MANAGING THE INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM

Managing the Individual and Team

Managing the Individual and Team

Managing an effective team is different from managing a group. A group is generated from members within the same vicinity for purposes of sharing and implementing information. A group helps themselves in sharing new information but maintains their working relations beyond such tasks. On the other hand, teams are generated for the purpose of completing a specific assignment. These individuals are not usually together but have similar levels of expertise within their own realm of the organization. Because of this formation diversity, conflict occurs and must be managed, corrected, and resolved properly (Buhler, 2006).

Moreover, the basis of my team selection during the first simulation was to have individuals that work together, create, implement, and follow through with the use of diversity and innovation; hence, quick, effective, and efficient results (Robbins, 2005). As a project leader I led the cross-functional task team made of the following interdependent people:

* Advisor/Assessor: Marcell was selected for this position for his ability to maintain focus and find the overall objective; thus, know how to advise others of maintaining and achieving a common purpose.

* Creator: Harvey was selected for his obvious creativity and zealous lifestyle; thus, his ideas would bring innovation to the organization. Furthermore, for cultural diversity.

* Controller/Organizer: Petra was selected because her lifestyle seemed stable and organized. Her verbal skills would increase communication. Furthermore, her qualifications as a leader seemed exclusive to the position.

* Promoter/Maintainer: John was selected to increase conflict that would spark innovation and creativity. Furthermore, his 15 years of management experience could work towards finding solutions to conflict. Therefore, his stubbornness could aid in gaining needed resources for the team.

* Linker/Producer: Janice was selected because she seemed to manage her time wisely. Her lifestyle is consumed with extracurricular activities that could link the team to needed resources. Furthermore, with these activities she must be capable of following through to achieve what needs to be achieved.

My individual choices, for each position, were not suitable for the creation of an effective

team. Every choice I made was contradicted by what Sarah (my boss) would have suggested. However, my job was to continue with the choices I had made. Then, I was to make the correct choices, in the given scenarios, faced by my created team. Furthermore, the scenarios were possibilities of what is likely to occur when team selection is faulty.

To this aim, I did not take into consideration the time in which each member was hired by the organization. Next, I did not create a diverse atmosphere of personality, nor skill. Because I thought cultural diversity would be sufficient in initiating productive conflict, I assumed that this was the only diversity needed. However, the lack of personality diversity forced me to initiate a devil's advocate. This devil's advocate would instigate the needed conflict for the sake of innovation and team efficiency (Pomeroy, 2006, 12).

Furthermore, the scenario was limited to similarities within individual skill and ...