Part I Team Strategy Plan You Are Part Of A Group Of Newly H

Part I Team Strategy Planyou Are Part Of A Group Of Newly Hired Team

Part I: Team Strategy Plan You are part of a group of newly hired team superintendents with Riordan Manufacturing. Your group was hired to lead new teams and begin production of the newly designed CardiCare Valve heart valves. This will be at the organization’s Pontiac, MI, location that is currently manufacturing custom plastic parts. Many of the production employees are current employees from other divisions, and the company expects to hire some new employees. Resources: Riordan Manufacturing Virtual Organization, Team Strategy Plan Review the Riordan Manufacturing intranet site and the Human Resource section under Demographics, Employees, Employee Files, and Reports.

Prepare a plan to create the teams. Address the following in your plan: · Identify various strategies available to build teams. · What challenges or barriers may happen? · How will the best strategy be determined? · What measures will you use to determine if the team is operating successfully

Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

The initiation of new production lines, especially those involving critical health products like the CardiCare Valve heart valves, necessitates meticulous team formation strategies. Effective team building is fundamental to ensuring productivity, quality, and smooth workflow in a manufacturing environment. As newly appointed superintendents at Riordan Manufacturing, our primary objective is to meticulously plan and implement strategies that foster cohesive, efficient, and innovative teams for the Pontiac facility, which is transitioning from manufacturing custom plastic parts to producing advanced heart valves. The approach involves understanding available team-building strategies, foreseeing potential challenges, selecting the most appropriate methods, and establishing metrics to assess success.

Strategies for Building Teams

Several strategies are available to construct effective teams that align with organizational goals and cultural nuances. These strategies include:

1. Traditional Team Formation

This approach involves selecting team members based on their skills, experience, and functional expertise. It emphasizes building teams with complementary skills and roles, often through direct supervisor assignment (Katzenbach & Smith, 1993).

2. Self-Directed Teams

This strategy empowers members to manage their tasks and responsibilities with minimal supervision. It encourages autonomy, accountability, and collaborative decision-making, fostering innovation and motivation (Manz & Sims, 1984).

3. Cross-Functional Teams

Involves assembling team members from different departments or specialties to leverage diverse expertise, especially pertinent in transitioning to new product lines involving complex processes (Anantatmula & Shrivastava, 2012).

4. Rotational Team Development

This method rotates employees through different roles and responsibilities, which can enhance versatility and understanding of the overall production system, beneficial during organizational change (Campion et al., 1994).

5. Partnership and Outsourcing

Engaging external partners or outsourcing components of the process can supplement internal team capabilities, especially during ramp-up phases of new production (Rouse & Daellenbach, 2000).

Challenges and Barriers

Forming effective teams entails overcoming obstacles such as:

- Resistance to change from current employees accustomed to existing roles.

- Cultural clashes due to diversity or varying work styles.

- Communication barriers stemming from departmental silos or language differences.

- Skill gaps or gaps in knowledge about new product specifics.

- Potential conflict among team members, especially when integrating new hires with existing employees.

- Administrative hurdles during recruitment, onboarding, and training processes.

Determining the Best Strategy

Selecting an appropriate team-building strategy requires evaluating:

- Organizational culture and values.

- Nature of the task—complexity and required expertise.

- Existing employee skills and readiness for change.

- Leadership style and supervision capacity.

- Need for innovation and autonomy—favoring self-directed teams if high innovation is desired.

- Availability of resources and time constraints.

A systematic assessment could involve SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) alongside stakeholder consultations, ensuring alignment with strategic goals (Gratton & Erickson, 2007).

Measures to Assess Team Success

Success metrics should be clearly defined, including:

- Production efficiency and throughput rates.

- Product quality and compliance with standards.

- Employee engagement and satisfaction surveys.

- Turnover rates and absenteeism.

- Number of implemented innovations or process improvements.

- Feedback from supervisors and clients.

- Achievement of project milestones and deadlines.

Regular monitoring through performance dashboards and periodic evaluations will inform continuous improvement efforts.

Conclusion

Building effective teams for the CardiCare Valve production at Riordan Manufacturing’s Pontiac site demands a deliberate, strategic approach. By understanding a variety of team formation strategies, anticipating challenges, choosing strategies aligned with organizational culture and project needs, and establishing clear metrics for success, the management can foster an environment conducive to innovation, quality, and efficiency. Such systematic planning will facilitate a smooth transition and lay the foundation for sustainable team performance in producing critical health products.

Conflict Management Plan

The internal conflict between Clyde Cousins and Dan Tully represents a potential disruptor to team cohesion and productivity. Effective resolution requires a structured conflict management approach that considers various strategies, their strengths and weaknesses, and how to best apply them.

Strategies for Conflict Management

Several conflict management strategies are applicable:

1. Collaboration (Win-Win)

This involves open dialogue where both parties work together to find mutually beneficial solutions. It fosters understanding and preserves relationships, ideal for longstanding employees (Rahim, 2002).

2. Compromise

Involves each party conceding some points to reach a middle ground. It is useful when time is limited but may not address underlying issues (Pruitt & Rubin, 1986).

3. Accommodation

One party yields to the other's demands to maintain harmony. Suitable when the issue is minor or the relationship more important than the resolution (Thomas & Kilmann, 1974).

4. Avoidance

Parties withdraw from the conflict temporarily or permanently. While it can prevent escalation, it may also lead to unresolved issues (De Dreu & Gelfand, 2008).

5. Competition (Win-Lose)

One party pursues their own concerns at the expense of others. Useful in crises but can damage relationships if overused (Rahim, 2002).

Strengths and Weaknesses of Each Strategy

- Collaboration promotes mutual understanding but can be time-consuming.

- Compromise is quick but may result in suboptimal solutions.

- Accommodation preserves relationships but may cause resentment.

- Avoidance prevents conflict escalation but risks unresolved tension.

- Competition can resolve conflicts swiftly but may harm trust and collaboration.

Considerations for Strategy Selection

Choosing the appropriate strategy depends on:

- The importance of the relationship.

- The significance of the issue.

- The urgency of resolution.

- The long-term impact on team cohesion.

- The power dynamics between individuals.

Given that both Clyde and Dan are valuable employees, a collaborative approach is preferred to foster trust and long-term cooperation. The goal is to clarify misunderstandings, address perceptions, and rebuild professional rapport.

Alternate and Contingency Strategies

If collaboration fails, mediation by a neutral third party or involving HR may be necessary. Setting formal conflict resolution sessions and establishing ground rules for communication can also be effective.

Challenges to Anticipate

- Resistance from either employee to participate in conflict resolution.

- Deep-seated mistrust or miscommunication.

- Time constraints during project ramp-up.

- Maintaining impartiality as a mediator.

Effective conflict resolution is vital to ensuring that the team functions smoothly and focuses on the project goals. An emphasis on communication, empathy, and structured problem-solving will be crucial in resolving this conflict.

Conclusion

A comprehensive conflict management plan that emphasizes collaboration, clear communication, and appropriate strategic choices will facilitate resolution of the Clyde and Dan conflict. Such approach ensures the development of a cohesive team environment, conducive to successful project execution in the new CardiCare Valve production line.

References

• Anantatmula, V., & Shrivastava, P. (2012). Evolution of Project Teams for Generation Y Workforce. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 5(1), 9-26.
• Campion, M. A., Medsker, G. J., & Higgs, A. C. (1994). Relations Between Work Group Design Characteristics and Group Performance. Personnel Psychology, 47(2), 429-452.
• De Dreu, C. K. W., & Gelfand, M. J. (2008). The Psychology of Conflict Management in Organizations. Research in Organizational Behavior, 28, 1-38.
• Gratton, L., & Erickson, T. J. (2007). Eight Ways to Build Collaborative Teams. Harvard Business Review, 85(11), 100-109.
• Katzenbach, J. R., & Smith, D. K. (1993). The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High-Performance Organization. Harvard Business School Press.
• Manz, C. C., & Sims, H. P. (1984). Customer-Focused Self-Management and Organizational Effectiveness. Academy of Management Review, 9(3), 620-629.
• Pruitt, D. G., & Rubin, J. Z. (1986). Social Conflict: Escalation, Settlement, and Resolution. McGraw-Hill Book Company.
• Rahim, M. A. (2002). Toward a Theory of Managing Organizational Conflict. International Journal of Conflict Management, 13(3), 206-235.
• Rouse, P., & Daellenbach, U. (2000). Do Firms Really Need Operations Management? Production and Operations Management, 9(3), 213-221.
• Thomas, K. W., & Kilmann, R. H. (1974). Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument. Xicom.