Significance Of Teamwork In Organizational Competitiveness - Case Study Example

Significance Of Teamwork In Organizational Competitiveness Introduction A team is an active group of people who share a common goal, which makes them to work and support each other for the benefit of all. Harold & Frank (2009) observe that each team member plays a particular role in accomplishing the tasks assigned to the team and therefore all members are mutually dependent. They can not work in isolation and hence an organization needs to facilitate teams to accomplish their tasks as one unit for good results. Team building in organizations involves influencing the employees to combine their talents and diverse skills to accomplish the organizational goals. On the other hand, members of the teams benefit from knowledge sharing, which is important in career development and workplace learning. Teams may or may not be effective depending on their formation and leadership. Successful teamwork is characterized by a high team spirit in which every member is contented and willing to take part in accomplishing the tasks. Moreover, the employees working in a successful team tend to be enthusiastic about identifying with it. They also demonstrate loyalty to its leadership as well as among each other, as well as willingness to work together. Everyone is usually focused on the accomplishment of a shared vision and owns the goals of the team. For this reason, organizations that promote strong teamwork are able to maintain competitiveness through offering effective services to the customers. Beardwell & Holden (2001) observe that customers are attracted to an organization in which they are served in a similar manner regardless of the staff member that deals with them. This paper presents a critique of the view that teamwork is always positive. It highlights U.S and UK organizations that exhibit teamwork in the workforce. It also compares these organizations with others that operate in the international markets Teamwork is Always Positive Many organizations engage in projects targeted at particular target segments in the market and hence the strategies for accomplishment of particular organizational goals need to be understood by all the people involved among the workforce. For example, if an organization has engaged 12 people as marketing representatives, it is important for them to work as a marketing team that is composed of employees with similar objectives. They can effectively share information and exchange experiences in matters regarding marketing. Similarly, the employees involved in production can form a production team that is focused on helping each other to accomplish the production objectives, especially due to the fact that production is a process in which every individual has a role to play at a particular stage. In other words, as Nahapiet & Ghoshal (1998) observe, an organization can be composed of various work teams that are significant in the accomplishment of the organization’s overall goals. Teamwork leads to the understanding by all members regarding each other’s tasks and responsibilities to avoid duplication of roles. As a result, members of a team assist each other in identifying the possible failures that may result from performing tasks in a particular way, which enhances the performance of individuals. Harold & Frank (2009) argue that since each team member is focused on the accomplishment of a particular organizational goal, they attach much importance to working together, which makes them more productive. They have to adhere to the structures of the team to avoid divisive actions. According to Beardwell & Holden (2001), working together is a significant strategy for customer satisfaction. For example, even when one member of a team is absent, clients can still be served by any of the members who understands the functions of the one who is absent, rather than directing the client to wait or come at a later date. Since teams are formed for a specific purpose in the organization, each member understands the reason for its existence and therefore they can assist each other in situations where difficulties are encountered. The members of a team usually have diverse knowledge and skills and therefore the team can accomplish different tasks and share knowledge to form a strong workforce. Jeffrey (2007) observes that there is a possibility for people working in a team to discover their potential and talent. This is accomplished when people witness others performing particular tasks and try to perform them. In certain situations, members of a team discover that they can do better than their peers when they try to try to work like them. Such workplace relations are significant in the accomplishment of the overall organizational goals. According to Nahapiet & Ghoshal (1998), teamwork tends to generate trust in the workforce. The members of a team understand each other better than when they would be working independently in the workplace, whereby none understands the work or feelings of the other. Conflict resolution is accomplished when all members of the team are dedicated to the maintenance of harmonious relations in the workplace. They develop strong interpersonal skills that are also necessary for customer satisfaction. This is because when working in a team, every employee views the other as an integral part in the success of the group. In other words, a person acquires the conviction that if what a person does is what the others do and if the success of others is the success of an individual, he/she gains trust and confidence in the workplace and also works hard to ensure that he/she does not let the others down. On the other hand, members of a team that are focused on accomplishing a particular objective are likely to reach an agreement more easily than when working as individuals (Mullins, 2007). For that reason, there is usually harmony in the workplace and hence the group is easy to lead to success. Moreover, agreements can be reached without difficulties while each person owns the team objectives. Jeffrey (2007) observes that for organizations to satisfy the constantly changing demands of consumers, they have to ensure that they remain innovative in their products. For this reason, it is important to maintain an inventive workforce through teamwork. It enhances the sharing of ideas among the members as well as effective participation in developing new concepts. The members of a team are usually focused on the accomplishment of the team’s goal while suppressing individual interests. On the other hand, when an individual comes up with an inventive decision, other members of the team are usually willing to be supportive due to the realization that the benefits of inventiveness are shared among the team members (Robbins & Coulter, 2002). This is the same reason that makes members of a team to help others to utilize their full potential. The shared vision is therefore a major driver towards effective collaboration among members of a team. An organization that supports teamwork therefore has a greater potential for innovativeness and is capable of maintaining competitiveness. According to Tjosvold & Smith (2003), employee motivation is one of the significant factors that determine the success of an organization. The management can use a variety of means to motivate its workforce, team building being amongst the most significant. Motivation through teamwork is accomplished when members of a team encourage each other through supportive strategies especially when there seems to be difficulties in the accomplishment of tasks. While undertaking tasks as an individual, there is a possibility of exhaustion and fatigue, which may lead to low morale. However, while working in a team, employees are motivated by reasoning that they are not alone in their tasks. The realization that other people are concerned in regard to accomplishing tasks in the workplace motivates an employee who may otherwise loose his/her morale if problems have to be solved individually. Working towards a common objective motivates individuals especially when all team members demonstrate high commitment in regard to accomplishing tasks in the workplace. Moreover, it is possible for the management to employ motivation strategies that apply to a group than for each individual (Dessler et al. 1999). According to Mullins (2007), teamwork speeds up the process of implementation of tasks, which are shared among individuals other than being undertaken by one person. Teams present diverse skills that are useful in the accomplishment of tasks. Moreover, communication becomes effective due to the fact that members of the team are not threatened by victimization for airing their opinions. In other words, the opinion of one employee in a particular team is owned by all members and therefore they do not fear jeopardizing their position in the organization as they would do when speaking as individuals. The management can therefore learn on better ways of improving the conditions of the workplace. On the other hand, Bhatt (2002) argues that since performance and reward management is not focused on an individual, there is the likelihood of employees focusing their efforts on the output of the whole team rather than personal accomplishments. This means that the employees may assist each other for effective performance, especially when dealing with customers because if an employee leads to dissatisfaction in a client, the entire team bears the responsibility, hence all of them ensure high commitment within the whole group. For this reason, non-attendance and employee turnover are minimal, and organizational goals can be accomplished more effectively. Examples of Teamwork in U.S and UK organizations U.S and UK organizations have been successful in maintaining high levels of innovativeness. The managers are focused on promoting teamwork in the workforce, including the employees working in the organization’s subsidiaries. In other words, they promote the down-top approach to decision making whereby the employees are allowed to participate in the decision process. Procter & Gamble is one of the U.S companies that have maintained competitiveness through maintaining teamwork. Oetinger (2004) argues that the organization has developed brand equity for most of its products through involvement of employees in decision making, which has led to a highly inventive workforce. The company encourages the establishment of strong marketing teams that have made the company to maintain competitiveness for many years. IBM UK Ltd is also among the companies that have maintained high accomplishments in their projects through teamwork. The organization encourages teamwork in decision making, which has enabled it to utilize the diverse skills among employees. Dawes (2009) observes that workers in the organization agreed to share workstations instead of the conventional individual stations, which was an indication of the embracement of the spirit of teamwork. The organization benefits from effective accomplishment of tasks as well as a reduction in the costs of maintaining numerous workspaces, while maintaining a high number of skilled employees. Moreover, the organization has also been successful in the accomplishment of joint projects with other organizations such as DVLA. Similarities and Differences with Organizations in the International Markets Organizations operating in the international markets have a similar approach towards teamwork, which is highly valued in connecting the organization’s human resources in the domestic market as well as in the foreign subsidiaries. Coca-cola is one of the multinational companies that have thrived in the competitive international market as a result of teamwork. It is one of the most competitive beverage companies. Tjosvold & Smith (2003) observes that the company exhibits strong teamwork practices that have been significant in helping the employees to accomplish organizational tasks. There are various teams that are based on the department, with the sales team being the strongest. All the team members are focused on accomplishing the organizational goals and contribute towards market research for the purpose of maintaining competitiveness in the brand. Teamwork among the marketing representatives is enhanced by the uniforms that the employees wear during their promotions. It generates the perception that there is no difference among the team members, in the sense that they are all focused on accomplishing the same goals. Adidas is also one of the UK companies that have thrived as a result of teamwork in the workplace. The company has been capable of expanding the market for its products internationally through strong marketing teams. Teamwork in the organizations operating in the international market is similar to the organizations in the U.S and the UK (Dawes, 2009). The major difference is the size of the teams and the scope of operation since the organizations in the international market need to have larger teams that operate over wider areas in the large international market. Conclusion A team is an active group of people who share a common goal, which makes them to work and support each other for the benefit of all. Employees working in a successful team tend to be enthusiastic about identifying with it. Teamwork leads to the understanding by all members regarding each other’s tasks and responsibilities to avoid duplication of roles. Since teams are formed for a specific purpose in the organization, each member understands the reason for its existence and therefore they can assist each other in situations where difficulties are encountered. Conflict resolution is accomplished when all members of the team are dedicated to the maintenance of harmonious relations in the workplace. Teams enhance the sharing of ideas among the members as well as effective participation in developing new concepts. Motivation through teamwork is accomplished when members of a team encourage each other through supportive strategies especially when there seems to be difficulties in the accomplishment of tasks. Teamwork speeds up the process of implementation of tasks, which are shared among individuals other than being undertaken by one person. In general, teamwork is always positive for competence in organizations. Procter & Gamble, IBM UK Ltd, Coca-cola and Adidas are organizations that have maintained competitiveness as a result of establishing strong teams in the workplace. References Beardwell, I. & Holden, L., (2001). Human Resource Management- A Contemporary Approach. Third Edition, Essex: Pearson Education Limited Bhatt, G.D. 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Management, Sixth Edition. New Jersey: Prentice- Hall Inc. Tjosvold, W. & Smith, K. (2003). International Handbook of Organizational Teamwork and Cooperative Working, New York: John Wiley & Sons Read More