Teams form part of the larger organization, this implies that both the team and the organization can have a significant influence on one another. Effective team management entails having an in depth understanding of the interaction between teams and their respective organizations.
Teams interact with their organizations in various capacities including external and internal levels. External activities usually entail how the different teams in an organization interact with external entities. In its broadest sense, external activities can be divided into ambassador, task coordinator, scout and guard. Teams within an organization can partake one activity or integrate two or more activities as in the case of comprehensive teams.
A significant characteristic of a successful team is their engagement in ambassadorial activities. Teams that have high levels of task-coordinator activities have also been reported to be successful. This implies that successful team leaders should primarily engage themselves in ambassadorial and task-coordinator activities.
Scouting activities do not significantly affect the success of a group. It is evident that the success of an organization is significantly determined by the way a team interacts with an organization as a whole. It is also imperative to view the organization as a single team consisting of smaller teams within it; this is why the teams’ interaction with the larger organization is important in determining the success of an organization and the success of the team.
Supportive culture is an important aspect for a team that operates within the limits of the larger organization. The most important element of supportive culture incorporates the belief that the individuals in an organization are an important asset to the organization.
Another significant characteristic of supportive culture is that the staff should be categorized in an appropriate grouping that is according to their individual requirements and their behaviors. It is also important that the organization should highly discourage isolation, and most importantly, roles assigned to individuals should match their skills. The effectiveness of an organization is also determined by the levels of hostility in the working environment.
Organizational cultures should be viewed from three perspectives: culture as types, culture as symbols, culture as shared beliefs, cultures as networks and culture as systems. The principles for the success of an organization are usually based on a bias for action; this implies that individuals in an organization lay more emphasis on ensuring that appropriate actions are undertaken in an appropriate manner.
In such as setting, task-coordinator activities are common coupled with the increasing need for experimentation. The second principle that determines the success of an organization is its closeness with the potential and already existing customers. The third success principle that an organization should deploy is the use of autonomy and entrepreneurship.
This is usually fostered through the use of flexibility and ensuring dynamism in the work force. Other principles that ensure excellence in an organization include a hand on value with a value driven approach, maintaining a simple form with a lean staff and the upholding of concurrent loose-tight attributes.
It is important that there exists cohesion among the various teams and individuals in an organization; this can be fostered through effective team building strategies, without impairing the distinctiveness in the identities of each team. For an organization to be effective in the execution of its processes, there should be well laid strategies that are aimed at fostering a strong organizational culture that is in line with the business processes of an organization.
Organizational change is inevitable to any organization that prioritizes success. It is the responsibility of the organization and the individual teams to adapt to the changing nature of the business environment. The major requirements for effective organizational change include the establishing of clear targets, allocation of adequate resources, sufficient training and technical support, and regular feedback.