Page 344 - Fundamentals of Management Myths Debunked (2017)_Flat

CHAPTER 10 • Understanding Groups and Managing Work Teams 343
efforts when they succeed. Point to what was missing when and your team members have been researching the field,
they fail. Never blame team members for poor results. identifying specific business opportunities, negotiating alli-
ances with equipment vendors, and evaluating high-speed rail
• Influence team members to change their behavior. The
ultimate test of coaching effectiveness is whether an experts and consultants from around the world. Throughout
employee’s performance improves. You must encourage the process, Tonya, a highly qualified and respected engi-
ongoing growth and development. How can you do this? neer, has challenged a number of things you’ve said dur-
Try the following behaviors. Recognize and reward small ing team meetings and in the workplace. For example, at a
improvements and treat coaching as a way of helping meeting two weeks ago, you presented the team with a list
employees to continually work toward improvement. Use of 10 possible high-speed rail projects and started evaluat-
a collaborative style by allowing team members to par- ing your organization’s ability to compete for them. Tonya
ticipate in identifying and choosing among improvement contradicted virtually all of your comments, questioned your
ideas. Break difficult tasks down into simpler ones. Model statistics, and was quite pessimistic about the possibility of
the qualities you expect from your team. If you want open- getting contracts on these projects. After this latest display of
ness, dedication, commitment, and responsibility from displeasure, two other group members, Bryan and Maggie,
your team members, demonstrate these qualities yourself. came to you and complained that Tonya’s actions were dam-
aging the team’s effectiveness. You originally put Tonya on
the team for her unique expertise and insight. You’d like to
Practicing the Skill find a way to reach her and get the team on the right track to
its fullest potential.
Read through this scenario and follow the directions at the end Form three-member teams in class. Each team should
of it:
analyze this leader’s problem and suggest solutions for coach-
You’re the leader of a five-member project team that’s been ing Tonya (and other team members, if you feel it’s important).
assigned the task of moving your engineering firm into the Each class team should be prepared to present its conclusions
growing area of high-speed intercity rail construction. You to the class.

Colorado State High School Sports Association Experiential Exercise
To: Eric Gershman, Manager, Program Infractions
Investigations
From: Audrey Costa, Director of Association Services
Subject: Conflicts on Investigation Teams

Eric, we’ve got a problem. I’ve been receiving complaints that protect our reputation for being fair and reasonable in our rules
the members of the five-person investigation teams we’re enforcement. Please send me a bulleted list (no longer than
sending out to high schools to investigate allegations of rules a page) describing how you’re going to address this problem
infractions are having conflicts. Because team members have and get it to me as soon as possible. Once I’ve had a chance
to work closely together in interviewing people, interpreting to look it over, we’ll get together to discuss it.
the rules, and writing up reports, I’m worried that this conflict This fictionalized company and message were created for educational
may be hurting the quality of the teams’ investigation process. purposes only, and not meant to reflect positively or negatively on manage-
We’ve got to address this problem immediately in order to ment practices by any company that may share this name.