. Style of Management and Leadership. term web (1982).
term papers on, term papers about, term papers in, term papers and Fisher, Kimball-Rayner, Steven-Belga rd, William. Tips for Teams. term (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1995).
term papers on, term papers about, term papers in, term papers andHarshman, Carl L. -Philips, Steven L. Teaming Up. term (San Diego, CA: Pfeiffer & Co., 1994).
term papers on, term papers about, term papers in, term papers andKinlaw, Dennis. Team-Managed Facilitation. term (San Diego, CA: Pfeiffer & Co., 1993).
term papers on, term papers about, term papers in, term papers and Harrington-Mackin, Deborah. Keeping the Team Going. term (New York, NY: Amacom, 1996).
term papers on, term papers about, term papers in, term papers andMosvick, Roger-Nelson, Robert B. We " ve Got to Start Meeting Like This. term (Glenview, IL: Scott Foresman, 1987).
term papers on, term papers about, term papers in, term papers and Rayner, Steven R. Team Traps. (New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1996).
term papers term papers on, term papers about, term papers in, term papers and Rees, Fran How to Lead Work Teams. (San Diego, CA: Pfeiffer & Co., 1991).
term papers term papers on, term papers about, term papers in, term papers and Sayles, L.R. 'Leadership for the Nineties. ' Issues and Observations. term (1990): Spring, pp.