Business Management – Leading Teams

Modern business management studies found out that one of the most efficient ways of utilizing worker’s potential in production of the firm is to formulate a group. A group where individuals can practice their skills in par with others to produce more of what are being expected. But forming this team entails a lot of risk and cost.
Many people think that carrying a small group is just a piece of cake. But the success of the group is highly related to the leader’s abilities and skills. The success of the team depends on the leader’s ability to enhance the individual’s performance within the group; and nourish the type of coordination among the group members. Effective leaders maximizes the potential of the group and produce most likely better products or jobs. (Polzer)
Forming a team, according to Prof. Polzer, follows different stages. When forming a team, it should undergo a stage in which they call “Team Design”. Here, leaders have to focus on how to effectively assemble the team. In doing so, leaders have to carefully pick the most appropriate place, mood, ambiance, contextual conditions, structures, task assignments, and even members to devise a proper efficient working group.

The second stage is what they call “Team Processes”. This stage is where diagnosis of different projects, evaluation of the members, and formulating the remedies of certain distortion comes in. As much as possible, companies would want to have a 100% accuracy and efficiency in jobs. Teams, as the basic blocks, should also have 100% accuracy. But there are really times that teams would not do very good in the job; therefore, leaders should have the ability and skill to put a remedy on that problem.
In doing so, leaders don’t have to rush things. In diagnosing in the proper way, it is easier for the leaders and members to see what might have been the problem. Upon diagnosing the problem of the team, is entails the evaluation of the members and the group on how well they perform. In this way, the team will easily identify the problem and also the solution. Another rationale behind the team process is that, it imparts practical interpersonal skills for effective proper solving in group situations.
The last stage would be known as “Bridging Differential in Teams”. Workers are highly dispersed in terms of geographical, social, and cultural distances. This dispersion gives a high advantage for the individuals as potential assets. But with respect to collective potential, these differences are hardly to be controlled. Leaders should be skilled enough on how these differences will be handled to maximize every member’s potential assets.
These stages would likely to solve the problem of dysfunctional within the teams. The occurrence of dysfunctional teams is mainly because of varying personal interest of members.  The five primary dysfunctions are: lack of trust, fear of conflict, inability to commit, unwillingness to hold one another accountable, and inattention to results. (Lencioni)
In every team, the characteristics in the said dysfunctions are basic. If even one of these is distorted, then the team might be in a threat of being dysfunctional. Teams are successful when the employees “win” as a result of being on teams.  The three stages of Polzer might be the answer for this problem. If we are to look further in the three stages promotes the proper combination in forming a group. If these guidelines are to be followed, then the harmony and balance of the team will eventually eliminate the five primary dysfunctions. Trust will be established, conflicts will be attended, committing will be easy, concern to others, and will pay attention to the result to protect their reputation and bond.
Teams are indeed a good way of utilizing one’s potential. And the members of the team have also different opinions and ideas. If someone, such as a leader, can control these elements and promote balance and harmony in the team, then most likely the team will enjoy its success.
Reference:
Lencioni, Patrick. “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.”  (2006).
Polzer, Jeffrey T. “Leading Teams.”  (2003).