Teams As A Key Feature Of The Modern Workplace †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Teams As A Key Feature Of The Modern Workplace. Answer: Introduction Managementhas been a common activity among human being in the history of mankind. At some point in history, human beings felt the need to develop groups which were meant to deal with certain tasks that single persons could not handle.Management originated from these social groups. There has been notable change inmanagement as more organizations that are complex continue emerging. In his study, Levi (2015) denotes that this has also changed the way in which managers execute their managerial tasks. Managers may be rated as being successful or failures depending with how they go about their managerial practice towards achieving the goals set by their organization. These results depend on the knowledge possessed by the managers about the theory of management. According to Manges (2017), the application of mixed theory of management has contributed to the success of the organizations that they manage by achieving the objectives that are set. For the achievement of goals that are set by th e organization, it is necessary for managers to have a clear understanding of their role. Working as a team is a new idea in the nature of the current workplace and is becoming increasingly vital in the modern world of business. According to Furnham, Humphries, and Leung Zheng (2016), the nature, structure, process, and content of the current workplace is characterized by cognitive complexity, collaborative business approaches, dependency on social skills, technologically oriented, time pressured, less dependent on geography, and more mobile. The same study denotes that as a result of technological adoption in business as well as stiff competition in the market arena, the workplace today is more focused towards the identification of values and customer perspectives, and continuous reorganization with the aim of maintaining or gaining a competitive advantage. In a systematic review, Braun and Turner (2014) also point out that with technological adoption in business, different tools and framework business models such as cloud computing, internet connection, and digital devi ces have made it easier for effective connection and collaboration leading to a skilled, diverse, educated, and engaged workplace as compared to how it was in the 1960s. Tuckmans stages in team development Bruce Tuckman proposed a model that was meant for development of groups. The model comprised of various phases that is; forming, storming, norming and performing. In the forming phase, members of the team identify the main problem and available opportunities. They then set strategies meant to solve the problem affecting the organization. In this phase, independence is of much emphasis among members of the team and they are self-centered. The members maintain the right behavior though they are self-centered. There two ways in this phase through which the behavior of the team may be modeled. According to Anderson (2014), one of the ways is through members maturity which enables them to have the right behavior that can also be emulated by fellow members. The other way is through the members behavior is modeled is through the influenced of the environment used for meeting. As reported by Fransen (2013) in these ways, there is a better understanding of the task at hand by the members and also unity among the members. The members of the team must put aside the common behavior of taking advantage of issues that are not a threat to them. They must begin focusing on their threats that could be the possible causes of disagreements. The second stage in the model is storming. In this stage, members of the group begin developing certain opinions to judge the behavior of their colleagues.Some of the behaviors that are condemned may be the domination of a certain member of the team or even reluctance in executing duties by the member. This condemnation is not only limited to members of the team but also the leaders of the team, who sometimes may make decisions that are not appropriate. To progress to the next stages, there must be a resolution of any conflicts related to personalities. Morton (2016) reported that the degree of storm is determined by the response of the team members in this phase. There are teams that may choose to do away with this stage while others may observe it though in different periods of time and also different intensity. For this stage to be successful, members of the tem must learn to be patient and tolerant with each other. However the patience and tolerance must be controlled since some members may take advantage of their colleagues. Numerous disagreements and conflicts may be the reason why most groups do not progress to the next stage. In this stage, the leaders are not strict with the members of the team and major decisions are left for the team to solve.This gives rise to better decisions since each member can express their feelings in from of opinions which are all valid. The third stage in Tuckmans model is Norming. In this stage, members of the team tend to be more cooperative with each other following a resolution of a disagreement. Pelegrini (2015) stated that the main reason for this cooperation among members is competitions from other organization. This competition makes them to work as a team in order to achieve the goals that they have set. The common ambition enables the team to achieve these set goals. This unity arises when the members begin to appreciate each other and agree to work as a team. However the common problem with members in this stage is that some ideas that are controversial may not be brought to attention due to fear of conflict. The fourth stage in the model is performing. In this stage the members of the team portray high levels of competence in their work. They are able to go about tasks such as making of proper decisions with minimum supervision from their leaders. Those in charge of supervision in this stage play part in all activities carried out by ordinary team members. They are very active and tend to be in the team. According to Natvig (2016), by maintaining the working team, the organization performs to its best. Any step taken to change the team or its management may make them go back to the initial stage in the cycle whereby there are disagreements among the members. Some examples of physical features that are designed to facilitate teamwork include; climate, interaction, involvement, cohesion and productivity. In climate, the common features are in the arrangement of seating, the ventilation, the distance between team members and also the lighting of the work environment. According to Anderson (2014), the purpose of the members is outlined in the involvement feature. In interaction feature, the relationship between the members should be healthy. For productivity, the team is motivated to achieve the goals that are set and oriented to the success of the business. Managerial decision-making on team performance In the working environment, Bamel, Rangnekar, Rastogi, and Kumar (2013) point out that there is often a need for collaboration between the team members. The same study denotes that collaboration among the team members pools in different skills and understanding, an aspect that will at the end lead to effective performance. In decision-making for the management, it is essential to understand that collaboration among team members in a workplace often cultivates a sense of community within the workplace hence creative happier workforce. In a systematic review, Furnham, Humphries, and Leung Zheng (2016), point out that teamwork makes the members feel as though they are part of a family hence compelling them to go beyond their role expectations. With that sense, the team members tend to absorb much organizational knowledge that can effectively drive the business forward with sound and informed decisions. According to Furnham, Humphries, and Leung Zheng (2016), there is a need for knowledge management for every workplace that aims at promoting information sharing and teamwork among the employees. In other words, the managerial decision-making needs to focus on the facilitation of knowledge sharing among the team members in the workplace to ensure effective collaboration and teamwork that will finally lead to good performance. Many studies also denote that knowledge management is a managerial aspect that ensures an integrated approach to the identification, capturing, retrieval, sharing, and evaluation of the information assets of the workplace. The information assets may include product procedures, policies, documents, as well as uncaptured expertise in individual team members. The management hence needs to ensure the employees have the necessary resources that can support them in sharing the knowledge they possess. In a systematic review, Jones, Kalmi, Kato, and Makinen (2017) point out that it is the responsibility of the management in the workplace to ensure there is effectiveness in promoting team performance among the team members. The management should ensure it adopts different working strategies that will promote collaboration as a pillar of successful performance of the workplace. Two heads are often better than one and teamwork in an organization comes with many benefits to both the organization and the employees. Every organization with focus on effective performance need to foster and adopt strategies that will lead to effective teamwork at it is essential in the following; It helps in blending complementary strengths among the team members in the workplace It is vital in fostering learning and creativity among the employees Helps in building trust among the employees and the management as well as teaching on effective strategies that can help in conflict resolutions within the workplace It promotes a wider sense of ownership among the team members and encourages healthy risk taking Physical structures are design to facilitate teamwork Generally management involves the practice where by the goals set by the organization are achieved through different roles played by stakeholders under delegation of a manager who is responsible for ensuring high level of production. In a systematic review, Largent (2016) asserts that the roles played by the people assigned for managerial positions include; leading the junior employees, making plans concerning the organization, controlling the overall production processes of the organization, handling of staff for instance holding interviews to employ people who qualify for the vacant positions. In any organization, they roles of the manager revolve around key aspects that is management of human resource, administration of the organization, leadership and solving of problems affecting the organization. The process of solving any arising problem in an organization involves sequentially identifying the problem at hand, making an analysis of the problem and then finding the possible pro blem solutions. With the aim of promoting effective team performance, Steyn and Steyn (2013) point out that the management needs to adopt various strategic decisions that will create work effective to promote teamwork. For instance, in todays digital working environment, the management needs to ensure a holistic digital workplace that can deliver a coherent, productive and usable resource that can empower collaborative and effective performance. With a digital workplace, the management enhances the job production by enabling the team members to communicate, share, and collaborate with reduced or no movements, challenges, or delays. In their study, Erhardt, Martin-Rios, and Harkins (2014) denote that the global business environment is facing complexity challenges and advancements that at the end requires the management of organizations to adopt strategies that can technological propel the workplace. As a result, there are several tools and digital social network platforms that can be considered in making decisions towards achieving these objectives. These include Forums, Company Wiki, Workplace websites, Team workspaces, instant messaging, and Facebook platforms among others. In management of human resource, the workers are monitored, they also take part in idea sharing where by the shareholders are also present. On the other hand, James (2015) also alludes that leadership by managers should allow a healthy relationship between the manager and junior workers. The managers should initiate and maintain a teamwork spirit among the workers and also ensure that everyone has a positive attitude towards individual duties. How managers can promote teamwork According to Dante (2011), a manager needs to exercise understanding and effectiveness when he aims at achieving effective collaboration between workers in the workplace. In other words, a good teamwork does not just spring up but requires the adoption of relevant and effective techniques that can encourage collaboration within the workplace. An atmosphere of cooperation and trust allows the organization to reach its goals within the allocated budget and on time. As a result, some solid guidelines are required to ensure a manager becomes effective in adopting the right strategies within the workplace that can foster teamwork. According to Wu and Wang (2015), the following strategies can be adopted by the management to promote team collaboration in the workplace; Communication In his study, Ciobanu (2016) denotes that without effective communication in the workplace, frustration arises amongst the employees leading to poor performance and ineffectiveness. In other words, the manager needs to establish clear communication lines with all the team members. For instance, the employees should be free to communicate with the management concerning work related issues that affect their performance. The employees should also be able to express their criticism as long as they are able to work towards solving the issues and not only complaining. In a systematic review, Sudano, Patterson, and Lister (2015) denote that in the event of any workplace conflict among the employs, the manager should always be ready to take the role of a mediator rendering effective decision impartially and in a fair manner after listening to both sides. As a result, communication is an essential aspect that promotes collaboration among the employees in the workplace. Trust Working together can only be achieved effectively when the employees trust each other as well as the manager. The manager hence requires demonstrating loyalty to the employees within the workplace by negotiating with the top management on their behalf if there need be while expressing gratitude for a job well done. According to Ensari (2011), the manager also needs to plan social events aimed at team-building in an informal setting such as having meals together, setting a day out during the weekends etc. However, doing this requires the manager not to intrude on the personal time of the employees without sufficient agreement or take the employees away from their families for social events. When it comes to formal duties, Bamel, Rangnekar, Rastogi, and Kumar (2013) recommend that the manager needs to challenge the employees to do well without pushing them or putting pressure as it will convey that you trust them with their duties without deriding them. Trust hence promotes teamwork be tween the employees as well as the management. Clarity It is essential that every employee should understand their duties, goals, and responsibilities in every department they are placed into effectively help them in developing personal goals to achieve in their roles. The management hence needs to ensure that the employees exactly need to know what is expected of them as well as the specific skills and techniques required in accomplishing their roles. Dusenbury and Weissberg (2016) denote that the manager needs to invest the employees in the goal and ensure they have a sense of pride in their duties while helping them to understand exactly how the goals can be achieved. The manager should also clearly delegate responsibilities to the team without any overlap. Every team member also needs to understand what he or she is in charge of and the relevant resources at their disposal to achieve the goals. It is a step that prevents the occurrence of any friction among the team while ensuring that every duty is met. Conflict resolution In case a problem arises, the manager needs to ensure that it is solved in time and impartially. In his study, Stroklund (2017) denotes that a manager needs to anticipate the possibility of any conflict before they arise and address them before they get out of hand. For instance, in case two team members do not get along effectively despite the best effort of the management, they can be assigned separate duties that will prevent them from interacting very often. However, addressing a problem also requires the manager to keep the overall goal and the team members in mind by ensuring that the solutions adopted addresses the team goals while fairly distributing the workload logically over the whole team. Conclusion To conclude, management process is purposefully meant to create an environment that will facilitate achievement of set goals. Management is a crucial practice to all organizations regardless of their size or level. The skills needed to manage are different depending on the organization. In a nut-shell, the key role of every manager is to ensure maximum productivity and quality in a given duration. In every stage of team development there is a corresponding role of the leader in charge. The roles of the leader in forming stage include; helping the other team leaders identify the goals, selecting the right team members and ensuring a mental model that can be shared by members of the team. In the storming the leaders plays the role of resource person, organizes the environment for work and also builds trust among the team members. In the performing and norming stages, the roles of the leader are common. Zoogah (2015) points out that the leaders in this stage take time to relate with the team members, they also encourage responses from the team members in form of feedback and also take part in situations where change of leadership is necessary.