Effective Patterns of Leadership - Essay Example

An effective successful team is characterized by synergy, high performance, and interdependence, enabling each member to participate with heart toward the optimum results for the group. This is the kind of team that consists of members whose individual purpose is aligned to the goals set by the organization. As such, if members support and believe in each other’s worth then they can be expected to arrive at remarkable outcomes and achieve success that, in the process, is observed to have depended on confidence and recognition of unique individual skills. They make an organization with sensible objectives, open and honest communication, and a healthy atmosphere in which people feel free and comfortable in expressing their sentiments for the company. On the other hand, an ineffective and unsuccessful team may be witnessed from a group of people who are greatly focused on gratifying self-interests and are often engaged in unnecessary arguments with one another. Members of such team assert themselves to no avail and exercise ‘crab mentality’ where individual functions and the task of decision-making seem unclear. For instance, in the event that members keep complaining about not meeting personal expectations yet lack the responsibility to follow the leader and contribute to the productivity of the team, there only emerges poor performance with no sense of fulfillment. Sources: AchieveMarketing. “Effective and Successful Teams: Is It Teamwork or Performance that Matters?” HubPages. Retrieved from http://achievemarketing.hubpages.com/hub/Effective-and-Successful-Teams-Is-it-Teamwork-or-Performance-that-Matters on July 9, 2012. Hager, Timothy D. “Effective and Ineffective Team Characteristics.” Enrichment Journal. Retrieved from http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/200304/082_stf04_teamchar_sb.cfm on July 9, 2012. (2) Scenario: Given that I am managing a team of eight members whose major task involves architectural design of a commercial site, I have 4 individuals (group A) assigned to come up with one particular scheme while the other 4 (group B) ought to create an alternative so that our client can decide based on the project design that suits their requirements well. In the process, people consult me for further insights besides their resources and group A consists of members who have tenured as much as my length of stay in the organization, being colleagues who are within my circle of intimate relations. Group B, on the other hand, is composed of members who have just been regularized in the company and compared to group A, they are younger, competitive, more dynamic, and most of all, are highly eager to obtain promotion and pay increase. With the first 2 quarters, the client has consistently expressed satisfaction with the progress report of group B and yet on the third quarter, the client wavers decision between the two designs, rationalizing that they also perceive huge potentials from the work of group A, considering future systems. Both divisions worked hard and persevered creatively in my regular assessment, it is just that while group B delivers optimum results, they rarely share ideas to group A though the latter encourages open communication within the team. Then I am about to evaluate performances per group where only one group is entitled to appraisal and one group to receive award after the site project is through. To resolve my ethical dilemma as a manager, I suppose it would be fair for group B to have the award and for group A to be appraised, thinking that people who are focused on obtaining personal achievements should be rewarded right away whereas those who are greatly concerned about teamwork and are more disposed to keep healthy social relations and behavior within the entire organization must be found deserving of appraisal. Source: “Ethics Dilemmas – Hypothetical Scenarios.” Retrieved from http://www.ccat-ctac.org/downloads/2004_Felter_Juteau_e.pdf on July 9, 2012. (3) Diverse organization, as I see it, pertains to an organization consisting of members of various ethnic backgrounds, religious and political beliefs, economic settings, and cultural views and orientations. Such may typically account for fashion statement and gender preferences as well to constitute an organizational diversity from which significant levels of indifference may emerge to the point that an organization is confronted with a major issue that calls for an expert potential on making team cohesion possible at depth. Three challenges that a manager may face in managing diversity are: (a) language barrier; (b) resistance to change; and (c) diverse workplace policies. A manager can opt for team building activities as frequent as up to the extent that workers become accustomed to each other and thereby establish ease in communicating with every member of the team. To settle any opposition to change, the manager can have each employee to, as much as possible, make ample involvement in formulating and executing diversity initiatives. Finding resolution to implementation of diverse policies, however, may be done by customizing strategies that enable rules and regulations to be flexible yet firm at the same time, across-the-board. Sources: Greenberg, Josh. “Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges, and Solutions.” Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Diversity-in-the-Workplace:-Benefits,-Challenges-and-Solutions&id=11053 on July 9, 2012. Visconti, Luke. “The Top Issues Regarding Diversity in Organizations.” DiversityInc. Retrieved from http://diversityinc.com/ask-the-white-guy/the-top-issues-regarding-diversity-in-organizations/ on July 9, 2102. (4) N/A (5) Common team pitfalls may include polarization, detrimental decision, groupthink, and fragmentation. Personality clashes are a common type of conflict in a business environment as when a soft-spoken team leader misinterprets the manner of a naturally outspoken member for insubordination. Interdependence conflict, equivalently, arises when one person occurs to exhibit excessive dependence on a teammate who, as a consequence, inevitably risks the quality of his/her job. Behaviors that could trigger such conflicts can be any of – micromanaging, inability to admit shortcomings, being dismissive and uncomfortable with change, overreacting, rushing to fix things, using vague language, being dishonest, having unrealistic expectations, and not listening. These behaviors have brought about crises among colleagues in a group according to studies derived from surveys regarding experiences in real corporate places of work. On addressing the problematic behaviors indicated, I think management can function better in promoting cohesion by attendance to seminars or programs that allow employees to participate in creative activities of self-expression through art, speech, or sport for instance. Sources: “Common Team Pitfalls.” IGEOS. Retrieved from http://www.igeos.net/page/common-team-pitfalls.html on July 10, 2012. “Types of Conflict in the Workplace.” Retrieved from http://www.leadership-and-motivation-training.com/types-of-conflict-in-the-workplace.html on July 10, 2012. (6) Every member ought to realize the value of sincere engagement with the following responsibilities: (a) diligent cooperation; (b) participation in the tasks at hand; (c) respect for contributions of others; (d) finding ways to improve quality of work output and relations; and (e) bearing knowledge of important matters such as objectives and methods of the team. In the light of understanding these responsibilities a team member, thus, is expected to be accountable for meeting the goals set by the team and this accountability entails higher degree of concern for the personal growth of other members in relation to the productivity and general progress of the team. If in the event that a leader is found incompetent and unbecoming with respect to his/her designated tasks of supposedly directing team efforts toward the intended ends, a team member with leadership qualities may then take over and fill in the position, guaranteeing to abide by the core values which the organization is identified with. Sources: “Topic 2: Team Member Roles and Responsibilities.” GITT. Retrieved from http://www.gittprogram.org/files/Team_Roles.pdf on July 10, 2012. Baker, Simon. “Responsibilities Within a Team.” Retrieved from http://www.energizedwork.com/weblog/2007/09/responsibilities-within-team on July 10, 2012. (7) As a beginner in leading the Payroll Process, first, I would definitely ask for guidance from an experienced team leader of the same area and gain advice and useful principles in handling the payroll process. Secondly, I am going to confer with the other process team leaders and inquire of the specific roles they play in compensation planning, performance management, employee self-service, as well as in provisions for incentives, rewards, and benefits. This way, I would learn how the process works in each field or department and be able to compare and find the relevance of these process operations with my own. Last and third, I would have myself undergo a thorough training of understanding the nature of work with technology and design project in order that I can better comprehend my reflection of payroll process skills and duties as applied to the needs of the team. (8) Developing teams normally requires measures depending on the foreseen demands and struggles in the course of weaving accomplishments. Some of the helpful tools and techniques that respond to this concern are: -- (a) interpersonal skills; (b) ground rules; and (c) teambuilding activities. Interpersonal skills are necessary in generating successful teams as they foster an atmosphere of positive influence and motivation, leadership, effective communication, healthy mode of negotiation, conflict management, and problem solving. Being able to establish clear expectations at the initial stage of the project is the chief advantage of ground rules in which team members yield the capacity to commit and become highly productive. Through teambuilding activities, individuals have the opportunity to explore the values of sharing and open-mindedness that could further lead to synergistic approach and innovative attitude in each member (from http://www.scribd.com/doc/26860699/150/Tools-and-Techniques-of-Team-Development). Sources: Sanghera, Paul PhD. “90 Days to Success as a Project Manager.” Retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/26860699/150/Tools-and-Techniques-of-Team-Development on July 12, 2012. “Team Building Tools.” Retrieved from http://www.team-building-techniques.com/team-building-tools.html on July 12, 2012. Read More