Team Roles Work for Performance Management

Introduction

The analysis of this case study is a company that dominates in the technology industry, which has become one of the major growing parts of the economy. In this sector, there are various challenges managers face when managing teams in the area. (Belbin, 2012)One such problem encountered by the top executive is on how to build the best teams that work efficiently in the workplace. Over the years, there has been a challenge to form the best teams with bright individuals who are flexible and very responsive to changes in the environment in the workplace. (Belbin, 2012)Another challenge the manager may face is the problem of managing performance. It entails the intangible dimensions of the human performance that majorly affect the morale, the wellness and the human relations with other employees Denison, 2013). The particular Company that is being analyzed in this case study is Google. The analysis is based on examining the working habits of how individual perform in a team (Dyer and Dyer, 2013).

Background information of Google Company

Google Company is fastest growing company in the technology industry dominating (Duhigg, 2016). The company over the last five years has embarked on a research, which is focused on building the perfect team. The researchers have devoted themselves to studying on all aspect of team composition to know how to make the employees better, faster and more productive.  (Duhigg, 2016) The name of the research was regarded as Project Aristotle, which commenced in 2012 with aim to study all of Google teams and figure how some stumbled and other soared. The lead research was called by the name Julia who had previous experience from study team while she was undertaking her MBA and other experience from the last job she held as a consultant. From the Google research, they identified various behaviors that seemed significant and the research pointed to the particular norms, which were imperative to success (Hacklin and Wallnöfer, 2012).

Identification of the issues and the problems

The teams on the research exhibited various challenges. It is important to highlight the problem and what caused them. One of the problem is the absence of the team identity. On this issue, it may occur when the team members feel they are not mutually accountable to one another for the purpose of the team objective. (Hayes, 2014)There may be lack of commitment and effort. In the case of the case study, this has been clearly demonstrated by the teams highlighted. One case example was when Matt explained how one senior engineer would always talk and every person was scared to disagree with him. Another problem is difficulty in making a decision. This problem is occurs when the team members rigidly adhering mostly to their position when making decision or they can make repeated arguments rather than introducing of the new information. On the case study, it has highlighted that the two groups at Google are very different. Group A composed of bright and successful individuals and they always undertake a given issue and solve as a team without any interruption from the group member. (Hayes, 2014)They tend to be focused on the objective at hand. On group B, the teammates usually jump in and out of a given discussion. If a member changes a topic the rest forget the agenda they were doing and followed on the new issue and at the end the meeting agenda not met.

The positive and negative aspects of the management approaches

The management theories are usually implemented to help increase the organization productivity and the quality of the services they offer. In the case of Google Company, the management can employ various management theories and approaches towards the different problems they encounter to build a perfect team of employees. (Visintin and Pittino, 2014) What one of the control approaches to using is the contingency theory. On this theory it asserts that the manager makes the decision based on a given situation rather one method that fit all. The action that should be taken should be built on a given current situation. In this Case study, the case of Matt he should formulate management strategies to act as a guide to the team he heads. The problem is with the team he held no cultural control existed with the team. Others feared the senior manager in the team and no one wanted to disagree with him. In a team, there should be cohesion where everyone contributed to a given agenda rather than one individual (Goetsch and Davis, 2014).

Possible Solutions

One of the ways to build a perfect efficient team and building on the relationship between the members of the team is through team building activities. In the case study, many issues are affecting the company one being cultural changes example in the case of Matt when he elaborates how the other members fear a senior manager, they are scared and do not want to disagree with him. Such problem can be changed if the team go for a team building where they will bond, and build a relationship with one another (Visintin and Pittino, 2014).

The managers should use the problem-solving strategy of dealing with the issues that may arise from the pressure of the personal difference and demand of individual tasks apart from the team. Sometimes group members tend to lean on others and do not contribute to a given agenda. In the case of Google, there is problem lack of team identity. Some members feel they are not accountable for one another, and they tend not to be committed to the overall goal of the team (Morecroft, 2015). Another strategy to employ is the use of the inclusion membership strategy. On this aspect, the individuals tend to have a natural desire to be a part of a group and are usually motivated by a sense to part of something bigger than they are

Proposed solutions

Google wants a possible solution to have a perfect team in the work. The solution to having an excellent team is to enhance better and more productive individuals who can work efficiently on a given agenda. The solution to solve the issue of conflict about team members and to have useful groups in the work was due to the fact the company was growing fast, and it was becoming world dominant in the commercial sector. In addition, it was a core at the Silicon Valley that to be the best you have to be reign supreme in all you do. To achieve this there was need for the individuals to work as a team and work effectively as one unit.  There are pros and cons of having a team. One of pros of working as a perfect team there is fostering of creativity and the learning. (Goetsch and Davis, 2014)These aspect works when people operates in a group. When the employees of Google rely on one another, there can build trust, and create healthy relationship amongst themselves. (McShane and Von, 2015) In some aspect, the case study shows that some members of the group do not have team identity in that they are not committed. In establishing a perfect teams and highlighting those norms that are vital the employees will feel encourage and feel proud to contribute towards a given projects. Nonetheless, the cons towards achieving perfect team the members conflict on others ideas. Some tend to show off they are better than the other. In the case this is clearly established when the employees are grouped and given various agenda to tackle.

Recommendations

On the action plan in the implementation of the strategies to achieve a desired team in the workplace, there is a need to set the short-term measures and the medium term that are linked on solving problems that are affecting the company. (Merritt and Clauset, 2014) Short needs that need to be implemented is to have clear objectives and an appropriate leadership. The team members needs to identify his or her purpose, which allows each member to understand the goal. The leader needs to communicate effectively so that the members have a clear picture of what the organization expects from the team. One the medium term action should be the flexibility of the approach. The company should employ different styles of management to suit different task conditions. The team members will look at the leadership styles, which fits on the prevailing circumstances. Team leaders need to be autocratic and controlling under stressful situations in which require a quick responses. The managers should highlight clear expectations and provide a platform for dialogue with the employees to explain the challenges that are affecting them at the workplace rather assume they are feeling fulfilled by their jobs. Having an excellent team, it will create an environment that has broad access to ideas and the likelihood of quality innovation.

Conclusion

The Google Company is one of the major players in the technology industry and has an impact in the economy of a country. In any organization to be effective and achieve fully their objective there is need to have a perfect team. To achieve this there is need to look at the source of problem, which affect individuals when they are working together. In the case of Google, the analysis was done and there were problems that were identified that causes the team not to fully work effectively. In this paper, it has highlighted the challenges, the possible solutions, and recommendations

References

Belbin, R.M., 2012. Team roles at work. Routledge.

Büchel, B., Nieminen, L., Armbruster-Domeyer, H., and Denison, D., 2013. Managing stakeholders in team-based innovation: The dynamics of knowledge and trust networks. European Journal of Innovation Management, 16(1), 22-49.

Dyer, W.G. and Dyer, J.H., 2013. Team building: Proven strategies for improving team performance. John Wiley & Sons.

Duhigg, C., 2016. What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team. The New York Times Magazine.

Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B., 2014. Quality management for organizational excellence. pearson.

Hacklin, F. and Wallnöfer, M., 2012. The business model in the practice of strategic decision-making: insights from a case study. Management Decision, 50(2), pp.166-188.

Hayes, J., 2014. The theory and practice of change management. Palgrave Macmillan.

McShane, S.L. and Von Glinow, M.A., 2015. Organizational Behavior 7/e.

Merritt, S. and Clauset, A., 2014. Scoring dynamics across professional team sports: tempo, balance and predictability. EPJ Data Science, 3(1), 1.

Morecroft, J. D., 2015. Strategic modelling and business dynamics: A feedback systems approach. John Wiley & Sons.

Visintin, F., and Pittino, D., 2014. Founding team composition and early performance of university—Based spin-off companies. Technovation, 34(1), 31-43.

Williams, C. (2013). Principles of management. South-Western Cengage Learning.

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