The Power of Leadership Teams

Introduction

There are many aspects that keep a successful company running. It is important to recognize each of these aspects so that, as a team, all separate units and employees are able to work together for the common goal: the company’s success; but what of these units? The teams within the company need to work well within themselves, and one of these includes the leadership teams. There are several important aspects of leadership teams, and reasons why this team is crucial to the business’s success, and the success of the other teams.

Lessons on Leadership Teams

Companies identify various lessons about transforming their leadership systems to a team-based organization. Leadership teams are responsible for the quality establishment of policy, as well as guiding the evolution of the organization’s quality throughout. This includes monitoring quality improvement and leadership within the lower branches of the organization (Evans, 2011, p. 333). Leadership teams are very important to the overall quality of a business because they operate with the eyes that are able to spot any room for improvement.

High-achieving organizations often recognize that potential contributions of their employees are very important. Teams are a business’s attempt at making sure that each of their employees reaches the peak of their potential. As well, the competitive environment that a team creates mimics the model of the modern business, and this model requires team and employees to be flexible and adaptable to customer demands as well as technological changes (Evans, 2011, p. 331). Leadership teams, often called quality control or steering committees, are teams that “lead quality initiatives in an organization and provide direction and focus” (Evans, 2011, p. 332). Criteria for team effectiveness, as according to the text: achievement of quality improvement goals, move and improve quickly, maintenance of its strength as a unit, and the preservation of the team’s strength within the whole company (Evans, 2011, p. 341). When applied, the principles of a leadership team can help a company work together well and lead the team to greatness.

In one example, the merging of the top management groups at Georgia Power Company’s Plant Hammond decided to become a team in the mid-1990s. Initially, everyone thought that they were already a great team and that they worked well together. Their leadership team consisted of 10 people in 1995. The management style that was used before was kept, and it mainly involved the chain of command being recognized and information and results were on a ‘need to know’ basis among the employees and teams (Evans, 2011, p. 357). However, this management style served the purpose of a predictable utility company well.

The Georgia Pacific merge also brings about ‘assessment instruments’ that serve as excellent advice to other companies and leadership teams in development within their diverse organization. These ‘instruments’ were used to understand and deal with the different styles of each individual team member. The team members were allowed to discuss their assessment in the open.. “Each team member also formulated his or her own development plan based on these and other assessments” (Evans, 2011, p. 357-358). Because of this open attitude toward team and self-assessment, team members were able to commit to each other for change and use each other for support.

In another example, Landmark Dining, a family owned and operated seafood and steak restaurant chain in Texas, they have a concept that they call the ‘Value of Employee Development.’ There is a focus on teamwork as to adhere to their own strict adheres to superior customer services, as well as the development of their employees, to reduce turnover (Evans, 2011, p. 358). In order to encourage cooperation and empowerment amongst employees, in all of their business divisions that include administration, catering, and dinner delivery service, they strive to organize teams that are empowered with the business’s key processes. Each team is responsible for its team’s scheduling, processing the team’s improvement, and each group has a leader that is compensated for any spare work that is done (Evans, 2011, p. 358-359).

Improvement of Leadership Teams

The company could have implemented quality aspects into its leadership teams. Of course, no business can be perfect in the almost constant change that is the model of modern business. Of course, the same principles have always been lasting, one of these including the importance of teams – leadership teams – and commitment to supporting each employee to reach their potential. This commitment to finding the full potential of each employee falls on both the company’s management and the leadership team. In the case of Georgia Pacific, the method that they choose to manage their employees has been working for them in their predictable business environment. However, there should at least be plan to manage some unpredictable employees or business problems. It is never safe to assume that business will stay the same; a company must continue to anticipate challenges.

In the case of Landmark Dining, there is not anything in need of improvement, outwardly. The company takes care of their employees, encourages cooperation, and their leadership team is allowed to make small-scale decisions that are best for them. They implement quality into their employees, and how they handle their employees, because they want to maintain a high standard of customer service in their restaurants.

Conclusion

Leadership teams are an integral part of a business, as with any other team on the roster. Not only do leadership teams work well together, but also help the other teams, employees and the entire business work together. The worth of leadership teams is to monitor how well a business is doing, and by maintaining teams and leadership ideals, the business will be able to continue to monitor their success as it grows.

Reference

Evans, J.R. (2011). Quality teamwork. In Quality and Performance Excellence, 7th edition (pp. 329-358). South Western: Cengage Learning.