blog post 3

This past summer I had the opportunity to work on a small team of seven. This team was a small group within a company that had many groups. The structure of the groups was determined by function and the company split the functions of the teams based on skills and mission. I was a part of the Business Solutions team, which was a consulting team that worked with both internal and external groups. Other teams within the company included Sales, Marketing, Professional Services, Product Management, Finance, Customer Collections, and various other groups. The management structure of the Business Solutions group, that I was a part of this summer, was most similar to the organizational structure described as “dual authority” from the Chapter 5 reading of the organization of teams. 

The Business Solutions Group at the company I worked for this summer, Accuity, had 5 full-time employees who sat as members of the team, one intern, myself, and one rotational position. It is common for companies to have rotational programs for recent graduates, these programs are designed to “train” and find the best fit for new hires at a company. Moreover, the rotational program is designed to ensure that new employees are well versed in what the company does, and have a high-level understanding of how multiple groups within the organization functions. At Accuity, rotational associates will spend 6 months on given a team and go through a rotation of four departments until mutually deciding where to apply for a full-time position within the company. 

At the top of the Business Solutions group’s hierarchal structure is the department manager. The role of the department manager or head is to oversee the work that is being done in the Business Solution group, as well as communicating and interacting with other high-level executives at the company within different departments of the organization. Directly below the department manager is the Business Solutions lead, the role of the Business Solutions lead was to directly communicate with the Business solution manager and convey information from the manager to the rest of the team. Moreover, the Business Solutions manager had more regular interactions with other Business Solutions group members. Below the Business Solutions lead there were three Business Solutions consultants, the role of these consultants was to work collectively and disperse all of the Business Solutions group’s tasks. Within the group, there is also one rotational position, and this position is below the Business Solutions consultants, as it is primarily an educational role, while they still do contribute to the work of the team by taking tasks distributed to them directly from the Business Solutions manager. My role, as an intern, was at the bottom of the group’s hierarchal structure, as the main focus of the role is educational. Also, as an intern, I contributed to the Business Solutions group’s overall tasks, by getting tasks directly assigned to me from the Business Solutions lead. 

I think that being a good teammate requires a deep understanding of the overall team’s structure and goals. Not only is a deep level of the group’s function required to be an effective team member, but I think it is also important for team members to understand exactly what contribution their tasks have to the overall group’s mission. Having open and consistent communication amongst team members also contributes to an effective team, and will allow for the sharing of ideas to occur within the group. It is important for group members to share their ideas and expresses their opinions with one and another to have diverse perspectives. I think groups where communication and relationship-building are emphasized are the best groups to work and be a part of. 

The Business Solution group team, that I was a part of this past summer, heavily embodied four of the six characteristics Katzenbach and Smith outline for high-performing teams. Katzenbach and Smith state that high-performing teams have managers who work to clarify team rationale and various challenges the group may be facing at a given time. An effective manager, as described in this situation, would have authority over the group, but also give individual members their autonomy and freedom over their work. This was true of both of the managers in the Business Solutions group I worked with this summer. Both the Business Solutions Manager and Lead maintain authority over the group, while also allowing the members of the group to take ownership of their work with a great deal of freedom and flexibility. The team that I was apart was also a very manageable size, as it was a fairly smaller group. All of the members of the team took ownership and responsibility for the overall team’s goals. Finally, all the members of the team were equally committed to forming meaningful and trusting relationships with all of the team members. Furthermore, all team members had an understanding of everyone’s roles and tasks and all individuals worked collectively and helped with everyone’s tasks to ensure that they were done, and done to the standards to reflect the business solution group as a whole.