Challenges in Team Working

The spiral trajectory of career development provides an insight into the challenges faced by managers as they engage with teams. It helps us understand why team-work is so often fraught with difficulties. One confusion results from the common finding that one person holds more than one role and participates in many sorts of team (cf. many sort of leadership).

  • Cycle-1 central mentalities are all individual-oriented: and so they provide for creative energy and action i.e. leadership.
  • Cycle-2 peripheral mentalities are all group-oriented: and so preserve and strengthen the productivity of the team.

THEE Note: Closed The Cycle-1 mentalities emerge from the individualist approach to ethical choice, while the Cycle-2 mentalities emerge from the communalist approach to ethical choice. See initial schema.

Cycle-1: The 4 Leading Roles

Role-1: OFFICER

Post-Holder with a Job focus who interacts within a Work Group.

ClosedMode-1 Details

In handling a team as an «officer», as might occur in an administrative role, the task is to ensure the team efficiently and effectively handles a flow of work. Often others in the group are working at the same work-level, sometimes at a lower work-level. (In regard to negotiating teams or governing boards, there is a process to be handled and roles and acceptable end-results are known.)

Management Development: Closed Learning more about managing work, e.g. scheduling, time-management, procedural specification, priority-setting, work-flow control, handling customers, &c.

Role-2: LINE-MANAGER

Has a Power focus and interacts within an Executive Team.

ClosedMode-2 Details

Performance of a line-manager depends on the effectiveness of direct subordinates. This role must lead by exercising authority, setting priorities, allocating tasks, and making appraisals that affect the work-life, pay and promotion of the subordinates. Responsibility for the output and career of others is far more stressful than responsibility for one’s own output.

Management Development: Closed Learning about managing people, e.g. making assessments of capability and potential, reviewing performance, setting policies and objectives, use of rewards and punishments or ultimatums, delegation, &c.

Role-3: CHAMPION

Has a Cause focus and interacts within an Innovation Team.

ClosedMode-3 Details

The champion rises to the challenge of engaging and enthusing others, who are often, but not necessarily, subordinates. Such a leader must create followers who actively want to follow. Cause-centred experts often only lead easily in situations that closely fit their specialization.

Management Development:Closed Learning about psychological factors associated with leadership e.g. communication skills, use of rhetoric, recognizing relevant personality types and work styles, &c.

Role-4: COORDINATOR:

Has a Community focus and interacts within a Planning Group or Project Team.

ClosedMode-4 Details

Coordination is often thought of as weak because many of the tools of power are missing. However, coordination is unavoidable when managing across departments or chairing a group containing multiple disciplinary experts or department heads. The coordinator may also be an officer, a line manager and an expert leader—in short, a chief of sorts, even at times the chief executive officer.

Management Development: Closed Learning about culture and communication; project management methods and skills.

Cycle-2: The 3 Group Needs

Need-1: Group SOLIDARITY

Requires a Kinship focus: Mode-5.

Issues: Closed Do all members really belong in the team? Does each team member feel loyal to the task and loyal to each other in relation to the task? Is there sufficient mutual encouragement? Is the atmosphere welcoming and comforting?

Need-2: Group DIVERSITY

Requires a Perspective focus: Mode-6.

Issues:Closed Do the team members together contain the minimum necessary range of expertise? If needed, is there any way of getting new ideas and new approaches into the team? Is any assistance provided to support engagement with the new or alien?

Need-3: Group AWARENESS

Requires a Reality focus: Mode-7.

Issues:Closed Is the team on-the-ball? Are meetings held at a time when people are fresh? When discussion drifts off course, is it easily re-focused? Are creative methods being used to avoid group-think, riding hobby-horses or re-hashing of stale discredited ideas? Is there a balanced contribution?

Originally posted: July 2009