OB in Action: Google’s “Three-Thirds” HR Team
1. Using table 11-1 as a guide, we embark on identifying the path to be taken to turn Google’s HR group into a true team. For any team to be succeeded commitment and diligence needs to be observed. It is very vital for a manager to be having a realistic projection and expectations as far as working with a team is concerned. Additionally, they are also need to be active and available in helping out a team to become effective. In our case, if the Google HR group yearns to envelope into a true team then, there must be a form of cohesion between the group members as they interact and work together.
They will understand that there will be required to participate equally and together as a team. That is, everything they are supposed to do indeed become a shared activity. They are also needed to understand that, leadership is a shared aspect and same is accountability, which will be under the whole teams watch. Then, accountability was an individual thing, i.e. if a single individual of a certain team fails; it only means that the whole team has failed. This concept is what the HR should adapt since it goes together with the team’s ability to become effective. For the HR group to become very effective and also becomes a true team, they must adhere to the creating their own purpose or/and mission. Lastly, with a true team, problem solving is an important function that is experienced on a day to day life.
2. Probes if Google’s HR team members should have been earlier instructed ahead of time of their teamwork competencies in accordance to table 11-3 and how it should have been done. The Google’s HR members indeed should have been instructed way ahead of time in relation to their teamwork competencies. For a team to be effective and efficient enough, their overlying organization should indeed be on the forefront in nurturing and facilitating them. It is known that people are mostly involved in all aspects encompassing their careers if they are aware of the kind of expectation has been set for them by the organization heads. Through this, the organization, will be on the right track since, people with the desire and urge of being effective and get ahead as far as competence is concerned, will know what is required of them and even go further beyond the expected results. It is further deduced that, such moves by the organization, gives the member’s identity, facilitates collective and commitment, and largely promotes the social system stability by shaping the behaviors of its members as they make sense and use of their surroundings (Kreitner, Kinicki & Buelens, 1999).
3. Deducing how important trust is to a cross-functional team and describing how managers can build trust among the cross-functional teams that is comprised of a diverse background and with differing perspectives. To begin with, cross-functional teams happen to be significantly different from other and harbors representatives from the wide array such as; accounting, finance, operations, human resource and legal, each having their own issues and perspective. That diversity is why cross-functional teams need trust since it can be highly affected and often problematic.
The manager can enhance trust by having a Management sponsorship and support for team members. This ensures the cross-functional team enjoys full support of the key stakeholders that are within the organization. Through this, the team’s objectives are identified as the priority, hence building upon the trust. The manager can also opt to build a positive team dynamic. As much as external communication is essential, also is internal team communication. Honesty, trust and respect are vital in the cross-functional teams. The manager can choose on setting up clear objectives. The members of this cross-functional team should also have a clear understanding of what the objectives are. Then can trust be felt in among the members since, everybody is the knowhow of the occurrences.
4. In explain the type of cohesiveness, socio-emotional or instrumental, that is more important in the type of cross-functional team, we describe each type. Socio emotional type, involves emotional satisfaction. While goal directed togetherness is what is involved in instrumental type. There is a minimal but vital relationship between performance and cohesiveness. The commitment to task and delivery among the group members strengthens the present cohesiveness-performance linkage. Hence we can deduce that instrumental cohesiveness is the best type as far as cross-functional team is involved, since it leads to general group.
5. Strategies to be offered to Google’s Laszlo Bock to assist him in creating, developing, and leading an effective cross-functional work teams are as discussed below.
For Laszlo to build trust among this individual, he must lead it. A strong leadership develops and fosters the team’s unity. Leadership is also the key to the group’s success. Due to the external pressures, the type of team should have a solid internal strength and commitment to survive. Laszlo needs to know when and also how he can allow functional experts to lead in some cases. In this way, Laszlo would have allowed many individuals within the highly talented team will know much more about their overlying problems from a different perspective such as the seasonal leadership.
Works Cited
Beam, M. M. (2012, January 1). Emotional Intelligence and Team Cohesiveness. Retrieved from Marshall Digital Scholar : http://mds.marshall.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1304&context=etd
Kreitner, R. K. (1999). Organizational behaviour, 1st European edn. Berkshirer: McGraw-Hill Publishing.
Manktelow, J. (2010, n/a n/a). Managing Cross-Functional Teams: Balancing Team Needs and Functional Lines. Retrieved from Mind Tools: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMM_30.htm
