Strategies for Supporting Team Members †Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About the Strategies for Supporting Team Members? Answer: Introduction The team effectiveness can be terminated as the capacity of particular teams to accomplish the goals as well as the objectives of the organization (Wang Waldman and Zhang 2014). A team is considered as the collection of the people interdependent in their tasks and they share responsibilities for shared outcomes. The group cohesiveness and the team work are essential components of the team effectiveness (Wang Waldman and Zhang 2014). It is important to perform the evaluation of the team so that they are on the way to achieve effective team outcomes. The leaders should be in strategic position to lead and manage the team in an effective manner. BizOps are engaged in the sales of exclusive phone products all around Australia. The business aims to give high quality of products as well as innovative services to the customers. This would require outstanding team efforts and good team performance so that the organizational goals are achieved. This paper would define the documentation process of the organization regarding the plans, strategies and methods that would be used to lead as well as manage the different teams located at the retail outlets. This document would be useful for the evaluation of the effectiveness of the team leadership performance. Discussion Purpose, role, accountability and responsibilities of team Our organizations mission is to provide high quality, innovative products to the customers. It is also committed to meet the changing needs of the customers. The organization is engaged in the delivery of the speedy as well as personalized services to the customers. The business goals of the organization include maintaining financial stability, securing the market position and recruiting the right people in the organization. This goal would not be achieved without the help of the employees and the team members. The purpose of creating the teams in the retail outlet is better understanding of the organizational decisions and increased participation of the members (Wang Waldman and Zhang 2014). The increased participation of the members help in better implementation of the policies, decisions and rules of the organization. The teams would also help in better problem solving activities of the organization (Dingsoyr and Dyba 2012,). There would be different kinds of roles of the team such as combining resources or competencies so that the organizational objectives are accomplished. There would be cross functional teams which would enable greater functional competencies to combine on shared objectives. The responsibilities of the teams would include the management of the day to day operations, impart training, listen to each others feedback, engage in clear communication and others (Wang Waldman and Zhang 2014). The team leaders would be responsible for designing the timeline that their teams wo uld need to reach the end goal. Performance Plan Every team exists for specific purpose at the workplace and there are variety of teams that function in the workplace (Wang Waldman and Zhang 2014). The purpose of the teams is to achieve the organizational goal and more importantly achieve the teams individual goals (Gong et al. 2013). The team members are expected to fulfil particular outcomes, goals and key performance indicators as per their job profile and achieve them periodically. All the team members are needed to achieve the goals of the organization and take suitable actions for fulfilling them (Gong et al. 2013). The effective teams are characterised by shared vision and accountability of each team member. The performance plan for the employees of BizOps is concerned with the increase in the number of customers and the implementation of sustainable business practices. The performance plan for the employees are described as under- Goal Increase the number of loyal customers by 20 percent over a period of eight months KPI Marketing executives are expected to make 30 walk in per day at sale outlets and make average sales of 12 per day Action Required Team Cohesiveness Team Communication Team training Team Rapport Brainstorming sessions Support Assistant Team Leader Team Leader Operations Manager Training Manager Completed by 15/06/17 Evaluation of performance Team leader to monitor the interaction of the sales executives and customers Results of customer handling techniques to be compared with results recorded prior to training Fig: Performance Plan for BizOps Enterprises Source: Created by Author Strategies for supporting team members It is important to ensure that the team members are meeting their desired outcomes for the team performance (Kauffeld and Lehmann-Willenbrock 2012). There would be formulation of specific objectives that would help in the achievement of team objectives. The managers should define the membership role as well as functions of individual team members. For example, the outlet manager is responsible for the overall management of the operational activites so that there is an increase in the sales of the outlets. The sales staff should be assigned duties of meeting, greeting and answering the doubts of the customers. The team leader should have clear understanding of the different team projects. The strategies of the team should be designed by keeping in mind the abilities as well as skills of the team members (Gong et al. 2013). This would help the leaders to allocate appropriate tasks to them. There should be mutual responsibility as well as accountability of theh team and this should be e nforced by the team leaders (Baur and Schmitz 2012). The members should be developed capacities that enable them to take responsibility of their efforts. There would be consultative approach in gaining the inputs of the team members regarding the decision making activity within the team (Gong et al. 2013). There should be open views regarding the team decisions where every member would be allowed to share their viewpoints. A high level of participation would be encouraged which would increase the productivity of the team (Wheelan 2014). The participation rate is directly proportional to the level of commitment. There would also be periodic training and development for the employees which would be based on the skill gap of the employees (Gong et al. 2013). It would address the key performance indiciators and try to enhance the skills of the employees so that they are able to fulfil these critierias. Strategies- Input of team members in planning, decision making and operational aspects The inputs of the team members in the matters of planning, operations and decision making activity are important as they are the ground levels of employees whose feedback can be valuable for meeting the organizational objectives (Gong et al. 2013). The following steps would be understaken for this purpose- Encouraging contribution- The genuine contribution of the team members should be sought from the employees by giving them sufficient importance and making them feel valuable. Foster clear channels of communication- There should be transparent communication between the team members and all the messages of the management should be clearly communicated to the team (Lee et al. 2012). It is also important to facilitate group discussion in the team and brainstorming sessions would be helpful for this purpose. Associating benefits for higher participation rates- The organization would give both financial as well as non-finacial benefits for more participation in the team activities (Gong et al. 2013). Increased cooperation- The team should engage in supporting each other and the mutual cooperation would help the team to realise its potential (Hoever et al. 2012). The organization would strive to provide the best environment for the team so that the team can help each other in good faith. Fostering high level of trust- There should be high levels of team collaboration and understanding among the team members which would help them to engage in the team planning process (Davenport 2013). Ensure accountability- The employees should be made responsible for their own work and they should know thei job duties well (Lee et al. 2012). Strategies for participation of team members in team activities The team members should be encouraged for taking responsibilities of the team activities which includes giving attention to the communication process also (Lee et al. 2012). The various strategies for encouraging the participation of the team members are defined as follows- Encouraging ownership- Team members would contribute more to the project if thee is inbuilt sense of ownership. The team members should identify with the success of the team and they should treat the project as their own (Avey Wernsing and Palanski 2012). They would be given the freedom to experiment with different solutions when face with problematic situation. Giving chance to everyone to speak- It would be evident that some team members would be self confident/assertive while the others would be shy/quiet. The meetings should be structured so that everyone receives equal opportunity to speak (Kaner 2014). The team members should be encouraged about articulating their ideas Set a good example- The senior management of the firm should engage in providing good examples to the team members they are motivated about the work. Development and facilitation of team cohesion It is important to support team cohesion in BizOps and allow the team members to take responsibility of their work and help others in fulfilling the team objectives. The draft policy and set of procedures for achieving this are outlined below- All employees would be guided by the managers regarding their roles and responsibilities in the organization. They can seek clarification from the manager and when required. There would be excellent modes of communication that would be used for promoting team work (Lee et al. 2012). There would be sharing of information, building of trust and active listening to the grievances process. The communication level should be clear across all hierarchal levels. All the team members would be given a chance to present their viewpoints and they should their concerns at that time only. The team leads would encourage the employees to give more contribution to the day to day activities of the team and the overall team success. The employees would be held accountable for their work and ever individual should be answerable for his/her work responsibilities (Lee et al. 2012). There would be frequent team workshops which would aim to increase the motivation level of the employees. Formal feedback process The feedback process is important for improving the performance of the employees. A mere personal development plan is not sufficient to give valuable feedback to the employees (Lee et al. 2012). The feedback process should encourages, rewards as well as values the contribution of the employees (Mowday Porter and Steers 2013). The different leadership techniques as well as strategies for this purpose are defined follows- Positive One- The feedback process should be a positive one and it should be aimed at improving the quality of the performance of the team members (Lee et al. 2012). It should be taken in a friendly manner and the conversation with the employees should be done in a warm way. Timely- The feedback process should not hamper the work of the employees and it should have proper time which is suitable for the team members and their performances (Lee et al. 2012). Regular Process- The feedback process should be a regular one and the time duration should be fixed by the management (Lee et al. 2012). The duration would rest on the decision of the management. Constructive Criticism- The leaders should engage in providing constructive criticism to the employees that would help the individuals grow (West 2012). Grievance redressal process The problems, issues and the grievances of the employees should be identified ans suitable solutions would be provided to them- Identification of the issues- The team leaders would engage in identification of the actual reasons of the problems. Understanding the best interests- It is important to understand each others viewpoints who are involved in the problem. It is important to engage in active listening process (Vanicek and Krakiwsky 2015). Listing of the possible solutions- The probable solution of the problem should be listed and this can be done by brainstorming sessions (Lee et al. 2012). Evaluation of the possible options- The probable solutions would be evaluated by understanding their advantages as well as disadvantages. Documentation of the agreements- There should be proper documentation of the issues and the solutions. It is important to write down the details (Vanicek and Krakiwsky 2015). Focussing on the contingencies- The situations may change and hence it is important to focus on the continengies (Kattner 2012). Role model for the team I, retail outlet manager, would ensure that my contribution to the team would act as role model for the team members and it would also improve the image of the organization among the stakeholders. It is important that the manager has qualities which helps in the motivation of the team members and this would enhance their performance (Vanicek and Krakiwsky 2015). The manager should demonstrate confidence as well as leadership so that the team members are themselves confident (Rana et al. 2015). They should be not be afraid to be unique and incorporate innovativeness. They should show respect as well as concern for others, which would make the team members to show concern for each other. The leaders should have humility as well as the capability to accept their own mistakes (Kattner 2012). This would make the team members admit their individual mistakes when the situation demands so. The manager should have sufficient knowledge and they should know how to manage contingent situations ( Larose 2014). Communication process The communication process should be proper and there should be individualised communication mode for different mode of the stakeholders (Vanicek and Krakiwsky 2015). The senior management should be communicated through the help of email, newsletters, videoconferencing and face to face discussion (Northouse 2012). The outlet managers should be communicated thorugh staff meetings, emailand others. The sales staffs would be contacted through the help of intranets, company email and feedback sessions. The customers of the company should be contacted through phone calls, personal interaction, email, social media network and others (Vanicek and Krakiwsky 2015). The recruitment agencies should be contacted through telephonic conversations, meetings, teleconferencing and others. Two way communciation flow There would be two way communication process between the team members, which would ensure that the performance issues are addressed properly. There should be sender and receiver, which would operate in an area of minimal external distractions (McQuail and Windahl 2015). The employes should be asked feedback about the organization and about their individual job roles. Regular feedbacks should be taken about the organizational rules and processes. Any views of the employees should be respected and they should be encouraged to give valuable advices (Vanicek and Krakiwsky 2015). The organization should also focus on communicating with the team members about the important organizational norms (Bouhafs Mackay and Merabti 2012). This should be facilitated by different kinds of communication tools such as chatrooms, instant messaging, telephone conversations, in-person communication and others (Vanicek and Krakiwsky 2015). It is important that the organization should foster two way communica tion process in which the organizatons would share their feedbacks with the employees and they in turn would share any grievances with the management. The employee would be given sufficient options to justify their actions or cite reasons for any deviations in performances. The employees are required to adhere to the rules of the management and at the same time, they should be given an opportunity to be heard. Conclusion The team effectiveness is one of the most important aspects of the organization. The success or the failure of the organization depends solely on the effectiveness of the teams. This document defined the different team operational procedures in BizOps Enterprise. The purpose of creating the teams in the retail outlet is better understanding of the organizational decisions and increased participation of the members. A key performance plan is formulated based on the goals, key KPI and action required for effective teams. The managers should define the membership role as well as functions of individual team members. Different strategies are formulated for making the teams participate in the planning, decision making and operational aspects. The different strategies for participation of team members in team activities are explored. A draft policy has been prepared for development and facilitation of team cohesion. The different leadership techniques for formal feedback process is defined . The grievance redressal process of the organization is explored. The communication process that would be implemented in the outlets are defined in detail. 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