Team Development - Essay Example

? Team Development Introduction It is important for organization managers to encourage teamwork as it increases productivity. Google’s Human Resource Department is a cross-functional team with a three-thirds staffing model created by Laszlo Bock who is the Vice President of global people operations. This paper covers the various aspects of teamwork, importance of trust in cross-functional teams, ways in which managers can create trust among cross-functional teams, cohesiveness, and strategies to help in creating, developing, and leading effective cross-functional work teams in Google Corporation. Team Development There are a number of ways in which teamwork can be created in the Google’s HR Group. Motivation is one of the key factors that affect the morale of employees in many organizations. It is important for individuals in management positions in Google to ensure that all employees posses positive sentiments towards their job in Human Resource. Teamwork is created when leadership becomes a collective responsibility within the workplace. Google should strive to ensure that all employees in Human Resource develop a sense of accountability. Empowerment of the workers and allowing workers to plan their activities in an effective manner that suits their needs within organizational goals is also important in the creation of teamwork (Parker, 2003). All these gives workers the liberty to make their own decisions as long as these decisions are in line with the organizational objectives and also boosts their ability in making work related resolutions. According to Parker (2003), involving all stakeholders in creating and putting into practice organizational plans of action also ensures the creation of team work. It is the duty of Google’s management team to encourage its employees to report any unethical or illegal behaviors as well as other organizational problems to ensure that there are dealt with as soon as possible. In many organizations all over the world, incentives or rewards are given on the basis of productivity and the quality of work done. Workers reviews and determination of the quality of work should focus on the group as a whole instead of individuals. This boosts communication and improves relations among employees. It is also important to ensure that each employee has a clear understanding of his/her duties. This reduces conflicts within the organization hence boosts teamwork. Instructing teamwork competencies To understand teamwork within Google Human Resource department, it is important to elucidate the ways in which Human Resource team members could have been instructed in the teamwork competencies. The tem could have been trained on analytical and investigative techniques that would enable them resolve organizational problems effectively. Other ways of instructing the team on competencies include aiding and supporting them in the comprehension, identification of resolutions, and in researching significant information and statistics that would help them deal with organizational issues. It would also be important to help the team members categorize, classify, supervise, and control various activities within the department. Instructing teamwork competencies also involves availing or creating favorable situations within the workplace that will boost teamwork, aiding conflict resolutions, and also allowing the amendments of unsuitable strategies or organizational objectives in a bid to boost teamwork (Werner, Schuler & Jackson, 2012). Trust in cross-functional teams According to Hurn and Tomalin (2013), trust is important in cross-functional teams as it affects teamwork. Based on the fact that team members may at times convene rarely, trust boosts teamwork and reduces conflicts within the organization. The absence of trust between team members makes it hard to resolve conflicts and may lead to chauvinism. It is the duty of the managers in Google to be observant and attentive enough so that they can identify any occurrences of mistrust within the organizations. Early identification of the problems causing mistrust will enable managers to deal with them expeditiously and implement strategies aimed at preventing reoccurrence of such cases. Therefore, managers must strive to create an environment within the organization that will encourage employees to report any occurrences related to mistrust. To build trust in multicultural teams with differing perspectives, managers should first of all admit the fact that trust issues are prevalent in the workplace as employees vary in many ways. Striving to comprehend individual employee’s convictions and principles is important in ensuring effective collaboration. Managers should also institute organizational objectives not only on the team’s perspective, but also according to individual goals (Hall, 2013). All employees regardless of their ethnic or racial background should have equal opportunities as this is important in building teamwork. Successful teamwork enhances trust. Holding regular meeting where employees can interact and share ideas also creates trust within the workplace. Cohesiveness Social-emotional cohesiveness entails psychological fulfillment and contentment whereas instrumental cohesiveness entails building relationships aimed at achieving organizational objectives. The Google’s Human Resource team is a big team divided into three groups each with distinctive duties. Therefore, instrumental cohesiveness is more important in this cross-cultural team. Instrumental cohesiveness permits and considers the contribution of each and every employee, and also encourages employees to comprehend the value of teamwork (Werner, Schuler & Jackson, 2012). Strategies for creating and leading cross-functional teams There are a number of strategies that Google’s Laszlo Bock can adopt in creating, and leading cross-functional work teams. He should set clear and comprehensible goals of each of the teams. According to Parker (2003), individuals in management positions should engage all team members in deliberating who should be given what roles and duties according to their experience, skills, and talents. They should also set rules or instructions explaining how the team will work collectively. Each and every member of the team should understand his/her duties well in order to ensure effective teamwork. Adopting an effective leadership style aimed at giving employees a chance to make their own personal objectives is also of significance in leading cross-functional work teams. In conclusion, teamwork occurs when all stakeholders in an organization are involved in decision making, problem solving, and in all everyday’s activities within an organization. Team mangers should be keen in order to identify any problems especially trust issues as this may affect teamwork. Building teamwork and trust improves productivity. References Hall, K. (2013). Making the Matrix Work: How Matrix Managers Engage People and Cut Through. London, UK: Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Hurn, B. J., & Tomalin, B. (2013). Cross-Cultural Communication: Theory and Practice. England, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. Parker, G. M. (2003). Cross-Cultural Teams: Working with Allies, Enemies, and other Strangers. San Francisco, USA: John Wiley & Sons. Werner, S., Schuler, R. S., & Jackson, S. E. (2012). Human Resource Management. 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