Being part of a team means that the individualism that existed when work existed in the past is gone

and the work and the needs of the group should be at the forefront. Members who work in a team environment have to the styles and differing methods that colleagues working beside them may have. As organization structures have evolved over the years, the wording that we had become accustom to hearing has been replaced with softer, gentler titles that allow those who work for the people under the titles do not appear as dominating. Peoples' being prone to manipulation allows for the use of language to alter their views of certain things. Using different techniques and devices, it is possible to change or influence the way people see things. A common example is in advertising. Often in commercials and on billboards, etc. the marketers attempt to relate to you by associating you with a certain group of people. An example of what effect this may have on a person. A Porsche add included you with a group of elite people by use of the word, "us". Just using this one word changes the entire message of the Ad. It now not only says that the elites buy this car, it infers you are elite thus implying that you should buy this car. The language here changes your viewpoint on the type of people who buy this vehicle. Instead of assuming that only the elite people buy it, it makes you see it from the perspective of yourself being one of the elites.

This goes the same for the organization and titles that we have for individuals. The titles Manager appeared at times can have a dominating, individual connotation behind it. The perception that many get when they see the word Manager is a dominating individual who does not fully understand the work load for the ground level. By changing that title to Team Leader, it makes the once unapproachable manager now appear to be one who is part of the team. By taking on this title of Team leader and working with different personalities in an

attempt to put together a more self-managing work environment the expectations from not just you the team leader, but the team has increased exponentially. Also when we factor in the addition of 3 new employees with the last 18 months, 2 working at remote locations (San Francisco and Washington St), and the process of developing this self-managing style of team work has its challenges Many challenges and obstacles will present themselves along the way to achieving the goal, these could be; Decision Making Individual vs. Group Defined Leadership History vs. Present

According to (Thompson, 2007), A fundamental question for any leader is considering whether to relegate a decision to a team is whether teams make better decisions than do individuals. Being that we have been told since the we were all school age that there is no I in team, how could be possible justify regalting the decion making to one mind rather than combined minds of 8 individuals. Many studies clearly indicate that the best team member outperforms the team,7 but more realistic studies of actual work teams indicate that teams outperform their best teammate 97 percent of the time. (Michaelsen L.K & Black R.H, 1989) This further indicates that even as a team leader the decisions that need to be made, should be discussed thouroghly amougst the indiviuduals with the group to ensure that idea members m,ay have to improve or expand on a potential strategy are not stiffled based on previous interactions. The members of the group have previously had positive interaction with the team meetings, providing a open forum for discussion to debate and strategize the best plan of action for the

group. The way that people think, both as individuals and collectively within organizations, affects the decisions that they make, in ways that are far from obvious and rarely understood. So with the mentality that we all have a equal part and bring an important piece to the table when a members suggestion is not considered it reverts some members in the group into a passive aggressive mentality of questioning the reason behind not even attempt the idea. Even with an explanation by the team leader that a similar idea had been attempted previously and was unsuccessful, these have a way of fragmenting the group and instead of having one team. Now you have two sides with one group. So how can this be alleviated, with both sides feeling as if they worked together to come to a common goal. First the Team leader needs to express to the members who feel disregarded that the intentions are not to over-look their suggestions, but more to look back at the history of the organization and the successes and failures and learn from them thus saving crucial time. This may be necessary in this situation especially since the recommendation was made by a member who had only been with the organization for 6 months and lacked the complete background on what the organization had previous attempted. Background information that is readily accessible to members can make a difference in the decisions and idea that they come up with when they have an idea of what has been attempted. Also another way the Team Leader and the differing side can come to a resolution without further splitting the group with group votes is by having both sides concede some on the resolution. For example with the suggestion that was made to improve work practices seemingly similar to one that was unsuccessful in the past, if the two sides can some together and review the suggestion and see what ways they could improve it. By having the two sides come to together to work towards the resolution it not only returns the two sides back in one group, but also it allows the members who feel that innovation is being rejected to feel included in the

direction that the group is headed in. If the attempt to combine the ideas does not succeed, then the Team leader has to step up and advice the group the direction that they will be heading in. As unfortunate as it is, there will always be decisions that we have to go along with that we do not completely agree with. Life by no mines whether in your personal, work or spiritual life will be fair, but what are the other options. Another issue that can arise in group settings is the clear definition of who is charge of the group. A lack of leadership is often seen as a roadblock to a team's performance. As (Stewart G.L & Manz, C.C 1995) writes, More specifically, work team management or supervision is often identified as a primary reason why self-management teams fail to properly develop and yield improvements in productivity, quality, and quality of life. The role of Team leader has so can be blurred in the idea that the Manager is actually attempting to be a member of the Team, thus acting as an equal to the others who are essentially his/her subordinate. The line between friendship and management can begin to move further and further away from where it began and issue can develop in the future. The way to ensure that this fails to become an obstacle is by clearly defining the role of that the Team leader holds within the group, as well as the roles that each member has, and what is expected. Rather than focusing on ineffective teams, (Larson,C.E & LaFasto, F.M 1989) looked in the opposite direction by interviewing excellent teams to gain insights as to what enables them to function to a high degree. They came away with the following conclusions: A clear elevating goal they have a vision periodically (e.g., every six months), the leadership team should set specific, measurable goals that are aligned and prioritized with the teams vision. Results driven structure visions have a business goal

Unified commitment all members of the team take responsibility for ensuring these goals are met and that the unique talents of the team are used to their fullest extent.

A collaborative climate aligned towards a common purpose Principled leadership the central driver of excellence External support they have adequate resources

A well lead group has the ability to work effective and accomplish the goals that are placed in front of them. Leading the charge must be done in a manner that does not ostersize the other members of the group, yet shows a defined role of being in charge when it comes down to the groups leader.

Once a team understands their roles, addressing any issue that arises should be done in a group setting. The Team leader should be sure not to allow any issue to linger and possible have an impact on the groups cohesiveness and efficiency. The worst action that could be taken is for a Team leader to assert his authority in regards to the groups direction without addressing underlying concerns that may be present, This could cause a divide in the group, that if not repaired could be the down fall of the group completely. As a Team leader or Member you have to understand that there will be times that other members will provide suggestions and recommendations that may go against every decision that you feel. However if the group unanimously feels that the decision is a good option then again its not about the individual, but the team that the focus is on. Being aligned with people who you may be familiar with or are complete strangers can be frustrating at times. We all have a sense of

pride and feel that we can lead, but as individuals in a group we must respect the rolls that we have placed on us and do them to the best of our abilities.

References
Thompson, L. L. (2007). Making the Team. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Michaelsen, L. K., Watson, W. E., & Black, R. H. (1989). A realistic test of individual versus group consensus decision making. Journal of Applied Psychology, pg 834839. Stewart, G. L., & Manz, C. C. (1995). Leadership for self-managing work teams: A typology and integrative model. Human Relations, pg 747-770. Larson, C. E., LaFasto, F. M. J. 1989. Teamwork: What must go right, what can go wrong. Newberry Park, CA: Sage.