Introduction
High performing and self-directed teams are found to be one of the greatest assets of an organization, as they help in achieving predefined goals and objectives. However, if these teams are not developed and managed appropriately, they can lead the organizations towards severe consequences. It has been established from the analysis of the study that was conducted by Biech (2007) that managers usually find difficulties in the establishment of high-performing and self-directed teams. In the present case, I have just attended a meeting with the manager that had the agenda of conveying information about the establishment of high performing and self-directed teams. The analysis of the given case has revealed that the company is concerned with the current situation, as some managers are proficient in developing high performing teams while others are not. In order to cope with this situation, the research work is intended to identify the difficulties that are faced by the managers during the establishment of high performing and self-directed teams.
Identifying Difficulties in Establishing Self-Directed and High Performing Teams
Self-directed and high-performance teams play a crucial role in the accomplishment of organizational goals. Self-directed and high performing teams can be understood as the ones who have the capability of managing their workload to gain optimum outcomes. Moreover, such teams can also be categorized as the group of people who work collaboratively to achieve a common goal. It has been established that such teams play an inevitable role in boosting the productivity and efficiency of the company. In accordance with the study of Biech (2007) managers usually find difficulties in developing such teams. In other words, it can be stated that establishing high performing and self-directed is not any easy task for managers, and they have to find extensive difficulties in this activity.
One of the greatest difficulties that are usually faced by the managers in the establishment of self-directed and high performing teams includes the lack of appropriate communication platform. It has been affirmed by Ileana Petrescu and Simmons (2008) that communication plays an inevitable role in communicating the core vision and values to the team members that eventually results in improving the performance and efficacy of the team. However, the absence of appropriate communication channel usually results in the increasing communication gap between the managers and employees. The communication gap usually results in frustrating the team members, due to the lack of any guidance or coordination with the management. All of these factors ultimately limit the establishment of high performing teams.
Lack of appropriate training and development opportunities within the organization also plays a major role in increasing difficulties for the managers to establish high performing and self-directed teams. It is due to the fact that training sessions and workshops significantly help the managers in strengthening and empowering the team members while increasing their morale. Therefore, the absence of appropriate training directly impacts the competencies and performance of the team member (Biech, 2007). In particular, it can be stated that absence of adequate training opportunities may create difficulties for the managers in developing high performing teams.
Low employee morale is found to be the biggest factor that creates difficulty for the managers in setting up high-performance teams. It has been established that employee motivation holds undeniable importance in organizational success. Motivated and enthusiastic employees are more likely to work hard for the attainment of predefined goals. On the other hand, low morale and motivation levels of the employees usually result in the poor performance of the company. Thereby, it can be established that low employee motivation causes the managers to face difficulties in facing high performing and self-directed teams. Apart from this, lack of appreciating diversity also creates difficulties for the managers in developing high performing teams. It is due to the fact that diverse team members bring more creativity and efficacy in a team that allows the organizations to achieve their objectives.
Identifying Successful Characteristics of Establishing High Performing and Self-Directed Teams
The development of the high performing and self-directed teams is mainly dependent on the capability of the managers to adopt adequate strategies and characteristics. In this regard, when the successful characteristics of establishing self-directed and high performing team were analyzed, communication was found to be the most prominent characteristics. Weekly meeting and collaborative sessions among team members and managers play a commendable role in motivating the employees and make them feel that their organization truly values them. In addition to this, communication practices in a team setting also enhance and improve the intellect of the employees and also the managers to address the issues/queries of the team members in a well-timed manner. In particular, it can be stated that continuous communication is one of the successful characteristics of establishing and self-directed and high performing teams. Furthermore, training sessions, workshops, and seminars also allow the managers to build high performing teams.
In this account, another successful characteristic of developing high performing teams include clear expectations and goals. It is observed that when the managers clearly communicate their goals and expectations to the team members, it helps them in understanding what they are supposed to do (Peterson, 2007). These practices also allow the team members to become more responsible towards their duties, as everyone is accountable for the achievement of objectives.
It has been assessed from the study of Ali and Ahmed (2009) that well-established reward and recognition system is the most successful characteristic that enables the employees to develop self-directed and high performing teams. It is due to the fact that bonuses, incentives, and recognitions play a substantial role in boosting the morale and motivation of the employees. Thereby, leading the team members to put more efforts and work with more enthusiasm to accomplish the objectives of the team.
Team culture holds integral importance in the establishment of a high performing team. Managers who encourage and adequately handle diversity in the team are likely to achieve high productivity and efficiency from the team. Efficient and successful teams are found to be the one that includes members with different experiences, skills, and educational/cultural/ethnic backgrounds. Dynamic teams also enable the team members to complement one another to cover the weaknesses of the fellow team members. It is significant to bring into the notice that effective teams embrace and respect differences of other personnel. Thereby, team diversity can also be considered as the successful characteristic of establishing high performing teams.
Recommendations for Success
Managers are recommended to integrate motivation factors in the team to ensure high performance of the team. In this regard, the managers are suggested to develop appropriate reward and recognition system to acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of the team members. It is expected that such initiatives will help the managers in boosting the morale of the employees. Apart from this, it is also recommended to the managers to ensure transparent and consistent communication with the employees. These practices will allow the managers to understand the concerns and queries of the team members while listening to their suggestions and feedbacks. It is assumed that these activities will improve the overall performance of the team while enhancing the trust of employees towards management (Peterson, 2007). Employee training is the most imperative factor that brings positive changes in the performance of the team. Hence, it is recommended to the managers to devise adequate policies for the training and development of the team members, so as to assure the establishment of high performing teams.
Plan to Improve Conflict Resolution and Negotiation Skills of Managers
It is observed that managers have to face several conflicting situations while working in teams. A successful manager is considered to be the one who has effective conflict resolution and negotiation skills (Furlong, 2010). Therefore, it is significant for the managers to adopt adequate strategies in order to resolve team based conflicts in a meaningful manner. In this regard, the proceeding manuscript includes a brief plan for the managers that can help them in improving their conflict resolution and negotiation skills.
Engage People
One of the greatest ways of improving the conflict resolution and negotiation skills is to get engage with people, having conflicting opinions. Such activities allow the managers to understand the perspective of the other party while clarifying their position (Furlong, 2010).
Ensure Productive Communication
Communication is considered as the core factor that helps in resolving any conflicting situation. Therefore, it is important for the managers to ensure productive communications with the conflicting parties. Organizing feedback sessions and formal and informal meetings can ensure it with the conflicting parties.
Discussing the Reason of Conflict
Healthy and transparent discussions about the factors that are involved in the occurrence of conflicting situations help in solving the issue. Therefore, managers can improve their negotiation and conflict resolution skills by discussing the root causes of conflicts in a productive manner (Furlong, 2010).
Flexibility
Rigid behavior is found to be the major factor that hinders the process of conflict resolution and negotiation. Therefore, managers can improve and enhance their negotiation skills by practicing flexibility, especially while dealing with the conflicting situations.
Conclusion
The preceding paper has examined the characteristics that are related to the successful development of high-performing teams. Furthermore, the research has also encapsulated the identification of the difficulties that are related to the establishment of high performing teams. An appropriate plan has also been formulated in the paper that may help the manager in improving their negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
References
Ali, R., & Ahmed, M. S. (2009). The impact of reward and recognition programs on employee’s motivation and satisfaction: an empirical study. International review of business research papers, 5 (4).
Biech, E. (2007). The Pfeiffer book of successful team-building tools: Best of the annuals. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Furlong, G. T. (2010). The conflict resolution toolbox: Models and maps for analyzing, diagnosing, and resolving conflict. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Ileana Petrescu, A., & Simmons, R. (2008). Human resource management practices and workers' job satisfaction. International Journal of Manpower , 29 (7).
Peterson, T. M. (2007). Motivation: How to increase project team performance. Project Management Journal , 38 (4).
