Team building Assignment - unit 9 PDF

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A company cannot thrive without a diverse set of teams that contribute to the smooth operation of the company. All companies have goals that outline what they hope to accomplish in the future. In order to achieve these goals, they usually lay out a series of objectives that the company must complete...

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ASSIGNMENT 1 – TEAMS – WINNIESHA COELHO A company cannot thrive without a diverse set of teams that contribute to the smooth operation of the company. All companies have goals that outline what they hope to accomplish in the future. In order to achieve these goals, they usually lay out a series of objectives that the company must complete before reaching its ultimate goal. These objectives serve as checkpoints for the company to assess what has been done, how to improve, and what to do next. Teams are crucial to a company's success. If the teams formed are unable to collaborate to achieve a goal or complete a task, the company will struggle to keep up not only with their competitors but also with the expectations placed on that company. If every team in that company is focused on the company's success, the company will always be able to satisfy demands while remaining afloat. A team is a group of people who collaborate to achieve a common goal. It normally consists of 5 to 6 people. These individuals may be all fluent in a specific topic or may have knowledge on topics that other members of their team are not familiar with. A team is formed in order to foster the exchange of diverse perspectives, ideas, and skills, resulting in an output that is stronger, better, and more coherent than any individual member of the team could have produced. Each person brings their own distinct attitude, set of skills, and set of behaviours to the team, which not only benefit is the team but also aids in the completion of the final task. A variety of teams can be formed to complete a task, but this is dependent on the type of task assigned. In order to plan a birthday party, informal teams are formed; however, if a company needs to develop a new product to sell, a formal team is formed. Other commonly used teams include interdependent teams, in which each team member is dependent on each other, such as football teams, crossfunctional teams, in which each team member's expertise differs from each other, temporary teams, such as the Christmas sales team, and permanent teams, such as a company's finance team. Many people mistake a team for a group, but they differ in the sense that a team's common goal gives each member a shared responsibility towards it. The outcome is directly attributable to team efforts. Team members build on each other's strengths and fill in the gaps where teammates' skills fall short. As a result, teams can accomplish more than their individual members could. Members of a group, on the other hand, work on their own specialisations, with each individual driving toward their own goal. What an individual accomplishes is how a group measures success. Teams are important because they allow for the growth of innovation. Because there are multiple minds attempting to generate ideas, the team is more likely to generate more solutions and ideas than expected. It also allows for the sharing of expertise because if the team works well together, each member will be able to mentor other members on topics with which they are unfamiliar with if necessary. It is not enough for a person to set a task, form a team and expect it all to be done from there. The team needs to be an effective team. Team effectiveness is the ability of a group of people, usually with complementary skills, to work together to achieve goals established by an authority, team members, or team leaders. What is the significance of team effectiveness? Highly effective teams are able to meet their goals on a consistent basis. They accomplish more as they are more engaged in both their work and their interpersonal relationships. This allows for the final task to be done to a higher standard with every team member gaining new skills and understanding. Apple is a technology giant known for it is consumer electronics, computer software, and online services. Apple is the world's most valuable company and the largest revenue-generating information technology company. To keep their services organised while ensuring the happiness of their customers, Apple has put in place a variety of teams to provide the best service possible. Their 'Support and Service' team and their 'Marketing' team are two of their most important teams. The 'Support and Service' team at Apple focuses on customer issues and how to resolve them. Their support and service team focuses on factors like online support, technical support, and customer support, which focuses on helping customers with live support over the phone, chat, or email, as well as Apple store support, which assists customers who do not have access to things like the internet or a phone, or who cannot solve their problem online. 1 This benefit’s Apple and contributes to its success as if Apple's support and services team was of poor quality, it would be one of the last companies that consumers would go to buy specific products and services from because if they have any issues and are left with no support from Apple, they may feel ignored and mistreated as no one would want to put their money into a company that doesn't value them. Although there may be hundreds of employees on Apple's 'Support and Service' team, each one is a unique, trained individual with in-depth knowledge of the many products and services that 1 https://www.Apple.com/careers/uk/teams/support-and-service.html

ASSIGNMENT 1 – TEAMS – WINNIESHA COELHO Apple has released. Their team members are knowledgeable, which is important when it comes to answering consumer questions; Friendly, encouraging customers to speak freely and express any concerns they may have without feeling unwelcome; Diverse, which helps in the day-to-day services provided by Apple because not every customer will have the same issue and organised which is important as without a sense of organisation, consumers may simply end the day with their issue unattended to. Their marketing team, on the other hand, works directly with designers and engineers as products are developed to ensure that Apple customers are as enthusiastic about their new products as they are.2 Their marketing team is one of the most important teams in Apple because if they hadn't come up with innovative ideas while taking into account possible consumer needs, Apple products would not be as popular as they are simply because if people already have something, they aren't as willing to buy an exact copy of it but if the new product had features that the consumers current product lacked, they would be more biased towards the product when it comes to purchasing it. Apple's marketing team is made up of talented individuals who focus on marketing services such as Apple TV, products such as the iPhone, macOS, and iTunes, and marketing communications such as production, research, analysis, and social media to ensure that the world is aware of their products and services. Members of the marketing team must be quick thinkers because any sudden increase in encouragement from social media could heavily influence their decisions, and they must know how to deal with such unexpected issues. They must also be innovative because without a sense of innovation, all of Apple's products would be identical in every way. Most significantly, Apple's marketing team must be mutually accountable, since if each team member refuses to accept responsibility for the decisions they make, the team's consistent trust will be shattered, causing considerable damage to Apple. One of the primary reasons why Apple has progressed so far since its inception is due to the teams' consistent collaboration, range of opinions, flexibility, encouragement, and trust in one another. These are all characteristics that contribute to the formation of an effective team. Collaboration improves the way a team works together and solves problems.3 This encourages more innovation because each team member is encouraged to provide their own opinions, which leads to increased success, trust, and improved communication because they all know that by expressing their own opinions, they are more likely to be understood and listened to rather than being criticised. They would be able to help each other reach their overall goal by listening to and learning from one another. However, not all businesses sell the same product or service, and some do not sell anything at all. The NBA is one such example. The NBA is a completely independent and self-managed entity that operates independently of the American Federation. They are a global sports and media company centred on three professional sports leagues: the NBA, the Women's National Basketball Association, and the NBA G League. The NBA has a wide range of teams. Teams such as 'The Los Angeles Lakers' and 'The Chicago Bulls' are among the most important playing teams in the NBA; however, to ensure that each match runs smoothly, dedicated management teams work around the clock to ensure that each game is safe, secure, fair, and enjoyable. The LA Lakers and their management team are the teams on which I have decided to focus my research on. The Los Angeles Lakers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers are one of the most successful teams in NBA history, having won 17 NBA championships, the most recent of which was in 2020. According to Forbes, the Lakers are the third most valuable franchise in the NBA as of 2021, with an estimated value of $5.5 billion. Kobe Bryant, the greatest player to ever wear a LA Lakers jersey, tragically died in an aeroplane crash in January 2020. The Los Angeles Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division.4 They must all follow the rules, test negative for drugs, and participate in training activities while maintaining a healthy body and mind. The Los Angeles Lakers are a prime example of an effective team because, in basketball, players must work in an interdependent team, which means they must collaborate in order to achieve the desired outcome, which in this case is winning the game. During games, there is a clear sense of trust, encouragement, and communication. If the players refrain from trusting each other enough to pass the ball around, the team's chances of scoring points are reduced majorly. Every member of a basketball team must trust and communicate with one another. By doing so, they not only 2 https://www.Apple.com/careers/uk/teams/marketing.html 3 Ribeiro, S. (2020). The Real Benefit is of Team Collaboration in the Workplace. 4 NBA.com. (2021). Lakers.

ASSIGNMENT 1 – TEAMS – WINNIESHA COELHO encourage their teammates to not be afraid to step outside of their comfort zones, but with the addition of communication, that specific team, during games, is able to comfortably pass and play without worrying about being looked down upon later because they trust their teammates. This benefit’s the NBA and contributes to their success because the results of their consistent teamwork while maintaining trust in one another have paid off. They have the best franchise winning percentage in the Association and the best in any of the four major American professional sports leagues, with a franchise winning percentage of.619, the best in any of the four major American professional sports leagues. The better they play, the more fans they have, which means more tickets are purchased to watch the games. This not only raises the NBA's profile and fan base, but it also increases the league's annual revenue. The basketball team's success, however, cannot be attributed solely to the players. The Los Angeles Lakers' management team is in charge of a variety of factors that are critical before any game begins. This includes tasks such as organizing game days, providing training for players, planning game techniques, and ensuring that other teams are regularly updated, such as if security has been organized, if the game is still going on, are there any sudden adjustments that need to be made, if any unexpected interruptions occur, will security be present and will they be well – trained, and so on. All of this is critical before a game begins because if a simple error occurs, such as an incorrect game date on tickets after they have been sold and no correction announcement is sent out, not only will the game be cancelled, but a significant amount of money will be wasted, and because the game is under the NBA, the wasted amount could be in the millions, which is an extremely large loss. The Buss Family Trust, the team's owners, Frank Vogel, the head coach, Kristofer Jones, the head team physician, Nick Mazzella, the senior director of player personnel, and Diane Lent-Degele, the digital marketing manager, are all major members of the LA Lakers management staff. All of these people, each with their own teams, are behind one of the NBA's most successful basketball teams. This is due to three major factors. The first of these characteristics is communication. If there was no communication between the head coach and the team physician, players who were told to rest due to an injury may have gone unnoticed by the coach, resulting in that team player being provoked to practise, which could lead to further injury. The second quality is organisation. If all of these people lacked organisational skills, proper game schedules would not be completed on time, game dates would not be set, training would begin too late, and opponent teams would not have been contacted to even inform them of a match. If even one of these events occurred as noted above, the Los Angeles Lakers' chances of playing in a single game would be extremely slim. A cohesive team is formed when a group of people work together to achieve a common goal. Members of a team must remain unified throughout a project and feel as though they have contributed to the group's achievement in order to maintain team cohesiveness. Each team member respects the viewpoints of the others, has faith in them, and backs them up. If the team is cohesive, productivity, innovation, and new ideas are all likely to grow. The quality of a team's work will decline over time if it lacks cohesiveness. Employees that can't get along won't share their thoughts with the rest of the team, leaving everyone with their own viewpoints. If there isn't any cohesiveness among the members of a team, the quality of their work will decline with time. Because team members don't get along, they won't be able to share their ideas with the rest of the group, missing out on crucial feedback, constructive criticism, and viewpoints that may have helped them better their ideas. There would also be a loss of confidence. Without trust, each team member would keep critical information from the others, which would not only obstruct others' work but also set the firm up for failure. The team's leader is in the same position. Leaders who aren't confident in their team will spend a lot of time rechecking, which diminishes their productivity and disrupts the flow of work for their team members, leading to a talent drain. Unrealistic expectations imposed on a team without the support of the other members will result in dissatisfaction, even if the disunity was never present in the first place. When deadlines are missed, individuals begin blaming one another, causing organisations to disintegrate. However, if the team leader decides to put out effort, clarify misunderstandings, and collaborate with the team, the team will begin to re-establish cohesiveness. A team isn't a team until it has a leader. A charismatic personality who combines personal strength and speech to mobilise a group is referred to as a leader. By correctly allocating work and thoroughly checking inside the group for any concerns, effective leaders guarantee that the business's needs are addressed. They should also work closely with their workers to improve the quality of their work and to put team members' abilities to use, all while ensuring that questions

ASSIGNMENT 1 – TEAMS – WINNIESHA COELHO are addressed and answered. If any of the team members become stuck on a task, the team leader should ensure that these queries are addressed right away. Following the advice of John Adair, a notable leadership theorist well known for his three-circle model of Action-Centred Leadership, is suggested for successfully leading a team. He took a more realistic and straightforward approach to leadership, articulating what leaders must accomplish and the actions they must take. His approach consisted of three overlapping circles: achieving the task, building, and maintaining a team, and developing the individual. He argued that this established a clear line between management and leadership. The three circles in Adair's model overlap because the task requires a team because one person cannot complete it alone. If the team's needs are not met, the task will suffer and the individuals will be dissatisfied, and if the individual's needs are not met, the team will suffer, and task performance will be harmed. If the team leader fails to fulfil their duty, which includes maintaining cohesion and collaboration, fostering responsibility, and eliminating conflict, the team will never be able to complete the task, resulting in the team becoming disengaged and maybe breaking. A team leader must ensure that everyone collaborates while minimising disagreement. The majority of team disagreements arise as a result of a mistake made by one of the members. If the team lacks the ability to be accountable in the first place, there is a good possibility that after one error is made, conflict levels will grow in the group. To prevent this from happening again, the team leader must first identify the source of the error, so that they can understand why the error occurred in the first place. Was there a misunderstanding or was the employee simply not paying attention? Once the source of the error has been discovered, any required adjustments should be made, such as providing pauses between jobs if the person is weary, and it is reflected in their performance. An alternative solution may be to describe tasks first and then ask questions to verify that all queries are answered. The team will not remain consistent if the leader fails to communicate with them in a consistent manner. Consistency is essential because if the team leader is continually going back on their decisions, the team will never move on since their leader will be stuck on the same area of the assignment as they are unable to make a simple decision. If the leader is constant in talking with their team on a regular basis, the team members will learn how the leader wants the job to be completed and that they do not want their team members to spend time stuck on a particular assignment because they are afraid from clearing up any confusions that they may have. A leader's responsibility is to not only lead, but also to mould the team so that they may reach the greatest possible result. This can be accomplished by researching Belbin's responsibilities. Belbin is a well-known English scholar who specialises in management teams. He's come up with a list of nine team positions that should be included in any team. 5 They are as follows: • • •

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The Plant: Imaginative and creative. Solves complex issues. However, they tend to become too absorbed in their work to communicate properly. Resource Investigator: a person who is enthusiastic and communicates well. Explores possibilities and connects with others. However, they might be overconfident and lose interest when the initial excitement has worn off. Co-ordinator: mature and self-assured Clarifies objectives, encourages decision-making, and successfully delegate. However, they have the potential to be viewed as manipulative and dominating. Can delegate excessively by unloading personal tasks. Shaper: Does well under stress. Jumps over obstacles with tenacity and bravery. However, they are easily irritated and unaware of others' sentiments. Monitor Evaluator: Calm and strategic. Considers all of the possibilities and makes an informed decision. However, they may be lacking in motivation and inspirational leadership characteristics. The Team Worker: excellent listener who enjoys building connections and avoids conflict. In a crisis, though, they can be indecisive. Implementer: Dependable ...