Leadership and Group Structure Methods - Essay Example

While a leader is not the only aspect of an effective team, a leader cannot be apathetic leaving the team without a path to follow or an example, but rather a leader must provide an environment in which members can work and grow.

            There is a distinct difference between a team leader and a team manager. A leader gives direction to the time and, at times, plays a spokesperson to represent the team and their actions. The leader can play as a moderator between members and keep operations running smooth, whereas a manager allocates resources and watches over the team. While a leader is more personal with the team and keeps it working, a manager watches over the team and all others involved in the ultimate structure of which the team is a part.

            Group practices in the 1970s and 1980s were based on a naïve notion that if a group was confronted with a problem, the group mentality would solve it. However, while people accepted they were part of a functioning group, they would not act in a way that would benefit a company because a group does not do away with the human factor. This was not the only self-destructive business practice. In the 1930s, managers who felt that workers, such as those on the production line, were prone to cause major accidents would suggest them to be watched closely and be treated in a fashion which suggested they could not be trusted. Managers would subconsciously relay this information, letting workers know they were not being trusted and would act in such away. These instances were labeled as self-fulfilling prophecies, where proof is the result of someone knowing they are the victim of an assumption.

            Self-fulfilling prophecies are the result of non-verbal communication, which people are becoming more observant to every day. By acting in certain ways or giving off hints about a feeling, people are able to relay a message without being direct and this is the backbone of self-fulfilling prophecies. These instances are not always negative, if a manager feels that a project will be successful, workers will most likely catch wind of this feeling and will be motivated because they are aware the manager has confidence in their success. While most of these instances are based on sub-conscious situations, managers and other executives can use them to increase productivity or morale.            

            Group structure methods, with a leader overseeing the team personally and a manager overseeing the entire operation, and self-fulfilling prophecies are based on human nature. Business practices notice and utilize such areas of human actions. Using non-verbal communication can lead a team to perform a certain task without letting them know a certain outcome is expected or assumed, without direct communication which can lead to the more effective execution of what is desired. Many of these practices are naïve and assume human nature will work in the favor of the orchestrator, but many times the subconscious actions determine more than the conscious.