Question

Team Leader’s Challenge 1 You have just become the manager of an insurance office with five professional agents and several clerical assistants. The office is part of a larger company headquartered in another city. Your office handles both sales and the processing of insurance claims. The office has been traditionally organized, with the manager running the office and supervising each employee individually. You have heard a lot about the advantages of shifting to teamwork—it is popular in the business press. Shifting to teamwork is supposed to improve customer service, make the office more responsive to changes, and improve morale. However, you have also heard that it can be difficult to create and manage teams. You are comfortable and capable as a traditional manager, but think maybe you should try something new, such as teamwork. What are the pros and cons of reorganizing the office into a team? Who should be on the team? Should the team include both the professionals and the clerical assistants? How much authority or control should you maintain over the team?

Answer 1

Answer: There are both advantages and disadvantages that are presented by teamwork. The pros of team work are

1. It improves the work efficiency and understanding about the work
2. Information sharing and exchange enables better outcomes and results
3. Success rates are improved
4. Burden is shared among-st the team members and the stress is reduced
5. Weak areas can be improved in a better by team work as there is sharing of ideas, skills and information

The cons include

1. There are often free riders in the team that enjoy at the expense of the others
2. Lack of Coordination is a major issue faced by the teams
3. Conflicts are common among-st the team members because of difference in opinion

The office handles both sales and the processing of the insurance claims and therefore it is important for the efficient working of the team that both professionals and the clerical staff should be on the team. For efficient working of a team it is essential that all the members of the office are included so that free sharing of information and knowledge can take place. For the efficient working of a team it is required that I maintain moderate degree of control over the team. I need to delegate my authority to the subordinate for facilitating efficient and prompt decision making. Delegation makes the team members confident and improves performance. High degree of control has a negative impact on the working of a team and team work.