Management Principles For Digital Technological Evolution

Background

Discuss about the Management Principles for Digital Technological Evolution.

The 21st century has been a stage of digital technological evolution and which has seen a lot of innovations and inventions in the sector. According to Cowan (2012), technology refers to the dominant world domain in commerce; most of the companies depend on ICT to reduce costs, gain competitive advantage and also improve overall performance. Many companies have been developed each progressing at its stage depending on the strategies of management and operations. Most of the technological companies attribute their success to the constant use of teamwork to achieve their goals. According to Schwalbe, (2007), the unpredictability of technology and complexity of the field has led to the need of building strong communication networks between units so as to allow for the frequency of information. No software or technology is simple enough in these companies to get operated upon by one person no matter how educated or talented they are (Lencioni, 2013).

There is a need for collaboration of the various technicians and departments so as to achieve maximum coordination and performance. Team performance is based on the overall culture of the organization and in most times, managers lack the necessary team leader skills to make teams work. Skills like strategic planning, communication, and decision-making enable managers to inspire team members and prompt their effectiveness (Beck, 2004). Technology companies apply the use of cross-product function development teams to innovate new products; members may range from the R&D, sales and marketing, engineering among other functional units (Cowan, 2012). The managers put in charge of these departments fail to realize the importance of change management and that different teams warrant different approaches to management and distinct cultures since members are different and experiences also differ. Due to the failure to understand their role in developing the team and defining roles, the implications include information asymmetries and lack of objectivity which in the long run leads to failure of the team (Boller, 2005). This case study report aims at analyzing teamwork at Google and the role played by management to enhance the cooperation.

Google is one of the giants of the technology arena and is highly rated by its users all over the world (Cowan, 2012). It is a publicly traded multi- national company based in the US. It is hard to believe that the company started operations in a garage (Witzel & Warner, 2013). Google specializes in internet based transactions that involve search engines, software development, networking, communication, clouding, and advertising among others. Organization owns over one million servers all over the world which process over one billion searches in one day. Their mission is to enable the flow of information all over the world and make it useful and acceptable. Google has in the recent past been interested in teamwork and how it can be improved (Lencioni, 2013).

Identification of issues and problems

The company was an ideal choice of strategies since it acknowledges the value of team works since the formation of the business itself was based on a team of two Stanford University students, known as Larry Sage and Sergey Brin. In the year 2012, the company established a project known as Aristotle to study the aspect of teamwork that was aimed at providing information about the norms that drive the success of a team. The company managers believed that by understanding the basics and behaviours in social and political aspects of teamwork, they would be able to develop the perfect team that would work together to develop the company products (Tyler, 2015).The survey was an analysis of over a hundred teams all found in the enterprise, in a period of one year. Most of the useful groups were seen to have very stable social relations even when not in the teams while others showed too much formality.

From the case study, there are weaknesses in the team effectiveness model of Matt’s team that are inhibiting the overall performance. Problems arise in the context of the group whereby there is poor leadership, poor evaluation of worker members and hot climate with no established trust. According to Schwalbe (2007), the team is set as a group of people who come together to achieve a common goal. For this to be possible there needs to be a clear set of relevant and attainable goals whereby each member of the team understands why he or she is a member of the team.  Lack of objectivity leads to confusion and a deficiency in focus, that may, in turn, result in a lack of seriousness (Beck, 2004).

The team; therefore, does not understand their role; hence, produce poor results. The second problem identified is the work design which includes the composition of the group in terms of skills recruited; the task identity and task significance .The survey showed that the members cannot comprehend their identity and significance. This may cause lack of proper motivation for team members that may hinder their effectiveness. It is mistaken most of the time that workers only work to gain monetary compensation which is not the case (Lencioni, 2013). The members of the team may be de-motivated and thus lack effectiveness. Another problem is that the manager does not create time for the team and also has a history of being too friendly so as to gain favor among team members. This scenario is evidenced by the engineer in the previous engineer who could talk and not give others time to speak; the manager did not do anything about that, and so this may also be an issue in this team. There is a lack of proper communication on both sides since the team does not communicate their problems and Matt does not check with them to see if they are okay, he just leaves them to do their work.

Possible solutions

The three problems are caused by the poor management of the team (Malhotra,2000).The manager may be a bit experienced in the field but does not adapt to change. All teams are different in composition, role, and behaviours, so a manager needs to adjust to the various dynamics of team building. The fact that the team members in Matt’s team do not understand their roles shows that the team leader is not actively involved in the group and did not define the goals. Henry Fayol formulated a theory that is meant to guide the management of groups and teams (Malhotra, 2000). The theory talks about effective planning, organization and a good communication system which is lacking in the team setting. Belbin’s theory of team building suggests that the behavior of team members is shaped by how well they understand their roles in the team (Kaptan, 2002).

According to Malhotra (2000), the theory of action-centered leadership by John Adair states that for a team leader to be effective then he needs to define the goals and objectives of the team and be an active participant of the work, making frequent consultations on progress and offering counsel. It also proves that there are information asymmetries since Matt thought that the team was efficient, yet it had weaknesses. The manager’s dis-involvement has led to little motivation about training and complimenting the workers constantly to tell them they are doing a good job. According to Tyler (2015), the theory of motivation by Abraham Marlow states various categories that an employee needs to satisfy; they range from basic needs that can be satisfied by pay but also involve other factors like self-esteem and need for recognition which the manager apparently does not provide. According to Malhotra (2000), McClelland’s Human Motivation Theory states that a leader needs to appreciate the efforts of the team constantly so as to motivate them to do even better. The progress theory by Amabile and Kramer states that for a team to be active then the manager needs to be a figurehead, define goals, motivate the workers but most importantly allow them some time on their own to work independently but ensure to check on the progress of projects. Matt should apply this principle to his team (Kaptan, 2002).

One of the solutions that need to get implemented is ensuring that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined so as to enhance team focus and objectivity according to the theory of team building by Belbin and the. According to Kaptan (2002), Amabile and Kramer’s theory of progress states that the manager also needs to motivate the workers more and be more actively involved in the teamwork ensuring not to affect their independence. McClelland’s Human Motivation Theory provides the third solution and states that the manager should understand his role as a figurehead, decision maker and also ensure to appreciate the efforts of the team as a whole and not individuals (Kaptan, 2002).

The most important answer is the motivation of team members by the team manger. Most of the problems are just farfetched points that converge at motivation. Even the proper defining of goals acts as a motivator and the active participation of the team leader not to mention the management skills which are meant to organize the team. According to Adetule, (2011), most theories of team building emphasize on the motivation of team members since it is believed to be an essential ingredient to success. Motivation may include training, bonuses, and appreciation (Adetule, 2011). The theory of motivation by Maslow, talks of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. The theory X and Y by Douglas McGregor suggests that the output of any team or individual is determined by the conditions of employment and not just the monetary compensation (Lencioni, 2013). Matt, therefore, needs to lay a lot of emphasis on motivating the team and also consult the top managers since Google has a lot of resources to conduct training and give bonuses. This solution will benefit not only Matt’s team but also the other teams who will learn from example (Lencioni, 2013).

One of the areas that need urgent attention is the manager playing his role as a leader and being more involved. This way there will be motivation strategies like training of workers on their functions and also other motivational tools that can be applied within the next two years. The top managers should oversee this process, but the team, and Matt, the team leader also have an important role to play. The improvement of the teamwork will benefit the organization as an example will be provided to how teams and team managers should conduct themselves thus improving the performance of the many teams in the organization which will improve overall performance.

References

Adetule, J. 2011. Handbook on management principles. Bloomington, Author House.

Beck, R. C. 2004. Motivation: theories and principles. Upper Saddle River, N.J., Pearson Education.

Boller, S. 2005. Teamwork training. Alexandria, Va, ASTD Press.

Cowan, A. 2012. Starting a tech business a practical guide for anyone creating or designing a marketing program or software. Hoboken, N.J., Wiley.

Kaptan, S. 2002. Team building. New Delhi, Sarup & Sons.

Lencioni, P. M. 2013. The five dysfunctions of a team a leadership fable. San Francisco, Calif, Jossey-Bass.

Malhotra, Y. 2000. Knowledge management and business model innovation. Hershey, Pa. [u.a.], Idea Group Publishing.

Schwalbe, K. 2007. Information technology project management. Boston, Mass, Course Technology, Cengage Learning.

Sheldrake, J. 2003. Management theory. Australia, Thomson

Tyler, J. 2015. Building great software engineering teams: recruiting, hiring, and managing your team from start-up to success.

West, M. A. 2012. Effective collaboration: practical lessons from organizational research. Chichester, West Sussex, John Wiley & Sons.

Witzel, M., & Warner, M. 2013. The Oxford handbook of management theorists.