A631.4.4.RB- INSEAD Reflection

In light of the video and the readings from your textbook;

• What do you see as some of the major benefits and drawbacks of self-managed teams?
• Would you like to work within such a team?
• What competencies would you need to develop to be an effective external manager of a self-managed work team?

You may want to complete A631.4.5.CM prior to preparing your reflection blog.

Self-managed work teams are responsible for managing and performing tasks that result in products or services being delivered to a customer. They are usually made up of employee groups of 5 - 15 people, who are responsible for managing all or a majority of the work including planning and scheduling, monitoring, and staffing (MacDonald,n/d). They are also responsible for the technical aspects of the work, and usually rotate these management and technical responsibilities amongst themselves. Most importantly, self managed work teams rely on interdependence, which quells the opportunities for individuals to only seek work benefits for themselves (Brown, 2011, p. 282). When workers depend  on each other to complete projects, they are more likely to do their best work.

There are several benefits to self managed work teams. Self-managed work teams empower the employee, lower turnover, heighten productivity, and reduce absenteeism (Benson et al, 1994). It relies heavily on worker motivation and places a great deal of responsibility on teams. Employees who buy into the concept of self-direction feel pride in producing quality products or  services. This morale boost increases motivation, which insights greater effort within the team. The results are clear through monetary gains. However, it also may show through employee retention, desires for higher-level positions, and higher demands for:extended amount of employees.

Some of the setbacks of installing self managed work teams may be that people who have always benefited from the hierarchy are now level to everyone else, and may feel a loss of power. However, self-managed work teams empower everyone to provide for the greater good. Since all team members are considered leaders, there is a responsibility to prove competency and the ability to work autonomously without supervision (Benson et al, 1994). It requires a great deal of trust, however it also allows for leaders to conceptualize innovation for the benefit of the company. Because the leaders have the power to change their working conditions, the usual desire for more money to fill a void within their position canal be filled through non-monetary means. This means the company saves money from its employees! If it seems that some are giving far less than others, employees can come together and discuss the role of that person and conclude if training is necessary, or perhaps probation or firing. Team members always have the ability to add input, though they may not always play a role in the final decision making.  

Perhaps one of the most curious setbacks of self managed groups would be the possibility that the team is cohesive to the extent that they feel obligated to find common ground in all situations. Teams need diversity, and if everyone is buying to the group simply to maintain the status quo, this slows production and can be catastrophic for a company (2011, p. 288). Groupthink allows for workers to  overlook possibilities of failure and possible setbacks. It establishes a group bravado does not tolerate those who are against the majority.

The goal of an effective external manager is to clarify the goals of the team and tie them to action, without being a micromanager or coming off as distrusting. As Paul Tesluk notes in the video, the person needs to be “very flexible on the means but very specific on the ends” (Huy, 2008). The effect of external manager is a visionary, who is inspirational and encourages the team to find new ways of doing old things and finding new things to do. That person keeps everyone feeling like they matter, and are doing work that means something and helps people. This person does not step in every time there is a problem, and instead allows for the team to join together and solve problems on their own. It is also great for external managers to conduct or bring in trainers who can do occasional leadership development on effective communication, customer service and opportunities for growth. This person should give highlights of new opportunities.

I am not sure that I would define what I have at work as self lead, but it does have many of the qualities of a self managed team. It is a natural work team with very few projects that involved the whole, so everyone essentially has almost keywords that determine where problems go. Housing charges from over the summer? Me. I solve upper-level first-year student issues that have been addressed by the two levels ahead of mine. I deal with anything related to RHA; this may be a care package issue, a problem our movie streamer, a request to add new facilities to campus, etc. If I need to ship our order envelopes for RHA, I need my Administrative Assistant to pull the most updated roster, as she  runs that database. Now, I could run the report myself, but it may not be accurate. I do not work With the system every day, so I could inadvertently mess something very important up. I don't see interdependence as  saying I have to wait on someone else to do my job, but it is a way of saying that I appreciate that my administrative assistant can do something more effectively than I can,  and there are some things that I do better than her which I do everyday as well. She will always be a need, and so I value her. I enjoy knowing I can count on her!

In reflecting on how I advise the student organization Residence Hall Association - the largest student run organization in the world - I think of the talents I know are inherent in all of my executive board members and how last year laid the foundation for them to realize their own ability to solve problems. We went through extensive training, one-on-ones, follow ups,  and corrections, but the team internalized those educational moments and with some suggestion, found effective ways to solve issues. In our second year, I have stepped back even more to see how they function without my involvement. It is the type of leadership that does not solve all of the problems for their team but steps aside and allows the team to use problem solving techniques knowing that the biggest responsibility of external leadership is to only intervene for emergencies (Huy, 2008). I can admit that sometimes it is difficult for me to watch them try to rush to do something last minute, but I think the best teacher for that type of action is failure. Sometimes people have to fail, and if they are resilient leaders, they will only learn from that failure.

References

Benson, John; Bruil, Spencer; Coghill, Don; Cleator, Rebecca Huber; et al. (1994). Production and Inventory Management Journal 35.1. Accessed at http://search.proquest.com/docview/199926055?pq-origsite=gscholar

Brown, D. R. (2011). An Experimental Approach to Organization Development (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.   

Huy, Q. (2008). Self-managing teams: debunking the leadership paradox. YouTube. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBnR00qgGgM&feature=youtu.be