Analyzing Managerial Decisions: Why Teams Fail

By

HCM-540, MBOL5, Health Care Organization
Instructor:
Saint Leo University
Distance Learning

December 15, 2013

DISCUSS POTENTAIL REASONS WHY TEAMS OFTEN FAIL TO DELIVER THE HOPED FOR RESULTS

There many reasons a team can fail in achieving the results hope for in the organization. The use of teams in an organization allows them to share specialize knowledge amongst its members. In doing this, value is created for the organization and the team. This method of knowledge sharing is beneficial as oppose to the traditional hierarchy of knowledge distribution. The reasons are as follows:

1. A major reason any team fails, whether it is a management or project team, is the lack of a clear, overriding, and compelling vision or purpose. Like a team racing a sail boat, business teams have to know not only their destination, they have to have a compelling reason for getting there as quickly and efficiently as possible. Otherwise, they’ll do whatever it takes to get by, and they’ll make sure nobody on the team does any more than necessary. A known purpose answers the question, “What are we here for.” For example, an Information Technology department is concerned with the low level of pride their staff had for their projects. Staff usually tries to keep to themselves and avoid initiative. The team usually feels that the meetings are mostly irrelevant to their work, and do not lead to progress, holding needless arguments or discussions that do not lead to any changes. They do not see the vision for their section, nor any team vision or purpose statements.

2. Another reason for team failure is free riders. According to Brickley (2009), each team member works, hoping that the other team member works more diligently to make a profit for the company. Each member has a reason to forego his or her own responsibility. Each member gains the full measure of their shirking but bear only a share of the expenses. For this reason, free-riding is major inhibitor of productivity.

3. Team members lack accountability for the measure of work that they perform. Establishing accountability is often a difficult issue to enforce because of the inability to be definitive. If people are penalized for delays or mistakes, their desire for individual accountability will be directly impacted. Team will expect the reciprocal effect of not being held accountable. This is the presumptive feeling of each member. When there is n accountability, projects are late, decisions are late, bad feelings arise and the espirit de corps erodes from the mission. The end results is members wind up avoiding and not trusting each other until these problems become to big.

Describe an experience that you have had working on a team. As part of your response discuss how the team was evaluated. Also discuss whether or not the free-rider problem existed on your team. If it did exist also discuss how/if the problem was addressed. If the problem did not exist discuss why not or how the problem was managed.
A free rider, in economics, refers to someone who benefits from resources, goods, or services without paying for the cost of the benefit. Many years ago, I was a union officer at a major tire manufacturer that employed about 1800 employees. The union had approximately 70% membership within the company. The company had a contractual obligation to allow the union to represent the employees on all matters. The balance of employees who were not members in the union can be considered free-riders; about 30%. Free riders are employees who are covered by collective bargaining agreements but are not union members. They enjoy the benefits of the union members without sharing in the costs of being a member. While the union is loyal to its members, their obligation is to represent the non-members as well providing and protecting their legal rights as an employee. Each employee has a right to join or not and the non-members have that same right. The strength of the union membership lies in have strong membership. One way to increase numbers is to represent non-members in same efficient manner as members. When non-members are represented fairly, it serves as the best recruitment tool for growing strength, numbers and addressing the free-rider problem. When addressing individual issues, union members are asked to assess their satisfaction with the process and result; good or bad. The employee is made aware of every action so that, in the end, he will have a sense of the due process that has taken place. Free-riders have the same privilege.