Flashcards

Case Study #1: Whole Foods: A Benchmark Model of Management for Hospitality

http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4059396.html

1. Please identify and describe best practices used by Whole Foods to support teams.

Whole Foods identifies multiple best practices for Whole Foods to support teams. The Whole Foods culture builds a strong sense of community with a fierce commitment to productivity. It's a virtuous circle: rank-and-file participation reinforces individual attention to performance and profits; solid financial results give people more freedom to innovate. Whole Foods places great emphasis on empowering and challenging team member to help them unleash their entrepreneurial energy and their creativity to improve their team, store and company. The fundamental work unit of the company is a self-directed team. These teams meet regularly to discuss teams, solve problems and appreciate each other’s contributions. The stores are organized into a variety of interlocking teams. The leaders of each team are also members of the Store Leadership Team and the Store Team Leaders are members of the Regional Leadership Team. This interlocking team structure continues all the way upward to the Executive Team at the highest level of the company. When hiring new employees, current teams have the power to approve new hires for full time jobs. Finally, Whole Foods has a high standard of transparency and authentic communication.

2. What elements of team-based organizations can you identify at Whole Foods?

Whole Foods turns employees into teammates and turns a hierarchical organization into one of empowerment. The company creates self-directed teams who meet on a regular basis to solve problems and appreciate each other’s contributions. When hiring new employees, the new company even hires through team collaboration and deliberation. Whole Foods also turns a hierarchical organization into one that empowers its employees. Whole Foods places great emphasis on empowering and challenging team members to help them unleash their entrepreneurial energy and their creativity.

3. What are some of the lessons learned or key takeaways for managing team-based organizations?

Whole Foods is a great example of what a company should look like. They empower their employees to be innovative and creative. In addition, employees are able help pick which future employees they will have on their team. The company builds a strong sense of community with a fierce commitment to productivity. If team leaders are able to implement some of the strategies Whole Food’s does they empower their team members.

Case Study #2: Team-Based Health Care Delivery

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source

1. What are some best practices that you can identify in the case for creating organizations that support teams?

This case provides a lot of best practices for creating organizations that support teams. One of the biggest lessons learned was making sure that there is the right team in place and that there was the right structure that allows teamwork and from the start. If everyone is brought together in the spirit of collaboration, people will naturally learn to communication with each other. There also needs to be an active manager watching over the teams, making sure the team is working together and if the team isn’t be there to provide guidance. In addition, leadership must be willing to make quick decisions, even when something is not going right. Lastly, a best practice for teams is to make sure there is a continual tweaking of the process to make it the best and adapt to changes.

2. Are there any factors you can identify that drove the movement toward a team-based organization in this case? What are some other possible factors that could have led to this change?

The organizations identified several barriers to teamwork in hospitals, including, large team size, variability in team membership depending on the patient, shift, or rotation schedule, geographic dispersion of team members throughout the hospital and in private practice, lack of training on interdisciplinary communication and teamwork in professional training, steep hierarchy leading to difficulty in questioning decisions made by other team members, and health information technology’s ability to allow for asynchronous communication reducing feedback and interaction. 
Some other possible factors are a lack of efficiency within the current system, lack of collaboration and a poor flow of information.

3. What are the practical implications for managing a team-based organization in the real world?

There were many practical implications for managing a team-based organization in the real world. The main takeaway from the article is to be prepared. When creating a team-based organization you need to make sure that there is the right team in place and that there was the right structure that allows teamwork and from the start. If everyone is brought together in the spirit of collaboration, people will naturally learn to communication with each other. No matter what industry your team is in its important to be prepared and have a structure in place.

Chapter 12: Review Questions

1. Define team-based organizations.

In team-based organizations, the team, rather than the individual, is the fundamental work unit. Team-based organizations focus on designing an infrastruc¬ture that will support the development and deployment of teams throughout an organization.

2. Identify characteristics of team-based organizations.

Characteristics of team-based organizations include the following transitions: Transition 1- managers into leaders. Rather than focusing on tactics and operations, managers engage in strategic planning (vision & mission) and empowering followers to help achieve business objectives. Transition 2- employees into teammates. The basic defining element is the team rather than the individual. All members of the organization participate in teams, and teams are the primary mechanism for getting work done. Transition 3- A hierarchical organization into one of empowerment. Rather than focusing on layers of hierarchy and authority that centralize power and top organizational levels, create bureaucracy, and underuse the knowledge and skills of lower-level workers, team-based organizations emphasize the empowerment of semi-autonomous teams to make strategic decisions.

3. Discuss the importance of team-based organizations.

Research tends to support the value of team-based organizations. A study of the 100 most innovative companies in the United States found that, while compensation, organizational change and restructuring, training, and labor management relations were important, senior management's key concern was how to create and sustain team-based organizations to support innovation as the organization's competitive advantage.

4. Identify factors driving the movement toward team-based organizations.

(1) Growing focus on quality and customer satisfaction. (2) Shift from a homogeneous to a diverse workforce. (3) Need to reengineer organizations to drive continuous improvement and increase long-term performance. (4) Philosophy that emphasizes supporting employees. (5) Worker values reflecting a need for meaningful work. (6) Increased awareness that employee involvement enhances productivity. (7) Increased recognition that a project manager cannot plan and control a project by himself or herself.

5. Identify the benefits of team-based organizations.

Improve product and service quality. Increased flexibility and adaptability to changes in the external environment. Coordination of activities and work processes among different parts of an organization. Greater employee satisfaction, engagement, and development of broader knowledge and skills. Increased productivity, streamlining of work processes, elimination of waste, and reduction in operating costs. Improved accountability. Greater operational flexibility.

6. Identify the challenges associated with implementing team-based organizations.

Resistance to change- people generally dislike change that takes them outside their comfort zones. Avoidance of the team coordinator role-it may be difficult to find individuals who are willing to take on the role and/or who have the skill set and experiential foundation to be effective in it. Fear of blame- some people find the autonomy, responsibility, and accountability that is assigned in team-based organizations uncomfortable. Limited skills and abilities-functioning in a cross-functional manner and making decisions without supervisors are skills that may be scarce in traditional organizations. Pay distribution- those who believe they contribute relatively more to the team's success may not view equal distribution as fair.

7. Define a readiness review in a team-based organization and explain its importance.

A readiness review is an in-depth assessment of the readiness for transition of their organizational strategy, operations, culture, practices, and employee relations. Conducting such a review involves collection of in-depth data regarding the functioning and effectiveness of an organization. In addition to identifying reasons why team-based organizations may or may not be a good fit, management should also assess the organization's status and history to determine its readiness to transition to a team based organization. Assessing the readiness of an organization is useful to gauge the likelihood of the success of a team-based organization in a specific situation.

8. Identify the basic models of team-based organizations and describe their basic elements.

The Mohrman, Cohen, and Mohrman model views team-based organizations as team systems embedded in a larger organizational context, including the organizations strategy and external environment. The Nature of Task factor is at the core of the model and determines whether consideration of a team-based organization is advantageous. Key design features include combining clustering decisions with linking decisions, and facilitators play a key role in ensuring coordination and integration of activities. Effectiveness measures include both macro-level measures and micro-level measures. Also, the design sequence model includes five steps and key tasks and actions for each step, while linking the general team-based organization framework to a process for creating team-based organizations.

The Forrester and Drexler model identifies the critical issues team-based organizations must address to be successful, the crucial factors required for success (keys), and the potential barriers or issues that may be encountered at various landmarks during the process (off/keys). It specifies a roadmap for leaders to follow by providing the order in which the critical issues need to be addressed. The seven critical issues include formation, dependability, focus, buy-in, coordination, impact, and vitality. The Trent model for becoming an effective teaming organization outlines a formal, integrated process for designing and implementing a team-based organization, including specific diagnostic questions and strategies to support the process. It consists of four phases--Plan, Perform, Evaluate, and Maintain--and key actions to be taken in each phase.

9. Identify the best practices for implementing team-based organizations.

Best practices include the following: (1) Organizational support- teams need support of their leaders, sponsors, and top management. (2) Process focus- teams should focus on how things get done in order to add value and yield positive results. (3) Role clarity- each team and its members must be clearly delineated and member roles communicated to all relevant parties in the organization. (4) Continuous learning- teams must focus on learning in order to drive continuous improvement in their processes and performance outcomes. (5) Systems alignment- team structures and processes must support and/or be aligned with objectives, strategies, and processes of its organization. (6) Communicating business objectives- team leaders and top management must clearly and effectively articulate business objectives of the team on an ongoing basis. (7) Implementing solutions quickly- teams must be agile in identifying issues or problems and in developing and implementing solutions that will meet or exceed the requirements of internal or external customers. (8) Building Internal Expertise- teams should implement an ongoing evaluation and learning process to enhance the team's capacity to perform its tasks and achieve its objectives. (9) Involving key stakeholders- teams need to understand their stakeholders and how to engage them in the team’s activities. (10) Applying integrative solutions- teams must see problems from a cross-functional perspective and leverage this perspective to develop and implement effective solutions.

Additional Resources

Articles on Teams

Introduction to Team-Based Organizations

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/introduction-teambased-organizations-15259.html

Advantages and Disadvantages of Team-Based Organizations

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-disadvantages-teambased-organizations-25370.html

Consulting to Team-Based Organizations:  An Organizational Design and Learning Approach

http://ceo.usc.edu/working_paper/consulting_to_teambased_organi.html

Team-Based Structures

https://www.boundless.com/management/textbooks/boundless-management-textbook/organizational-structure-2/common-organizational-structures-25/team-based-structure-149-3978/

What Management Style is Considered Best for a Team-Based Organization?

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023%2FA%3A1007836622767

The Art of the Self-Managing Team

http://fortune.com/2012/12/05/the-art-of-the-self-managing-team/

Examples of Self-Management Teams

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/examples-selfmanagement-teams-31133.html

Videos on Teams

Managing Teams in Manufacturing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCBsxRUY_iQ

Richard Karlgaard: “Team Genius -  The New Science of High Performing Organizations

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjGmf9vgp6I

The Agile Office: High Performance Working Environments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cQu5qwxcp8

Books

Kraemer, H.M. (2015).  Becoming the Best:  Build a World-Class Organization Through Value-Based Leadership. San Francisco:  Jossey-Bass.

Samuel, M. (2006).    Creating the Accountable Organization: A Practical Guide to Performance Execution.   Eulss:  Xephor Press.

Barner, R.  & Barner, C. (2012).  Building Better Teams. 70 Tools and Techniques for Strengthening Performance Within and Across Teams.  New York: Pfeiffer.

Fogg, C.D. (1994). Team-Based Strategic Planning: A Complete Guide to Structuring, Facilitating, and Implementing the Process. New York: AMACOM.