my essay about teams

After reading all the literature of teams, I realized that it is optional to understand the authors’ logic on building a productive team. A productive team will come naturally once the requisites are met. However, cultural intelligence can be separated by two groups: philosophers, who can label and abstract their ideas and technicians, who implement ideas but cannot fully describe them. Although teammates are unable to explain their reasoning, members can instinctively endorse good practices. Thus, these members are technicians rather philosophers because these individuals experienced only an implementation of a productive team. Nevertheless, team leaders already employ these practices consciously and unconsciously. Leaders are role models. With indirect communication, leaders can provide an example for their subordinates. Furthermore, subordinates uses mirror neuron to imitate their leader as discovered by Italian scientist. Bosses can provide an acceptable standard or practice that group members should follow. By providing a modeled etiquette, role models are unconsciously manipulating their underlinings to behave. Goleman mentions Herb Keller, co-founder of Southwest, hugs and greets his employees. He spreads joy and accomplishment for a longs day of work and inspire them to return the favor. The flight attendants describe this gesture as everybody is part of a family. Good behavior is contagious and spreads throughout the company. Team members are encouraged to speak. Problems are becoming harder to solve. Groups need diversity. In a diverse environment, highly influential people will shine and overpower the weak willed individuals. Edmonson introduces the idea of Psychological Safety which allows the weaker willed individual to speak their minds. When each team member speaks, the individual can provide specialized knowledge to criticize the current course of action. Therefore, the group saves time and resources on a solution that is fundamentally wrong. As an added benefit, new appointees bring in their resources, background, and knowledge. A mix of ideas from multiple professions can create an elegant solution for previously impossible tasks. Humans can learn from their mistakes. Everybody make mistakes; whether or not, the mistake is faulty assumptions or inexperience. Ellington-Booth notes that Richardson, a successful salesperson in Chicago, is failing at her new manager job in Phoenix. The author mentions her dysfunctional group with problems such as lack of motivation, defiance, and unfortunate disaster. However, Richardson is self-aware during this whole ordeal. She just lacked the experience to resolve these issues. She might have regretted some of decision such as betting her position on a new product or accepting the job. There are things she could have done better while she reminiscent her former job in Chicago. But, she had the experience failing at her new position. There is a chance that she may learn from failure to avoid it in the future. Implementations will have to be relearned. Unlike understanding the concept, experience cannot transfer across different cultures, environments, people and variables. Leaders must adapt. Javidan et al. advises leaders to strengthen foreign teams in three attributes: intellectual, psychological, and social capital. In other words, managers must be able to adapt to the current situation, rebuild the relationship and encouraging them to do better. For example, Alan, a rising star in the U.S. based manufacturing, is foundering to turn around a plant in China. Despite all the encouragement and necessary meeting, he never understood the Chinese culture. Likewise, he kept providing solutions that were reminiscent of his previous plant. As a result, he never properly connected nor encourage the local workers. Chinese workers were frustrated and confused by Alan’s sense of direction. If Alan had known instead of escaping to his American bubble, Chinese could have been invigorated to work faster and efficiently. Affiliates have the desire connect with each other. Companies operate around the world to expand their brand. Unfortunately, physical separation reduces team performance. Siedrat et al. report that a difference such as working as a difference floor can noticeably reduce team productivity. Teammates had to resort to impersonal communication such as email because workers are discouraged from traveling the distance. Hence, not all companies succeed in creating an international network. But, Siedrat notes that worldwide multinational companies foster global cultures that overcome the barriers of disperse inter team communication. Virtual teams have the ability to outperform co-located teams. It is possible to leverage the expertise of foreign branches to become more productive. Most of these markers already exist. Whether or not team leaders are able to explain them, some of them will be able to deploy them. The strange thing about successful teams is that most teams share somewhat similar markers. A coach might brag about a minority player or a boss was overjoyed that a HR nightmare turns out to be one of the company’s best employees. These leaders are embracing another alien party and accepting their own. Basically, the authors are explaining things that already exist.

Openness 93% Adventurousness 89% Artistic interests 6% Emotionality 8% Imagination 96% Intellect 98% Authority-challenging 79% Conscientiousness 48% Achievement striving 96% Cautiousness 77% Dutifulness 28% Orderliness 2% Self-discipline 20% Self-efficacy 65% Extraversion 12% Activity level 98% Assertiveness 84% Cheerfulness 11% Excitement-seeking 35% Outgoing 32% Gregariousness 53% Agreeableness 9% Altruism 17% Cooperation 16% Modesty 12% Uncompromising 4% Sympathy 69% Trust 8% Emotional range 41% Fiery 54% Prone to worry 19% Melancholy 73% Immoderation 12% Self-consciousness 62% Susceptible to stress 7% Needs Challenge 99% Closeness 20% Curiosity 63% Excitement 99% Harmony 96% Ideal 66% Liberty 70% Love 48% Practicality 86% Self-expression 77% Stability 57% Structure 5% Values Conservation 28% Openness to change 4% Hedonism 2% Self-enhancement 100% Self-transcendence 18%