Problems in Managing People - Coursework Example

TEAMS AND TEAMWORK Name Institution Course Professor Date TEAMS AND TEAMWORK Introduction Call centers are one of the areas where effective management of task requires team and teamwork. According to van den Broek, Callaghan and Thompson (2004, p. 197), the particular organizations working as call centers both in Australia and UK carry a common characteristic of individualistic work performance under the regulation of technology. Moreover, the interaction of services follows the company’s guidelines interpreting to a lack of teamwork in these firms. Van den Broek et al. (2004, p. 198), explains that the presence of teams and their representation of the team leaders is merely for identification as part of, with no substantive function. The imperative is the effects of the absence of teamwork in people management. More importantly, the routine performance of tasks in an individualistic setting fails to compete favorably with an integrated system of collaboration through team working. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the extent of the problem posed through minimum team working especially regarding the management of the workforce. Specifically, the essay addresses the key issues in maximizing the benefits of both the team and teamwork to the organization and the employees. The structure of the essay includes the topics of what are teams, teamwork, problems in managing people, and the benefits to the employees and organization. Teams In identifying and defining a team, it is important to consider the organizational behavior as one of the vital fields. However, Humphrey and Aime (2014, p. 445) disagree on the sole reliance of behavior mechanism to characterize a team. In their argument, it is important to consider other factors such as the personal difference in the group, dyadic level of relationship with the company, and social interaction. It is from these multi-level complexities that a deeper understanding about a team occurs (Humphrey & Aime, 2014, p. 446). Nevertheless, a team defines a collection of interdependent persons carrying out responsibilities that correspond to the organization. The definition of a team by Humphrey and Aime (2014, p. 449) suggests it to be social functions, especially about the characteristic of interconnection of the task to produce a collective outcome. Specific characteristics of a team include having more than one individual, social interaction, the presence of more than a single shared goal, and a people brought together to perform relevant tasks of the enterprise (Humphrey & Aime, 2014, p. 449). In particular, defining characteristics that distinguish a team from a group include evidence of a need for interdependency of duties in respect to the achievement of goals and result, and well-defined responsibilities as well as goals following their proper embedment to the organization structure and system (Humphrey & Aime, 2014, p. 449). It is important to consider the origin of a team design. As discussed by Humphrey and Aime (2014, p. 449) prior identities of a team considered an external construction following the directive of the top management. Comparatively, current scholars provide a realization that a team may develop independently where the members self-select in its creation as well as in the assigning and performance of particular roles. An example of the dynamic creation of a team is the case of Fisher and Paykel (Mallon & Kearney, 2001, p. 93). The process considers the input of the management providing a set standard to observe by the concerned parties. Contrastingly, with the progress in competition and rise of innovation as a factor in gaining a competitive advantage, the company saw the move to self-directed teams to realize teamwork (Mallon & Kearney, 2001, p. 96). Teamwork Marks and Richards (2012, p. 229) identify the rise of teamwork with the need to effectively utilize the employees in spear-heading the achievement of company goals and objectives. Moreover, it provided an environment where the workers could work as independent individual managing and controlling their tasks. Marks and Richards (2012, p. 229) explain that teamwork involves the practices such as the Human Resource Management (HRM). The particular inclusion of the HRM aims to provide a flexible means of production that accounts for quality management of the workforce. In particular, teamwork includes the sharing of information and knowledge as a means to improve production and economic value. Ryan (2012, p. 255), present the advantages of realizing a teamwork. In the discussion, teamwork improves the coordination of various workers, maximizes the profits gains, and preserves the quality of the services. The imperative in managing teamwork is the continuous changes in the organization of work (Ryan, 2012, p. 255). Employers are shifting from the traditional model of multi-tasking into mono-tasking facilitated through specialization in professional. Consequently, through teamwork, the management and employees are able to integrate their different skills in generating a quality output of an entire firm. The analysis of the term teamwork includes three different paradigms including the technical, normative, and governance (Ryan, 2012, p. 256). The technical dimension includes the direct duties of a team to the organization, while the governance involves the management of the team. In management, key individual includes the team leader overseeing the performance of the members and reporting to the higher authority (Van den Broek et al. (2004, p. 198). Comparatively, the normative aspect encompasses the change in behavior and the level of socialization in the employees. It is the normative part that manages to structure a team into a team working. It is particularly important for the call centers to advance their normative goals in transforming their team into teamwork. Moreover, the literature of Van den Broek et al. (2004, p. 198) suggests that the success of the call centers team relies on group learning, sharing of information, and generating ideas to solve internal and external problems. The meeting of these particular goals in call centers is a function of teamwork which is highly lacking leading to poor people management. Problems in Managing People According to Townsend (2007, p. 622), it is the duty of the management to exercise control over the workforce in meeting efficient labor. Despite their position in the organization, the leadership fails to provide a complete control leading to poor teamwork. The establishment of control is important with respect to the employees, especially regarding their behavior and attitude towards the kind of control or influence of the top management. It is important to realize that team possesses powers over the governance, normative and technological aspects of their work environment (Townsend, 2007, p. 625). If this power is not properly management, it becomes difficult for the management to not only control the activities of its employees but also it presents a challenge in setting shared goals and their achievement. Call centers, in particular, operate under specified target for each of the workers. Townsend (2007, p. 626) provides that the work environment of the Customer Service Representatives (CSR) carries a limited ability to change the pace of performance since the management approves specific targets including the time of interactions with the client. The setting of limits and monitoring of their performance through the day prevent the workers from improving the performance of the team. Therefore, the control of daily outputs which in some cases occurs hourly limits the growth of teamwork. The CSR team focuses on the individual ability to achieve the set target corresponding to the stipulated work structure. In highlighting the problems to managing the workforce through the absence of teamwork is Townsend (2007, p. 626) explanation regarding the workload. The call center management utilizes the historical data of the firm to determine the number of personnel of a specific team and the volume of work to allocate to each person. In this case, the absence of the involvement of the members in determining the level of workload fails to promote team interaction (Townsend, 2007, p. 626). Moreover, it contributes to the division of the firm into the groups of the instructors and the performers. The distinct separation of personalities based on the position within the organization breeds a negative attitude and may act to influence poor employee behavior. Consequently, it is from these adverse effects that the company performs poorly progressively in improving the job and satisfaction of its shareholders. The imperative is the structure of the working space, nature of the work, and the type of approach conducted by the management personnel (Townsend, 2007, p. 627). The approach by management primarily relies on information systems realized through technology in the assignment and delegation of work. The import concern is the failure to adequately analyze the skills and knowledge of the worker before allocating specific work. Consequently, the methodology may result in a poor output and overstretched workforce who only strive to accomplish the goals of the management. In the argument of Townsend (2007, p. 627), the focus on the customer in developing a normative culture discourages the presence of team building in achieving teamwork. Moreover, the issue of the space significantly contributes to the problem in people management. Call centers organize their teams based on the availability of space (Townsend, 2007, p. 627). The problem with the size structure of organizing teams is the failure to include a functionality and skill component which is most important in improving performance. To emphasize the poor quality of the teams is their management, is the presence of a single team leader serving at least 20 staff. Decision-making process in a team may act to enhance the spirit of teamwork or contribute to the individualistic perception. In regards to Townsend (2007, p. 628), decision making in call centers is a function of the management with no consultation to the CSR personnel. The centrality of the role of the leadership leaves the employees with no alternatives than to follow the decision of their seniors. Contrastingly, teamwork includes a consultation with the stakeholders in providing an effective decision that not only meets the satisfaction of the client but profits the entire enterprise. As the case of call centers, the teams remain a decoration whose sole purpose is to follow a directive of the management. The example of the team submitting a proposal to remain autonomous highlights of the dissatisfaction of the much control over the worker (Townsend, 2007, p. 628). Benefits to the Employees and Organization The imperative in maximizing the benefits of both the team and teamwork models is the organization and level of control. In organizing, it is significant to realize the effects of the lack of homogeneity in the teams that leads to the particular challenges in people management (Ryan, 2012, p. 257). Similarly, Van den Broek et al. (2004, p. 199) agrees on the offsetting of individualism and regularity of the nature of the work. Suggestion on improving a homogenous environment include the developing a sense of shared identity which improves the level of socialization in the workforce. Concerning control, Townsend (2007, p. 629) provides that establishing control should occur alongside a normative or cultural aspect over the employees. The benefits of focusing on the normative plan include encouraging the commitment of the employees to the team. Consequently, with normative strategies, there are the benefits of more output and better ideas in improving the overall performance of the organization. Moreover, Townsend (2007, p. 629) identifies the benefit of focusing on the normative aspects improves the behavior of the employees creating a conducive work environment that is social and professional in nature. Townsend (2007, p. 635) advocates on the tapping of the coercive aspects of the team. In particular, the coerciveness of the team is an outcome of peer influence that achieves considerable control over the team. It is through the peer control that both the behavior and technical components become better performed. Work intensification through a peer control mechanism is yet another area whose maximization provides huge benefits to the employees and the company (Townsend, 2007, p. 628). Conclusion Call centers possess limited teamwork although teams exist in these organizations. The imperative is the distinguishing of team and teamwork in order to ascertain their relevance to the firm. The discussion explains the significance of control and organization as factors enhancing the benefits of teams and team working. However, call centers follow a structure of managerial control through the team leader. Moreover, the organization of teams includes a sub-standard consideration of size, nature of work, and the physical space. These models pose difficult challenges in the management of the workforce. References Humphrey, S. E. and Aime, F., 2014. Team microdynamics: Toward an organizing approach to teamwork. The Academy of Management Annals, vol.8, no. 1, pp. 443- 503. Mallon, M. and Kearney, T., 2001. Team development at Fisher and Paykel: The introduction of 'Everyday Workplace Teams’. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 93-106. Marks, A and Richards, J., 2012. Developing ideas and concepts in teamwork research: Where do we go from here?, Employee Relations, Special issue: Ideas and concepts in teamwork research, vol. 34, no. 3, pp. 228–234. Ryan, S., 2012. When is a team a team? ‘Teamworking’ and the reorganisation of work in commercial cleaning. Employee relations, vol. 34, no. 3, pp. 255-270. Townsend, K., 2007. Who has control in teams without teamworking?. Economic and Industrial Democracy, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 622-649. van den Broek, D., Callaghan, G. and Thompson, P., 2004. Teams without Teamwork? Explaining the Call Centre Paradox. Economic and Industrial Democracy, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 197- 218. Read More