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The impact of top performers on project teams Management and scholars have been searching for the determinants of project team performance for many years. Individual characteristics and intra-team processes are most often hypothesized to influence team performance. To date, though, we still do not really understand why some teams perform better than other teams. Studies have provided mixed findings and inconclusive results. The study described in this article continues the search for variables that influence project team performance. The findings provide support for an increasingly, albeit controversial, discussion occurring within human resource circles, concerning the impact of top performers on team performance.
Keywords: Project team, Performance, High-flyers
Techniques to enhance creative thinking In order to develop more innovative products, process and services, organisations must encourage their employees to think more creatively. One method of achieving this is to encourage teams to utilise creative problem-solving (CPS) techniques. There is a variety of different CPS techniques. Perhaps the most common technique utilised is that of brainstorming. This, however, does not necessarily produce novel and innovative solutions. The purpose of this article is to explore creative problem solving and to present a model that can help facilitators and team members choose an appropriate technique for their situation. The model has divided creative problem solving into three categories, namely paradigm preserving techniques, paradigm stretching techniques and paradigm breaking techniques. The article discusses these three categories and presents some examples of their use.
Keywords: Creativity, Problem solving, Teams, Paradigms
Creating the right structural fit for self-directed teams Human resources are the most important asset of any organization. Yet most organizations continue to arrange their people in work patterns that inhibit and limit their employees' participation. Many companies have tried to move away from a traditional rigid organizational structure to a more flexible one only to abandon it with few or no positive results. The difference between success and failure depends not on company size or resources, but on appropriate planning and avoidance of pitfalls. This article presents Chevron's experiences in establishing interfunctional work teams, evaluates barriers, and suggests steps for successful implementation of self-directed process teams.
Keywords: Teams, Sociotechnics, BPR, Employees, Empowerment
Business innovation through community management: A case study of virtual education in Japan For the various cyber businesses of the future based on the Internet, multimedia, and other new electronic fields, business organization styles, management methods and the distribution of management resources must be re-formed to accommodate the transformation of the business environment. This article examines the case of a virtual education business in Japan, which has recently been garnering attention as a knowledge-based business that utilizes multimedia, networks, etc. This article will take the position that chains connecting different business and organizations into spiral-shaped, strategic community arrangements will develop and expand new markets, and that it will attest to the fact that both ends in such a business tie-up will be able to hitch themselves to yield-growth businesses.
Keywords: Learning, Communication technology, Multimedia, Innovation, Leadership, Organizational
development
Transformation at INTELSAT: sometimes the tortoise beats the hare This paper describes a customer service initiative in a global telecommunications cooperative, the accepted industry leader in technical quality. Not only are the customers multicultural, but the staff is diverse as well. As opposed to the traditional top-down approach, the INTELSAT initiative originated with middle management. Two groups were formed, each charged with improving a complex, multifunctional ordering process associated with about 50 per cent of revenues. As the groups progressed, each had its own issues, successes, and problems. Although the groups differed considerably in composition, both achieved success, as measured by customer feedback and internal metrics. A final section covers conclusions and recommendations.
Keywords: Customer service, Organizational change, Telecommunications, Quality, Teams
Organisational learning: "live" case studies and the consulting process This paper describes and evaluates the use of two methods of case analysis in the conduct of "live" case studies undertaken by MBA students as part of their curriculum. Five small New Zealand businesses were involved and teams of students had to use a "Harvard" or "Western" approach. The paper proposes that in a rapidly changing and complex business environment, with significant emphasis placed on "learning", the dialectical "Harvard" type approach facilitates much more effectively the development of organisational learning in small businesses. The paper outlines the issues involved in the use of both methods in "live" cases. It also suggests that "live" cases should be an integral part of all MBA curricula.
Keywords: Case studies, Learning, Masters of Business Administration, New Zealand
High performance teams and a climate of community This paper presents an empirically based study of an organisation's attempt to improve from its existent structure of team working to a higher level of organisational performance through the development of enhanced, or high performance, teams. The research findings are contextualised by brief reviews of the literature in three areas: the contribution of people management to organisational performance, leadership and team working. It is argued that there is a convergence of theoretical development towards what is conceptualised in this paper as a climate of community. The empirical research took a multi-method approach to examine the development from teams to high performance teams, which focused on "soft" processual inputs, but which had to have both qualitative and quantitative outcomes. The analysis revealed three factors which were crucial to development: transparency, checkability and a climate of community.
Keywords: Teams, Leadership, Corporate culture, Performance
The self-directed team: A conflict resolution analysis To stay competitive on both local and global scales, companies have to respond rapidly to their customers and to the increasing role of information technology. One way of answering the demands that face today's management, is to increase employees' implication in the organization by empowering them. The shift from top to bottom authority to a team-oriented organization is part of this process. Self-directed teams (SDT) are a key element in making this shift work. In this paper, after a brief definition and description of this kind of team, we will focus on conflict management as an important factor for their success. Conflict and its mechanisms will first be developed, its consequences on group decision making will be studied at the SDTs level, and a set of conflict management alternatives will finally be presented.
Keywords: Conflict, Conflict resolution, Decision-making, Empowerment, Negotiation, Teams
Talking their language Good communication is crucial for effective team working. A failure to understand and value personal differences in style and approach often blocks good communication and leads to unnecessary team conflict. The article outlines key elements of a framework for understanding different personalities and priorities in a way which enables team members to recognise profound difference and its value and to "talk each other's language" to unblock sticking points and conflict. The article recognises we all use all the ways of working but have preferences among them. It describes first those who prefer to work with logic and practicality; second, those primarily interested in relationships and practicalities; third, those focusing first on logical options, and fourth, people who care most about vision and values for people. Understanding and working with these differences enables better communication and better decisions.
Keywords: Communication, Development, Language, Teams
Teamwork: comparing academic and practitioners' perceptions Teamworking is a multi-dimensional concept which has gained recent popularity and some success in manufacturing, but there is little evidence that large numbers of firms in the service sector have espoused teamworking methods. This paper explores this dilemma by comparing academic perceptions of teamworking, through a review of the literature, with a study of the perceptions of practitioners. Although much has been written about group behaviour, the more recent literature on teamworking is inconclusive and is often derived from anecdotal rather than empirical research. Using information obtained from a recent study, this article suggests that the richness of the teamworking experience is not captured by some of the academic literature. It argues for a view of teamworking that is both grounded in the literature and which represents the views of managers and employees in the service sector.
Keywords: Hospitality, Human resource management, Strategy, Teams, Teamwork As always we have only skimmed the surface of relevant articles this week and only those that are particularly relevant for Asia-Pacific managers. Many other articles are available as well including those focusing on other countries and international perspectives.
See also OPC's practical guide to building winning teams in Asia, as well as other team management in Asia articles. Also a few recent articles from the Chao Phraya River Rat on team management implications from the Taiwan Singapore Airlines SQ006 crash. |
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