Faulkner University Performance Improvement of an Organizational Team Discussion Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read Chapter 14 (Northouse, 20

Faulkner University Performance Improvement of an Organizational Team Discussion Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read Chapter 14 (Northouse, 2018 – attached) and Chapter 2 of Oededekoven (2018). Locate the eight team effectiveness indicators (Northouse, 2018).Develop a strategy to use two out of eight indicators to improve the performance of an organizational team that you have observed or were part of during your career. In support of your strategy also incorporate at least one of Oededekoven’s (2018) six C’s of teamwork into your discussion. Your discussion post should be 250 words. APA format. 14.1 Description
Work teams are very prevalent in today’s organizations. The reliance on teams is due partia
lly to increasingly complex tasks, moreglobalization, and the flattening of organizational str
uctures. A team is a type of organizational group that is composed of members who areinte
rdependent, who share common goals, and who must coordinate their activities to accompl
ish these goals. Team members must workcollectively to achieve their goals. Examples of or
ganizational teams include senior executive teams, project management teams, task forces,
work units, standing committees, quality teams, and improvement teams. Teams can be loc
ated in the same place meeting face-toface, orthey can be geographically dispersed “virtual” teams meeting across time and distan
ce via various forms of communication technology.Teams can also be hybrids of face-toface and virtual teams with some members being colocated and some being dispersed. The exactdefinition of which organizational group is a te
am or not is constantly evolving as organizations confront the many new forms ofcontempo
rary collaboration (Wageman, Gardner, & Mortensen, 2012).
The study of organizational teams has focused on strategies for maintaining a competitive a
dvantage. Teambased organizations have fasterresponse capability because of their flatter organizational s
tructures, which rely on teams and new technology to enable communicationacross time an
d space (Porter & Beyerlein, 2000). These newer organizational structures have been referr
ed to as “team-based andtechnologyenabled” (Mankin, Cohen, & Bikson, 1996). A majority of multinational companies are depe
nding on virtual teams, or teams thatare geographically dispersed and rely on technology t
o interact and collaborate (Muethel, Gehrlein, & Hoegl, 2012). Such teams allowcompanies t
o (1) use the best talent across the globe, (2) facilitate collaboration across time and space,
and (3) reduce travel costs (Paul,Drake, & Liang, 2016). These virtual teams face more diffi
culty with members separated by time, distance, and culture. They often have lesstrust, mo
re conflict, and more subgroup formation. In virtual teams, face-toface communication is rare, with decisions and schedulingtaking more time. With the devel
opment of social media, new communication technologies, and software applications for m
eetingmanagement, virtual teams have richer and more realistic communication environm
ents where collaboration is facilitated (Schmidt, 2014;Schouten, van den Hooff, & Feldberg,
2016; Scott, 2013).
The organizational teambased structure is an important way for organizations to remain competitive by responding
quickly and adaptingto constant, rapid changes. Studies of both face-toface and virtual teams have increasingly become focused on team processes and teamoutco
mes (Ilgen, Hollenbeck, Johnson, & Jundt, 2005; Thomas, Martin, & Riggio, 2013). Also, rese
archers focused on the problems workteams confront as well as how to make these work te
ams more effective (Ilgen, Major, Hollenbeck, & Sego, 1993). Effective organizationalteams l
ead to many desirable outcomes, such as
•
greater productivity,
•
more effective use of resources,
•
better decisions and problem solving,
•
better-quality products and services, and
•
greater innovation and creativity (Parker, 1990).
However, for teams to be successful, the organizational culture needs to support member i
nvolvement. The traditional authority structureof many organizations does not support dec
ision making at lower levels, and this can lead to the failure of many teams. Teamwork is an
example of lateral decision making as opposed to the traditional vertical decision making th
at occurs in the organizational hierarchy basedon rank or position in the organization. The
dynamic and fluid power shifting in teams has been referred to as heterarchy (Aime, Hump
hrey,DeRue, & Paul, 2014). Such power shifting within teams can lead to positive outcomes
as long as team members see these shifting sourcesof power as legitimate. Teams will have
great difficulty in organizational cultures that are not supportive of such collaborative wor
k anddecision making. Changing an organizational culture to one that is more supportive of
teams is possible, but it takes time and effort (Levi,2011).
Leadership of teams has also become an important area of study. The ideas of “team leader
ship” are quite different from leadership withinthe organizational vertical structure. Many t
heories of leadership, such as situational (discussed in Chapter 5) and transformational(dis
cussed in Chapter 8), can be applied in the team setting. However, team leadership is a uniq
ue setting for leadership, and it is veryprocess oriented. How do teams develop their “critic
al capabilities”? How do team leaders shift their actions over time to deal withcontingencie
s as they arise? How do leader actions promote task and interpersonal development (Kozlo
wski, Watola, Jensen, Kim, & Botero,2009)? Effective team leadership facilitates team succe
ss and helps teams to avoid team failure (Stagl, Salas, & Burke, 2007; Stewart & Manz,1995)
. Effective leadership processes are the most critical factor in team success (Zaccaro, Rittma
n, & Marks, 2001, p. 452).
Shared or Distributed Leadership:
The complexities of team processes demand the attention and focus of all members of the t
eam. Some teams are autonomous and selfdirected with no formal leader. But even those with a formal leader will benefit from share
d leadership among team members. Teamleadership functions can be performed by the for
mal team leader and/or shared by team members. Shared team leadership occurs whenme
mbers of the team take on leadership behaviors to influence the team and to maximize tea
m effectiveness (Bergman, Rentsch, Small,Davenport, & Bergman, 2012). Shared leadership
has been referred to as team leadership capacity, encompassing the leadership repertoireo
f the entire team (Day, Gronn, & Salas, 2004). Such distributed leadership involves the shari
ng of influence by team members. Teammembers step forward when situations warrant, pr
oviding the leadership necessary, and then step back to allow others to lead. Suchshared le
adership has become more and more important in today’s organizations to allow faster res
ponses to more complex issues(Morgeson, DeRue, & Karam, 2010; Pearce, Manz, & Sims, 20
09; Solansky, 2008).
Shared leadership, while very important, does involve risk and takes some courage for the
member who steps forward to provideleadership outside the formal role of team leader (A
mos & Klimoski, 2014). Risks aside, teams with shared leadership have less conflict,more c
onsensus, more trust, and more cohesion than teams that do not have shared leadership (B
ergman et al., 2012). Shared leadershipis even more important for virtual teams. Empoweri
ng leadership that shares power with virtual team members promotes both effectivecollab
oration and performance (Drescher & Garbers, 2016; Hill & Bartol, 2016). Virtual teams are
simply more effective when there isshared team leadership (Hoch & Kozlowski, 2014; Mue
thel et al., 2012; Wang, Waldman, & Zhang, 2014). How leaders and members canshare the
leadership of teams so that these teams can truly become effective and achieve excellence i
s discussed in this chapter. Itintroduces a model that provides a mental road map to help th
e leader or any team member providing leadership diagnose team problemsand take appro
priate action to correct those problems.
Team Leadership Model
The Hill Model for Team Leadership (Figure 14.1) is based on the functional leadership clai
m that the leader’s job is to monitor the teamand then take whatever action is necessary to
ensure team effectiveness. The model provides a tool for understanding the very complexp
henomenon of team leadership, starting at the top with its initial leadership decisions, movi
ng to leader actions, and finally focusing on theindicators of team effectiveness. In addition,
the model suggests specific actions that leaders can perform to improve team effectiveness
.Effective team leaders need a wide repertoire of communication skills to monitor and take
appropriate action. The model is designed tosimplify and clarify the complex nature of tea
m leadership and to provide an easy tool to aid leadership decision making for team leader
sand members alike.
Effective team performance begins with how the leader sees the situation that the team is e
xperiencing (the leader’s mental model). Thismental model reflects not only the component
s of the problem confronting the team, but also the environmental and organizationalcontin
gencies that define the larger context of team action. The leader develops a mental concepti
on of what the team problem is and whatsolutions are possible in this context, given the en
vironmental and organizational constraints and resources (Zaccaro et al., 2001).
To respond appropriately to the problem envisioned in the mental model, a good team lead
er needs to be behaviorally flexible and have awide repertoire of actions or skills to meet th
e team’s diverse needs (Barge, 1996). When his or her behavior matches the complexity of t
hesituation, the leader is behaving with “requisite variety,” or the set of behaviors necessar
y to meet the team’s needs (Drecksel, 1991).Effective team leaders are able to construct acc
urate mental models of the team’s problems by observing team functioning, and can takere
quisite action to solve these problems. Effective team leaders can diagnose correctly and ch
oose the right action.
Figure 14.1 The Hill Model for Team Leadership
The leader has special responsibility for functioning in a manner that will help the team ach
ieve effectiveness. Within this perspective,leadership behavior is seen as teambased problem solving, in which the leader attempts to achieve team goals by analyzing the
internaland external situation and then selecting and implementing the appropriate behavi
ors to ensure team effectiveness (Fleishman et al., 1991).Leaders must use discretion about
which problems need intervention, and make choices about which solutions are the most a
ppropriate(Zaccaro et al., 2001). The appropriate solution varies by circumstance and focus
es on what should be done to make the team moreeffective. Effective leaders have the abilit
y to determine what leadership interventions are needed, if any, to solve team problems. W
henleadership is shared throughout the team, various members are diagnosing problems a
nd intervening with appropriate behaviors. Themonitoring and selection of behaviors is sh
ared throughout the team membership. Given the complexity of team functioning, such sha
redleadership can—and, in fact, does—lead to greater team effectiveness.
Team Effectiveness
At the bottom of the Hill Model for Team Leadership (Figure 14.1) is “Team Effectiveness,”
which focuses on team excellence or the desiredoutcomes of teamwork. Two critical functi
ons of team effectiveness are performance (task accomplishment) and development (teamm
aintenance). Performance refers to the quality of the outcomes of the team’s work. Did the t
eam accomplish its goals and objectives in aquality manner? Development refers to the cohe
siveness of the team and the ability of team members to satisfy their own needs whileworki
ng effectively with other team members (Nadler, 1998). Excellent teams accomplish both of
these objectives: getting the job done andmaintaining a cohesive team.
Scholars have systematically studied organizational work teams and developed standards o
f effectiveness or criteria of excellence that canbe used to assess a team’s health (Hackman,
1990, 2002, 2012; Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy, 1993; Katzenbach & Smith, 2008; LaFasto &L
arson, 2001; Larson & LaFasto, 1989; Lencioni, 2005; Zaccaro et al., 2001). Hackman (2012
) has posited six enabling conditions that leadto effective team functioning: (1) Is it a real te
am? (2) Does it have a compelling purpose? (3) Does it have the right people? (4) Are theno
rms of conduct clear? (5) Is there support from the organizational context? (6) Is there tea
mfocused coaching? Larson and LaFasto(1989) studied successful teams and found that, rega
rdless of the type of team, eight characteristics were consistently associated with teamexcel
lence. Table 14.1 demonstrates the similarity of these excellence characteristics to the enab
ling conditions suggested by Hackman(2012).
It is helpful if team leaders understand the conditions that contribute to or enable team exc
ellence. Such understanding will allow the leaderto benchmark or compare his or her team’
s performance to these standards and to determine possible areas of team weakness orinef
fectiveness. Assessing how well the team compares to these established indicators of team
success provides a valuable source ofinformation to guide the leader to take appropriate ac
tions to improve team success.
1. Clear, Elevating Goal.
“A compelling purpose energizes team members, orients them toward their collective objec
tive, and fully engages their talents” (Hackman,2012, p. 437). Team goals must be very clea
r so that one can tell whether the performance objective has been realized. Teams sometim
esfail because they are given a vague task and then asked to work out the details (Hackman,
1990). In addition, the team goal must beinvolving or motivating so that the members belie
ve it to be worthwhile and important. Teams often fail because they let something elserepla
ce their goal, such as personal agendas or power issues (Larson & LaFasto, 1989). Research
data from numerous teams show thateffective leaders keep the team focused on the goal (
LaFasto & Larson, 2001).
2. Results-Driven Structure.
Teams need to find the best structure for accomplishing their goals. Structural features that
lead to effective teamwork include task design,team composition, and core norms of condu
ct (Wageman, Fisher, & Hackman, 2009). Top management teams typically deal with power
andinfluence, task forces deal with ideas and plans, customer service teams deal with clien
ts, and production teams deal with technology(Hackman, 1990). Problem resolution teams
such as task forces need a structure that emphasizes trust so that all will be willing and abl
e tocontribute. Creative teams such as advertising teams need to emphasize autonomy so t
hat all can take risks and be free from unduecensorship. Tactical teams such as emergency
room teams need to emphasize clarity so that everyone knows what to do and when. Inaddi
tion, all teams need clear roles for team members, a good communication system, methods
of assessing individual performance, and anemphasis on factbased judgments (Larson & LaFasto, 1989). Appropriate structures enable teams to meet t
heir needs while stillaccomplishing team goals.
3. Competent Team Members.
Teams should be composed of the right number and mix of members to accomplish all the t
asks of the team. In addition, members needsufficient information, education, and training t
o become or remain competent team members (Hackman & Walton, 1986). As a whole, thei
ndividual team members need to possess the requisite technical competence to accomplish
the team’s goals. Members also need to bepersonally competent in interpersonal and team
work skills. A common mistake in forming teams is to assume that people who have all thet
echnical skills necessary to solve a problem also have the interpersonal skills necessary to c
ollaborate effectively (Hackman, 1990). Justbecause someone is a good engineer or doctor
does not mean he or she has the interpersonal skills to function on a team. Team membersn
eed certain core competencies that include the ability to do the job and the ability to solve p
roblems. In addition, members need certainteamwork factors such as openness, supportive
ness, action orientation, and a positive personal style (LaFasto & Larson, 2001).
4. Unified Commitment.
A common mistake is to call a work group a team but treat it as a collection of individuals (
Hackman, 1990). Teams do not just happen: Theyare carefully designed and developed. Exc
ellent teams are those that have developed a sense of unity or identification. Such team spir
itoften can be developed by involving members in all aspects of the process (Larson & LaFa
sto, 1989).
5. Collaborative Climate.
The ability of a team to collaborate or work well together is essential to team effectiveness.
A collaborative climate is one in which memberscan stay problem focused, listen to and un
derstand one another, feel free to take risks, and be willing to compensate for one another.
Tobuild an atmosphere that fosters collaboration, we need to develop trusting relationship
s based on honesty, openness, consistency, andrespect (Larson & LaFasto, 1989). Integratio
n of individual actions is one of the fundamental characteristics of effective teams. Teamme
mbers each have their own unique roles that they typically perform to contribute to the tea
m’s success. Team failure may result from themembers’ “collective failure to coordinate an
d synchronize their individual contributions” (Zaccaro et al., 2001, p. 451). Effective teamle
aders can facilitate a collaborative climate by managing their own needs to control, by maki
ng communication safe, by demanding andrewarding collaborative behavior, and by guidin
g the team’s problem-solving efforts (LaFasto & Larson, 2001).
6. Standards of Excellence.
Clear norms of conduct (how we should behave) are important for team functioning (Hack
man, 2012). Team members’ performanceshould be regulated so that actions can be coordi
nated and tasks completed (Hackman & Walton, 1986). It is especially important that theor
ganizational context or the team itself set up standards of excellence so that members will f
eel pressure to perform at their highest levels.The standards must be clear and concrete, an
d all team members must be required to perform to standard (Larson & LaFasto, 1989). Ate
am leader can facilitate this process by requiring results—
making expectations clear and reviewing results—
providing feedback toresolve performance issues, and rewarding results by acknowledging
superior performance (LaFasto & Larson, 2001). With suchstandards in place and monitor
ed, members will be encouraged to perform at their highest levels.
7. External Support and Recognition.
A supportive organizational context includes material resources, rewards for excellent perf
ormance, an educational system to developnecessary team skills, and an information syste
m to provide data needed to accomplish the task (Wageman et al., 2009). A common mistak
eis to give organizational teams challenging assignments but fail to give them organizationa
l support to accomplish these assignments(Hackman, 1990). The leader must identify whic
h type of support is needed and intervene as needed to secure this support (Hackman,2002
). The best goals, team members, and commitment will not mean much if there is no money,
equipment, or supplies for accomplishingthe goals. Also, organizations often ask employee
s to work on a difficult team assignment and then do not reward them with raises orbonuse
s for that performance. Hyatt and Ruddy (1997) found that having systems in place to supp
ort teams (clear direction, information,data, resources, rewards, and training) enables the t
eam to become more effective and achieve performance goals. Teams can achieveexcellenc
e if they are given the resources needed to do their jobs, are recognized for team accomplis
hments, and are rewarded for teamperformance rather than for individual performances (L
arson & LaFasto, 1989).
8. Principled Leadership.
Effective team leadership has been found to consistently relate to team effectiveness (Zacca
ro, Heinen, & Shuffler, 2009). Leadership ha…
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