Challenges in an Accounting Team - Case Study Example

Challenges in an Accounting Team Introduction Patrick Lencioni in his book “The five dysfunctions of a team: Facilitators guide” states that there are five interrelated issues that determine the performance of a team (2012). These include; 1. Absence of trust; members are dishonest with each other 2. Fear of conflict; debates and discussions are necessary so as to arrive at thought through decisions in a team. Without trust, having a healthy debate becomes impossible. 3. Lack of commitment; when making decisions, a team member(s) may not agree with whatever is being discussed and as a result, they are less committed to it. 4. Avoiding accountability; when members are not committed to a decision to start with, they are less likely to feel accountable for it or hold others accountable for the same. 5. Inattention to results; when members feel unaccountable, they are not likely to care about the results. Question 1 I am an Accountant working in an Auditing Firm. My team consists of six members; a Senior Account Manager, his Secretary, the Treasurer, the Account Manager, the Auditor, the Human Resource Manager and myself. The Senior Accounts Manager is a 55 year old man. He is mostly a quiet individual who upholds team discipline and is very strict on punctuality and tidiness. He is an advocate for peaceful negotiations in conflicts and generally a hard man to please. The Auditor is a forty five year old man. He is talkative, sociable and not afraid to say what is in his mind. He is always ready to help with the tasks that no one wants to handle. However, he has been on several disciplinary meeting for tardiness. The treasurer is a thirty five year old lady with an MBA. She is warm and motherly. She likes to take long lunch breaks in the nearby park. She is also the spiritual guide for the team. She is however moody at times and as such inapproachable. The Associate is a twenty six year old graduate. He is sharp, innovative and eager to please. He is knowledgeable in matters accounting and he is the go to guy with any difficult task. He is always complaining about everything especially his work load and the over time he has to give. The human resource manager is a forty two year old lady. She is always the first in the office and in meetings. She is ever present in the office and when running errands out of the office, she is always within reach. She is a stickler to company rules and regulation and always ready to solve human resource issues. The Team Manager is a forty year old lady. She is an energetic individual ready to work. She is approachable and easy to please. She enjoys the company of other members and her office is always open to all at all time. She likes to head every project that requires a team leader. She can also be fussy at times and controlling towards the rest of team. She likes things and tasks to be done her way. Question 2 Conflict mostly occurs when one or more of the team members are late for a meeting. Company rules dictate that a meeting can’t start before there is a quorum. Conflict also comes as a result of a member thinking that their idea is the better one and should be implemented regardless of what other team members think. Politics is a topic that always stirs the team. Members seem to never agree on an opinion and everyone has got his own. In order to resolve these conflicts, the Manager always seeks to address the issue at hand giving each party time and chance to explain themselves. He frowns at gossip and members know not to cross that line. When making important managerial decisions, the management ensures that the wishes of the members are heard and put into consideration. The roles and duties for each member are clear and there are clear cut boundaries between roles. Every member knows where their role begins and where it ends and there is no infringement into others’ area of expertise. Question 3 As a team, we are prone to any of the “five dysfunctions” discussed above. Only recently there was an incident of lack of commitment. Having had discussions regarding the need for fumigation in our office, it was agreed that on a Wednesday, the pest eradication company that had been contacted would fumigate the office. The Associate was appointed to supervise this activity. It was further agreed that for the rest of the team, Wednesday was their day off. Come Tuesday, the associate called to say that he would not be able to carry out his mandate. The committee chair had to appoint the Accountant on short notice. As a result, the team was begrudged on behalf of the Accountant who had to drop what he was doing and attend to someone else’s duties. There was a lot of time wasted discussing the matter and there was a clear division among the team members. There was also an incidence of lack of trust whereby the treasurer and the human resource manager. The treasurer accused the human resource of being a gossip and revealing to another team member the details of her marriage. She had confided in her and felt betrayed. The rest of the team became aware of the conflict and there was division as they picked sides. The management had to call a meeting for the two and later a team meeting to resolve the issue. The management cautioned members against such behavior and told them that there were better constructive things that could be discussed. Question 4 The team leader should have to talk to the team and assure them that the matter was being handled with all strictness and that there should be no further discussion on the matter. He should give the associate some other task to make up for what had happened and as a result, the other members would see that there was justice and that no one was immune to company duties. After every meeting, the chair should summarize the results from the meeting and ask for the members additional inputs. The team leader should ensure that it is clear to members that although sharing is encouraged, there should be restraint as to how much one shares about their personal life as there are bound to be conflicts when dealing with such matters. He should also ensure that the members are engaged and have tasks to carry out to minimize on the time available for gossip. The team leader is responsible for organizing team building activities where the members among other activities are encouraged to assess the team’s performance and suggest ideas to improve on the same. Question 5 Accounting requires team work. This involves working with and through other people. In team work, one works confidently within a group while contributing their own ideas effectively. They should take a share of the responsibility, be assertive, accept and learn from constructive criticism and giving positive, constructive feedback to others. Looking at my team, one can conclude that there is team work because we have a team motto that whenever there is no solution to a problem, members agree to disagree. We are encouraged to feel free to introduce new ideas to the group in meetings. Optimism and positivity is the team’s strive on the road to success of the team and company as a whole. They strive to be punctual and meet task deadlines. Members are able to organize themselves and tasks that need to be shared are divided equally according to the members’ individual skill and expertise and later the work is consolidated and presented to the Manager. The team leader ensures that after the work has been presented, the team gets feedback on their performance and any area requiring improvement is tackled. Members have learnt to focus not on their personal goals but that of the team. The Team Leader and the Manager of our Firm is a “true” Leader. He concerns himself with all matters team related and ensures the success of the Firm. His tactics in involving all team members in decision making and activities ensures that the success rate is always on the rise. Question 6 This is a successful team because; Trust is the backbone of my team. Members know about each others life outside of work and share their problems with each other freely. We hold each other as friends and are comfortable sharing our problems and successes. We are defined by our team and when one member fails, the whole team feels the loss. We assist each other whenever possible. We appreciate what each member has to offer to the team in terms of skills, experience and knowledge. The company and team goals are the guide. Conflicts are resolved promptly; management sits down both the aggrieved and the aggressor and brings to the table what is at stake. They are encouraged to resolve their issue and emphasis is on the lessons learnt and not the error made. Deadlines are met with each task completed in a timely and orderly manner. Members are always checking up on each other, reminding each other to complete tasks. In team meetings, the chair is always keen not to leave any member out of the discussions. Members are encouraged to voice their opinions and concerns. When making managerial decisions, members input are crucial. Members work towards this goals. Each member is aware of their roles and duties and whenever a member lags behind they are jolted to action by other members. Whenever there are problems or difficulties, the team identifies them and deals with them before they drag on. Decisions are also reached promptly to avoid dragging and members second guessing themselves. References Gordon, J. (2003). Pfeiffers classic activities for managing conflict at work: The most enduring, effective, and valuable training activities for managing workplace conflict. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer. Lencioni, P. (2012). The five dysfunctions of a team: Facilitators guide. San Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass. Walters, T., Concept Media, inc., & Cinema House Films. (2005). Teamwork in the workplace. Irvine, CA: ConceptMedia, inc. Read More