Management of Self-Managed Teams - Coursework Example

Management of Self-Managed Teams Name Course Lecturer Date Management Individual Report Executive Summary In the medium sized company I work in, there are one hundred and sixty employees. Out of these employees, the number of production staff is one hundred and thirty five. Sales staff on the other hand total up to fifteen, while the staff in the administrative and accounts department are twelve in total. Five senior managers with three trainers manage the company. The privately owned company has gone through several transitions since it was founded thirty years ago. The decision making process in the company is a role which is traditionally reserved for the managers. Lately, the managers have been worried about the impacts of the leadership style in the company’s performance. Introduction On considering the effects of the autocratic style of leadership being executed in the company by the managers, one of the senior managers has thought about it and would wish to know the possibility of bringing a change in the leadership style. The manager wants to see if change could arise from self-managed teams. The following discussion therefore highlights several aspects of the self-managed teams. a. Benefits of self-managing teams In business, benefits of establishing self-managing teams are beyond measure. The self-managing teams in this case, are defined as a stable group of workers who, through a single union, bear the responsibility for the complete process involving the production of products and services through to the eventual delivery of the same to both the external and the internal clients. My understanding on the self-managing teams is that though it may present the managers with some hurdles during the establishment process, their productivity once they have started going is amazingly great. Consequently, the benefits arise from what the people get by belonging to the teams. Firstly, the team ensures perfect development of enthusiasm and motivation among the team members. In this case, new, brilliant ideas, which gear up the performance of the group would be easily innovated by the teams. At the same time, the team members will invest their concerted efforts in seeing the ideas brought forward get implemented (Ripley and Ripley, 1993). Secondly, the degree of collaboration likely to arise from the self-managed teams is encouragingly high. Along with the collaboration, the self-managed teams always strive to manage and drive itself with the aim of shining as the best performing team. This is because, as work progresses, the trust among the team members builds up alongside. With this trust, the team can easily wade through the waves of challenges on the way to their success Thirdly, the self-managed teams will always focus on excellence in performance. In this case, it will be beneficial to establish a self-managed team in a company since it will be a potential instrument of making the company competitive against other related companies. Besides, teamwork is a pillar that any self-managed team supports itself. Considering the possible advantages that the company will have by embracing teamwork, it is clear that the benefits of self-managed teams are not measurable (Manz and Sims, 1995). Lastly, an established self-managed team is one in which the team members value their strong commitment to the personal responsibility in the company. Apart from this, another outstanding feature of the people in these teams is the skills development. By combining these qualities, therefore, success will inevitably come in the company. b. Possible risks in implementing teams Apart from having the wonderful benefits as outlined above, the implementation of Self-managed teams does not come easily without posing potential risks. If preparation of the self-managed teams is not given the attention and the care it deserves, the resulting structure of employees may jeopardize the entire business. In the preparation, the self-managed teams need adequate training on how they will pick up the new paradigm and work to realize the goals of the company. It is risky to place an inadequately prepared team in the management of the company’s activities. What will result from this mistake is total chaos and frustration. This is because, in most cases, the employees may have gotten used to the former management strategy whereby they work under supervisors. The chaos and frustration will therefore, be a great risk for the company. Consequently, the company’s operations may end up being paralyzed by the move. Without adequate training and transition, therefore, the company will be risking indulging into losses (Ripley and Ripley, 1993). The improper timing of training will also make the implementation of the self-managed teams cumbersome, if not impossible. In this respect, the managers will be risking if they fail to offer the teams the appropriate training during the team’s initial stages of formation. Apart from training during this stage, the team will, in order to be effective, requires constant training especially when it is handling a situation, which has become hard to tackle. In other words, the self-managed teams require a brilliant start as well as a smooth progress. The reverse of this leads to a significant risk in bringing down the company’s objectives. Another drawback of self-managed teams their establishment in improper situations. For instance, a company whose employees have no problem with the existing leadership style will play the wrong cards if it decides to try the new style of self-managed teams. This means that the implementation of self-managed teams only suit a company with good reasons to do it. In this case, it is upon receiving complaints from the employees expressing their dissatisfaction with the existing management style, that the company may be in a proper position to give the employees the chance to be lead by the coaches. In addition, without good leadership and support in terms of motivation, moral support, and value for teamwork, the implementation of self-managed teams will risk collapsing. Besides, if the formation process of the self-managed teams is not given the prudence it deserves, especially in terms of the selection of team members, the composition of the team, the continued presence of the team and the latitude of the matters to be handled, the implementation plan will be at risk. Sometimes also, several companies, concerning the results they get from the self-managing teams have expressed disappointments. Again, to some employees, they have a feeling of their future employment being threatened by the establishment of the self-managing teams. In this case, it is most likely to lose such employees out of the fear they have on the teams (Manz and Sims, 1995). Furthermore, the other obstacles that slow down and even stop the implementation of the self-managing teams are the higher rates of absenteeism realized when the teams are in place. In this case, it is believed that on being grouped into teams, most of the team members make the assumption that since the work is collective; their absence will not stop the progress of the duties to the company. As many employees think in this angle, the fruits of implementing the self-managed teams will never be realized (Levi, 2010). Lastly, the team leaders may jeopardize implementation of the self-managed teams. If the coaches are not in a position to bring the mood of the team members together so that they can develop and use their capabilities in bringing success to the company, it will be hard to implement the management style. The team leader has to manage this by involving the group members in questions, discussions, and explanations on the strategies of boosting the team’s level of thinking. c. An outline of an effective ‘front line managers’ skills in managing a team An effective front line manager has extensive obligations to understand in order to manage the team effectively. One of these obligations is the understanding of the different aspects falling within management and leadership. Herein, proper time management through the establishment of clear objectives, the proper setting up of priorities and the proper scheduling of time has importance. Besides, the manager has to, under management and leadership, identify the core management skills, which include responsibility, authority and accountability. Lastly, the manager has to understand well and apply both the managerial styles concept and the leadership theories to be able to exercise the recommended skills regarding effective leadership (Carr, 1995). Secondly, an effective front line manager must, in order to manage the self-managed teams prudently, select the teams well. This ability will call for the manager to have experience in human resource development and planning. The experience will consequently allow the manager to employ the methods of job analysis that are geared towards the right outputs. Besides, the experience will enable the manager to be in a position of formulating job descriptions as well as preparing personal specifications. Human resource experience will also make the manager be in a position to create an enabling and a regulatory environment for human resourcing in the company. Along with this, experience will enable the manager to employ appropriate management systems and suitable recruitment criteria HYPERLINK "http://www.google.co.ke/search?hl=en&tbo=p&tbm=bks&q=inauthor:%22Rebecca+J.+Kraft%22&source=gbs_metadata_r&cad=4"(HYPERLINK "http://www.google.co.ke/search?hl=en&tbo=p&tbm=bks&q=inauthor:%22Rebecca+J.+Kraft%22&source=gbs_metadata_r&cad=4"Kraft, 1998). Thirdly, the manager will be in a proper position of managing the team if he or she acquires the skill of managing communications within the company. Under communication management, the manager must be able to break the communication barriers existing in the company. Apart from doing this, he or she must also streamline both the team based and the personal communication in the company. Further more, proper communication management will require that the manager encourage the team members to be free in asking questions, listening actively and developing assertive skills, the manager must also be in a position of understanding the communication dynamics so as to respond to the different challenges related to the communication breakdown in the company. Lastly, the manager must be a person who encourages employees to learn to construct and deliver effective presentations of ideas (Armstrong, 2008). The last skill for the front line manager to be highlighted in this discussion is the ability to make use of the findings from the case study, especially in terms of identifying the important management problems. Consequently, after identifying these problems, the manager has to be in the position of applying the experience and knowledge he has acquired in looking for the appropriate solutions to the problems identified in the case study. Besides, the manager has to be able to analyze the case properly in order to be in the position of applying such strategies as problem solving, team building, and communication in addressing the problems presented by the case. In the same note, the manager must demonstrate analytic ability, with also the readiness to present the findings from the case study to the practitioners, program team, and colleagues (Hicks et al. 1990). d. An understanding of how a front line manager could motivate a team The front line manager can be in a position to motivate the team by championing for group formation, formulation of guiding norms and ethics and strengthening of the bond or cohesiveness existing between the group members. The manager will also motivate the team by understanding the bridging difference existing between the teams or the groups. Lastly, the manager will achieve the motivation by ensuring that the team members are fully satisfied in their jobs ( Leigh and Maynard 2002). Conclusion In conclusion, the report highlights the different benefits as well as the drawbacks of employing the management paradigm of Self-managed teams in a company. The benefits will only arise upon proper implementation of the leadership style of self- managed teams. The implementation on the other hand does not come easily, and if the company does not manage implementing well, several drawbacks will arise. Therefore, the front-line managers are expected to apply the different skills as outlined in the discussion in order to achieve success. References: Armstrong M. (2008). How to be an even better manager: a complete A-Z of proven techniques & essential skills New York, NY: Kogan Page Publishers. Carr C. (1995).The new manager's survival manual New York, NY: New York, NY:John Wiley and Sons. Hicks R., Hicks F. and Bone D.(1990). Self managing teams: a guide for creating and maintaining self-managed work groups. New York, NY: Crisp Publications. Kraft R. (1998).Utilizing self-managing teams: effective behavior of team leaders. New Leigh A.and Maynard M. (2002).Leading your team: how to involve and inspire teams New York, NY: Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Levi D.(2010). Group Dynamics for Teams.Cambridge, Camb: SAGE. New York, NY: Garland Pub. Manz C. and Sims H. (1995). Business without bosses: how self-managing teams are building high-performing companies. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons. Ripley R. and Ripley M. (1993).Self-Managing Teams: Understanding Your Role As a Member Or a Leader. New York, NY: Carefree Pr. Read More