Developing an effective top team
Gone are the days of the superhuman Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Contrary to the contemporary business practice, some decades ago the Chief Executive Officer was the single most important determining factor of the success or otherwise of the organization (Zizhi et al 2012). He was the chef decision maker and the authority that oversaw implementation of such decisions. He oversaw all the operations and activities taking place in the organization. In a nutshell, the chief executive officer was the final authority within the organization. At that time, the CEO was seen as being high above the laws and regulations of the organization. On the contrary, contemporary business practice does not have space for such a heroic being in the organization. The iconic manager has been replaced by effective and efficient teams. These are teams that are found at all levels of management are more effective than the single handed approach of the traditional manager. The teams come up with quality decisions and cooperate in pooling of efforts. This yields efficiency and reaps maximum benefit. The concept of building effective teams is discussed herein with specific concentration on the impact teams can have on the performance of the organization as well as the challenges encountered by managers in the contemporary global markets.
Teamwork is inevitable in the current state of affairs in the competitive corporate world (Mota & Adiel 2012). This is fundamentally because the ideas of a team typically outweigh the thoughts and judgments of a single individual. Developing an effective top team calls for much effort considering the fact that group dynamics are not easy to manage. The psychological aspects of a team are usually very complicated and managing the heterogeneous viewpoints of the team members is not an easy thing to do. This means that the process of developing effective top teams should be handled with so much care and caution as the team is likely to affect the overall performance of the organization. Poorly managed teams do not work in the positive direction of the organization but rather in the negative sense as poorly managed teams come with more inefficiencies than the ideas of a single individual.
Core to the success of the process of team development is the idea of orientation and induction. This is the process of ensuring that all the group members are well versed with the organizational processes and cultural background (Mota & Adiel 2012). Proper understanding of the systems and structures of the organization pays a key role in ensuring that the team members are working towards a goal and objective that they understand. Developing effective top teams is a procedural process and follows the following steps. The first stair is the formation of a team charter. This charter outlines the goals, as well as objectives of the group. It as well lists the rules and standards governing the membership. The second step is the generation of feedback. This is the process of trying to obtain the views and propositions of each and every member. Feedback explains satisfaction and dissatisfaction.
The third step is articulation of the vision. This is the process of making the vision to be part of the individual objectives of the group members (Zizhi et al 2012). The next step of the process is managing conflicts. Conflicts, both constructive and negative, should be well controlled for the betterment of the overall performance. The next step entails outlining group functions and tasks. This is the process of assigning roles to the various group members. The second last step is the development of group members. This can be achieved through training and retraining as well as vocational training. The final step of this process is collaboration and cooperation. This is the establishing of coordinated effort among the workforce.
The challenges facing organizational managers in the contemporary market place
One of the most serious issues that the leaders in organizations face is the problem of effective communication. In the contemporary business world where everything is going global, communication becomes a significant problem because of the different languages used in different regions (Zizhi et al 2012). The second problem is the difficulty in outsourcing. Outsourcing is the idea of obtaining resources, especially human resources from outside the organization. This process may be a difficult one especially when the firm is a subsidiary in a foreign country. Cultural sensitivities are yet another challenge. When a firm starts operating in a foreign land, shaping the activities and products of the company to suit the cultural aspects of the area is a process that calls for restructuring of the organization. Cultural sensitivities are also associated with moral dilemmas.
Consultants can help the top management in dealing with these challenges through the technological restructuring of the organizations by branch network (Mota & Adiel 2012). The consultants can as well advise the company on how to go about the current trends such as e-commerce. They can introduce such concepts as search engine optimization and digital advertising. Consultants can help the company handle these challenges through assisting then establish effective communication links. This may mean the organization restructuring its communication system as well as creating a workable rapport with the governments of the foreign markets. Such services as planning market discrimination and tax reduction strategies can be offered by the consultants.
Potential consultancy engagement within IT Industry
A consultancy engagement is the relationship between a firm of consultants and an organization. Typically, consultants are people whose proficiency in a particular field is above reproach (Zizhi et al 2012). This is why for instance we have tax consultants, legal consultancy services and the like. One such engagement is the involvement with Information and technology firm may be the use of the services of an audit and accounting consultancy group to evaluate the status of the firm’s human resource. Such firms offer consultation services to organizations in the contemporary business world where every aspect of business is going online, thanks to the coming of e-commerce. A potential engagement within the IT industry is the installation of an effective enterprise resource planning system and total overhaul of the internal information and communication department and systems.
The first step of such an engagement is developing a backup system. The backup system is a way of preventing the current data of the client from getting lost. Such data is stored in backup systems that will allow re-installment of the data and retrieval of the information (Zizhi et al 2012). The second step is the joint discussions on the recommendations concerning the strategy to be adopted in establishing the back up. Such discussions are held between the consultation group and management of the organization considering the engagement. The views of management are compared to those of the experts. The experts are capable of correcting the weaknesses in the views held by the management team. The services of the audit consultant are needed here. The auditor verifies the competence and certification of the It personnel to ensure appropriate decisions are made.
The next step of the engagement is the commencing of the authentic work. Certainly, at this stage of the engagement, the experts doctor the systems of the organizations to suit the needs and desires of the shareholders of the firm. This stage of the engagement entails substantial reconstruction and advanced configuration of the processes and procedures of the bureaucracies involved in the firm (Kaslow 2004). The consultants take over the running the firm for various time so as to establish the areas of weakness that are capable of reducing efficiency of the organizations. It is worth noting that the scope of the work to be covered by the consultants is outlined in the engagement letter. This is the letter drafted before the commencement of the contract.
The experts or consultants are supposed, as part of the engagement, to give recommendations on how to strengthen the human resource function of the firm. Strengthening the IT process of the firm will have an immense impact on the recital of the firm since almost all functions of the organization in the contemporary world are linked to information and technology. For instance, the marketing function of the firm is currently, almost totally, an online affair. Similarly, communication and management of databases and applications such as the Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) are fully reliant on the effectiveness of the information and technology of the organization. Outsourcing the services of an auditor, who will verify that the HRIS is well managed and used in the elimination of professional malpractice, is very essential. The auditing consultants use employee records such as pay slips and employment contracts to ensure there are no such things as ghost workers. In relation to the HRIS the auditor is concerned with elimination of possible manipulation of the system instructions.
In my view, the skills and competencies that should be possessed by the consultation team may include such things as interpersonal skills. Consultation is valueless if there is no effective communication. The essence of consulting is to get the professional advice and information from the experts. It is only where the interpersonal skills of the expert are good that the skills can effectively be transferred from the source to the recipient. It is important therefore that the team members posses such skills. The skill level of the personnel the firm is not really verifiable through auditing processes but the audit consultant can use such evaluations as the review of the internal control system to ensure that the communication system is up to date and that the client worker interface is effective and that it ensures effective communication.
I would also recommend a team with enhanced practical skills. Practical skills are the skills that are applicable in the real situation. These are the direct opposite of the theoretical knowledge. They can actually be interpreted as the actualization of relevant theory. These are the most important skills as they are the determinants of effectiveness and efficiency in the systems (Mota & Adiel 2012). The experts should possess a vast knowledge of information technology and such relevant disciplines as programming. They should have a verifiable track record. This will enhance the organizations confidence in the experts. The experts should possess up to date technologies that should be able to give the client organization competitive advantage. The services of the auditing consultant will help verify the authenticity of the evidences of past performance. The auditors can do this in a number of ways including corroboration procedures involving third parties.
Demonstration of the project plan
In developing a project plan as the leader of the consultation group within the It industry explained above, I would observe the fundamental steps of project planning. Such steps should be adhered to strictly and executed in chronological order. As a matter of fact, there are various components of project plan that should be put into consideration by the consultancy and management team in developing it. These components are incorporated into initiate, plan, execute, monitor and control, as well as close processes. The components and processes depend on the type of organization in which the plan is being developed. The project plan that is developed should focus beyond project schedule. In the project plan it is critical to adhere to components such as responsibilities and roles, budget and resources, monitoring, and quality assurance. All these relate to the efficiency of the human resources. The auditors can evaluate the functions of the personnel department such as budgeting. The services of the auditor are quite crucial in such matters as budgeting since a function of financial nature is usually prone to fraud and malicious manipulation. I would therefore go by the procedure as follows:
Project organization
Organizing the project entails the breaking down of the project in to a number of content areas (Radcliffe 2010). I would divide the project in to many manageable parts to ensure proper administration. Each of these parts should be led by an expert. The jobs will be assigned to the various experts on the basis of professional competence and practical experience. The parts will be organized and assigned a considerable period of time. This is the initial stage, and I would make sure all team members participate effectively. The external auditor will verify the role-play of the respective experts through the verification of daily reports generated by such experts.
Projects measurements
This entails the setting of standards against which the actual project will be evaluated. This will basically entail the setting up of controls and goals of the project that is aimed at the total change of the technological face of the firm (Kaslow 2004). In setting goals and measurements of the firm, my team and I would take in to consideration the needs and desires of the stakeholders and supervision of the company. Perhaps, the shareholders and management of the corporation are the stewards of the desires of all the stakeholders of an organization. This means that in making the overhaul, I would widely consult with the stewards of the organization. As an expert, I would as well offer professional advice relating to the project.
Project objectives
Basically, this step entails the setting of goals that should have been achieved by the end of the project. In setting up such goals, I would closely study the mission, vision and objectives of the organization so as to make certain the project objectives and goals are in line with the overall mission of the organization. The project that is IT based is part of the mission and undertaking of the organization as it concerns itself with the way in which a vision is to be achieved. The goals and objectives that I would set would be realistic. This implies that the goals should not appear like wishful thinking but rather as reasonable aims. I would as well ensure that the goals and objectives that I put in place for the project are achievable. The goals should be of such nature that they can be achieved without overstretching the resource that I have to work with. I would further ensure that the goals are specific. Setting ambiguous goals may be detrimental to the achievability of such objectives (Radcliffe 2010). They should remain specific to the project for relevance. The goals should as well be time-bound. This is to say that the goals should be applicable to the time outline within which the scheme should have matured.
Deployment
This is the process of assigning the various resources particular duties and locations. The deployment process entails the dispatching of the capital and human resources to the particular locations from where the tasks are to be carried out. The process of dispatching the resources should be subject to a thorough audit procedure by the consultant auditor. The auditor should as well make sure that the human resources are deployed objectively and that skill has been observed is such deployments.
Effect project execution
Project execution entails the effective use of a detailed scope. The scope of the project is basically the extent to which the experts will involve themselves. The scope is usually mentioned in the reply of the organization to the experts’ engagement later. The detailed scope will heavily impact on the chances of project success.
Time management is a key consideration that should be give prominence. The time frame within which the project should be installed and run should be specific. The team members should not embrace laxity at any point in time. To ensure they do not relax, time bound targets are set. The aspect of proper time management calls for the cooperation of the management. As such, I would advise the management to advice the employees to give maximum cooperation. It is through such cooperation that time wastage can be minimized.
Cost management is one of the issues that I would give maximum considerations. The monetary costs associated with the project from beginning to end should be recorded and subjected to a thorough audit. The audit is to eliminate all inconsistencies and chances of fraud and manipulation. Along with the monetary aspect, the quality aspects should be evaluated. In my project, I would employ total quality management. Total quality management is a concept that emphasizes zero error and continuous improvement (Radcliffe 2010). Finally, I would employ safety and risk management skills in ensuring effective evaluation of the project.
Reference list
Zizhi Xu; Jinpeng Liu; Xin Lu. 2012. Study on the Whole Process Risk Management System of Power Grid Construction Projects. Asian Social Science. Vol. 8 Issue 8, p69-73.
Mota, Caroline; Almeida, Adiel. 2012. A multi-criteria decision model for assigning priority classes to activities in project management. Annals of Operations Research. Vol. 199 Issue 1, p361-372.
Radcliffe, Sarah. 2010. Non-rational aspects of the competition state - the case of policy consultancy in Australia. Policy Studies. Vol. 31 Issue 1, p117-128.
Kaslow, Florence. 2004. Consultation with the Z Family's Technology Business: A Weekend Retreat. Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal. Vol. 26 Issue 3, p231-240.
