Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Introduction
.1
Objective of the study
Classical Concept
Matrix Organization 3
Life Cycle of Team
Bibliography
Introduction
Every organization has teams with members working as one. Every team is normally built on a
foundation that bonds or ties the members together in every activity to encourage growth within
the unit. This is what is known as team building. Team building pertains to a variety of activities
and programs used by various organizations such as businesses, academic institutions, sports,
religious and non-profit groups with a purpose of enhancing team performance.
The activities are manifested using various methods and approaches, from a simple bonding
activity to challenging simulations to planned team building outings and retreats aimed to
develop everyone individually and collectively. Team building activities may include games,
exercises, drills, and team practices.
This report will explain the basic definition of a team, team concept, and the stages of a team
formation in order to gain a better understanding of the concept of team building. The need for
careful development of teams is stressed, and a new structure is self-managed team and virtual
team will be discussed.
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Classical Concept
Classical Concept Theory is the process of starting with the total amount of work to be done &
divide it to peoples.
So, it is basically,
Division of work:
Divide the work into different divisions, departments, work clusters, jobs & assignment of
responsibilities to people.
Delegation:
Assign duties, authority & responsibility to others which results multiple level of authority in an
operating hierarchy.
Strength & Weakness:
Classical Structure provides much support to the peoples. They act as like as mechanistic in their
attempts to get people to as effectively. Peoples are specialized in many activities. So, everyone
gets specialized support. They also get appropriate resources to perform the job, required security
& fairly dependable conditions of work.
On the other hand, there are some weak points also. It is not as good in psychological support. So
the people will not get psychological support during their work. But, organization should provide
both task support & psychological support for better output.
To mitigate the issues, organizations are using Modern Organizations now. Modern
Organizations has three characteristics.
Firstly, modern organizations are more flexible in nature. Many organizations have reduced their
hierarchy by downsizing & eliminating middle management positions. A number of
organizations tried to create boundary less organization system by eliminating the rigid barrier
among different functional units. Organizations are now ready to change according to the need.
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Secondly, organizations which have dynamic business environment basically follow the organic
forms of Modern Organizations which allow employees to think out of the box as there is no
specific way. Organic form is best for the employees who want autonomy, openness, variety,
changes & try new approaches.
Last but not the least; modern Organization is also open in nature. As people can work
according to their way, so people can express their feedback regarding different issues which
creates an open environment within the organization.
Matrix Organization:
Matrix organization is basically the development to meet the changing environment needs. It is
an overlay of one type of organization on another so that 2 chains of commands are directing
individual employees. It is especially used for large specialized project that needs people from
different skills.
Though handling more than 1 supervisor by individuals for matrix organizations is complex, but
its undoubtedly best in team focus on a single project, permitting better planning and control to
meet the deadlines within the budgets.
As people normally assigned to different role in different projects, so it gives them the great
opportunity to gain expertize in different sides. Additionally, it gives the practical experience to
handle the complex project.
To conduct big project by using Matrix Organization, organization creates cross functional teams
to achieve the goal. It basically used when you need to work across the whole organizational
boundaries. BY using people from different functions, this group brings diversity in works.
People from different specializations come together to work in a group for a specific goal. So,
cross functional teams creates to solve or mitigate special problem by specialized people from
different functions.
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This stage can last for some time, as people start to work together, and as they make an effort to
get to know their new colleagues. Team members share personal information, start to get to know
each other and accept one another. And begin turning their attention towards the groups task. In
addition to focusing on the scope of the team's purpose and how to approach it, individuals in the
formation stage are also gathering information and impressions about each other. Since people
generally want to be accepted by others, during this period they usually avoid conflict and
disagreement.
Storming
Next, the team moves into the storming phase, where people start to push against the boundaries
established in the forming stage. This is the stage where many teams fail.
Storming often starts where there is a conflict between team members' natural working styles.
People may work in different ways for all sorts of reasons, but if differing working styles cause
unforeseen problems, they may become frustrated.
Storming can also happen in other situations. For example, team members may challenge your
authority, or jockey for position as their roles are clarified. Or, if you haven't defined clearly how
the team will work, people may feel overwhelmed by their workload, or they could be
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uncomfortable with the approach you're using. Some may question the worth of the team's goal,
and they may resist taking on tasks.
Team members who stick with the task at hand may experience stress, particularly as they don't
have the support of established processes, or strong relationships with their colleagues.
Forming
Adjourni
ng
Stormin
g
Perform
ing
Norming
Norming
Gradually, the team moves into the norming stage. This is when people start to resolve their
differences, appreciate colleagues' strengths, and respect your authority as a leader.
Now that your team members know one-another better, they may socialize together, and they are
able to ask each other for help and provide constructive feedback. People develop a stronger
commitment to the team goal, and you start to see good progress towards it.
There is often a prolonged overlap between storming and norming, because, as new tasks come
up, the team may lapse back into behavior from the storming stage.
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Performing
The team reaches the performing stage when hard work leads, without friction, to the
achievement of the team's goal. The structures and processes that you have set up support this
well. As leader, you can delegate much of your work, and you can concentrate on developing
team members.
It feels easy to be part of the team at this stage, and people who join or leave won't disrupt
performance.
Adjourning
Many teams will reach this stage eventually. For example, project teams exist for only a fixed
period, and even permanent teams may be disbanded through organizational restructuring.
Team members who like routine, or who have developed close working relationships with other
team members, may find this stage difficult, particularly if their future now looks uncertain.
Groups are always different; consequently not all teams will clearly experience all the stages of
the cycle. Some groups May temporary stuck in a certain stage and others may find themselves
reverting to an earlier stage.
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Supportive Environment
A supportive environment helps to build successful team work .Creating a an environment teams
members should act like a team
A team works well when it:
challenging myths about physical health conditions, cultural diversity and mental illness
some people who experience social phobia or anxiety may find these stressful
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Superordinate Goals
A superordinate goal is something that is big enough and compelling enough to aid individuals
and groups overlook personal differences in order to achieve something significantly beyond
their current reach, something that cannot be privately held by any of the members, and is instead
closer in nature to a Commons. A major responsibility of mangers is try to keep team members
oriented toward the overall task. Sometimes an organization policy creates obstacle against
individual efforts and discourage team work.
Team Rewards:
Team rewards is the another important element of team work. Team rewards present a great opportunity to
help foster team bonding. With the proper application of a reward and recognition program, you can help
build a high-performance team, and foster cross-organizational cooperation. But team rewards are not to
be treated carelessly or misapplication could lead to unhealthy competition, lack of cooperation, and
ultimately
severe
financial
consequences
for
the
organization.
Team motivation and rewards programs should make up part of your overall employee recognition
program. You need to consider a mix of team and individual rewards, and balance the mix between
awards that encourage both cooperative and competitive behaviors
Empowered Teams
Above discussion mainly emphasized on four structural ingredients for effective team. Member
motivation plays a powerful role in team success. Team member will feel motivated and
empowered when they:
Experience Meaningfulness
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The combination of four forces can build an outstanding team which will be productive and
proactive for their customers.
Social Loafing:
Definition of social loafing:
Social loafing describes the tendency of individuals to put forth less effort when they are part of
a group than when they work alone. Because all members of the group are pooling their effort to
achieve a common goal, each member of the group contributes less than they would if they were
individually responsible.
For example, imagine that your teacher assigned you to work on a class project with a group of
five with other students. If you were working on your own, you would have broken down the
assignment into steps and started work right away. Since you are part of a group, however, the
social loafing tendency makes it likely that you would put less effort into the project. Instead of
assuming responsibility for certain tasks, you might simply assume that one of the other group
members will take care of it.
It is the Tendency of certain members of a group to get by with less effort than what they would
have put when working alone. Its two common manifestations are (1) Free-rider effect, where
some members do not put in their share of work under the assumption that others' efforts
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will cover their shortfall, and thus cause (2) Sucker effect, where the other (fully
performing) members lower their efforts in response to the free-riders' attitude.
The first known research on the social loafing effect began in 1913 with Max Ringelmann's
study. He found that when he asked a group of men to pull on a rope, that they did not pull
as hard collectively, as they did when each was pulling alone.
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their efforts too. This causes a downward cycle that ends at the point where only the
minimum amount of work is performed.
Sub maximal goal setting: Team members may perceive that with a well-defined goal
and with several people working towards it, they can work less for it. The task then
becomes optimizing rather than maximizing.
Lessened contingency between input and outcome: Team members may feel they can
hide in the crowd and avoid the consequences of not contributing. Or, a team member
may feel lost in the crowd and unable to gain recognition for their contributions.
Therefore, these group members lose motivation to offer their full ability since it will not
be acknowledged. Additionally, large group sizes can cause individuals to feel lost in the
crowd. With so many individuals contributing, some may feel that their efforts are not
needed or will not be recognized.
Lack of evaluation: Loafing begins or is strengthened in the absence of an individual
evaluation structure imposed by the environment. This occurs because working in the
group environment results in less self-awareness. For example, a member of a sales team
will loaf when sales of the group are measured rather than individual sales efforts.
Unequal distribution of compensation: In the workplace, compensation comes in
monetary forms and promotions and in academics it is in the form of grades or positive
feedback. If an individual believes compensation has not been allotted equally amongst
group members, he will withdraw his individual efforts.
Non-cohesive group: A group functions effectively when members have bonded and
created high-quality relationships. If the group is not cohesive, members are more prone
to social loafing since they are not concerned about letting down their teammates
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Develop rules of conduct: Setting rules at the beginning will help all team members
achieve the team objectives and performance goals. Establishing ground rules can help to
prevent social loafing and free-riding behaviours by providing assurances that free-riding
attempts will be dealt with extra caution.
Create appropriate group sizes: Do not create or allow a team to undertake a two-man
job. For example, municipal maintenance crews often have crew members standing
around watching one or two individuals work. Does that job really require that many
crew members?
Establish individual accountability: This is critical for initial assignments that set the
stage for the rest of the task (Team Based). Tasks that require pre-work and input from all
group members produce a set of dynamics that largely prevent social loafing from
happening in the first place. If this expectation is set early, individuals will avoid the
consequences of being held accountable for poor work.
Encourage group loyalty: Not all cultures experience social loafing. In China, social
striving, the opposite of social loafing, occurs. In these cases, individual performance is
enhanced by being in a group (Davies, 2006). The individuals care more about the
success of the group than their own success. They have a clear view of the groups
objective and what leads to its fulfilment. This sense of group loyalty is created by
individual awareness of the teams position in reaching the goal.
Write a team contract: Confusion and miscommunication can cause social loafing.
Although it may seem formal, writing a team contract is a good first step in setting group
rules and preventing social loafing. This contract should include several important pieces
of information such as group expectations, individual responsibilities, forms of group
communication, and methods of discipline.
Choose complementary team members: When possible, carefully choose individuals
to join a team. Make sure they have strengths and personalities that will complement
other group members rather than deter from reaching the group goal.
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Minimize group size: Whenever possible, minimize the amount of people within a
group. The less people available to diffuse responsibility to, the less likely social loafing
will occur.
Establish ground rules: Discuss what the teams goals and objectives are and then
develop a process to meet them.
Create personal relationships: Provide opportunities for members to socialize and
establish trusting relationships. Dedicated relationships cause people to fulfil their duties
more efficiently.
Highlight achievement: Invite members of management to attend team sessions. Allow
team accomplishments to shine through to superiors. Close meetings by summarizing
their groups successes. Pat them on the back and remind them of their upcoming duties.
Establish task importance: Allow team members the opportunity to demonstrate their
willingness to do their work in a timely fashion.
Evaluate progress: Meet individually with team members to assess their successes and
areas of improvement. Discuss ways in which the team leader may provide additional
support so the task may be completed. When possible, develop an evaluation based on an
individual contribution. This can be accomplished through individual group members
evaluations of others on team
Group composition
Group composition refers to the overall mix of characteristics among people in a team, which is
a unit of two or more individuals who interact interdependently to achieve a common objective.
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It is based on the attributes among individuals that comprise the team, in addition to their main
objective.
Team composition is usually either homogeneous, in which all members are the same, or
heterogeneous, in which team members all contain significant differences. It has also been
identified as a key factor that influences team performance. It factors in the individual attributes
of team members (e.g. skill, experience, and ability) and how these contributions can potentially
combine to dictate overall performance outcomes for the team.
In the past decade, research on team effectiveness has burgeoned as teams have become
increasingly common in organizations of all kinds. Research conducted on this topic has focused
on aggregated member characteristics, member heterogeneity and team size as categories
associated with team composition. The fashion in which a team is configured has a strong
influence on team processes and the outcomes that the team achieves The main outcomes
associated with team performance can be classified mostly as performance outcomes (overall
quality/precision of work produced, etc.) internal member outcomes (group cohesion, etc.) and
behavioral outcomes (absenteeism, etc.).
Group composed of members who share the same motivation (homogeneous) can be problematic
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Team Size:
The preferred team size has a significant impact on team sport. Team size is determined by the
original purpose for the team, the individual expectations for the members of the team, the roles
that the team members need to play, the amount of cohesiveness and inter-connectivity optimal
for team performance and the functions, activities and overall goals of the team.
Homogeneous teams may perform better due to similarities in experience and thought, while
heterogeneous teams may perform better due to diversity and greater ability to take on multiple
roles. For example, homogeneous groups displayed better initial performance than heterogeneous
groups, but these effects dissipated across time and heterogeneous groups later performed better
than more homogenous groups.
These terms, however, must be given a framework, as a team could be homogeneous for some
characteristics and heterogeneous for others. The importance placed on team design derives from
the need to align a team's composition with organizational goals and resources. Research on team
composition has suggested that homogeneous teams are more satisfied and experience more
positive reactions, while heterogeneous teams experience enhanced team creativity and also
bring a wider variety of solutions to a given problem.
Demographic Traits
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a section of the population sharing common characteristics, such age, age, sex, education level,
income level, marital status, occupation, religion, size of a family, average age at marriage. A
census is a collection of the demographic factors associated with every member of a group.
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3. Consider all employees as equal partners: Trust is established when even the newest
rookie, a part-timer, or the lowest paid employee feels important and part of the team.
This begins with management not being aloof, as well as getting out and meeting the
troops. This should be followed by leaders seeking opinions and ideas (and giving credit
for them), knowing the names of employees and their families and treating one and all
with genuine respect.
4. Focus on shared, rather than personal goals: When employees feel everyone is pulling
together to accomplish a shared vision, rather than a series of personal agendas, trust
results. This is the essence of teamwork. When a team really works, the players trust one
another.
5. Do what's right, regardless of personal risk: We all know intuitively what's "right" in
nearly every situation. Following this instinctive sense, and ignoring any personal
consequences will nearly always create respect from those around us. From this respect
will become trust.
Other Problems:
There are more behaviors which can distract team environment such as non-stop talking, side
conversations, uncontrolled anger, interruptions etc.
There are more disturbing persons who are:
1. Blocker: is a person who find minor flaws in arguments and resist and fight against
almost everything.
2. Aggressors: is a person who questions, attack, uses sarcasm and hurt other feelings.
3. Detractors: is a person who tells anecdotes, play the role of comic, or builds up their
own egos via glowing success stories.
4. Controllers: is a person who dominates discussions, assert their status, and try to get their
own way.
5.
These events can be used to determine strong points in an individuals personality, such as
leadership skills. This can benefit the individual by giving them greater job satisfaction & the
opportunity to progress to their full potential as their strengths are highlighted. This is a circle of
reward, with positive feedback following positive action; a far more efficient way to have
efficient workers.
Job satisfaction is an important part of a person's employment. Feeling worthwhile, worthy, part
of a team & having a sense of achievement within the working environment are essential
elements to happiness. These feelings can motivate a workforce & ensure they are at their most
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productive, & in turn, this attitude will motivate their colleagues. Working on the premise that
happy staff are productive staff, companies often find that team-building events positively affect
the productivity of individuals, teams & the company as a whole.
Team building also benefits the team as a whole. When people who rarely work together are
forced to communicate, they can discover that they enjoy the interaction & continue to network
& bond with different people back at the office. Those who previously may not have been getting
along will have to forget their differences in order to overcome an obstacle & their dislike is be
diminished as the work together for a common goal.
Most offices contain allegiances between certain groups of workmates & divisions are often clear
between these groups. Team building helps break down these barriers by creating a forced
interaction between the established groups & creates opportunities for networks & friendships to
develop.
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can be led by the team leader, who usually has the last word. The teammates can express and
share their ideas, tactics and strategies that can help in getting work done faster with effective
results. They should be consulted equally and asked for their opinions before the final plan for
the protocol is made by the team leader. This is known as, coming up with a vision or an insight
of how the task is to be carried out and who will carry out what role respectively.
Performing as a Team
Every team building activity has a preparation or planning duration, where the teams are
supposed to build their team agendas for the tasks. Therefore, the above mentioned points can be
used in this time as once the strategies are built, the implementation is not difficult. When the
task is to be performed in a specific duration, the teammates are expected to carry out their
respective roles appropriately at the required time. When the teammates act according to the
team building techniques, there is a trust or bonding developed among them, proving beneficial
for the task. This is the team spirit which is required, where each team member thinks about the
success of his/her team first.
With these stages, you must have understood the team building process. This is beneficial for any
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team activity and when this process is used there is 100% guaranteed success.
Exploring
the Teams
Identifying
the Task
Developing
a Vision
Performing
as a Team
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Personality Differences
Even with matching skills set, individuals in a team still differ in personality traits that would
include values, attitudes and behaviors. How are personality differences shown in a team?
Frequent misunderstanding due to opposing values and attitudes
Inability to adjust to the work styles of other individuals
Little tolerance to even the minor individual differences
Pushing individuals beliefs and convictions
Making prejudices of a persons personality
If individual differences are not identified and acknowledged as early as the formation stage, a
team may end up experiencing personality clashes, which could lead to unwanted conflicts. A
team must have a combination of values that they support and are deemed beneficial to everyone.
All these team issues can be managed and prevented if the team works collaboratively to attain
shared goals.
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Interpersonal skills
Interpersonal skills are the life skills we use every day to communicate and interact with other
people, both individually and in groups. People who have worked on developing strong
interpersonal skills are usually more successful in both their professional and personal lives.
Employers often seek to hire staff with 'strong interpersonal skills' - they want people who will
work well in a team and be able to communicate effectively with colleagues, customers and
clients.
Research skills
Research Skills Research activity, the systematic investigation of phenomena, problems, issues,
questions, etc., to increase knowledge and understanding, is a core activity in universities.
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Research skills assist graduates to critically investigate issues and, where appropriate, generate
and evaluate relevant data, form and test ideas, theories and hypotheses, and successfully
navigate their way through the sea of information that characterizes the information age.
Presentation skills
Presentations skills and public speaking skills are very useful in many aspects of work and life.
Effective presentations and public speaking skills are important in business, sales and selling,
training, teaching, lecturing, and generally feeling comfortable speaking to a group of people.
Developing the confidence and capability to give good presentations, and to stand up in front of
an audience and speak well, are also extremely helpful competencies for self-development and
social situations. Presentation skills and public speaking abilities are not limited to certain special
people - anyone can give a good presentation, or perform public speaking to a professional and
impressive standard. Like most specialisms, this requires preparation and practice.
Process consultation
Process consultation is often part of team building, but it is commonly used as a separate, more
narrowly focused on intervention. Teambuilding may focus on the possess of getting a job itself
done. Process consultation focused on how people interact as the get job done. Team dynamics
includes how the team communicates, allocates work, resolve conflict, handles leadership, solves
problems, and make decisions. Training may also be conducted to improve group skills.
Facilitating behaviors
Identify problems
Conforming individuals
React
constructively
to
current
behavioral events
Develop cohesiveness
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Encouraging learning
Figure: Process consultants use facilitating behavior to help teams function more
effectively.
Feedback
In terms of open and honest communication is critical to achieving results. There are two types
of feedback in this book. Team will be provided traditional feedback in the form of results, they
can gauge their effectiveness. In addition a task observation from will be used whereby a team
member assumes the role of and records the interaction of the team.
The total quantity movements has stressed the importance of using data for action planning,
decision making, problem solving , and change efforts.
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agree with it: ideas, communication abilities, background, religion, work style and cultural
traditions. Because a great team requires open communication, respect can create the trust that
will allow members to be vulnerable.
Collaboration
Teamwork requires effective collaboration; each person must figure out how her skills and
talents fit with those of the other team members. For a team to work, everyone must understand
what their role is and how to use it to contribute to the team's success. Depending on the team,
the roles might be as simple as providing support and morale; a well-functioning team uses each
person's complementary skill sets. Each member of the team should understand that everyone's
part in the project is equally valid.
Problem Solving
An effective team must develop its own strategy of problem solving and conflict management.
The strategy will differ from team to team based on the situation and the individual members; the
individual team must work out the problem-solving methods that work best for it. When your
team members can work through roadblocks together, the team will be able to work smoothly
even during rough times.
Common Goal
A shared mission can help a group of people work together and create enthusiasm. When
everyone is using their own abilities to work toward a common goal, the result is greater than the
efforts of a single person. In a strong team, the good of the common goal comes before the
individual preferences and interests of the members. The goal also contributes to a smooth
operation; the team can resolve problems and disagreements by determining what is best for the
team and the end goal.
Equal contributors
In a mature team no single member dominates the group. There are also no decorative pieces
who do not contribute anything to the team. Everybody does his bit for the team.
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Feedback
Team members are open to feedback and do not hesitate to ask anything that they do not
understand or follow. Even criticism is done in a constructive manner.
Respect and trust
There is a healthy respect for each other among team members. The members have faith and trust
in the actions of the other members.
Support and stability
There is stability in the group and members do not feel threatened by change. They encourage
and assist each other. The feeling of we dominate over the feeling of
Standards of excellence
Quality orientation is vital to the success of any organization.
External support and recognition
Appreciation as well as appraisal is required to keep the morale of the team high.
Principled leadership
Leadership defines a team. An able-bodied leadership can chart the teams path to success.
Team goals are clearly understood by all
Communication is vital for achieving successful completion of any project.
Each team member trusts the judgment of others
Mutual trust and respect is highly important for the team. This is the only way to achieve the
organization goals.
The team has to be willing to take risks
Risk taking is an attitude which comes with confidence. Confidence on yourself as well as on the
team, besides the ability to face all consequences.
Dissenting opinions are never ignored
In fact, they are always recorded in order to be revisited in case the future situations dictate so.
Teams are given realistic deadlines
External support as well as aid is vital to the success of any team.
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Self-Managing Teams
A self-managed team is a team in which the members take collective responsibility for
ensuring that the team operates effectively and meets its targets. Typically, members of selfmanaged teams are employees within an organization who work together, within a broad
framework of aims and objectives, to reach a common goal. When setting up the team, two of
the parameters that have to be defined are the levels of responsibility and autonomy that are
given to the self-managed team. So teams can have varying degrees of autonomy, from teams
who have considerable control over their work, and the boundaries within which they operate,
to self-managed teams that are set boundaries by team leaders. In general, self-managed teams
have considerable discretion over: the work done and setting team goal show work is achieved
which processes are used and how work is scheduled internal performance issues
distributing the work and the contribution made by each member of the team decision making
and problem solving.
In general, self-managed teams have considerable discretion over:
How work is achieved which processes are used and how work is scheduled
Internal performance issues distributing the work and the contribution made by
each member of the team
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move on. Having more of your team know how to do all aspects of your business keeps
more of the knowledge in your business when employees leave.
Identifies skills weakness
Self-managed teams are also quicker at identifying when theres a skills and knowledge
gap in your business. Through their problem solving and task delegation processes, selfmanaged teams are able to quickly identify when there just isnt enough information or
local knowledge to get something achieved. Making it much easier to identify skills and
knowledge that needs to be recruited into the business when the time comes to grow your
head count.
Less wastage
As self-managed teams work according to set methods. So they can ensure minimum
waste.
More discipline
Members of self-managed teams ensure disciplined life during operations.
High commitment
Self-managed teams gain high level of commitment.
Minimum supervision
With minimum supervision organization can get better result and output.
Many of todays organizations are moving to self-managed teams and achieving success on many
different levels because of the remarkable benefits this approach demonstrates in places like
Apple Computers, Google and Xerox.
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High training investment require in order to develop skill and it is one of the biggest
disadvantage of self-managed teams is that it have to investment lot of money in training.
It also require time to train employee to develop certain skill.
Inefficiencies due to job rotation
Job rotation is a common thing in self-managed teams. But it leads to inefficiencies in
job. Employees take some time to acquaint to new process and setup. It also does not
consider the time wasted in training someone who does not deserve it. Frequent job
rotation also leads to stress and anxiety among employee
Effect on Work Productivity
A possible decrease on efficiency of employees may happen if the organization did not
make the necessary preparations when shifting from a traditional structure to a more selfdirected approach in the workplace. In addition, the employees work productivity will
also be affected, although this is not always the case. As mentioned earlier, this can
possibly occur in a company that is not sufficiently prepared to incorporate selfsupervision to its employees.
Tendency to be Authoritative
Some people have been used to self-supervising especially if there is a lack of support
and guidance from parents while growing up. These individuals are bound to work hard
to survive and direct their own lives without the assistance of other people. When they
start building their own careers, it will not be hard for them to adjust to any work
environment because they can handle various situations and can perform their work with
less supervision.
Conflicts
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There is a chance that conflict may arise between group members. One may be disagree
with the ideas of other member. So manager must effectively manage team to keep
conflict at minimum.
Employee inability
Some employees become unable to adapt to a team structure.
Demand for equal treatment
Self-managed team members sometimes demand for equal treatment for their success.
Recklessness
Due to better performance, self-managed teams become reckless and show
insubordination
Extended time to implement
Sometimes self-managed teams require extended time to complement plans and policies.
Figure: contrast between traditional structure roles and self-managing team structure roles
From the figure it is clear that what kind of roles manager play in traditional structure and selfmanaged team structure. In traditional structure manage may be authority figure, expert or
coordinator but in self-managed team a manager may be coach, liaison or resource allocator.
Boundary Spanners
Boundary spanning is reaching across borders, margins, or sections to 'build relationships,
interconnections and interdependencies in order to manage complex problems. Boundary-
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relationships, managing through influence and negotiation, and seeking to understand motives,
roles and responsibilities. Boundary spanners identify internal and external customers, ensure
resource availability on a timely basis, and keep the team focused on continues improvements.
Boundary spanners have little or no authority, and so their task accomplished through skills as
these:
Social
Awareness
Persuadin
g
Influencin
g the
team
Skil
ls
Obtaining
external
support
Relating
to Ohters
Genuine
caring
Investigati
ng
problems
Virtual team
A Virtual Team also known as a Geographically Dispersed Team (GDT) is a group of individuals
who work across time, space, and organizational boundaries with links strengthened by webs of
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communication technology. They have complementary skills and are committed to a common
purpose, have interdependent performance goals, and share an approach to work for which they
hold themselves mutually accountable. Geographically dispersed teams allow organizations to
hire and retain the best people regardless of location. A virtual team does not always mean
teleworkers. Teleworkers are defined as individuals who work from home. Many virtual teams in
todays organizations consist of employees both working at home and small groups in the office
but in different geographic locations.
unnecessary bureaucracy which slows down the decision making. This enhances the
productivity which shows as higher profits.
Reduced Time to Market
Since the members span the time zones, there could be different team working on the
same project 24*7, so when one member sleeps there will be another one somewhere else
who would start work where the former had left. This shortens the product development
time as well as faster response time to demands in both global and local markets.
Newer Opportunities
If we see at larger societal level, virtual teams have created newer opportunities for
people who are less mobile and hesitant to relocate due to either family requirement or
physical challenge. Now any task that does not require the physical presence of a person
and which can be supported by communication technology throws an opportunity for
many deserving candidates.
Less Overhead
A virtual team does not need any office so they can avoid paying for office space and
parking for employees. Even if they set up an office for employees, the cost remains
significantly lower than renting a regular office.
Flexible Scheduling
Employees at tech companies often have flexible schedules anyway. But the ability to
pick up the kids from school in the middle of the day, take a refreshing nap, or work after
the family has gone to sleep gives your employees additional options.
The successful working of virtual team is supported by the efficient use of multiple
communication technologies such as instant messaging, emails and video-conferencing,
among others. No one tool can provide the complete support. The cost associated with
these installation and maintenance tools is little on the higher side.
Conflicts, Lack of Trust & Collaboration
The cultural differences between the members of virtual teams gives rise to number of
conflicts. For example, while an American would write a straightforward email
describing a bad situation, this would be perceived as impolite by a South Asian (say
Japanese) member of the team. This would lead to conflicts, mistrust and difficulties in
fruitful collaboration which is so vital for the success of virtual team functioning. These
challenges are also precipitated by the absence of non-verbal cues so intrinsic to face-toface interactions.
Social Isolation
Many members of virtual teams are adversely affected by the lack of physical
interactions. Most of the communications in virtual environment is task-oriented. In
todays society where job is an important social force for most of us because many of our
workplace colleagues also constitute our close friends, this gives a not-so-good feeling of
social isolation. This in turn counter-effects productivity as well as leads to stress.
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Findings
Classical organization structures did not rely heavily on teams, despite the division of
work into functional units and multiple levels.
The costs associated with using team building are minuscule when compared to the
benefits received.
The decision to use the team building process was made primarily because the process
was viewed as a proactive way to manage a project in a win-win environment.
The team building process forms a group into an aligned, focused and motivated work
team that strives for a common project mission.
Team building is an important and continuous process which can be aided by managerial
attention to process consultation and feedback skills
Self-managing teams are empowered groups that are provided with the training, resources
and authority to assume responsibility for many management level functions.
Virtual teams are popular these day, but they also present some problems.
Conclusion
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Team building will therefore be more successful when there is a structured program which will
allow specific objectives to be met. Activities that allow opportunity to reveal the way we think,
make decisions and react will create better and further understanding of work mates. Finally, a
team building event that allow each others attitudes and behavior to surface creates better
relationships in the office. However, managers are reminded that team building does not just
happen in one day or two days, it has to happen in the workplace every day and it takes time.
Managers must promote interaction in the workplace among work mates to learn how each
member thinks and works, to allow team building to work. This might also involve several
different training methods including class room training, role plays, profiling tests and many
others. Managers need to contribute to the process rather than being hopeful for the best results
from one or two team building events. Based on the understanding of the principles of team
building as cited above, it is hoped that managers will be able to make a better decision when
organizing team building events.
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