Management Essay Example: Best Practices in Team Interaction

A research of scholarly material that includes the works of Hoch and Kozlowski (2014), Innocenzo, Mathieu and Kukenberger (2014), and Wang, Waldman, and Zhang (2014), indicate that team leadership entails harmonizing the efforts of different individuals to facilitate the accomplishment of a particular objective. According to Hoch & Kozlowski (2014), the leadership duties commences with the identification of the members traits, then the leader champions the ideals that resonate with the agenda of the team members. However, to ensure success in the process, the acknowledgment of the components of effective team leadership is mandatory. It is on this premise that the paper addresses best practices in team interaction.

Best practices in team interaction

As highlighted in the works of Wang, Waldman, and Zhang (2014), effective leadership demands eloquence in communication. The ability to steer consensus in decision-making while ensuring fairness in actions is a prerequisite. According to Wang, Waldman, and Zhang (2014), effective team leadership demands confidence in duties and integrity as well as the respect of the members of a team. The leader must visualize both the long-term and short-term impacts of an action to ensure articulation of the agenda of the team in line with the aspirations of the members. The ability plan manifested as possession of organization skills feature as a component of effective team leadership.

The subsequent characteristic of an effective team leader is the one that can inspire members to pursue undertaking that yield positive returns. Aside from being able to encourage openness in communication, the leader must also come out as an effective negotiator since shared leadership is stronger (Wang, Waldman, & Zhang, 2014). The ability to win the trust of members is also a trait of effective team leadership. An additional characteristic of effective leadership in a team is delegating capability and the possession of coordination skills. While undertaking tasks, effective leaders can steer constants evaluation of the progress of members to ensure that both perform duties in accordance with the set standard. The leader has to inculcate in members values that inspire creativity in tasks (Hoch & Kozlowski, 2014). Another characteristic of effective leadership is possessing the ability to leverage skills of people from diverse backgrounds to facilitate the accomplishment of the goals of the organization.

Effective teams leadership exploits a myriad of models in the performance of duties. However, the choice depends on the preference of the leader, but in most cases, the models depict similarities in vision articulation. The conventional models used are Katzenbach and Smith model and Lencioni model. The models outline the structure for communication in times of duties (Denison, Janovics, Young, & Cho, 2006). The Katzenbach and Smith in particular mandate balancing skills, accountability, and commitment as the prerequisite in duties. The Lencioni model on its part encourages the prioritization of the concerns that affect all the members over the concerns affecting a specific individual of the team.

On numerous occasions, the utilization of the GRPI model that connotes goals, roles, processes, and interpersonal relationships is responsible for the many accomplishments in organizations that rely on teams in the performance of duties. The use of path-goal leadership model is also a tact exploited in organizations. The approach allows the leaders to prioritize human-related factors and environmental aspects in decision-making. The leaders also consider the employees' contingencies in planning for the needs of a team (Wang, Waldman, & Zhang, 2014). According to the GRPI model, the leader can opt to act as a directive individual or a consensus builder. The leadership also accommodates the need to focus on results as the ultimate goal in leadership.

Working as a team has its fair share of challenges such as the possibility of conflict manifesting due to variation in the perception of members. It is on this basis that the formulation of strategies for resolving the misunderstanding to encourage collaboration is mandatory. Among the strategies helpful for addressing team challenges includes listening to the concern of the members before proposing a solution to the conflict affecting relations in the organization. The implementation of an open policy that encourages openness in expression is critical in addressing the underlying issue that contributes to a conflict in teams. According to Hoch and Kozlowski (2014), organizations can exploit the approach by sharing critical information that leads to the formulation of effective strategies to duties. The leader can also exude enthusiasm in a bid to create a sense of urgency as a means of motivating member to maintain objectivity in organizations.

Promoting collaboration in teams require exploiting dialog in addressing the concerns of the team. The leaders must also work with diligence besides promoting honesty as a means of encouraging team duties. In addition to promoting accountability, leaders can invest in training as a means of encouraging collaboration. The adaptation of brainstorming as a strategy for generating ideas that lead to a solution to challenges affecting members progress is equally recommendable. Another strategy for encouraging coordination involves the clarification of the mission of the team during various pursuits is integral in facilitating goal accomplishment. According to DInnocenzo, Mathieu, and Kukenberger (2014), the leader can set the code of conducts guiding interactions between members as a way of ensuring task proceeds accordance with the plan. The leader should proceed with the clarification of the duties of each party taking part in team activities. The assessments of the competencies of the members and areas that require improvements can follow the step.

Addressing conflict is one of the fundamental tasks in ensuring effectiveness in teams since their occurrence is bound to happen if people from diverse backgrounds engage in work. There exist numerous methodologies for dealing with the uncertainties, but most of them focus on encouraging communication as critical in solving a conflict. In the first step, the mediator communicates to the parties in a conflict to comprehend the cause of misunderstanding (Wang, Waldman, & Zhang, 2014). Afterward, the team leader can organize a meeting with the parties then proceed to the proposing solution based on the remarks of the various parties to a conflict. It is usually advisable that team leaders enact in place guidelines for resolving a misunderstanding as a measure for averting the possibility of halting conflict operations of groups.

The step that follows entails categorizing the concerns while striving to distinguish the issue affecting dominators from those interfering with the actions of the silent members. Objectiveness is necessary throughout the process. The team leader must also remind the members about the conduct of the organization during the process (Hoch & Kozlowski, 2014). The collection of feedback on the view of members about the issue should proceed before conclusion of the process. At times, the utilization of technological components such as Management information System applications in the simulation of situation to preempt the ideal strategy for resolving conflicts is equally recommendable in the contemporary times (Denison, Janovics, Young, & Cho, 2006). The consultation of professionals with previous experience of solving conflicts in teams can also serve as a strategy for dealing with misunderstanding amidst members of a team.

References

DInnocenzo, L., Mathieu, J. E., &Kukenberger, M. R. (2014). A meta-analysis of different forms of shared leadershipteam performance relations. Journal of Management, 42(7), 1964-1991.Doi:http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0149206314525205

Hoch, J. E., & Kozlowski, S. W. (2014). Leading virtual teams: Hierarchical leadership, structural supports, and shared team leadership. Journal of applied psychology, 99(3), 390.Doi https://scholars.opb.msu.edu/en/publications/leading-virtual-teams-hierarchical-leadership-structural-supports-3

Wang, D., Waldman, D. A., & Zhang, Z. (2014).A meta-analysis of shared leadership and team effectiveness.Doi:http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/apl/99/2/181/

Denison, D. R., Janovics, J., Young, J., & Cho, H. J. (2006). Diagnosing organizational cultures: Validating a model and method.Documento de trabajo.Denison Consulting Group.Doi: http://astadipangarso.staff.telkomuniversity.ac.id/wp-content/uploads/sites/59/2014/05/denison-2006-validity_0.pdf