Teamwork for Effective Organizations - Assignment Example

Teamwork for Effective Organizations Introduction Managers and employees need a thorough understanding of the nature of teamwork that enhances service quality to customers. Managing teams is one of the biggest challenges that organizations face. Poorly made decisions may tear apart the connections between the management and the employees. For instance, some team members may perceive management’s or leadership’s plans to restructure as a disparagement of their performance and efforts (Cilliers, 2006, p. 33). A detailed comprehension of structure and status issues is imperative to improving people’s ability to manage and work in teams. As many organizational decisions, such as determination of the key roles such as leadership, as well as other factors of team structure, are often determined by the organization and therefore out of control of team members (Tosi, Mero, & Rizzo, 2000, p. 233), there is need to have a crisp understanding of team behaviour so as to have effective teamwork. This there are a number of models that explain the elements of team structure, the psychological processes involved and team behaviour, this paper addresses two models: the Tjosvold Model and Benton's Psychology Model. Tjosvold Model Tjosvold (1991) (as cited by Wankel and DeFillippi, 2004, p. 236) applied the theory of cooperation and competition and its research to develop a general model of team effectiveness. The team organization model incorporates the conditions and processes that contribute to effective cooperative teamwork. Tjosvold (1991) further notes that the terms 'envision,’ ‘unite,’ ‘empower,’ ‘explore’ and ‘reflect’ are mutually reinforcing steps to an effective group. Employees and managers are committed to their vision as stipulated by the organization. People know how their own efforts fit into the objectives of their departments and the goals of the company. In particular, team vision offers a common direction for team members and helps them have the belief that their goals are cooperative rather than independent or competitive. According to the team organization model, cooperative group members feel more capable and able to use each other’s abilities and resources to attain their goals. They feel powerful and confident that they have the technical skills and interpersonal abilities required to accomplish their tasks. As such, they can be able to better combine their resources to fulfil their set goals. Such group members explore problems by exchanging information and discussing opposing views openly with a view to delve into issues and come up with solutions. They are also prepared and willing to integrate their dissimilar views to highlight and solve problems. As such, they use their experiences and conflicts to learn, reflect and to adjust so as to keep on working together and move towards their vision. Further, they reflect on their experiences and learn to celebrate the progress they gain while learning from the mistakes they make. The team organization model applies to all forms of groups; from the small groups in an organization to the organization as a whole (Wankel and DeFillippi, 2004, 236). In order to understand the key aspects of the team organization model, the fives issues mentioned earlier (envision, unite, empower, explore and reflect) are revisited. Envision For effective teams, leaders must refuse to be bogged down by the need to perform mundane tasks and respond to short-term crises. They rise above this by challenging the status quo and setting a platform for more productive and fulfilling ways for teams to work together. This is because of knowledge of the fact that working as a team will benefit them and the company. The team organization is thus rational, sensible and visionary. But for this to happen, leaders must shrug off obsolete notions about teamwork and leadership and consider the current knowledge and leadership. In addition, they must articulate their understanding and belief in team organization and assist their employees to learn and appreciate the significance of teamwork (Tjosvold & Tjosvold, 1991, p. 5). Unite The team organization model recognizes the need for leaders to inspire a shared conviction about the value of teamwork and the need to invest in developing the team organization. They must work intimately with their team members to see the shared rewards generated by working as a team. Importantly, leaders have to show how a team organization enhances innovation, increases profits, and benefits shareholders, which in turn makes the work environment more secure and prestigious. The Tjosvold Model stresses that team work does not suppress people but rather helps them to express their individuality (Tjosvold & Tjosvold, 1991, p. 5-6). Empower Effective team leaders deliver in all manner of groups. When working with individuals and groups, they demonstrate that they are taking risks, implementing new ways of working, and modelling the new way. While working with groups, they emphasise that everyone should be learning and sharpening their skills in leadership, working in teams, as well as managing conflict. They also support training and development programmes for individuals and groups. In essence, the point here is that team organization is only successful if individual members are convinced of the value of their contributions to the team (Lashley, 2001, p. 91; Tjosvold & Tjosvold, 1991, p. 6) Explore People may have opposing views about the many decisions required in creating a team organization. However, discussing these issues openly and directly enables them to explore the issues more deeply and with a more open mind. This leads to solutions that are more useful and practical (Locke, 2000, p. 207). Reflection Reflection is meant to link practice to theory. Through reflection, team members can also practice evaluation, hence find ways of improvement. Through this, they also develop more collaborative learning culture within the organization (Gould & Baldwin, 2004, p. 61). The team organization model thus shows how working as a team in all circles across an organization promotes value and serves customers. This in turn leads to the creation and maintenance of a competitive advantage in the global marketplace. Teams work effectively when they are provided with ideas for productive joint work and when the principles of teamwork are tailored to fit into circumstances (Tjosvold, 1992, p. 11). Benton's Psychology Model Benton's Psychology Model highlights the elements of organizational effectiveness which include perception and personal reality, team ship, conflict resolution, decision making and competence. Perception and personal reality implies personal behavioural preferences. In teamwork, these have to be understood in order to appreciate the role everyone plays in the team. Team ship is about a synergetic integration of types, meaning that roles have to be defined and the synergic relationship of the members will determine their effectiveness. This also involves resolution of conflicts to avert causes of slow progress (Bos, 2008, p. 238). Decision making is one vital yet challenging aspect of teamwork. Effective team members learn to utilise the different views of other members while avoiding groupthink. This leads to competence, which is the essence of any organizational team. Competence can generally be attained if all the aforementioned factors are put into consideration. This means that the behavioural preferences of team members are put into consideration, conflicts are resolved and the different skills and behaviours of members are put into use in accordance with their appropriateness. The elements of Benton's Psychology Model are highlighted in figure 1. Figure 1: The Business Psychology Model (Bpsy) Source: Bos, 2008, p. 238 The model in figure 1 illustrates an integrated approach to utilising the essential behavioural components of individual preference as a way of improving performance within an organization. In order to enhance the effectiveness of teams, it is important to work on the components of the business psychology model. For instance, management should improve procedures for handling materials and identifying potential areas for improvement in future. In addition, there is need to develop initiatives that promote team working such as greater flexibility, awareness of team responsibilities and more effective team working (Stewart, McGoldrick & Watson, 2001, p. 157). When effectively addressed, the components of Benton's Psychology Model enhance organizational effectiveness because areas such as interpersonal and interdepartmental relations are improved. Teams thus improve as a result of utilizing the elements of behaviour that lead to among other things, better communication that enhances interpersonal relations. Importantly, individuals demonstrate improved commitment and motivations, which are a prerequisite for effective team coordination and organization. According to Robbins (Robbins, 2009, p. 249), members of effective teams trust each other and also exhibit trust in their leader. It is therefore imperative to work on team behaviour to ensure that it leads to trust. Further, interpersonal trust among team members fosters cooperation, reduces the need to monitor each other’s behaviour, and bonds members around the conviction that others in the team will not take advantage of them. Members of teams, for instance, are more likely to take risks and expose vulnerabilities when they are certain that they can trust others within their teams (Robbins, 2009, p. 250). It is this open-mindedness that eventually leads to team and hence organizational success. Trust is also the foundation of successful leadership (Robbins, 2009, p. 250). If teams are characterised by trust in other members and the leaders, they are likely to be charismatic and more willing to take challenges, which is significant for achieving the organization’s set goals. References Bos, L. 2008, Medical and Care Compunetics 5, IOS Press, New York. Cilliers, F. 2006, “Leader and team behaviour during organisational change: A systems psychodynamic stance,” SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, Vol. 32, No. 1, pp. 33-41. Earley, P. C. & Gibson, C. B. 2002, Multinational Work Teams: A New Perspective, Routledge, New York. Gould. N. & Baldwin, M. 2004, Social Work, Critical Reflection, and the Learning Organization, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., London. Lashley, C. 2001, Empowerment: HR Strategies for Service Excellence (2nd edition), Butterworth-Heinemann, London. Locke, E. A. 2000, The Blackwell Handbook of Principles of Organizational Behaviour, Wiley-Blackwell, New York. Robbins, S. P. 2009, Organisational Behaviour: Global and Southern African Perspectives (2nd edition), Pearson South Africa, Johannesburg. Stewart, J., McGoldrick, J. & Watson, S. 2001, Understanding Human Resource Development: A Research-Based Approach, Routledge, New York. Tjosvold, D. & Tjosvold, M.M. 1991, Leading the Team Organization: How to Create an Enduring Competitive Advantage, Lexington Books. Tjosvold, D. 1992, Team Organization: An Enduring Competitive Advantage, John Wiley & Sons, New York. Tosi, H. L., Mero, N. P. & Rizzo, J.R. 2000, Managing Organizational Behaviour (4th edition), Wiley-Blackwell, New York. Wankel, C. & DeFillippi, B. 2004, The Cutting Edge of International Management Education, IAP, New York. Read More