Team Management: Case Study: Team Managers

In conformity with the theme of Module 4 – People Management, I have chosen a topic of “Team Management” for my essay as it best suits the application of theory to practice in case of my own job. This essay looks at some key points that team managers need to do if their teams are to thrive and succeed. These range from choosing the right people and deciding who does what, to communicating with, developing and motivating people. It also covers some of the most common pitfalls to be avoided. The case study provided to illustrate the principles and practices learned in the module.

Introduction

In modern business environment it is more critical than ever to build teamwork in organization. The many challenges that organization faces, the more

With a trading name “Applegreen” it currently operates 80 service stations in Ireland and 34 in the UK. The main functional areas of Petrogas activities can be divided into three distinct channels: the delivery of competitively priced quality goods to the retailers; the provision of a business support structure to assist the retailers in day to day operations along with the longer term development of its business and identifying end users’ needs, wants and market trends. To support these core activities Petrogas has a few Departments, Groups and Teams in place, that are being lead and managed by a number of Managers of different levels. The following practices are being exercised to ensure the success of team

Disagreements can lead to conflict, but conflict can be good. If ideas are not presented and debated, the team will miss opportunities to find the best solutions to problems. Respect for the thoughts and ideas of the other team members will be developed through healthy debate.

Learn to commit to decisions and plans of action. Team results will only come about as a result of team commitment to team decisions, this includes agreeing on the specifics of action plans. If some team members are not consistent with their commitments, the team will not succeed.

Hold one another accountable against their plans. Team members must be prepared to check among themselves to assure progress and overcome obstacles to progress. Ad hoc meetings may be necessary to coordinate actions between departments or groups to assure progress.

Focus on achieving collective results. The vision and/or mission of the team must be accepted by all the team members and critical goals viewed as the collective responsibility of the team. If a return to profitability is a critical goal of an executive team, priorities and time commitments must be pulled from elsewhere. Focusing on results that in any way does not support the critical goal(s) of the team will lead to team