Managing a Team to Perform Effectively - Essay Example

SUPERVISION MANAGEMENT Leading and managing a team to perform effectively requires consideration and application of various issues and these issues have an immense affect on team performance. If we try to define leadership, it is the ability to bring people together to dedicate themselves to a common goal and leaders are people who get things done in a most effective manner. Team building and vision is the core of leadership. Leadership is about building peak performing teams and leaders are able to effectively communicate and motivate the team to perform the set goals. This paper discusses some of the most important aspects of good leaders and also management strategies for making teams work effectively and successfully to help them achieve their goals. Strategies are important as it will not only help the organization achieve their objectives but also make the new comer in a team feel comfortable and more productive. Edith Penrose (1959) was one of the earliest academics to argue that “what happened inside the firm was just as important as the marketplace outside the firm”. In fact till this concept came out the main focus of economics had been upon the marketplace outside the firm, with a detailed consideration of market demand and supply issues. Penrose argued that the growth of the firm was related to its use of resources, its past history and its evolution over time. He emphasised that the previous history was a key influence on future development. There are several issues that need to be kept in mind while the strategies are formulated. It is essential that different individuals have different potentials and these strategies need to help them bring out their full potential to accomplish the goals of the organization. Supervisors and managers who have the responsibility to lead a group face the challenge of being part of a group while simultaneously leading it. It is very difficult to do well and demands for a mix of skill, hard work, plan, and discretion (Rockall and Gertsch, 2001). The main responsibility is the management of the team: ensuring safety, while providing an experience for the members. Their focus is to work to make the team run easily and work together to ensure the project aims are met. A good leader recognizes that they cannot do everything and they have to involve their team. Many of the leader’s responsibilities can be delegated to members of the team. When managing the team, leaders must continuously assess team members’ needs, potential, and abilities and must consider those factors when allocating tasks. The best leaders are those who unite the needs of the task, the team, and the individual to create a strong team of happy participants, and have tasks completed to a soaring standard. In the absence of active monitoring followed by thoughtful decisions, the integration of the needs of the task, the team and the individual will not occur. Therefore, leaders must keep an eye on progress against the targets, the motivation and the enthusiasm of the team, the appropriateness of individuals for specific jobs, and many other items (Rockall and Gertsch, 2001). Managing the team is about transforming a bunch of individuals into a well-functioning team that works efficiently and effectively toward the same goal(s). This is not an easy task and requires people skills such as public speaking, tact, discretion, decision-making, initiative, even-handedness, a sense of humor, willingness to give feedback, and above all hard work. Leaders will encounter many situations that require them to make decisions that affect the whole team. A few of these situations include personality clashes, poor weather, prejudice, lack of tools, accidents, dietary issues, and risks to health and safety. For example, absenteeism may be a serious problem that needs to be tackled by the leader. Experience is one of the most important aspects that help leaders deal with these situations. Each person has needs, and in order to establish a safe mental environment, leaders must ensure that people’s individual needs are being met (Rockall and Gertsch, 2001). Management relies more on planning, organizational and communications skills. Leadership relies on management skills too, but more so on qualities such as integrity, honesty, humility, courage, commitment, sincerity, passion, confidence, positivity, wisdom, determination, compassion and sensitivity. Besides, it is essential to have a good communication and relationships with the team. This means that if you are leading a large organization you must check that the processes for managing, communicating and developing people are in place and working properly (Chapman, 1995). Effective communication is the most significant element of successful leadership.  Building relationships with the team members at all levels of the organization is the key to a manager’s success and to both personal productivity and organizational effectiveness. When communications are good, information flows smoothly, delivering clear messages that people can easily understand and act on. When it is not, confusion leads to misunderstanding, inaction or wrong actions. It is also necessary to take disciplinary action in case of failure to follow the instructions given. For example, if an employee is persistently late, it is important to initiate formal disciplinary action by giving the employee a first written warning and still if it is continued the dismissal procedure may be necessary. Communication is the most important aspect in this case. If proper communication is absent then it can be a serious problem. The supervisors need to organize training and orientation programs at a regular interval for the team. This will help to motivate, rejuvenate or energize the team for achieving the set goals. The training of the team is regarded as vital to the successful accomplishment of any mission. It is necessary and desirable that the team’s self-development efforts be supplemented with programs that will help the development of skills, knowledge, and abilities which will enhance the performance of official duties and to develop an effective work force for existing and future needs. The development and implementation of a systematic, planned survey of short and long-range training needs should be completed at regular intervals. It is also essential for a regular appraisal based on the performance. This has to be done in a systematic format that include the name of the employee, dates specifying the time interval over which the employee is being evaluated, performance dimensions (include responsibilities from the job description, any assigned goals from the strategic plan, along with needed skills, such as communications, administration, etc.), a rating system (e.g., poor, average, good, excellent), space for commentary for each dimension, a final section for overall commentary, a final section for action plans to address improvements, and lines for signatures of the supervisor and employee (McNamara, 1997). Another important issue that the supervisors and the management face is resolving conflicts in the team. Resolving conflict can be mentally exhausting and emotionally draining. But it is important to realize that conflict that requires resolution is neither good nor bad. There can be positive and negative outcomes. It can be destructive but can also play a productive role personally and for the relationships-both personal and professional. The important point is to manage the conflict, not to suppress conflict and not to let conflict escalate out of control. Many of us seek to avoid conflict when it arises but there are many times when we should use conflict as a critical aspect of creativity and motivation. Given that organizations are becoming less hierarchical, less based on positional authority, less based on clear boundaries of responsibility and authority, it is likely that conflict will be an even greater component of organizations in the future. Studies have shown that negotiation skills are among the most significant determinants of career success. While negotiation is an art form to some degree, there are specific techniques that anyone can learn. Understanding these techniques and developing the skills will be a critical component of career success and personal success (Wertheim, N.D.). For most people procrastinate to some degree is common - but some are so chronically affected by procrastination that it disrupts their careers and thwarts even their best efforts. The key to controlling and ultimately combating this destructive habit is to understand how and why it happens and to take a few simple steps to better manage time and outcomes. Whatever the reason behind procrastination, it must be recognized, dealt with and controlled before any one miss opportunities or their career is derailed. Part of the solution is to develop good organizational and personal effectiveness habits. This helps to establish the right priorities, and manage time in such a way to make the most of the opportunities. To do this, it is imperative to understand the difference between urgency and importance. With proper planning and some self-discipline, many urgent matters disappear altogether or, when they do surface, planning and discipline makes them less urgent and easier to deal with (mindtools.com, 1995). Finally, working in a climate of change is difficult for leaders but it is more difficult when there is constant reaction and disagreement about fundamental direction. Being successful a managerial level demands learning and updating with new skills. Today in every company special training programs are conducted to improve the leadership qualities among the managers and the staff. This paper has highlighted a few of the aspects required for best practices and supervisory responsibilities. The application of strategic management concepts and processes mainly in the hospitality industry such as tourism has provided an organized framework to look at their financial conditions, understand the strengths and weaknesses, identify the development problems and strategic issues, and develop action plans to implement their development programs that can result in effective and efficient management. The emphasis on strategic management also helps organizations to adopt an organized approach to all-round development, which includes such benefits as being proactive, improving coordination, and promoting a balanced and long-term development. It is essential that in today’s world of competition especially in the hospitality industry, the organizations have individual strategic management programs. This is the only way that any organization can survive in a long run and the management can be most effective. References Chapman, A. (1995). Leadership. [Online] Available from: [Accessed 23 August 2008]. McNamara, C. (1997). Free Basic Guide to Leadership and Supervision. [Online] Available from: [Accessed 23 August 2008]. mindtools.com, Beating Procrastination- Manage your time. Get it all done. Mind Tools Ltd, 1995-2008, [Online] Available from: [Accessed 24 August 2008]. Penrose, E. (1959) The Theory of the Growth of the Firm, Basil Blackwell, Oxford. Rockall, A. and Gertsch, F. (2001) Leadership Basics: A Guide to Leading Groups of Volunteers, [Online] Federation of Ontario Naturalists, Available from: [Accessed 24 August 2008]. Wertheim, E. (N.D.) Negotiations and Resolving Conflicts: An Overview. [Online] Available from: [Accessed 23 August 2008]. Read More