Welcome to MT140 Introduction to Management Unit 7 Seminar – Effective Teams

Agenda General Questions and Announcements Introduction Why Some Groups Fail/ Q & A Contribution of Teams to an Organization/ Q & A Types of Teams / Q & A Recap Unit Assignment Clarification Conclusion of Seminar

Introduction If you have ever led or been a participant in teams, you are likely aware that sometimes teams yield successful results and sometimes they do not. If you haven’t yet been called upon to work on a team or to lead one, chances are that you will be in the future. In the modern workplace, there has been a trend toward conducting business with the use of teams. Today’s managers have the goal of ensuring that their work teams are successful.

The New Team Environment

Why Groups Sometimes Fail: Ineffective communication Lack of effective chartering, visioning, and goal setting Lack of clarity about roles Inability to keep morale and momentum high Decrease in productivity Lack of trust As a manager, what is your role in increasing the likelihood that your team will be successful?

Manager’s Role: Successful Team Empower team Team building activities/outside coaching Commitment to common purpose Measurable performance goals Feedback on performance Training: technical, functional, problem-solving, decision making and interpersonal skills Motivation/Rewards based on performance Publicize team successes

The Contribution of Teams to an Organization -How can teamwork approach to work help the organization?

The Contributions of Teams Benefiting of the organization directly… A team of individuals addressing an issue can experience breakthroughs and develop fresh ideas that may not have been possible with a single individual. Teams can increase production, improve quality, and reduce costs. Teams can enhance speed and be powerful forces for innovation and change.

Contribution of Teams, (cont’d) For the benefit of the team members directly and organization indirectly…. The team can be a useful learning mechanism, thereby benefiting the members. Team members can give each other feedback; identify opportunities for growth and development; and train, coach, and mentor. -Source: Bateman and Snell text; page. 244

Types of Teams -Can you name some types of teams that are commonly present in the workplace?

Different Types of Organizational Teams Work Teams – make or do things such as manufacture, assemble, sell or provide service; part of organizational structure Project and Development Teams – work on long-terms projects; member have expert knowledge and judgment; disband after project completed Parallel Teams – operate separate from regular work structure; solutions to specific problems; i.e. task force

Different Types of Organizational Teams Management Teams – coordinate and give direction to subunits; integrate work among units Transnational Teams - work groups composed of multinational members whose activities span multiple countries Virtual Teams - teams that are physically dispersed and communicate electronically more than face-to-face

Different Types of Organizational Teams Self-Managed Teams Empowers employees Workers trained to do all or most of jobs in unit No immediate supervisor Make decisions previously made by first-line manager Resistance: People don’t want so much responsibility, change is difficult, don’t like to evaluate performance of teammates or to fire people

Recap In this seminar, we’ve discussed: -Why some groups fail -How teams contribute to organizations -Various types of teams

Unit 7 Coursework Reading: Chapter 11 in the Bateman and Snell text pp Discussion: Focus on traditional environment vs. team environment; What is your experience in the workplace? Assignment: Focus on self-managed teams; How could team approach help Sandwich Blitz? Quiz: 5 multiple choice questions

Thank You for Attending!