PROMPT:

Be sure to read over Chapter 7 on Group Communication and

Leadership in your text to help you respond to this question. We have discussed
many workplace experiences this semester.
1. What has been your experience with the various types of leadership in
and out of the workplace?
2. What type of leader/supervisor do you prefer to work under and why?
3. What type of leader do you prefer to be and why?
4. What do you see as the advantages to each type of leadership you
chose?


ENTRY:

Why Not All Groups Are Created Equal

As the book says, not all teams are created equally and not all teams are equally
effective. Of the eight main types of winning teams that are discussed in the book
in chapter seven, I think all have their good and bad points, however, it depends on
who the leader is and how strong s/he is in order to determine how successful the
team will be.

That being said, I personally prefer a results-driven structure team that is managed
by a democratic leader. In other words, a strong person, with a driven sense of
purpose, but who is also open to suggestions, is the leader of the group. S/he rules
with a gentle but stern sense of force to get things done, which is in turn reinforced
by the team members themselves who are a part of this results-driven structured
team. As a whole, the members of the group are focused on getting from Point A to
Point B no matter what. The downfall of this type of group structure can occur if
not all the team members are as equally as driven.

Both this leadership style and group structure are the two types of structures I have
found that work best with my personality and work ethic. However, they both have
their downfalls if not followed through effectively. When you have a group-oriented
and driven group, it is exactly as the old adage says, you are only as strong as your
weakest link. That means if you have someone who is slacking off in the middle of
the chain somewhere, everyone around them has to take time out of their schedule
to help pick up what that person is not accomplishing, making their work suffer.
Ultimately, if everyones work continues to suffer a little at a time, that little bit
builds up, until the team implodes on itself because it simply cannot hold the
internal stress and pressure of trying to maintain work balance.

At my job we are vey team oriented and the owner, Rhoda, expects us to be resultsdriven. That being said, if you do not perform to the best of your ability or to the
highest degree of your ability, you can hurt the entire team and bring us down;
which will ultimately result in you being reprimanded or even let go. Many retail
companies are run similar to this structure, and I believe that is why retail jobs have
such high turnover.