Change Management and the Use of Teams

Change Management and Use of Teams [Name] [Institution] [Date] Change Management and Use of Teams As organizations continue to experience uncertainties regarding their future viability, they increasingly prefer to engage in some sort of inter-organizational restructuring to ensure future success in their operations. Currently, programs to improve organizational management have become increasingly common. However, few managers implement them successfully. Organizational success depends on how managers persuade various groups and individuals to adjust the way they work, something most people will embrace if only they are persuaded to think different about their jobs. Therefore, managers should alter the mindsets of their employees in order to ensure change in the organization is effectively implemented (Levasseur, 2001). This is not an easy task, as viable strategies need to be adopted for change to take place in an organization. To ease up change implementation, managers should first determine the extent of the change needed to realize the business outcomes they seek. This paper discusses change management, and the Use of teams in implementing changes in organizations. Building a sense of teamwork among staff members The term "team" refers to groups of people that meet overtime to accomplish a project and later on wind down. For instance, a traditional staff in an organization that meets as a group to discuss some operating issues affecting an organization. Many departments in various organizations rarely operate as teams. Employees work on daily basis as individuals, which is unfortunate for these organizations as experts advocate that teamwork is an integral part of any organization`s productivity and profitability and should be embraced in all organizations. Downsizing, reorganizing, right sizing and reengineering are all signs of pressure on an organization to reduce its workforce. In order to achieve this without much struggle, organizations need to adopt the use of teams. Five employees working cooperatively in a friendly environment can achieve more than ten employees working as individuals (Gill, 2002). Teamwork gives employees an opportunity to share ideas making problem-solving tasks easy. When the organization`s staff is working together in an environment of accountability and transparency toward a common goal, they put aside differences and focus on the responsibilities assigned to them. With all resources directed to the same goal, they can overcome any barrier, come up with new opportunities, and create a momentum that brings about better problem solving ways, higher productivity, and effective use of resources. Unless managers in various organizations built a sense of teamwork among their staff, there will be no share performance goals, no mutual accountability, no join work efforts, which can skyrocket the organization`s productivity (Kirchmeyer, 2002). Handling Loners in a team It is rare to have a staff member who does not want to work as a team, but at one point this individuals may exist in an organization. In case of such a territorial/introverted person, the solution is not to let him/her go. A niche should be created that will enable such a loner to be accommodated in the organization. The individual can also be encouraged to modify his/her behavior to cope up with others. They should be explained how their behavior can result to negative feelings from the rest of the staff members. A change will help such an individual to work with others as a team and assist to eliminate resentment from co-workers and us-versus-them attitude that might have cropped in. Use of teams in implementing changes in an organization Establishment of a transition team during the process of effecting new changes in an organization creates a venue where individuals who can think, and work with the rest of the organization`s team have the opportunity to make decisions. A team approach paves way for knowledge sharing and relationship building. Although use of teams has been receiving considerable attention, it can possess both advantages and disadvantages especially in a case where the team is diverse. Differences may surface in course of coming to an agreement on what ways to adopt in implementing various changes. However, team members should use these differences to better understand and build trust on each other. Therefore, these groups should have leaders who will effectively manage any difference that might arise (Ryan & Tippins, 2004). The role of team diversity Due to their potential benefits to increase performance, teams are more frequently used to enhance an organization`s ability to maneuver difficult and complex situations. Organizations use both temporary and permanent teams, joining employees into groups to work on emerging problems and make critical decisions. Adoption of work teams enable an organization to respond to changes in the organization`s environment in a swift and easy way. Therefore, teams should be used as primary strategy for managing change in an organization. Members of work teams are always involved in frequent interaction and decision-making activities, and cooperative problem solving. As a result, much is normally expected from them. Due to this nature of team`s work, the members should be selected from all the levels, and most importantly all the departments in order to ensure a balanced decision making and problem solving approach is in place. Diversity will also ensure that the rest of the organization will be at ease in working with the team since each organization`s department will be equally represented (Bordia, Hobman, Jone, Gallois & Callan, 2003). Team composition: Supplementary Fit Many organizations use the supplementary fit perspective to analyze fitness among members of a work team. Supplementary fit is usually based on goals, similarities and shared perspectives, and personality. According to research, congruence in all these areas ensures positive outcomes for individuals and groups. Similarity in attitudes among group members creates easiness in interpersonal interactions, makes communication to be effective and reduces differences in the group. In addition, congruence in the personality variables such as conscientiousness, emotional stability, and agreeableness, paves way for a better team viability and performance (Francis, 2003). Despite the many benefits that can be derived from similar personalities and preferences within a work team, too much similarity can affect the success of th...