Assignment:
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A high-performance team is every manager's dream, but the responsibility does not solely lie with the manager. The team members must have offered significant contributions to the group to help everyone succeed. Our book written by Schermerhorn (2012) states a list of vital steps team members must take in order for the team to perform to the best of their ability. First, they must put their personal talents to work; encourage them to use their unique skills for the betterment of the team. Next, listening to different points of views is also important, while everyone may not always agree, hearing everyone's point of view out is vital during product design. Last, that brings me to communication, there is no I in team, communication between all team members will make a better product in the end.
While that is only a few of the items from the list, these three are really relevant to Galahad's situation.
References:
Schermerhorn, J. R. Organizational Behavior 2012, 12th Edition. [Bookshelf Online]. Retrieved from https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781118214992/
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I would send out the following message as advice to create a high-performance team.
As I read your post, many ideas came to mind on the advice I would give you to create and ultimately maintain a high-performance team. Your post did not mention if you got to select your team or if the team was already formed and you had to change it. If you get to select your own team then make sure they are goal oriented individuals that share in your excitement and positive energy for the team. If you have team members who are eager and high performers then you are most likely to experience the best results. If your team has already been selected then you will have to find ways to motivate the lower performers to see the big picture and give them a vested interest to attain your goal. In the book titled Organizational Behavior by Schermerhorn, he says to "be sure to provide training and support, and then reward and positively reinforce desired behaviors" (2012). Make sure that as your team is working that you have specific times and meetings so that everyone has targets to attain. It will be important to allow time in your meetings for team members to give feedback and offer improvement ideas. Stay positive! Your team will look at you as their leader and will share in your highs and your lows. It sounds like your boss has a lot of faith in your ability to lead this team which says a lot about how they feel about your skill set. Take pride in knowing this but do not get the big head. Join in with your team and lead by example and they will surely follow. I hope this helps. I monitor this discussion board often so if you run into any issues then just add them to your original post and I will be sure to give you more advice. Good luck!
References:
Schermerhorn, J. R. Organizational Behavior 2012, 12th Edition. [Bookshelf Online]. Retrieved from https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781118214992/
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"Reason- Using facts and data to support a logical argument; Friendliness- Using flattery, goodwill, and favorable impressions; Assertiveness- Using a direct and forceful personal approach; Sanctions- Using organizationally derived rewards and punishments." (Schermerhorn, J., Osborn, R., Uhl-Bien, M., & Hunt, J. (2012). Organizational behavior. (12th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN: 9780470878200)
Reasoning works when exercising influence because when generally employees want to understand why they are doing something or have to do something. So if the higher level managers are honest with them and provide supporting facts, they will more than like do what needs to be done. When I worked in a department where the number of complaints we were handling were sky high, our management approached us with charts and numbers and facts to influence us to do better. We did not want to be seen as the worst in our area (which we were), so they told us that if we got our numbers down, we wouldn't look bad to everyone else. It worked.
Friendliness works when a manager is trying to be the "cool" one or when they are trying to get their team to like them so the team wouldn't "mind" doing things for someone who they could potentially consider to be their friend. I look at this type of managerial influence just like I do parenting. It doesn't work. You cannot be friends with your kids and try to discipline them just like a manager cannot be friends with their employees. You can be kind to them, and treat them with respect, but if an employee starts to think you are favoring them over the others (or the other employees feel that way), things can go terrible wrong when it is time for an important task to be completed or a deadline needs made. I had a manger that allowed our team to literally do whatever it is we wanted to do and when it was time to get work done, those who wanted to do the work did it, but the manager could not get the other employees to do their work, so she ended up being the one to do it because they didn't respect her authority or influence enough.
I personally enjoy a manager that is assertive one. I love someone who is direct, they do not "beat around the bush" when it comes to telling you what needs to be done and the deadline it is due. I tend to work at my best with mangers that are assertive. This type of managerial influence does not work for everyone. A manager has to understand the team dynamic and also the individual's personality to understand how direct they can be and how often. Not everyone is open to this type of influence and it could easily be mistaken for something more negative and that's when HR could potentially become involved. Because if they manager is assertive and too direct to people, some may "shut down" or just refuse to do the work being asked of them because they feel the person is being mean or rude.
Currently the company I work for utilizes a sanctions type of influence to ensure the employees are taking their wellness assessments annually and taking preventative measures to stay healthy. If an employee takes their wellness assessment and takes the necessary steps to stay healthy throughout the year, the company will pay them up to $1000 each year in a Medical Spending Account that never expires. I think that this type of reward is very generous and helpful for those struggling with paying medical expensed out of pocket.
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Friendliness, assertiveness, bargaining, and higher authority (Schermerhorn, 2012, p. 275) are all strategies used by managers to influence the people around them. Friendliness can go along way in any relationship whether it is personal or professional. The act of being kind shows that you are willing to be a team player and place value on others. Friendliness shows relatedness and is a great motivator for people to cooperate with those around them (Youssef-Morgan & Noon, 2017). Sometimes friendliness is not enough to influence people, and other options must be implemented. If someone has a moral objection to what is being done, no matter how friendly you are, they will not change their mind. Being assertive is a good strategy for managers, showing that you are confident in your decisions and ability without being aggressive (Youssef-Morgan & Noon, 2017) is a positive source of influence. People, especially people that subordinate (Schermerhorn, 2012), naturally follow people that can show confidence and are not second-guessing their decisions. Being assertive is paramount in my current job on a submarine. When someone makes a decision, they need to show confidence, and if they do not, they will never be considered for leadership positions. Bargaining can help to influence people to do things that they otherwise would resist. Reaching a bargaining zone will help to clarify where strict boundaries are (Baack, Reilly, & Minnick, 2014), this allows for a manager to get at least something done if not all. I am always able to motivate people in my command with the reward of going home early; it is a great bargaining tool. Trying to bargain with superiors can be tough if they refuse and have positional authority, or if people are unreasonable. Finally, higher power or positional authority can be the end of the conversation or the last step to influence people to see your side. I would suggest this as a last resort, the "because I said so" approach might be appropriate for rare situations, but a manager will carry more influence in the future if they employ other persuasive techniques first.
C. (2014). The Five Functions of Effective Management (2nd ed.). (S. Wainwright, Ed.) Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved October 2017
Schermerhorn, J. R. (2012). Organizational Behavior. (12th). United States: John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781118214992
Youssef-Morgan, C., & Noon, A. (2017). Industrial/Organizational Psychology (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.