Solving Priority Problems of Work Teams
 |
Free Download - Ideas On Global Learning By Dr. Fathi El-Nadi |
Workplace teams take many forms, address many purposes, and have many different names., but they fall into two general categories. First, there are the teams variously known as cross-functional teams, product improvement teams, process improvement teams, and program teams. These may be short or long-lived or even permanent. What these teams have in common is that they combine people from a variety of functions who work together toward a joint goal. To simplify terminology, we can call all these types of teams project teams.
A second broad category of business teams has upended the basic structure of countless manufacturing and service organizations over the last decade. These are work unit teams that assume most of the responsibilities formerly reserved for the unit's supervisor. Such a unit may be called an autonomous work team, a self managed team. or a self-directed team. It is a small group of employees who share responsibilities for a block of work; the team plans, schedules, and assigns work and makes decisions related to production and personnel.
While these two types of teams - including ensuing committees and task forces related to them - can be called formal teams that are initiated by the organization to carry out official tasks and assignments, there are always other teams that are initiated by the social activities of the employees themselves such as recreational activities teams, and voluntary community service activities. The bond that ties employees together in this latter type is usually stronger and more relaxing.
Everywhere in business today, people are wearing many hats, assuming every-increasing responsibilities. So the the life of any permanent or long-lived team, there will be times when progress will falter because members are juggling too many balls. The manager of a project team member May call on the person to redouble efforts on a high priority task back in the work unit. In a self-directed work team, a big new order, growing backlog, or unexpected customer demand may draw workers' attention away from their concentration on learning and assuming increased supervisory responsibilities.
Burdened by conflicting priorities, team members may respond in ways that change team tasks and bypass team processes. They may skip team meetings, asserting they are "too busy"; they may attend the meetings but use the time to talk about different issues they share with other members of the team; they may fall behind on promised deliverables. The sooner the team leader intervenes, the less likelihood that a few isolated instances will grow into patterns that erode the team's viability.
When situations like these start to occur, the team leader's first task is to confirm that "other priorities' isn't a polite euphemism for burnout or loss of interest in the team's purpose and activities. those are different problems, and while the symptoms may be similar, some of the solutions are quite different. But connecting with team members outside the formal meetings is a good starting point whatever the underlying cause of members' withdrawals.
Team members commitment makes them monitor their own ability to deliver what they have promised to deliver.
Teams sometimes confront a problem of conflicting priorities that's quite different from the one individual members wrestle with when they find themselves with too much to do. As the company refines its strategies and priorities, teams have to take stock to ensure their priorities still match those of the organization. Every team needs to be careful not to get locked into a narrow view of its purpose. Unless it keeps up to date on needs and goals of the broader organization, support for the team will wane and it will wither due to its own shortsightedness.
Solving Priority Problems of Work Teams - To learn more about this author, visit Dr. Fathi El-Nadi's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
|
Article Tags:
Recent Search: the priority of hr work |
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is North America's leading authority on team culture. She is an author and professional speaker and president of the leading team culture consultancy, TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Crampton has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down or to subscribe to TIGES Free monthly e-newsleeter go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: Winning Business Team Cultures And Why They Thrive, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
|||
Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
 | |
|  |
Subscribe to Dr. Fathi's articles
 | |
|
|  |
 | |
|
| |
 | |||||||
|
 | ||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
| ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
|
 Sample RFP Backgrond Screening Vertical Market Ad Network Telephone Screening Form Positive Thinking Teaching to the Student Brain |
|
 | ||
 |
Top 50 Diversion Blogs
Top Diversion Blogs of 2009 | |
 |
Top 50 Geek Business Blogs
Top 50 Geek Business Blogs | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
 | ||||
| ||||
|
|
 | ||||
| ||||
|
 | ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
||||||||||||
 |
|
|
|
