Working in teams has become a crucial activity in most working environment. Due to this, the structure of most businesses has greatly changed. Teams are important because according to research, the sum of output of individuals is lea as compared to the output of the combination of the same individuals working in a team (Belasen, 17). Therefore many businesses adapt to teams as a way of achieving the organizational goals. This research paper will discuss the structure of an organization that adopts teams. In addition, the research paper will highlight the management skills that are required in an environment involving team management.
One of the implications of teams in an organization is that it reduces the hierarchical structure of the organizations. With teams, too much managers are eliminated. The problems that arise in a team need to be solved quickly without following a complex procedure to reach the top managers. The few managers in an organization ensure that the problems that arise in a business environment are easily solved.
The workers in an organization are divided into groups according to the number of functional departments in an organization. The experts in different fields are present in the teams to ensure that the problems that may arise in the group are solved by the various experts in the teams. The fact that various experts are present in each group ensures that activities of each group run effectively hence the achievement of the organizational goals.
Each group has a team leader. The role of a team leader is to ensure that there is co ordination with other teams so that the objectives of the organization are met. The problems that arise in the group that cannot be solved by the group members are taken to the management by the team leaders. The team leaders are required to ensure that their team members are doing their best to achieve the objectives set (Belasen, 24).
The members of each team are answerable to the team leaders. Any indispline in the team can be corrected by the team leader. On the other hand, the team leader is answerable to the managers. Poor performance in a group can lead to displinary actions being taken against the respective team leader.
Proper skills are required in the management of teams. There should be a good contact between the team members and the team leaders to ensure effective activities of the team.
The success of any team requires that there is interdependence between the members of the group. The leaders need the skills to unite the members of the team so that they are focused towards the achievement of the set goals (Caro, 15). It is usually difficult to bring people from different culture and origin together so that they can co operates and works together. Therefore the ability to bring unity and co ordination among people is one of the leadership skills that the team leaders require.
The ability to solve conflicts is another important leadership skill that is very necessary for the team management. There is a possibility that there will arise conflicts between the team members. The team leaders will be required to solve the conflicts. This means that conflict solving skills are very important in the team management. Failure to solve conflicts within the group will hinder performance of activities in the group leading to wastage of time. This can lead to failure to achieve the set objectives of the group.
Proper communication skills are another important aspect of leadership skills. There should be proper information flow between the members of a team (Quinn, 22). Lack of proper flow of information can prevent proper performance of the activities of team. The team leaders also need to communicate to their seniors for proper management. In addition, the team leaders need to communicate between themselves so that the organizational goals are achieved.
The monitor and co ordinate roles require that the manager’s watches as activities are performed and any mistakes that are made are corrected by giving orders (Carol, 13). Proper co ordination also involves ensuring that there is proper flow of information between the various departments. The conflict here is that as opposed to monitor and co ordinate roles, a team leader is required to be part of the group (Quinn, 34). He/she does not watch the others do their tasks and instead, he/she helps them perform their duties. Co ordination of activities in team work does not involve one individual but instead all the group members play a part.
I have witnessed the effects of team management as I was working as a secretary in the office of ministry of water in Saudi Arabia. In my experience, I would work with my supervisor and in this case, instead of giving me directions, he helped me and others in my team to carry out some tasks.
Works cited
Belasen, T.. Leading the Learning Organization: Communication and Competencies for Managing Change. Albany: State University of New York Press. 2000 print.
Quinn, E. 2011. Becoming a Master Manager: A Competing Values Approach. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. 2011 print.
Vera, Dusya, and Crossan, Mary . “Strategic Leadership and Organizational Learning”. The Academy of Management Executive, Briarcliff Manor: April 2004. Vol. 29, Iss. 2; pp.222-240.
Wittmeyer, Carol. The Practice of Management: Timeless Views and Principles. The Academy of Management Executive, Briarcliff Manor: Aug 2003. Vol. 17, Iss. 3; pp.13-15.
