Apple is one of the most valuable companies in the world. The California-based corporation has achieved international recognition by distributing premium gadgets such as smartphones and personal computers. Within the last twenty years, it has completely reconfigured man’s relationship to technology and its software models are regularly emulated by other brands. Apple recently became the first U.S. company to briefly reach a 3 trillion USD market cap with a share price of 182 USD (Leswing, 2022). Such a large operation undeniably depends on effective collaboration between numerous departments. Various strategies have been developed to improve workplace teamwork, including clear goal-setting, supportive behavior, effective communication, conflict handling, and overcoming change resistance.
Firstly, the most important aspect of setting goals is ensuring they are unambiguous and clearly understood by each team member. Rather than listing vague ideals that are up to interpretation, the company should set concrete and measurable goals. Furthermore, all employees should clearly understand Apple’s financial and conceptual objectives and their role within the company structure and department. This largely depends on a leader who can steer the team in the correct direction within the appropriate timeframe and identify which employee is the best for each task. Therefore, interventions to clarify short-term performance goals that lead to the fulfillment of long-term ones should be regularly held by a leader who understands the essence of Apple’s mission.
Secondly, the efficacy of a certain team is determined not only by the motivation and qualifications of individual members but also by how they interact with one another. Behaviors conducive to collaborative teamwork are captured in the “Five Cs” model: cooperating, coordinating, communicating, comforting, and conflict handling (McShane & Von Glinow, 2018). The most judicious way to cultivate the Five Cs is by recruiting applicants that are team players and compatible with the company culture. Further team development is accelerated through formal activities such as company-wide sports events and scavenger hunts (McShane & Von Glinow, 2018). However, an oft-overlooked aspect of encouraging teamwork is the importance of upper management modeling appropriate team behavior and avoiding fostering competition between employees.
Thirdly, management needs to outline a strategic plan to encourage effective communication across the organizational hierarchy. Formal activities in the form of open town hall meetings and roundtable forums with employee representatives should be organized regularly. Employees should be incentivized to participate through financial compensation and the offer of food and beverages. These events should be complemented by informal interactions such as the Management By Wandering Around (MBWA) approach: senior executives purposefully exit their offices and have a casual chat with employees (McShane & Von Glinow, 2018). Town hall meetings, roundtable discussions, and the MBWA approach are necessary for a multilayered plan for facilitating direct communication in a company as large as Apple.
The only way to encourage specific norms of behavior in the workplace is through a system of symbolic rewards. In addition to predetermined financial compensation for meeting quotas, Apple should institute incentives for engaging in collaborative behavior on an individual and group basis. Specific rewards such as office perks and bonuses should be distributed to teams as a collective based on merit and displaying exemplary team behavior. Furthermore, collaboration should be included in individual employee evaluations and taken into account when considering promotions. Effective rewards systems make employees feel appreciated and cultivate favorable company norms.
Although companies might do everything to nurture cohesive team development, conflicts are inevitable. A system of intervention by a neutral third-party mediator should be introduced rather than leaving it up to managers whose interference could be viewed unfavorably and undermine further team cohesion. A more long-term plan to minimize conflict involves Apple sending specialized employees on temporary assignments to other work units and rotating nonspecialized employees such as management to different departments or regions throughout their careers (McShane & Von Glinow, 2018). This strategy increases identification with the company and mutual understanding between different departments.
Any changes made in the company are usually accompanied by resistance from employees. To overcome this phenomenon, management should make employees feel involved in the process to increase their sense of responsibility for its success (McShane & Von Glinow, 2018). The problem and its urgency can be presented to employees in a company-wide email, with a link for suggestions and the option to discuss it during a trial town hall meeting. Employees should feel that they can freely share their concerns, offer solutions, and understand the problems being addressed.
In conclusion, collaboration in the workplace requires a comprehensive plan involving clear goal-setting, encouraging supportive behavior, and opening channels for effective communication facilitated by both collective and individual rewards. Even then, conflict and resistance to these changes are still likely to occur, and there must be specific mechanisms in place to handle them. In general, the solution lies in transparency and involving employees in the process to maintain their sense of autonomy and feel appreciated. It is an intricate process that consumes time and energy, but teamwork ultimately assures Apple its creative success and dominance in the consumer technology sector.
References
Leswing, K. (2022). Apple becomes first U.S. company to reach $3 trillion market cap. CNBC. Web.
McShane, S. L., & Von Glinow, M. A. (2018). Organizational behavior: Emerging knowledge, global reality (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.