Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.12 - 1 How are teamwork and leadership...

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 12 - 1

How are teamwork and leadership related?

• A leadership style that promotes team building is positively associated with – Productivity– Profitability


Team Building:

• Teamwork is often associated with– Reduced turnover– Cost reduction– Large production increases– Gains in quality – Improved customer service


Team Building:

• Teamwork – Job gets done efficiently and harmoniously– Fewer interpersonal relations problems – Positive effect on the physical and

psychological well-being of employees– Higher levels of job satisfaction and less

stress


Team Building:

• Synergy is another positive outcome of teamwork– The interaction of two or more parts to

produce greater results than the sum of the parts taken individually

• Especially important when organizations value creativity


Teamwork Doesn’t Come Naturally

• The concept of teamwork has been around a long time

• Many organizations work hard to get all employees to pull together as a team

• Most jobs today require ongoing interaction between coworkers and managers



• Requires commitment and cooperation of every employee

• Requires meaningful employee participation in planning, solving problems, and developing ways to improve



• Barriers– Some value individualism over teamwork– Conflict can cause a breakdown in

relationships – Heavy workloads and long hours lead to

weary employees

• Teamwork flourishes under strong leadership


The Transition to Team-Based Structures

• Teams have become popular because they encourage participative management– Process of empowering employees to

assume greater control of the workplace

• There are two common types of teams– Self-managed– Cross-functional


Self-Managed Teams

• Assume responsibility for traditional management tasks as part of regular work routine


Self-Managed Teams

• Typically – 5 to15 members– cross train and rotate jobs within group

• Increases accountability

• Reduces time on dull and repetitive tasks

• Taps employees full potential


Cross-Functional Teams

• Task groups staffed with a mix of specialists focused on a common objective


Cross-Functional Teams

• Typically– Temporary units– Members from different departments

• Involve developing new work procedures or products, devising work reforms, or introducing new technology

• Often make decisions that directly influence improvements


Real Teams Are Rare

• Greater use of teams in organizations

• Most "teams" are really single-leader work groups that rely on their leaders for – Purpose– Goals– Motivation– Assignments


Real Teams Are Rare

• Using teams is not a quick fix– Can take one or two years for members to

learn all the tasks they will perform as they rotate from job to job

– Time for team to be comfortable• Making decisions, scheduling work, hiring,

training, and problem solving


Real Teams Are Rare

• A real team– Draws its motivation more from its mission

and goals than from its leader– Each member is accountable for the

group's performance and results


Team-Building Skills for Leaders

• In today’s environment, there is a high demand for individuals with strong leadership skills


Team-Building Skills for Leaders

• Successful leaders share some behavioral characteristics

• Two of the most important are– Consideration– Structure

• These dimensions are separate and independent of each other


Consideration

• Extent to which a manager’s relationships with workers are characterized by– Mutual trust– Respect for employees– Consideration of feelings– Warmth in interpersonal relationships– Good rapport– Two-way communication


Structure

• Extent to which a supervisor is likely to direct workers toward goal attainment

• Managers actively direct group activities by– Scheduling– Planning– setting goals– Communicating information– Evaluating performance


Improving Consideration Skills

• The effective use of consideration skills creates a positive work environment

• Leaders with consideration skills follow:– Law of empathy – sensitivity and

awareness of the needs, feelings, and motivations of those they lead


Improving Consideration Skills

• Practices that can improve consideration– Recognize accomplishments– Provide for early and frequent success– Take a personal interest in each employee– Establish a climate of open communication– Discover individual employee values


Improving Structure Skills

• The supervisor who incorporates structure into his or her leadership style plays an active role in directing group activities.

• The team builder gives the group – Direction and standards– Maintains accountability


Improving Structure Skills

• Practices that develop structure skills– Communicate your expectations– Encourage individual and team goal setting– Provide specific feedback often– Deal with poor performance immediately


Additional Leadership Qualities

• Character

• Emotional intelligence

– Both can be developed– Key to growth is self-awareness


Character

• Personal standards of behavior– Honesty– Integrity– Moral strength

• Impossible to build trusting relationships without character


Character

• Effective leadership characterized by– Honesty– Truthfulness– Straight dealing


Emotional Intelligence

• Ability to monitor your own and others’ emotions and deal with them effectively

• Leaders with emotional intelligence are– More likely to detect friction and eliminate

conflict– More flexible – Better situational leaders


Teamwork:The Employee’s Role

• Most valued employees are willing to assume leadership roles and responsibilities

• Each team member should – assume an active part in helping the work

unit achieve its mission– be a team builder


Employees as Leaders

• Effective leaders are helping work team members develop leadership skills

• The team’s success does not always ride on one person

• Merit in establishing diversity of leadership within work group


Valued Team Members

• Every employee has potential to be a leader

• Success often depends on your ability to be an effective team member


Becoming a Valued Team Member

• Avoid becoming part of a clique or subgroup within the team

• Avoid any action that might sabotage the team

• Keep in mind that effective team membership depends on honest, open communication

• Do not feel the need to submerge your own strong believes, creative solutions, and ideas


Total Person Insight

Great challenges require great teamwork, and the quality most needed among teammates amid the pressure of a difficult challenge is collaboration….Each person brings something to the table that adds value to the relationship and synergy to the team.

John C. MaxwellAuthor, The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player


Summary

• Teamwork ensures that a job gets done and that it gets done efficiently

• Teamwork can mean the difference between a profitable and unprofitable organization

• Team-building leadership style is suited to today’s employees


Summary

• Effective teamwork is informal and relaxed

• People are – Involved– Interested– Eager to participate in work-related

problems

• Goals and objectives are clearly understood


Summary

• Two dimensions of supervisory leadership– Consideration– Structure

• Additional qualities of effective managers– Character– Emotional intelligence


Summary

• Effective work group members should assume leadership roles

• Each helps the group achieve its mission


Summary

• Learn to understand your boss

• Assess your strengths

• Identify personal characteristics that might impede or facilitate a working relationship

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.12 - 1 How are teamwork and leadership...

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