More and more organizations are
starting to use self-managed teams as they become more flat. This puts more emphasis on teams being more self-managing. A self-manage work team is “autonomous group
whose members decide how to handle their task” (Brown, 2011, p 349). There are
many benefits of self-managed teams as such creating a sense of vision for the
team and the organization. It also
creates a strong partnership between the team and management and encourages
authority and accountability for the team members. There is diversity among team members and
they all bring something different to the table which reflects in their skill
and knowledge for each member. Team members
feel empowered to make decisions that will positively the organization for the
better. Being a part of a self-managed team means working together while
encouraging and meeting the challenges as a team to work through any issues to
create a stronger group effort. They share the same vision for the team and the
organization and show strong commitment to the team.
There are also so drawbacks to
self-managed teams especially if the team is not sure of their assigned roles
because there is a lack of leadership in guiding the team in the right direction. If there is a lack of training with
self-managed teams they may very well fail because this training was not
provided. Another drawback is that there
may not a need for teams because it is not appropriate to the task, people or
context. Disagreements can be an issue if they are not worked through completely
where everyone comes to an agreement.
Working as a team means able to work through problems and find a common
ground to collaborate as one.
I prefer working on a
self-managed team and actually do in my current job. When you are given the authority to make decisions
and work together for the same common goal it makes you feel like you are a
part of something bigger. There is no one standing over your shoulder making
sure you are doing your job. Because we
are all trained and understand our jobs we can perform with little or no supervision.
We are starting to work on cross training so that we can all perform most of each
other’s jobs. There is one drawback however and that has to do with the
security assigned to certain screens in our system but we feel it is important
that each team member understands all the roles within our department. It also helps us to understand how all
aspects of the jobs within financial aid work.
We all work at our own pace and decide what our priorities are for the
day without having to run that past the director. When we need help we rely on each other to
work through the issues and come to a mutual consensus.
To be an effective external
manager of a self-managed work team I would want to make sure that I am there
to help my team achieve their goals while continuing to build on their
professional development and training. This will include motivating and
coaching them while not micromanaging them.
I will be sure to encourage and empower them while providing all the
needed tools to ensure their success. Some
things that are vital to this are to have open communication, filling in any
skill gaps, and having a plan to keep it simple and clear. I know that I will
need to be ready to listen, motivate and implement changes as needed.
Brown, D. R. (2011). An
experiential approach to organization development (8th ed.). Boston: Prentice
Hall
No comments:
Post a Comment