Free Essay

Identification and Creation of High-Performing Self-Directed Teams

In:

Submitted By jhhh84
Words 881
Pages 4
Abstract
Self-directed teams are groups of individuals who work together without typical managerial supervision. These types of teams are an asset to companies because they by nature do not rely on direct administration to accomplish tasks. For an organization to establish self-directed teams, they need to understand the difficulties in in creating self-directed teams, be able to identify the characteristics of these teams, encourage the success of self-directed groups, and have a plan to assist struggling teams and managers. Self-directed teams are a way to maximize the human resources of a company by reducing the workload of managers and by increasing the personal responsibility and accountability of employees.

Self-directed teams are autonomous work groups that solve problems, implement solutions, and take full responsibility for outcomes (BOMI). Establishing this type of work team is crucial to the success of an organization. These teams function without direct supervision, thus leaving managers free to focus on other tasks. Sometimes managers struggle with implementing these teams. A few difficulties a manager may encounter when working to create self-directed teams are a lack of trust among team members, uncooperative members, lack of team training, vague goals, an absence of corporate support for teams, or hostile corporate atmosphere (individually competitive or manager-controlled). The corporate atmosphere is the first thing that must be addressed. If the company wants to create self-directed teams, upper level management must be supportive of the efforts. They need to encourage group efforts and not focus so much on individual merit when allotting raises or promotions. Managers need training in developing and trusting teams that can function without their direct supervision. The problems that arise among the members of the team can often be corrected through team training that teaches the Tuckman Model (team formation) and Lencioni’s model of team dysfunctions (Lencioni, 2002). Unclear goals lead to confusion in assigning tasks and developing solutions. Having a clear vision and goal will lead to better teamwork.

High-performing, self-directed teams can be identified by some key characteristics: commitment, specific goals, accountability, communication, and a shared approach to tasks. These teams are committed to achieving their goals and to their teams. Success and failure is shared by everyone. These team members are accountable to each other. The members can rely on one another to accomplish individual tasks so that the end product is a cohesive collaboration of their efforts. They have built a level of trust with each other and can rely on one another.

Communication is open and expected. Information is freely shared with other members of the team. These teams are self-directed and able to assign tasks to different members based on knowledge and expertise. They need very little managerial oversight in the day-to-day activities of the group. The over-arching view of this group is that they work as a team.

Developing self-directed teams can be a difficult process, especially if they are a new component to the workplace. One of the first steps in creating teams is to educate managers and employees. The company should organize several seminars and training sessions dedicated to defining what teams are, how they are created, what they do, and how to handle difficulties that arise in team development. Once the concept of teams has been learned and teams are formed, the team members and managers will need ongoing education in establishing goals, managing meetings, meeting customer requirements, conflict resolution, team performance, and member roles (COD). One of the most important aspects of team education is conflict resolution. Conflict can be expected when working in groups because of the diversity of opinions and thought processes. If managed properly, conflict can lead to more innovative solutions. This can only happen when there is mutual respect and open-mindedness among the team members. Conflict resolution training focuses on respect and negotiation skills. Both of these are essential qualities to managers and team members.

As managers learn to develop high-performing, self-directed teams, they will notice a significant change in their department. Companies that encourage teams experience gains in productivity and quality, greater commitment from employees, better, more innovative solutions to problems, and increased likelihood of implementing decisions (Simkovits). These advantages are the direct result of placing the responsibility of outcomes into the hands of self-directed teams. When team members are responsible for the outcome of a project and have the trust of management placed on them to accomplish their goal, they feel a personal responsibility to the task. The weight of personal responsibility motivates employees to succeed in a way that they might not if someone else is lining everything out for them. The responsibility of self-directed groups should not be undertaken without adequate training, by both managers and employees.

References
Building and Leading High-Performance Teams. Retrieved 4/26/2015 from http://www.fmlink.com/article.cgi?type=How%20To&pub=BOMI%20International&id= 31175&mode=source
Lencioni, P. (2002). The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
DEVELOPING HIGH PERFORMING TEAMS. Retrieved 4/26/2015 from http://www.centerod.com/developing-high-performance-teams/
Simkovits, H. Self-directed or Mis-directed Work Teams? Retrieved 4/26/2015 from http://www.business-wisdom.com/articles/ArtclSelf-Directed.html

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Chapter9

...Define the key terms listed at the end of the chapter. 2 Charismatic and  Transformational Leaders • Often have a more heightened sense of who  they are • Seem to have a clearer picture of their  personal meaning or purpose in life sooner • Seek to actualize their personal meaning  through leadership  3 Personal Meaning • Is the degree to which people’s lives make  emotional sense and to which the demands  confronted by them are perceived as being  worthy of energy and commitment • Is the “work–life balance” – The achievement of equilibrium in personal and  official life 4 Factors That Influence  Personal Meaning • • • • • • • • Self‐belief Legacy Selflessness Cultural heritage and traditions Activist mind‐set Faith and spirituality Personal interests Values 5 Self‐Belief • Is knowing who you are based on your lifespan of  experiences, motivation states, and...

Words: 3582 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Choosing a C.E.O

...leaders depends on the identification of people who have the ability to deliver organizational goals without the constraints of undue influence. The organizational ability to define the roles of the leaders enables them to recruit and manage the leader on the foundation of the specific knowledge, competency and skill needed to successfully lead the organization. The process of electing a leader is without doubt a huge task but the organizations need democratic election processes and strong accountability mechanisms. The mechanisms ensure that the interests of the company and the executive management properly align. The influence that leaders have on particular organization in its operational and strategic matters makes it difficult to appoint leaders to spearhead the activities of a company. This research bases its argument on the Totally Tubular Technology (T3) Company. The company needs to change its operational and leadership structure to achieve maximum returns due to is expansion to reach international markets. The study depicts the process of appointing a leader concerning the skills, knowledge and experience of the person. The appointing process involves the use of existing leadership theories and information from research articles based on how other companies in other countries carried out their elections. The development of the research includes the strategies, tools and processes that enables the leader to address concerns such as team work, conflict resolution...

Words: 7513 - Pages: 31

Premium Essay

Succession Management

...| ELITE 9 | | | SUCCESSION MANAGEMENT | | Submitted to- Muhammad Abdul Baset Assistant Professor Department of Management Studies Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka. Submitted by-   ELITE 9(Academic Group) Session: 2014-2015 Department of Management Studies Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka. Date of Submission: 25/02/16 ------------------------------------------------- Group Name- ELITE 9 Department of Management Studies Jahangirnagar University Savar, Dhaka. Members of the group- Name | ID | Tasnia Zannat | 682 | Farjana Akter | 684 | Manal Binte Md Ullah | 686 | Homaira Amin | 689 | Asura Akter Sunna | 692 | Raiyan-Ul Jannah | 694 | Munmun Rahaman | 695 | Fahima Sultana | 696 | Robiul Awal Tuhin | 697 | Course Name: Human Resource Planning Course Code: HRM-502 Group leader: Tasnia Zannat ID-682 Letter of Transmittal 25th February, 2016 Muhammad Abdul Baset Assistant Professor, Department of Management Studies, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka. Subject: Submission of an assignment on “Succession Management”. Dear Sir, We the students of Elite 9 group from Department of Management studies of 1st batch. We are going to submit our report as the part of our course objectives. During the process of preparing the assignment, we get the chance of...

Words: 6192 - Pages: 25

Premium Essay

Leadership

...1.1. Leadership and Management Concept 2 1.2. Theories of management and leadership 3 1.3.Challenges of Leadership and Management Practices 6 2.1. Theories of Motivation 8 2.2. Role of Leadership and Management in employee motivation 10 2.3. Performance Management Technique as organizational processes 11 3.1. Development of Team by Bruce Tuckman 13 3.2. Role of leader in team development 14 3.3. Role and usefulness of team in an organization 16 References: 18 1.1. Leadership and Management Concept Leadership can be defined as the influence of an individual whom denoted as “leader”, upon the subordinates, for the achievement of organizational goal. Here, the leader should bear the quality to understand the situation and act upon so, and the action should be influential, motivational and goal oriented. Moreover, agreeing with the concept, leadership derives two aspects: (i) the leader who exerts influence and (ii) the individuals who are influenced. Thus, the success of Leadership depends upon the proper management of these two dynamics to a large extent. Likewise, Leadership should also posses different other qualities for better management of followers and lead the organization to its targeted goal. “The influential ability of a leader to effect the behavior of his followers to indirectly follow particular path as pre-defined by the leader” (Barnard, 1948) “Leadership can be defined as the mutual relationship between a leader and followers, strengthened...

Words: 4352 - Pages: 18

Premium Essay

Managing Your People

...|. | | | |[pic] | | | | | |Module | | | |Managing your People | | | | | | | | ...

Words: 4238 - Pages: 17

Premium Essay

Leadership Development at 3m: New Process, New Techniques, New Growth

...New Techniques, New Growth Margaret Alldredge, Cindy Johnson, Jack Stoltzfus, 3M; Al Vicere, Smeal Coiiege of Business,The Pennsylvania State University; and the 3M ALDP Design Team rom the moment she first shook his hand in a receiving line after his arrival at 3M, Margaret Alldredge, staff vice president, Leadership Development and Learning, knew Jim McNemey was passionate about developing leaders. McNemey was fresh from an enormously successful career at GE. He talked of implementing Six Sigma (a rigorous process designed to improve productivity, increase profits, and enhance customer service) and shared his view that Six Sigma was not only about process improvement but aiso a way to develop leaders rapidly. He also suggested that 3M might be ripe for the establishment of its own "Crotonville," GE's vaunted center for cultivating leadership talent. That first meeting set into motion the creation of a new, intense, and exciting approach to developing 3M's leaders. F HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING 45 One of Jim McNemey's first questions after arriving at 3M Company as its new CEO was, "What are we doing here to develop leaders?" The response from the 3M leadership development team convinced him ihe company could do more to develop high-potential talent. Almost immediately, he challenged the team to craft an intensive leadership development strategy that would rival that of his prior employer, GE. This article chronicles our team's progress to date, showing how hard work...

Words: 6674 - Pages: 27

Premium Essay

Human Resource

...Chapter 1: The World of Human Resources Management • Human Resources Management (HRM) – The process of managing human resources or talent (human capital and intellectual assets) to achieve an organization’s objectives. • “Why Study HRM?” – Staffing the organization, designing jobs and teams, developing skillful employees, identifying approaches for improving their performance, and rewarding employee successes—all typically labeled HRM issues—are as relevant to line managers as they are to managers in the HR department. • An organization's success increasingly depends on the knowledge, skills, and abilities of employees, particularly as they help establish a set of core competencies that distinguish an organization from its competitors. To work with people effectively, we have to o Understand human behaviour o Be knowledgeable about various systems and practices available o Be aware of economic, technological social and legal issues • Core Competencies – Integrated knowledge sets within an organization that distinguishes it from its competitors and delivers value to customers. • Sustained competitive advantage through people is achieved if these human resources: o Have value. o Are rare and unavailable to competitors. o Are difficult to imitate. o Are organized for synergy. • The impact of HR practices o Cost savings – reduce turnover, absenteeism, cost of losing value...

Words: 17789 - Pages: 72

Premium Essay

Human Resource Managemnet

...HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ANSWERS TO UNIVERSITY QUESTION PAPERS (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002) 1 INDEX HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ( H R M ) STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT TEAM EFFECTIVENESS HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING ( H R P ) JOB ANALYSIS JOB DESCRIPTION JOB SPECIFICATIONS JOB EVALUATION JOB DESIGN DESIGNING JOBS – MOTIVATING JOBS JOB SATISFACTION WORK SAMPLING RECRUITMENT & SELECTION TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT INDUCTION & ORIENATION PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS INCENTIVES BASED COMPENSATION HUMAN RESOURCE AUDIT MOTIVATION THEORIES MORALE PERSONNEL POLICIES WORKERS’ PARTICIPATION IN MANAGEMENT UNIONS ORGANIZATIONAL DOWNSIZING MEANING OF ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ( H R M ) Definit io n 1 – Inte gr atio n “HRM is a series of integrated decisions that form the employment relationships; their quality contributes to the ability of the organizations and the employees to achieve their objectives.” Definit io n 2 – Influe ncing “HRM is concerned with the people dimensions in management. Since every organization is made up of people, acquiring their services, developing their skills, motivating them to higher levels of performance and ensuring that they continue to maintain their commitment to the organization are essential to achieving organizational objectives. This is true, regardless of the type of the organization – government, business, education, health, recreational, or social action.” 2 Definit io n 3 – Applica...

Words: 23503 - Pages: 95

Premium Essay

Business

...MODERN MANAGEMENT THEORIES AND PRACTICES By Dr. Yasin Olum Lecturer Department of Political Science and Public Administration Makerere University Contact Address: Makerere University Faculty of Social Sciences Department of Political Science and Public Administration P. O. Box 7062 KAMPALA-Uganda Tel.(Off.): 041-531499 Tel.(Mobile): 077454019 Fax: 041-534181 E-Mail: yolum@ss.mak.ac.ug Being a paper presented at the 15th East African Central Banking Course, held on 12th July 2004, at Kenya School of Monetary Studies. 0 MODERN MANAGEMENT THEORIES AND PRACTICES: A CRITICAL OVERVIEW Introduction Managing is one of the most important human activities. From the time human beings began forming social organizations to accomplish aims and objectives they could not accomplish as individuals, managing has been essential to ensure the coordination of individual efforts. As society continuously relied on group effort, and as many organized groups have become large, the task of managers has been increasing in importance and complexity. Henceforth, managerial theory has become crucial in the way managers manage complex organizations. The central thesis of this paper is that although some managers in different parts of the world could have achieved managerial success without having basic theoretical knowledge in management, it has to be unequivocally emphasized that those managers who have mixed management theory in their day-to-day practice...

Words: 6258 - Pages: 26

Premium Essay

Employee Satisfaction Through Motivation & Empowerment

...Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 46,000 people committed to serving health care professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. GE Healthcare’s comprehensive product portfolio provides solutions for all care areas in the field of diagnostic cardiology and patient monitoring. As one of those 46,000 employees, my engineering position engages customers in brining local hospital information systems in communication with GE Healthcare cardiology products through IT infrastructure and HL7 (Health Level Seven) programming language. Organizationally, my contribution serves within the America’s Service organization, with an immediate manager, dotted lines to project managers, and other engineering teams. In this large organization, unwillingly the organization is forced into a mechanistic design of bureaucracy, driven by hierarchal processes and systems of management, both people and technology which unless understood seem to lend itself to the inherent leadership styles by managers disenfranchising employees, and ultimately driving down productivity and employee satisfaction....

Words: 3061 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Historical Overview of Management

...period of next many years. Another objective shall be to identify several areas where management concepts are applicable to the personal and professional goal-setting and also to apply the management skills to the challenge of managing the most difficult peer or subordinate – the one that may confront you in the mirror each morning in your professional career. In any treatment of a basic subject like this, there is little that the resource/anchor person can claim to be uniquely his own except his/her tacit knowledge and the presentation style. The write-ups from chapters of recommended text books for this course has also been included and are highly acknowledged. The Intellectual Heritage of Management: Organized endeavors directed by people responsible for planning, organizing, leading, and controlling activities have existed for thousands of years. The Egyptian pyramids and the Great Wall of China, for instance, are tangible evidence that projects of tremendous scope, employing tens of thousands of people, were undertaken well before modern times. The pyramids are a particularly interesting example. The construction of a single pyramid occupied more than 100,000 workers for 20 years. Who told each worker what to do? Who ensured that there would be enough stones at the site to keep workers busy? The answer to such questions is managers. Regardless of what managers were called at the time, someone had to plan what was to be done, organize people and materials to do...

Words: 5595 - Pages: 23

Premium Essay

Entrepreneur

...Organizational Behavior - MGT502 VU MGT - 502 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR Lesson 1 OVERVIEW OF COURSE This subject/course is designed to teach the basic language of organizational behavior to diverse audience/students, including those who are studying this as a supporting subject for their bachelor degree program. This course is designed to provide you the foundations of organizational behavior whether you intend to work in any field of interest. Organizational behavior offers both challenges and opportunities for managers. It recognizes differences and helps managers to see the value of workforce diversity and practices that may need to be changed when managing in different countries. It can help improve quality and employee productivity by showing managers how to empower their people as well as how to design and implement change programs. It offers specific insights to improve a manager’s people skills. In times of rapid and ongoing change, faced by most managers today, OB can help managers cope in a world of “temporariness” and learn ways to stimulate innovation. Finally, OB can offer managers guidance in creating an ethically healthy work climate. Managers need to develop their interpersonal or people skills if they are going to be effective in their jobs. Organizational behavior (OB) is a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups, and structure have on behavior within an organization, and then applies that knowledge to make organizations work...

Words: 81220 - Pages: 325

Free Essay

Od Glossary

...360 Degree Feedback         An evaluation method that provides each employee the opportunity to receive performance feedback from his or her supervisor and four to eight peers, reporting staff members, co-workers and customers.   ABE - Adult Basic Education         Adult Basic Education   Accreditation         Certification by a duly recognized body of the facilities, capability, objectivity, competence, and integrity of an agency, service or operational group or individual to provide the specific service(s) or operation(s) needed. Recognition given to a person or organization meeting certain standards.   Achievement         Performance as determined by some type of assessment or testing.   Action Plan         A specific method or process to achieve the results called for by one or more objectives. May be a simpler version of a project plan.   Action planning and processes         Deciding who is going to do what, by when and in what order for the organization to reach its strategic goals. The design and implementation of action planning depends on the nature and needs of the organization. An action plan includes a schedule with deadlines for significant actions.   Action Projects         A specific planned process and steps for completing one or more strategic goals and objectives, including ownership of the project. The Action Projects are the annual goals and challenges currently being addressed by San Juan College.   Active listening         A way of listening that...

Words: 9791 - Pages: 40

Premium Essay

Human Resource Management

...HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 1. INTRODUCTION Human resource Management is, perhaps, the oldest and most widely researched subject in management. Yet, as technologies change, cultural diversities occur and people’s expectations undergo fundamental shifts towards newer and newer dimensions. For instance, professionals are gaining more say in the running of organizations. Even where governance is by people who own the majority stakes, their own positions and the respect they command are contingent upon their competence rather than ownership. (Ahuja, 2005 880) “ Management is the art of getting things done through other people. Management is the dynamic, life-giving element in every business. Without it the resources of production remain resources and never become production.” (Sharma, 2004 11) This definition emphasizes that the managers achieve organizational objectives getting things done through the employees. Human resource Management is very essential for successful running of an enterprise. It ensures proper use of physical and human resources by deriving the best results. It leads to efficient performance and higher productivity. Human Resource Management is very essential for every organization to make productive use of human physical and financial resources or the achievement of the organizational goals. It helps in determination of objectives. No organization can succeed in tits mission...

Words: 5271 - Pages: 22

Premium Essay

Manager

...Definition of Corporate Governance: 1 Financial Times Definition of Corporate Governance: 1 Cadbury Report Definition of Corporate Governance: 1 BusinessDictionary.com Definition of Corporate Governance: 1 Why is it important? 3 Why was it in the news recently? 3 Literature Review: 4 Agency Theory: 5 STAKEHOLDER THEORY 7 Stewardship theory: 10 Motivation: 10 Identification: 10 Policies: 10 Consequences: 11 Theory- Resource Dependence: 11 Principles: 12 Benefits of Corporate Governance: 13 Definition of 'Agency Problem': 14 Investopedia explains 'Agency Problem': 14 Agency Relationship and Agency Costs: 14 Conclusion: 23 Agency Problems Are Mitigated by Good Systems of Corporate Governance 23 Legal and Regulatory Requirements: 23 Compensation Plans: 24 Board of Directors: 24 Monitoring: 25 Takeovers: 25 Shareholder Pressure: 25 OECD Definition of Corporate Governance: "OECD defines corporate governance as follows: “Procedures and processes according to which an organisation is directed and controlled. The corporate governance structure specifies the distribution of rights and responsibilities among the different participants in the organisation – such as the board, managers, shareholders and other stakeholders – and lays down the rules and procedures for decision-making."  Financial Times Definition of Corporate Governance: "How a company is managed in terms of the institutional systems and protocols...

Words: 8078 - Pages: 33