Team and group based organization behavior
The organizational behavior in many institutions is changing from modular to team based organization. Team based organization usually calls for the grouping of employees into units usually according to the professional qualifications and occupational expectations (Robbins, 2006). Groups on the other hand comprise of professionals who share information and helps improve their individual performance. Groups do not allow joint operation towards a common goal. In our paper, we will deal exclusively with teams since the only advantage of groups over teams is only the ability of personal recognition which is almost absent in team organization (Robbins, 2006).
Several advantages are attributed to team based organization. One of the advantages is the complete representation of the employees since each unit is headed by a foreperson who is responsible for unit representation in matters pertaining to employees from there unit (Robbins, 2006).
The other advantage of team based organization is the ease of management and communication. Since communication is one of the chief pillars in any organization, it must be excellent for the organization to be effective. This is made easier by the presence of forepersons who act as a management and communication link between the management team and the operational staff.
Some of the disadvantages associated with team based organization are reduced per person output. This is mainly due to the fact that the employees may go slow in production and point at one another when it comes to carrying out a certain task. The grouping may also put people who are not in good terms together leading to reduced productivity of the employees.
Another aspect is the difficulty in recognition of personal efforts. This also complicates the promotion of employees. As a response, the employees may reduce their productivity leading to overall reduced productivity. The reduced levels of promotion and lack of personal appreciation may lead to poor attitudes of the employees killing their morale.
All in all, team based organization still holds a very strong root in the current institutions. For the institutions to have the best teams, they have to follow a team process which is traditionally grouped into five stages (Robbins, 2006).
Basically, teams can be classified into three categories as briefly covered in the following paragraphs. The categorization is done according to the task accomplished by the team.
1. Problem solving teams. These teams are the most common teams to be formed. They are formed so as to solve a certain common problem. The members of the team are mostly from the same department thus the problem is common to all members. However, the members have all the power to come up with hypotheses to the problem but do not have the power to implement any solution (www.scribd.com/doc/27697352/Types-of-teams-in-organizational-Behavior).
2. Self managed teams. These teams are more like problem solving teams but are more independent than the problem solving teams. These teams may comprise of people from different areas of interrelated studies. The teams help solve problems which are different but related. As an example, the relationship between the sales team and production team. If the sales volumes drop, both teams are affected thus they must come together and solve the problems affecting the teams.
3. Self managed teams. These teams operate independent of the managements. The teams evaluate the members and choose their own members who have to comply with certain requirements.
Other categories which are minor compared to the three teams are virtual teams in which people from geographical regions are tied together through the internet. This type of team is used mainly in research projects of university students. The second one is cross functional teams which are mostly used by large companies like Boeing and Toyota. These teams are difficult to manage thus mainly not used (www.scribd.com/doc/27697352/Types-of-teams-in-organizational-Behavior). In our research, we will focus more on problem solving teams which even the students form to solve class work problems.
Stages of team development
Team formation
In this stage, the experts in a specific field come together and work as a unit. In this stage, the objectives of the team are already set and the team members group themselves. The groups formed may hold meetings and discuss the way forward on how to achieve the set goal (Miller, 2003).
Storming
This is closely related to the first step though it involves serious disagreements on the set objectives, mission and vision of the group. The group members get to know each other better thus disagree to agree on the objectives, mission and vision of the group (Miller, 2003).
Norming
This stage is characterized by formation of serious working relationships. This stage is short yet very important since it dictates how the group members will work so as to achieve the set objectives (Miller, 2003).
Performance
This is the fourth stage and the most important. In this stage, the group effectiveness, achievements and reliability are determined. This is the crucial stage which might make the whole team based organization to be adopted or dropped. If the effectiveness is excellent, the institution may adopt the team organization but if otherwise, the whole organizational behavior may be dropped (Miller, 2003).
Transformation and Ending
These two steps are taken as one though they occur due to different circumstances in the performance stage. If the team based organization is a success and the main vision or objective of the team is achieved, the team may be dissolved and the members pursue different goals.
In some cases, the final objective may be recurrent and some causes of ineffectiveness noticed. The management may resolve to transform the groups into permanent organizational structure and reduce the inefficiency (Miller, 2003).
The main roles of a manager in the team formation are leadership, director control and facilitator roles. In these roles, the manager has to act in accordance to the regulations of the institution while maintaining the team motivation. For the manager to effectively do this, he/she must have the skills required.
As a leader, the manager has to make the main decisions that the teams have to follow. In the process of making decisions, the manager has to be clear and initiative so as to come up with the best decisions which will have the most effectiveness in the teams. The leadership position also allows the manager to represent the teams in meetings and relay any information from either parties (management and teams). For example, the sales manager at Safaricom takes the complaints of the teams and relays them to the management. By so doing, the team is represented in the management and their voice is heard. Any response is communicated through the same channel making the leader an efficient tool of information transfer (www.pathways.cu.edu.eg/subpages/downloads/Teams_Chapter_2.pdf).
On top of leadership, the manager acts as a director. In the director role, the manager explains how the objectives are to be achieved and the way of achieving them. He also monitors the process of team performance analyzing the effectiveness and efficiency of the organizational structure (www.pathways.cu.edu.eg/subpages/downloads/Teams_Chapter_2.pdf).
The last yet very important role of the manager to the team is that of a facilitator. The facilitating role of a manager allows the manager to motivate the team players. The manager may do this by direct seminars and workshops hosted and presented by the manager him/herself or by inviting an external motivational speaker. By doing so, the manager improves the morale of the team members hence improving the total output of the teams.
The general roles of a manager also aid a lot in determining the effectiveness and productivity of the teams. Therefore, a manager who really understands the roles of a team knows what to do so as to improve the productivity of the groups or teams (www.pathways.cu.edu.eg/subpages/downloads/Teams_Chapter_2.pdf).
One of the other roles that really help the manager to understand and improve the productivity of teams is the control role. In this capacity, the manager controls the pace at which the work is performed. This role is closely related to director role but deals exclusively with monitoring and control.
As an example, Safaricom limited which is a telecommunications company is organized in teams. The sales and marketing teams deal exclusively with sale of services to the clients. Each month, the sales manager holds a seminar with the staff so as to enlighten them on the changes in the IT world. The seminars are also graced by entertainment from several artists and great foreign inspirational speakers from the IT world. On top of that, the manager promotes each staff member with a T-shirt every month. This greatly motivates the staffs who in return work even to late hours so as to uphold the name of the sales team in the company. Similar seminars are also held in the other departments mostly resulting in overall improvement of the company products. This is evidenced by the wide range of high quality services offered to the clients of the company. This is what has made the company become the leading telecommunications service provider in the region.
In conclusion, team based organization can be claimed to the best organizational behavior yet it comes at a cost. Team effectiveness is mainly contributed to by the manager. If the manager has the necessary skills, team performance will be optimized.
References
Miller, D. 2003. The stages of group development: A Retrospective Study of Dynamic Team Processes. The University of Lightbridge Press.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/27697352/Types-of-teams-in-organizational-Behavior.
Robbins, S. 2006. Organizational Behavior. New Jersey. Prentice Hall Inc.
http://www.pathways.cu.edu.eg/subpages/downloads/Teams_Chapter_2.pdf.
