According to Northouse (2007), the use of teams has led to higher productivity, greater use of resources, more effective decision making and problem solving, and greater innovation and creativity. The team approach contributes to effective decision making and higher levels of communication throughout the organization and it is important that the project teams within the Global Services department at Blackboard communicate well in order to maintain a high level of customer service. The project teams are fairly small (5-15 members) and maintain a high level of communication with minimal communication gaps. The leader develops a communication plan for internal and external communication at the beginning of each project that is followed as closely as possible. Developing a communication plan at the beginning of the project ensures that the project objectives are known and understood by both the Blackboard team and the client and ensures that team members are following organizational objectives.
The roles of a leader change within an organization that implements the team leadership model (Northouse, 2007). Northouse (2007) notes that effective team performance begins with a leader who can take a mental model and effectively assess the situation. The leader must be flexible, highly communicative, and willing to listen, while the project team members must have a high degree of technical skill, willing to listen and follow directions closely, and analytical when troubleshooting product issues. The team members must also be able to effectively communicate to the leader as well as the client to relay important project information. According to Flood and McCarville (1999) it is important for service consultants to be able to effectively communicate internally as well as externally in order to avoid potential issues before they become problems for the team.
In order to achieve a high level of performance, it is the team leader’s responsibility to assign project tasks and ensure that the tasks match the consultants’ abilities. Failing to appropriately match consultants skill sets with project tasks can lead to poor performance, execution, and lower client satisfaction (Flood & McCarville, 1999). Additionally, failing to appropriately assign tasks to team members could lead to overloading certain team members which leads to poor performance and even conflict among team members (DeChurch & Marks, 2001). Although a project manager is ultimately responsible for client satisfaction, project teams are held jointly accountable for performance and project success.
Effective Teams
There are five characteristics of effective teams (Northouse, 2007):
Clear, Elevating Goal
- Clear so that one can tell if performance objective has been met
- Is motivating or involving so that members believe it is worthwhile and important
Results-Driven Structure
- Need to find the best structure to achieve goals
- Clear team member roles
- Good communication system
- Methods to assess individual performance
- An emphasis on fact-based judgments
Unified Commitment
- Teams need a carefully designed and developed sense of unity or identification (team spirit)
Collaborative Climate
- Trust based on openness, honesty, consistency, and respect
- Integration of individual actions
- Leaders facilitate a collaborative climate by:
- Making communication safe
- Demanding and rewarding collaborative behavior
- Guiding the team’s problem-solving efforts
- Managing one’s own control needs
External Support and Recognition
- Teams supported by external resources are:
- Given the material resources needed to do their jobs
- Recognized for team accomplishments
- Rewarded by tying those rewards to team member
- Performance, not individual achievement
The infrastructure and support mechanisms at Blackboard are in place to support Northouse’s five characteristics of effective teams noted above. By having these support mechanisms in place that allow teams to have the resources necessary to perform their jobs and recognizing team achievements and performance, individual team members demonstrate a high level of enthusiasm toward their jobs, the projects, their company, and the clients, thus allowing a productive team atmosphere to flourish in the Global Services department.
Summary
The majority of project teams at Blackboard can be classified as demonstrating the characteristics of a real team. This means that the team members hold each other accountable for success or failure and work toward common goals. While the majority of Global Service teams at Blackboard have not yet reached the level of a high performance team, the infrastructure and support mechanisms described by Northouse (2007) are in place to fully realize and allow teams to grow into high performance teams given the additional time needed to continue to work together and mature.
References
DeChurch, L. A., & Marks, M. A. (2001). Maximizing the benefits of task conflict: The role of conflict management. The International Journal of Conflict Management, 12(1), 4-22.
Flood, C., & McCarville, R. (1999). Lessons from a successful service quality initiative: A case study in organizational change. Journal of Park & Recreation Administration, 17(4), 102-113. doi: Article.
Northouse, P. G. (2007). Leadership theory and practice, 175, (4th Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Posted by Todd 
Organizational Conflict Analysis and Resolution 