Developing Skills for Business Leadership - Essay Example

Running Head: BUSINESS LEADERSHIP Developing Skills for Business Leadership ID number: Module number: Introduction The contemporary operating environment for organizations is constantly changing as technological inventions continue to facilitate interconnections in the global economy. The success of organizations is increasingly being tied to teams and teamwork. Firms that apply successful team building strategies accomplish better results than those that maintain individualistic tendencies in the workplace regardless of the experience or level of training that employees have. Teamwork enhances continuity as essential tasks do not stop when one employee is affected by personal matters such as illness or resignation. Problem solving is accomplished better through teamwork than by lone employees. The diversity of skills and talents among teams generates beneficial collaboration leading to greater organizational productivity. Competition between organizational teams for rewards among other performance management strategies creates better results and greater customer satisfaction. Teamwork promotes ownership of organizational goals as employees set aside personal interests to accomplish shared objectives. Teams Schein (2010) defines teams as an organized group of individuals with an aim of realizing a shared goal. Team members are mutually dependent people that identify themselves as a team and are also recognized by others as such. An organization may comprise different teams performing various tasks that are related to the organization’s mission. This enhances specialization as well as formation of cross-functional groups as a result of increased flexibility. Through such teams, an organization allows its members to participate in strategy development and also enhances involvement in the accomplishment of organizational goals (West, 2012). There are different types of teams based on the manner in which they are formed and their functions. The various teams are discussed in the following section. Informal Teams These are teams formed to accomplish social goals and can be useful in promoting interpersonal relationships in the workplace as well as achievement of shared concerns, for instance working environment. In many instances, such teams originate from employees in the quest for solutions to issues affecting them and may not necessarily be related to the interests of the organization. The management may not have a role to play apart from ensuring that the rights and privileges of employees are granted. Trade unions and welfare teams serve the interests of employees with the organization benefiting from greater employee satisfaction and improved productivity (Horn, 2009). Traditional Teams Traditional teams are groups formed within the organization and are assigned various obligations that contribute to the overall organizational goals. They are usually functional areas or independent departments whose mission is to undertake organizational activities that require special competences that are found within their membership. The leadership or management of such teams is bestowed by the organization. The appointed leaders are authorized to undertake actions that are within the organization’s interest. The team’s output is expected to add value to the organizations goal. The accounting or human resources departments are such teams with different roles to play within an organization (Schein, 2010). Problem Solving Teams The management may form a taskforce with a responsibility of investigating and recommending a solution for an emerging issue that cannot be unravelled through the prevailing organizational structure. Such cross-functional teams have membership pooled from different functional areas within the organization to establish a solution to a problem affecting the entire organizations. They are usually temporary and need based, meaning they can be formed and disbanded depending on necessity (Horn, 2009). For example, the board of directors may appoint a taskforce to investigate corruption within an organization. Leadership Teams Leadership is an integral aspect in organizations that may have a significant influence on success. Leadership teams are formed with the intention of bringing together different talents from across the functional areas within an organization. Such teams enhance an organization’s competitiveness through developing a strategic direction. The membership comprises top level managers from the different sections such as finance, marketing, production and human resource departments. The teams are important in determining the course of action in the face of technological advancements and changing market dynamics (Dyson, 2007). Self-Directed Teams Organizations require self-directed teams to manage emerging projects that enhance attainment of the overall mission. The teams are allowed to be autonomous in determining the strategies to be applied to accomplish the goal assigned by the organization. Software development teams are examples of self-directed teams that work independently to help an organization to achieve its ICT goals (Horn, 2009). Virtual Teams Technological advancements have enabled organizations to accomplish business through innovative strategies such as marketing through online platforms, web conferencing and telemarketing. Virtual teams can be formed comprising employees from different branches, which may be distributed in different countries globally. To eliminate the cost of travelling, virtue teams can be formed whereby communication is through e-mail and video-conferencing among other innovative communication strategies that allow members to engage in discussions without physical meetings. Virtual teams save organizations time and money and also enhance capacity as skilled team members can be engaged from all over the world (Rothaermel, 2012). Performance The accomplishments of an organization depend on the ability to develop effective teams and ensure that their performance is maximised in line with organizational goals. Teams should be specific to the organization’s needs for optimal performance (Thompson, 2009). Effective teams have unique characteristics that have been discussed below. Clear Direction The goal given to the team needs to be understood by all. It is important to have a clear course of action for effective performance. The outcome of the team’s engagement needs to be measurable. The responsibilities of every team member need to be clear to avoid duplication or overloading some individuals. It is important to generate interest among members to promote participation and desire to achieve. Effective functioning of teams requires that members learn to be dependent on each other and to consult regularly (Clegg et al. 1999). Well-informed Members The competence of team members is paramount to the accomplishment of the tasks assigned. During team formation, it is necessary that all the potential candidates put forth the skills that they will contribute. This requires cooperation in developing an inventory of all skills available and how they will be applied in accomplishing the tasks assigned to the team. The organization needs to promote a culture of learning to continue expanding the skills of team members for better performance (Clegg et al. 1999). Reasonable Operating Procedures Clear operating procedures are necessary as they set boundaries with regards to the activities of the team. They eliminate ambiguity that may result to inconveniences of unnecessary tasks. The procedures for decision making and meetings should be set out clearly for team members to adhere to them. The organization needs to have clear cut operating strategies that should be adopted by all teams within it (Thompson, 2009). Interpersonal Relationships Team members originate from diverse backgrounds with different interests. Cultural diversity is important in enhancing performance but it may also act as a hindrance if not properly understood and used to strengthen the team. The CIPD report cited difficult inter-personal relationships within teams, which had a marked impact on productivity. It lowers the morale of employees especially when different individuals do not learn to understand cultural differences, which leads to a bad team environment. Employees need to be empowered with interpersonal skills through an organizational culture that promotes teamwork (Lee-Davies & Bailey, 2007). Sharing Success and Failures The organization should develop performance management strategies for teams that reward success for all the members. It should promote ownership of team goals so as success or failure is shared among members. There should not discrimination when rewarding or reprimanding the team for accomplishments or failure. This eliminates blame and finger pointing which are known to cause indifference among some members. The organization suffers when employees are unable to agree on the best approach to accomplish tasks (Thompson, 2009). External Relationships Teams cannot work in isolation within an organization. Rather, collaboration with other teams within and outside the organization is necessary to enhance competence within. External players provide essential inputs that are important for the team’s activities. All team members should deal with external players from a common perspective to avoid contradictory interactions that might lower the team’s credibility (Schein, 2010). Conflict Conflicts among teams within an organization are common as individuals strive to overcome challenges facing them. The conflicts may have a positive or negative impact on the organization depending on the manner in which they are dealt with. Conflict within an organization may lead to depression among other mental health issues as a result of frustration. It may lead to a decline in employee productivity as more time is devoted to deal with conflict. In most instances, organizations lose desired skills as employees opt to leave. Violence may also result among the conflicting employees leading to law suits and tarnished organization’s image. Nevertheless, conflicts can inspire creativity as team members establish strategies to solve the emerging problems. Resolution of conflict also causes team members to begin sharing and respecting each other’s opinions while improving future communication, which is also necessary in dealing with future conflicts. Team members who are usually silent begin getting involved when they participate in conflict resolution and hence the team emerges stronger after the problem is solved (Lee-Davies & Bailey, 2007). Some conflict resolution strategies that can be applied successfully by organizations have been discussed below. Avoidance Conflict avoidance is one of the corporate strategies used to deal with conflict, mainly by organizations that do not like it. Under this strategy, the contentious issues are ignored especially if the process of dealing with the conflict at hand is involving or may lead to greater conflict. However, conflict avoidance is not the best way to deal with conflicts as it may lead to the wrong decision being taken. For example, some team members may fear that disputing the decision of others may disappoint them and therefore avoid confronting them. On the other hand, avoiding conflict generates the notion that a team member does not want to participate in team activities. Team players who tend to avoid conflict become overwhelmed by emotions as they continue to build up within them, which in turn aggravates the conflict (Kerzner, 2005). Accommodation Accommodation involves some of the disagreeing individuals accepting the decision of the others. It is a demonstration of maturity when one of the parties in a disagreement opts to give up individual wishes for the benefit of the team. Stubbornness among team members may delay implementation of decisions and accommodation should be encouraged by the organization whenever contentious issues arise. Nevertheless, the team members who are ready to give up their desires may allow the wrong decisions to be implemented. Accommodation therefore requires justifiable reasons (Rothaermel, 2012). Competition Competition is a conflict management strategy that can be used in particular circumstances where it is suitable. For example, if a team is divided on the venue for a meeting, the members can decide to vote and settle on the venue where majority prefer the meeting to be held. However, competition is likely to result in indifference among the losing team members. An organization should therefore apply this strategy with utmost care (Cameron, 2008). Compromise Compromise is the most appropriate conflict management strategy that is applicable in virtually all circumstances. The strategy involves settling on a middle ground whereby none of the conflicting individuals wins or loses. Each of them gives up a certain proportion of personal interests. It is the quickest way to solve conflicts and maintain a good working relationship among team members (Thompson, 2009). If compromise fails, other conflict resolution strategies can be applied. Collaboration Collaboration involves the conflicting individuals working together to comprehend their individual concerns and expressing them to each other in the quest of finding an equally and totally reasonable solution resulting in a win-win strategy. All the individuals are satisfied by the final decision established through an interactive discussion of the burning issues. They explore various alternatives that can help in dealing with the concerns raised by both sides. It requires honesty and creativity for a way forward to be established (Schein, 2010). Force Organizations can apply legitimate authority to resolve conflicts. It is an unpopular conflict resolution strategy among employees whereby the management can use the established rules and regulations to compel individuals to end a dispute. It requires the managers to avoid favouring any of the conflicting parties to avoid provoking greater conflict. However, reasonable force should be applied to maintain employees within the organization (Lee-Davies & Bailey, 2007). Role of Communication The importance of communication within an organization cannot be overemphasized. Effective communication is essential in maintaining strong teams and is also beneficial to the entire organization as it generates awareness and knowledge thereby enhancing adeptness as employees accomplish tasks assigned to their respective teams. It is characterised by elements such as organization whereby issues are communicated in a well-thought-out manner. The tone together with the language and style should demonstrate maturity and understanding of the topic by the correspondent. Active listening is also important to ensure that the message is understood. Team members should learn to respect each other’s opinion and to seek clarification in a respectable manner. Open communication is important as it promotes participation of all team members in discussing the issue at hand. Communication increases productivity, adds value and enhances cooperation as discussed below (Rothaermel, 2012). Productivity Effective communication enhances team productivity leading to timely accomplishment of projects. This in turn promotes organizational competitiveness and customer satisfaction. Trust develops among team members who engage in regular communication. It helps to enhance safety within the work environment as team members are constantly being updated regarding changes as well as new strategies in the workplace. Project goals are understood by all team members when there is effective communication leading to smooth and efficient progress (Clegg et al. 1999). Value When there is effective communication among team members, every person receives a common message, which is important in maintaining harmony and cooperation towards achieving shared goals. Moreover, good communication allows clarification of issues as information processing varies among different individuals. It enhances working relations in multicultural organizational teams. The friendship that results from effective communication creates value for the company as team members assist each other to accomplish the shared goals as success is considered to be for all (Cameron, 2008). Cooperation Effective communication among teams promotes the essence of togetherness. Cooperation enhances organizational competitiveness as employees are able to face the external business environment as a combined force that cannot be easily broken. Cooperation among employees and organizational teams is associated with solvency and greater profitability. Innovativeness is accomplished when people cooperate to find solutions to problems that are shared among team members (Rothaermel, 2012). Trust Trust has been found to be significant in developing strong organizational teams as it enhances accountability and promotes collaboration in accomplishing tasks among team members. It is founded on intuition and emotions and is important in eliminating retrogressive tendencies of suspicion, blame and indifference among team members. Lack of trust within teams creates division among members whereby some view others as being favoured by the organization. Such views hinder effective participation in team activities. Trust enhances organizational communication and increases commitment among team members to accomplish shared goals. It enhances loyalty and respect, which speeds up completion of projects as tasks are delegated without reservation (West, 2012). Trust ensures organizational productivity as resources are utilised for the intended purposes. Those who are in charge of resources assigned to the team maintain accountability and transparency when a culture of trust is entrenched in the organization (Kerzner, 2005). Trusted team members may not conceal failures while accomplishing the tasks assigned to them. Rather, they seek guidance or help from other team members thereby ensuring project success. An organization that upholds trust allows teams to undertake their assigned roles without undue pressure or unnecessary interference. According to Rothaermel (2012), a culture of responsibility is achieved within an organization when it demonstrates trust and confidence in the leadership of its various teams. Trust promotes healthy competition between organizational teams as members are aware of the common mission, which ultimately results in enhanced competitiveness. Developing trust among team members is fairly a slow and lengthy process. However, an organization can facilitate development of trust through promoting effective communication and regular interaction among employees. It is important to provide a platform for employees to share experiences that generate trust. Trust in turn enhances better interaction among team members enabling them to share ideas leading to innovations and greater competitiveness (Kerzner, 2005). Conclusion Teamwork in organizations is associated with enhanced performance and greater productivity. There are different types of teams that can be formed within organizations based on the manner and purpose of their formation. These include; informal, self-directed, leadership, problem solving, traditional and virtual teams. Performance is associated with the development of effective teams within organizations with characteristics such as; clear direction, well-informed members, reasonable operating procedures, interpersonal relationships, shared success and failures as well as proper external relationships. Conflicts are common within organizational teams and can be solved through the application of strategies such as; conflict avoidance, accommodation, competition, compromise, collaboration as well as the use of force. Effective communication increases productivity in organizations, adds value and enhances cooperation among team members. Trust enhances accountability, promotes collaboration, loyalty and respect. Effective communication and regular interaction among employees promotes trust. References Cameron, S 2008. The Business Student’s Handbook: Learning Skills for Study and Employment. 4th Ed. Harlow: Financial Times/Prentice Hall Clegg, C. Legge, K. And Walsh, S. 1999. 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