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Introduction

Developing a group or team is a useful approach to accomplishing a task. During this discussion the term group and "team" are used interchangeably. When developed and run effectively a team can be used to pool the ideas and experiences of its members in search for a collective outcome. Organizations of all types can benefit from the work of teams. An effective team should be able to share experiences and provide each other feedback. By sharing experiences, teams can generate insight and become effective problem solvers through a collaborated effort. Developing a successful team requires understanding group dynamics and planning for those dynamics is an important step for building positive group dynamics. In this task, it is about team working issues in Hush Puppies departments. As an in charge in Hush Puppies, Parker saw one major problem when implementing functional structure and he introduced Cross Functional Teams. But after six months, these Cross Functional Teams are damaging performance of workers in Hush Puppies departments. So this task is want to give a suggestion and recommendations to Parker to solve the team working issues. It also discuss and demonstrate an understanding of working with others, teamwork, groups and group dynamics. A team is a special type of group in which people work interdependently to accomplish a goal. Organizations use many different types of teams to serve a variety of purposes. The use of teams to perform work has a long history, but during the past few decades organizational teamwork has changed: it has expanded rapidly due to changes in the characteristics of workers, the nature of jobs, and the structure of organizations. The scientific study of group dynamics provides useful insights about how teams operate and how they can be improved.

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Task 1

As an associate at Jazmeen Zarra management Consultancy. I have been called in to assist Parker Parkiss with a number of issues at Hush Puppies. With relevant research, above is finding or report that has been prepared. Task 1 (a) 4.1 The appropriate behavior should the individual in the organization have when working in a group. The Nature of Groups Groups are characteristics of all social situations and almost everyone in an organization will be a member of one or more groups. The definition of groups is a fundamental part of social life. As we will see they can be very small, just two people or very large. They can be highly rewarding to their members and to society as a whole, but there are also significant problems and dangers with them. All this makes them an essential focus for research, exploration and action. Groups and teams are a major feature of organizational life. The work organization and its sub-units are made of, are groups of people. Most activities of the organization require at least some degree of co-ordination through the operation of groups and teamwork. An understanding of the nature of groups is vital if the manager is to influence the behavior of people in the work situation. Groups are an essential feature of the work pattern of any organization. Members of a group co-operate in order for work to be carried out and managers themselves work within the groups. People in groups influence each other in many ways and may develop their own hierarchy and leaders. Group pressures can have a major influence over the behavior of individual members and their work performance. The activities of the group are associated with the process of leadership. The style of leadership adopted by the manager has an important influence on the behavior of members of the group. The Importance of Groups Hush Puppies is a large manufacturer and the company has been lead by its dynamic CEO, Parker Parkiss. Because of Parker not confident that he has seen the best performance from many members of staff, either in their own jobs or as members of teams. So it is importance for
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this company to have a groups of work. Group work, whether it is a team of two or a team of 20, is important in solving problems and accomplishing tasks. The importance of groups is to delegate task. Working in a group allows members to share responsibilities, rather than the brunt of the work falling in the hands of one person. Instead, group members can delegate tasks to individuals who possess the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to accomplish the task successfully. Other importance or work group is workers can share diverse opinion which can provide different points of view, as they work to solve problems. One group member may consider an option or have a stance that other members of the group have not considered. With diverse experiences and knowledge, group work ensures that problems are not solved using one person's input. Combine skills between workers also importance in a groups. Groups are composed of individuals who may share some of the same knowledge and skills, however, oftentimes, members come from different educational backgrounds and have different work and volunteer experiences, which uncovers strengths that one group member may have, while others are lacking. Working in a group also can help individuals build long-lasting relationships based on trust and loyalty. As group members, people learn about the commonalities they share and differences, which leads them to seek group members they can build relationships with even outside of the group. Groups can classified in two type which is Formal and Informal Groups. Below is a table of differences between Formal and Informal Groups. FORMAL GROUPS The organizations managers to accomplish goals and serve the needs create of the organization deliberately formal INFORMAL GROUPS Informal groups in organizations are not formed or planned by the organizations managers. Rather, they are self-created and evolve out of the formal organization for a variety of reasons, such as proximity, common interests, or needs of individuals. It would be difficult for organization to prohibit informal working relationships from developing. Informal groups develop naturally among
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groups. The major purpose of formal groups is to perform specific tasks and achieve specific objectives defined by the organization. The most common type of formal work group consists of individuals cooperating under the direction of a leader. Examples of formal groups are departments,
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divisions, taskforce, project groups, quality circles, committees, and boards of directors. Formal groups are created by the organization and are intentionally designed to direct members toward some important organizational goal. One type of formal group is referred to as a command group Formal organizational group also may be formed around some specific task. Such a group is referred to as a task group that may be composed of individuals with some special interest or expertise in a specific area regardless of their positions in the organizational hierarchy.

an organizations personnel without any direction from management. One key factor in the emergence of informal groups is a common interest shared by its members. For example, a group of employees who band together to seek union representation may be called an interest group

The Importance of Teamwork Tasks are accomplished at a faster pace when it is done by a team rather than an individual. When employees work together, they start helping each other and responsibilities are shared and thus it reduces the work load and work pressure. Every team member is assigned one or the other responsibility according to his specialization, level of interest and thus the output is much more efficient and faster. Team work is also important to improve the relations among the employees. Team work also reduces the chances of unnecessary conflicts among the employees and every individual tries his level best to support his team member. The level of bonding increases as a result of team work. Team members can also gain from each other. Every individual is different and has some qualities. One can always benefit something or the other from his team members which would help him in the long run.

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Base on stages of team development, the team workers of Hush Puppies should know the appropriate behavior in the organization when working in a group that related with the stages. For example : Norming Stages - In the Norming stage, group members are engaged in active acknowledgment of all members contributions, community building and maintenance, and solving of group issues. Members are willing to change their preconceived ideas or opinions on the basis of facts presented by other members, and they actively ask questions of one another. Leadership is shared, and cliques dissolve. When members begin to know and identify with-one another, the level of trust in their personal relations contributes to the development of group cohesion. It is during this stage of development (assuming the group gets this far) that people begin to experience a sense of group belonging and a feeling of relief as a result of resolving interpersonal conflicts. Performing Stages - If group members of Hush Puppies are able to evolve to stage four, their capacity, range, and depth of personal relations expand to true interdependence. In this stage, people can work independently, in subgroups, or as a total unit with equal facility. Their roles and authorities dynamically adjust to the changing needs of the group and individuals. Stage four is marked by interdependence in personal relations and problem solving in the realm of task functions. By now, the group should be most productive. Individual members have become self-assuring, and the need for group approval is past. Members are both highly task oriented and highly people oriented. There is unity: group identity is complete, group morale is high, and group loyalty is intense. The task function becomes genuine problem solving, leading toward optimal solutions and optimum group development. There is support for experimentation in solving problems and an emphasis on achievement. The overall goal is productivity through problem solving and work.

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Cross Functional Team

A Cross Functional Team is simply a team made up of individuals from different functions or departments within an organization. Teams like this are useful when you need to bring people with different expertise together to solve a problem, or when you want to explore a potential solution. For example, you might put together a team made up of people from finance, engineering, production, and procurement to come up with a solution to reduce the lead-time for a new product. One approach is for team members to be "loaned" full-time to the crossfunctional team, returning to their day-to-day role once their contribution has finished. Alternatively, they may work on a part-time basis, continuing with their existing responsibilities alongside their cross-functional team-work. The most important distinction between the creation of a cross-functional team and the formation of a new department is that members of a cross-functional team maintain substantial links to their day-to-day responsibilities and to managers in their "home" department. For team working in Hush Puppies, after CEO of Hush Puppies Parker Parkiss saw one major problem when implementing functional structure. Each department is Hush Puppies was only expert in its own field and not aware of activities held in other departments. So because of this problem, Parker has introduced Cross Functional Teams. This is one of work teams type. Cross-functional work team is composed of employees from the about the same hierarchical level but from different work areas is organization who are brought together to accomplish a particular task. So Parker has asked each departments in Hush Puppies to select its employees to be a part of the Cross Functional Teams. In addition, Parker specified that all teams should be given responsibility for planning their own work, and monitoring their own quality.

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As Parker has to set up Cross Functional Team to his worker, it might be considered with a strategies to give his team the best chance of success. The strategies is including with : Objectives to setting a goal for a team, so it must create a team charter which mean documents that define the purpose of the team, how it work and what the expected outcomes are. To clarify these objectives and identify the resources that the team can call upon. Get these objectives agreed with senior managers in the organization, and by the managers of the departments affected by your new team. Define roles and Select the right teams What Parker must is to achieve with his team, he can identify the roles that he need his workers to fill, and the types of people he want in those roles. When defining roles, remember to think about more than just the technical expertise each person should have. For example, will they need good communications skills, or good decision making skills? Or, will they need to be able to work to tight deadlines? Once he has team members on board, work through the Team Charter with them to make sure that all working to achieve the same objectives. It's also important to give people the opportunity to talk through how they see things. Establish ways of working - With a new team, you can't make any assumptions about the processes that the team will use to meet its objectives. Instead, you need guidelines in place that explain how the team will work together. Adopt the Right Leadership Style - Overall authority for Peter Parkiss cross-functional team will probably lie with senior managers, sponsors, or a steering group. However, the team will likely be expected to make day-to-day decisions without their input, so Peter (or someone on the team) will need to lead the team towards its objectives. As the team's leader, you'll probably be "leading equals," as if he won't have direct authority over many of your team members. So, you'll need to use a more persuasive leadership style, rather than a controlling approach, to help them set their priorities. Often, this involves functioning as a coach, helping people make their own decisions and solve their own problems, rather than as a traditional manager who issues orders and distributes tasks. With this in mind, it will involve everyone in making decisions

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Negotiate and Communicate - Naturally, there will be times where team members have priorities that conflict with their day-to-day roles, and what Parker may do sometimes is need to seek advice from sponsor or steering group to take things forward. However, he can often avoid issues by first negotiating a solution that works well for everyone. (Tools such as the Influence Model and Win-Win Negotiation will help you do this.) It's also important that Parker communicate effectively with everyone affected by his crossfunctional team, including people's day-to-day managers stakeholder analysis will help Parker identify who these key people are.

Cross functional teams are significantly different from teams that are aligned on one functional level. With a cross functional team, you may have representatives from a wide array of specialties finance, accounting, operations, legal, human resources and each person has his or her own perspective and issues. This diversity is both the reason why cross-functional teams can be highly effective, but its also the reason that they're often problematic. The problems in Cross Functional Teams however clearly shown a damaging performance to Hush Puppies workers. For several reasons, the problems is : Simply placing people into groups is not the solution for all problems Some managers who are team members fee lack of authority Some senior managers fail to work with others. During meetings to discuss improvements, some people feel that there are several team encouraging them to speak. And some of the team members condemn ideas given and as a result many of the team members withhold their ideas. Lack of cohesiveness among team members.

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Based on the article of Cross Functional Team of Peter Supply Company by Leslie Hansen Harps it shows an optimization project team using Cross Functional Team that helped Petter Supply Company boost performance, reduce inventory and cut costs. Founded in Paducah, Ky, in 1890, Petter Supply Company is an industrial wholesaler that provides maintenance, repair and operating supplies, industrial belts, and related services to manufacturers, inland marine operations, and mining companies. A family-run business, Petter has three branches in Kentucky, and one each in Illinois and North Carolina. Over the years, Petter has made its 125,000-square-foot distribution center in Paducah the primary distribution hub. This process included "whittling down the branches' inventories to critical spares and products that are specific to the customer base in that area," says Petter President John Sircy. As part of that strategy, in 2001, Petter installed a warehouse management system in its DC and hired performance management consultant Jimmy Benefield, now the practice leader of engineered standards and incentives for Kom International, Inc. Benefield suggested a team-based continuous improvement process to address potential areas of opportunity. So Petter and Sircy introduced the concept of cross-functional teams to the company's supervisory group, and explained the team-based continuous improvement process, including the team charter. A core component of the process, the formal team charter spells out the specific issue to be addressed, and lays out a timetable for doing so. The charter serves, in effect, as a team's road map, documenting milestones, goals, and objectives. Teams come together to address a specific issue, and are disbanded once the issue is resolved. A team may finish its work in as little as six weeks, or as long as one year or more, depending upon the initiative. The team concept was enthusiastically received by Petter's supervisory team. Petter and Sircy identified several priority issues, each to be addressed by a specific team. The team tasked with tackling communications, for example, had high-level involvement and representation from across the company.

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TEAMING FOR EXCELLENT Cross Functional Team has Creating empowered teams can help optimize any performance management initiative, while increasing customer service, improving overall operations, and fostering cooperation company-wide. Teaming is the foundation of performance management, according to Jimmy Benefield, practice leader of engineered standards and incentives for Kom International Inc., a global logistics and supply chain management firm based in Montreal. The ultimate goal of performance management is improving performance or other factors such as through-put and morale. The components of performance management include teaming, the development and implementation of work methods and standards, incentives, plus supporting technology. Three levels of teamsa steering team, an improvement team, and an empowered work teamare integral to performance management. The steering team establishes the overall direction of the teaming process, and provides planning, guidance, coordination, resources, and accountability. The improvement team is a cross-functional team that works within the direction provided by the steering team. As Benefield notes that the improvement team's mission is "to develop more effective methods of serving customers, improving operations, and enabling teamwork The methods identified by the improvement team are implemented by the empowered work team, a group of individuals who run the daily operations of an area, such as a distribution center or a freight dock. According to Benefield, the team focus leads to: Aggressive questioning of all business practices. The unflinching elimination of all non-value-added activities. Elimination of barriers that prohibit the success of total customer satisfaction for both internal and external customers.

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INCENTIVES It's not uncommon for individuals to work at less than their potential. "Most people, until you give them some type of incentive, are not going to work at greater than 85 percent of their potential," Benefield says. Incentives can be for individualswhere employees are rewarded based solely on their performance within the teamor for groups, where a functional team is rewarded based on team performance and an agreed-upon set of metrics. Incentives can also be structured as a blend of the two approaches, where individuals are rewarded based on their performance within the team, as long as a specific team metric is met. PUTTING A PLAN INTO ACTION Performance management can be implemented in phases. "Start with one cross-functional team," Benefield suggests. Train the steering committee and the members of the crossfunctional team in the concept of what Benefield calls "teaming for excellence." So base on this article, It shown with Cross Functional Team it can helped for team project in a good performance on their work. The cross-functional team works together to reach a goal or objective such as developing new products, reducing defects or increasing the efficiency in a process.

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So for this organization, I have do some research about group behavior and the appropriate behavior that should the individual or workers in Hush Puppies have when working in group. Group Behavior For definition Group Behavior is the behavior of human groups, from formation to dissolution. Along with many other organisms, human beings tend to group up and engage in cooperative activities. The behaviors of a group can be highly variable, as can the factors that put pressure on the group. Social psychologists study group behavior. Their work contributes to everything from the development of advertising aimed at specific groups to the understanding of how crowds react to dangerous situations. Key Issues In Group Behavior In examining the behavior of people in groups, whether formal or informal, there are a number of key issues that have to be considered and these are: 1. Group size The size of a group is one factor that can determine its likely behavior. Large groups: require a higher degree of formalization than smaller; require clearer lines of communication tend to pay less attention to the needs of individuals than smaller groups. concentrate more on task requirements than personal issues are more susceptible to the development of such - groups than smaller groups which are likely. 2. Purpose of Group Work groups are assigned definite purpose within the organizational structure. Work groups are often asked to focus their efforts on specific problems, usually of a short-term nature. Some groups are especially set up for this very purpose, such as taskforces, working parties and project groups. Short-term tasks are usually allocated some explicit time limit.

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3. Nature of task The nature of the task is broadly decided in terms of the groups purpose and objectives. A fairly specific task and outcome will demand different quantities from the group compared with, say a generally-stated problem requiring further questions to be asked. Some types of the tasks can be: Ongoing or routine Implementing new process or procedures Creating new ideas Solving specific problems or issues Important negotiations with customers or competitors. Group Leadership In a formal group, Parker Parkiss as a leader is formally appointed by management to take charge of the role. It is the leader who has the responsibility of keeping the group together when difficulties arise. Thus, there will always be a requirement for an effective leader. An autocratic leader will always take the decisions for the group, but a democratic leader will discuss possible decisions with the group before making a choice and may even let another group member take charge temporarily. The main role of the format leader is to use the resources of the group members to the full, gain their commitment to the task and achieve the result set by management. Nature and Motivation of Group Members There is need for any group to have an appropriate mix of skills; knowledge and talents, for these represent its main resources. Groups with specific purpose or under pressure will need sufficient common values among members, otherwise they will fall apart and be unable to complete their objectives. Part of the individual motivation has to be the thought that the others are relying on him/her and that the teams performance is just as crucial as individual performance. Team-spirit is an aspect of group cohesiveness. Group Norms

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Norms are the standards adopted by a group. Most of these standards will be contained in written policies and operating manuals. They will also be emphasized by the personal behavior of managers and supervisors. Part of the function of the organizational culture is to encourage adherence to organization-wide norms e.g. attention to quality. Unofficial norms are those norms which arise from amongst the group members. However management cannot stop unofficial norms from developing but what they can do is to: Recognize them when they arise Encourage them if they are in line with organizational interest Aim to transform them if they appear to be working against the organizations interest. Ultimately management has the power to disband and reform groups, if they appear to be getting too far out of line. Roles Within Groups Roles are parts that individual members of a group play. The parts are determined partly by the expectation of the management through job descriptions and partly by the expectations of the others in the group. In formal groups, parts are mostly allocated in conjunction with job functions. In informal groups, roles are likely to spring from: The relevant knowledge or skills possessed by individuals Personal qualities that have a stronger influence on informal groups where for example, a natural leader may emerge. A team role is described as a pattern of behavior, characteristic which one team member interacts with another whose performance serves to facilitate the progress of the team as a whole. One of the most popular and widely used analyses of individual roles within a work group or team is that developed by Meredith Belbin. Belbin concludes that groups composed entirely of clever people or of people with similar personalities, display a number of negative results and lack creativity.

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The types of people identified are useful team members and form a comprehensive list. These are the key team roles and the primary characters for successful teams. Belbins has evolved nine team roles base on tables below : ROLES AND DESCRIPTIONS Plant TEAM ROLE CONTRIBUTION Creative, imaginative, unorthodox. Solves difficult problems Over-optimistic. Loses interest Resource Investigator Extravert, enthusiastic, communicative. Explores opportunities. Can be seen as manipulative. Co-ordinator Mature, confident, a good chairperson. Clarifies goals, promotes decision-making. Delegates Can Shaper Challenging, dynamic, thrives on pressure. Has the drive and courage to overcome obstacles Lacks drive and ability to inspire Monitor-evaluator Sober, strategic and discerning. Sees all options. Judge accurately. Indecisive in crunch situations Teamwork Co-operative, mild, perceptive and diplomatic. Listens, builds, averts friction Implementer Disciplined, reliable, Somewhat inflexible. Slow to others provoke others. Hurts peoples feeling Offloads personal work once passed initial enthusiasm has ALLOWABLE WEAKNESSES Ignores details. Too preoccupied to communicate effectively

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conservative and efficient. Turn ideas into practical actions

respond to new possibilities.

Contributes on only a narrow Specialist Single-minded, self-sharing, dedicated. Provides knowledge and skills in rare supply front. Dwells on technicalities

The most consistently successful teams were mixed with balance of team roles. The role that a person undertakes in a group is not fixed and may change according to circumstances. Individuals may have a back-up team role with which they have some affinity other than their primary team role. If certain roles were missing, members would call upon their back-up roles. Team roles differ from what Belbin calls Functional roles. These are the roles that members of a team perform in terms of the specifically technical demand placed upon them.

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Task 1 (b) 4.2 The factors that lead to effective teamwork and any factor that may threaten the successful of a team. As Parker has decided to introduced Cross Functional Team to his staffs and he has specified that all teams should be given responsibility for planning their own work and monitoring their own quality. He should also know what factors that will lead to effective teamwork and what may affect the successful of a team. Effective Cross Functional teams do not just happened without special training and preparation. So as a leader Parker cannot just throw individuals from diverse functional backgrounds and experiences into a group and expect high productivity. Effective teams are made effective through training and dedication to the teamwork concept s. A successful teamwork can be obtained by following most of the proceeding concepts and best practices. The factors that lead to effective work Smart goals Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound goals should be established by the teams of Hush Puppies. Without smart goals, the team will lack the milestones necessary to drive action. Member are committed to the teams goals, know that they are expected to accomplish and understand how they will work together to achieve those goals. Leadership It is very important to Cross Functional Team to have a leader who is able to focus its members on a projects mission, purpose and goals. This individual must be committed to the teams results. The job of the team leader is to get team members to successfully evolve through each successive phase of a project life cycle. This implies that a keen awareness of the state of the team must be monitored and maintained. In addition, the milestones and long-term goals must be consistently reviewed with the team as a whole. A good leader makes sure that progress becomes the property of the group. Effective team leadership is one of the most important factors for team success and positive results. This is because it tends to have the strongest impact on all aspects of team performance. Team leaders are responsible for engaging each team member in the processes of the team and building a platform of mutual trust that leads to: open debate, collaboration, individual commitment, and personal accountability. Team leaders set the tone of the team and create the environment within which
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team members interact and do their work. In addition, they also support and influence key success factors that shape the teams internal environment and structure. This in turn determines the teams capability or capacity. Attitudes and Commitment Attitudes and commitment are what make a significant difference in the eventual success of an assigned team worker. It is the collective membership of a team that literally decides to succeed. This takes a positive attitude and a strong sense of commitment on the part of all team participants. Teams must be able to sustain their levels of commitment and positive attitudes by given responsibility for planning their own work. Teams that lack positive attitudes and commitment effort will all comes down to the difference between doing difficult, creative thinking when it is necessary, or to simply accept defeat because the solution tends to require too much effort. Mutual Trust Mutual trust is considered to be the most important element of successful teamwork. As part of a teams self direction, it is trust that enables the team to engage in open debate and decision making that leads to a commitment of action on the part of individual members of the team. At times it is easier to instill and establish trust than it is to sustain it. Building high levels of trust requires an openness that allows team members to know and understand the beliefs and behaviors of all members of the team, so that team actions can be structured to take advantage of each members uniqueness and talents. As part of the process it is important for team participants to develop an understanding of how individual members of the team view themselves and how each responds to others within the team. Teams thrive on trust. One of the main dynamics of a self-directed team is that part of its structure, practice and principles require that members ask for and offer help to one another to initiate and maintain mutual caring and sharing. Having open, frank and supportive discussions generates a strong bond and a sense of connection and trust among members. Good Communication Team members are able to convey messages between each other and clearly understood. This is includes nonverbal as well as spoken language. Members able to quickly and efficiently share
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ideas and feeling. Communication is a vital factor of interpersonal interaction, and the very term 'teamwork' represents interpersonal interaction. Hence ne of the key aspects of teamwork is open communication, wherein it enables the members of the team to articulate their feelings, express their plans, share their ideas, and understand each others viewpoints. Grappling with and sorting out the complexities involved in communication is thus one of the challenges of developing and sustaining an effective and efficient group of individuals. In case of poor communication observed, measures should be taken to work around this aspect and make way for effective communication between the team members. Team Collaboration For Parkers teamwork to be an effective team it consists of team members who are actively involved and engaged in the work and focus of the team. This requires all team members emotionally commit to actively and openly participating in the teams processes and in the pursuit of the teams goals. Each separate team member must willingly commit to carry out action plans that are necessary for the team to reach its defined goals. Each must also be dependable and willing to carry the full weight of personal responsibility to complete his or her individual commitments according to deadline. The power of teamwork dynamics is engaged when team members come together to focus collectively on goals, issues, challenges, and problems. Team leaders must carefully manage the processes of team meetings in order to maximize the power of the collective knowledge and skills of the team members. As part of the collaboration process, more effective teams tend to follow a meeting methodology that both focuses on dealing with issues requiring the teams attention and maximizes the power of collective knowledge and the skills of the team members. Collaboration works to help establish personal accountability. Team goals will usually not be realized until individual commitments are completed and team members embrace a discipline to complete their commitments as scheduled. Through personal collaboration team members must agree to hold each other personally accountable for completing the commitments each person has made to the team. Supportive Climate The team should provided proper training and understandable measurement system with which teams can evaluate their overall performance, an incentive program that recognizes and rewards team activities and supportive human resource system.
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As Hush Puppies team working are handled to be effective team it still may have a threaten to be successful of team. In order to understand how to assemble an efficient team, first that Parker need to know the factors affecting effective teamwork. When he know how to create a productive team environment, so he can begin to expect positive results from his team. FACTOR THAT MAY AFFECT TO SUCCESFUL TEAM Organizational Context - Problems can occur in a teamwork when organizational missions are unclear, tasks poorly defined, and teams not given sufficient autonomy. Problems also result when rewards are given to individual members and not collectively to recognize overall team results. So to be successful teams, what a Hush Puppies need is organizational direction, information and resources. Influencers, Communication and Participation - There is a natural tendency for individuals within the team to form alliances to the exclusion of other members, and most team environments will experience their influence and control. Influencers and alliances impact team communication patterns as certain individual input is sought and heard over and above other sources of dialogue, ideas, comments and suggestions. For example in Hush Puppies Cross Functional team, the problem that they have when be a part of Cross Functional is when worker doing a meetings to discuss improvements, some people feel that there are several team members dominating the meeting and are preventing them from contributing or at least not encouraging them to speak. And some of the team members condemn ideas given and as a result many of the team members withhold their ideas. As within any healthy team environment there is a balance of all opinions and feedback, leaders must be aware of who has the most impact on the teams actions and decisions and take action to ensure those who have been ignored are heard. Decision Making - Leaders should be well acquainted with the decision making processes used within their individual teams. Key decisions are generally made during the first meeting, which often then tend to shape and determine progress. These key initial decisions are often hard to reverse. Leaders should also guard against groupthink, where pressure is put on all team members to agree and conform to the actions of the entire team and little or no dissention is allowed.

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Compensation - A team works well when the members understand what they will be compensated for their efforts. When people have their compensation expectations laid out before they sign an agreement to join the team, compensation can be removed as an obstacle to effective teamwork. If all team members feel they are being compensated fairly, that can help lead to maximum productivity. Conflict - Leaders should encourage useful, healthy and appropriate conflict over substantive issues, while taking time to improve personal relations among individual team members when negative emotional eruptions become apparent. Conflict is healthy only when personalities and personal issues are removed from the issue. Emotional Issues - All individual team members come to the team setting with personal needs and issues that get played out within the environment, including personal identity within the team, goals and needs, power and control and intimacy Minority Opinions - In most team environments there will be individual members who hold opinions and viewpoints that run counter to those of the majority. In a healthy team environment, these opinions are valued and sought out rather than suppressed and discouraged. Leadership - Leaders should monitor the power structure within their teams to determine whether leadership responsibilities are assumed by one person or shared by the entire membership. They should be watchful for power struggles and conflicts resulting from a lack of leadership within the team environment. Task and Maintenance Functions - Healthy teams have task flow and maintenance roles that are fulfilled by all members. Leaders should determine whether specific roles and responsibilities are being fulfilled competently and accurately, and whether the individuals assigned to these roles and tasks take their responsibilities seriously.

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Task 1 (c) 4.3 Information technology that could improve and damage both communications and social aspects within teams. New technology has been injected into the workplace at an exponentially increasing rate over the last few decades. Hush Puppies is one of the company that has see new technology as the means to increase profit margins and to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving marketplace. In this task I will discuss some of those new technologies and their impact on the workplace. Specifically, I would like to focus on information technology, its implementation, its pitfalls, and its future. Information Technology To led an ever expanding and evolving field of information technology (IT), information has become an increasingly important feature in the business world, new technologies have become available to facilitate its use and dissemination. New developments in IT have led to an increasingly mobile workforce. Cellular phones allow us to be reached almost anywhere. Blackberries and Ultra-mobile PCs permit to access e-mail and other data products at a wide range of locations. A wide range of new technologies have given business companies access to faster communication, increased efficiencies, and the ability to work away from the office. New technology has opened a door of opportunities for companies and employees willing to explore non-traditional work arrangements. As telecommuting becomes more popular, employers are realizing the benefits, including "productivity gains, reduced absenteeism, reduced employee turnover costs, reduced real estate costs, and reduced relocation costs to name a few. For Employees, "telecommuting can offer more flexibility and a relief from workplace policies such as dress code and formal office hours. This technology also allows a new kind of team to emerge. Virtual teams can be formed, bringing together the best people regardless of location and time. E-mail, teleconferencing, video conferencing, and new emerging technologies are enabling team work in organization as also people in the world to communicate and collaborate rapidly and efficiently. Virtual teams are contributing to a synergy like never before seen.
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Technologies which has improved team functions E-mail - allows asynchronous communication which means team members do not need to be in the same place at the the same time in order to communicate effectively. e-mail also has it's negative aspects in terms of manging e-mail and the misuse of e-mail. Mobile phones - have come a long way from the yuppie bricks of the 1980s and there are now more mobile phones in the UK then there are people. Mobile phones allow teams to communicate even when team members are out of the office, on the road or otherwise unavailable. Sometimes having always access to team members can hinder team functioning. Blackberry - is a phone technologies which include 3G data cards allow team members to work and communicate remotely and this out in the field or with clients. Groupware - enables teams to plan meetings, collaborate, delegate all within a virtual environment which can often be accessed remotely from anywhere in the world. Personal computers - allow team members to carry out various tasks and communicate more effectively. Laptop computers allow you to do this anywhere. They are now lighter, more powerful and a longer battery life. Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) now have much of the same functionality as their bigger cousins, but are smaller, more portable and have a longer battery life. Many PDAs now have wifi as standard and some are also phones (and some phones have many PDA features)

What is communication
Communication is the sharing of information between two or more individuals or groups to reach a common understanding. The most important part of this definition is that the information or ideas conveyed must be understood. To see what this definition means in practice, consider giving or receiving incomplete information. With only a partial understanding, problems will occur.

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Good communication is often incorrectly defined by the communicator as agreement instead of clarity of understanding. If someone disagrees with us, we may often assume the person just did not fully understand our position; but a person can clearly understand us and simply not agree. In fact, when a manager concludes that a lack of communication must exist because a conflict between two employees has continued for a long time, a closer look often reveals that, to the contrary, plenty of effective communication is going on. Each fully understands the other's position, but their communication does not necessarily produce agreement. How information technology could improved in communications and social aspect within teams Team workers who don't communicate well sometimes end up unnecessarily replicating each other's work, resulting in wasted time and inefficient performance. Good communication within a team helps each member to understand where they are in relation to the ultimate goals of the team. Communications technologies are very useful for helping team members to keep in touch with each other, even when they are widely separated geographically. Multidirectional communications within management, within the workplace, and between management and workers is essential for keeping a company on track. With technology teamwork and communications can be effectively augmented through the judicious use of technology. As in Hush Puppies development has team working issues, by using technology it is an advantage to improve damaging performance on Cross Functional Teams. Example for those team members that has lack of cohesiveness. The can communicate to solved the problem by using email if they dont want to solve it face to face. Simple things such as telephone answering machines, cell phones and beepers help people to remain in constant contact. This contact can prevent misunderstandings and help snags or obstacles in business progress to be resolved more quickly than if coworkers were constantly trying to track each other down. Skype and other Internet technologies now allow people who are working together to communicate face-to-face from anywhere in the world at no cost beyond that of a basic Internet connection. Telephone or spoken communications electronically transmitted provide only the cue of voice inflection, not the visual cues available from face-to-face interaction. The amount of time spent on the telephone varies greatly with the job. Before making any call, you
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should always set an objective and write down what you plan to discuss. Use the paper to write notes during the call. The telephone is the appropriate medium for quick exchanges of information and for monitoring progress. It is especially useful for saving travel time, but it is inappropriate for personal matters like discipline. How information technology could damage in communications and social aspect within teams Exciting advances in information technology have dramatically increased the speed of communication. You can now communicate more easily with your teams and can access information more quickly to make decisions. In order to be competitive, you should keep abreast of the latest advances in information technology. But you should not adopt these or other advances without first carefully considering whether and how the technology advance in question might improve communication and performance in your particular groups, teams, departments, or organization. If technology is allowed to take over a workplace rather than to augment it, workers can sometimes lose track of the ultimate goals that they are working towards. People who complain about being dominated by their cell phones or email need to shift the balance of power away from technology and back to themselves. As long as technology serves as a subservient tool it is useful. As soon as humans being answering to the demands of the technology, a reassessment of priorities is in order. The financial costs of technology should also be carefully considered within the context of business goals. With all the improvements in productivity and efficiency offered by new technologies, there are areas of concern that must be considered thoroughly by any organization because the impact of technology. Security is a primary concern inherent in a mobile and accessible IT system. Denying network access to unauthorized users is an ongoing battle in many firms. Physical security of IT equipment is also an issue. Companies implementing technology in team work must also take into account the social impact. According to Sussan (2006), "teamwork is a crucial element of workplace functioning." He goes on to explain that studies have shown lower satisfaction levels for users of virtual meeting tools in contrast with fact-to-face meetings. This effect may be able to be mitigated with a hybrid virtual team, where members occasionally meet in a traditional physical location.

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There are also some concerns to consider with the telecommuting arrangement. If team cohesiveness is a primary concern with an organization, the lack of interaction between peers could hinder this goal. Supervision of employees working off-site is also problematic. Evaluating performance, distributing the workload, and motivating employees is more difficult when they are not physically present. Finally, how will customer service be affected by a transition to a mobile workforce Customer acceptance is important. Despite any pitfalls, the implementation of this new technology, especially IT, is necessary for a company to remain competitive in today's market and in the future. As Standley (2006) has said, "If it is to benefit, business will need to understand far more than the mechanics of new technologies. They will need to understand the way that people - their employees and customers, will use and interact with them."

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For conclusion, this task is about to demonstrate an understanding of working with others, teamwork, groups and groups dynamics base on case study about team working issues in Hush Puppies. Through this assignment I have learned that individual and group work are important aspects in any organizational field. Working has an individual gives certain benefits to a person but in order to accomplished the task/work, individual has to ruts his mind. Individual working in a group gain knowledge from various member of group and cultivate healthy relationship which will help the individual in their future part of life. Working in a group also enhances the think power and teaches us ability to deal in rough time. So according to me individual working in a group has brighter future prospects and developed his future in a right direction which is essential in today's competitive scenario. Groups such as committees are brought into existence for the purpose of making decisions or making recommendations for subsequent decisions. A committee usually comprises some forces in the first instance i.e. the first people who are chosen to sit on a particular committee where they are selected because of the interest groups they represent e.g. powerful departments. This ensures that people with power in the organization will be part both to the discussions about key issues and to the subsequent decisions taken to meet them. Such powerful people will share the responsibility for decisions and for getting the commitment of their staff to fulfilling them. Committees also look for expertise thus; the membership is expanded to ensure availability of expert knowledge and skills in the relevant areas of the business. For example, company operating in high technology markets will usually include specialist electronics and engineering staff. As Hush Puppies company that operates in a highly competitive market, which includes national store chains. By diverse workforce which reflects the local population profile, the company is in the process of establishing operations all around the world.

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So for this task my recommendation is about effective communication in team work. A company may often ask employees to complete projects that require they work as a team. Working together has many benefits, including the possibility to create new friendships, a sense of group accomplishment and distribution of responsibilities. Conversely, teamwork also may cause tension and anxiety among employees because of poor communication. Effective communication can eliminate much of the stress and negative feelings sometimes associated with working closely as a team. And for me, a leaders should encourage their employees to communicate with one another clearly when working together. For my recommendation, to have effective communication in the work place, team members must keep an open mind, engage in active listening and have a clear understanding of project goals and requirements. Active listening is perhaps the most important of these. Active listening involves note taking, asking relevant questions and repeating what the other person says to verify clarity. Other than that team workers should have effective communication determines the success or failure of projects requiring teamwork, and ultimately, the business itself. When team members communicate with open minds, and by asking questions rather than making assumptions, they build trust and harmony in the working environment. These elements work together to create a business culture of camaraderie and success. Next is team members at every level of an organization must communicate with others in a variety of ways. Types of communications include e-mail, traditional letter writing, phone conversation and face-to-face exchange of ideas. Each platform has its own set of etiquette rules and skill sets. With proper training in communication skills and techniques, employees often improve their effectiveness across all communication platforms. But managers must have an awareness of the signs of poor communication among employees. Missed project deadlines and slow progress toward problem solving can indicate communication issues. Teams that spend too much time discussing strategies rather than implementing them could be lacking the communication skills necessary to delegate tasks and get the job done. Other indications of poor communication skills include no clear team direction or focus, team dissension and arguing among team members. Taking steps to train employees to communicate and work as a team can change the working environment in a positive way, increasing productivity and revenue.

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The Importance of Group Work, By Miranda Brookins, eHow Contributor (2011) Retrieved from : http://www.ehow.com/info_8004286_importance-group-work.html

Groups and Group Dynamic, Journal of Comprehensive Research by Dr I.Chaneta (21 March 2011) Retrieved from : http://jupapadoc.startlogic.com/compresearch/papers/JCR07-4.pdf

Strategies and Cross Functional Team, by Wen (March 16 1998) Retrieved from : http://best.berkeley.edu/~pps/pps/teams.html

Groups Dynamics, By Donelson R. Forsyth (October 2011) Retrieved from : http://www.cengagebrain.com.mx/content/forsyth68220_0534368220_02.01_chapter01.pdf

Five Critical Factors of Team Success, Leaders to Leader (Business Press), by Timothy F.Bednarz (2011) Retrieved from : http://blog.majoriumbusinesspress.com/2011/10/25/five-critical-factors-ofteam-success/

Eleven Factors That Affect the Team Environment, Leaders to Leader (Business Press), by Timothy F.Bednarz (2012) Retrieved from : http://blog.majoriumbusinesspress.com/2012/04/24/eleven-factors-that-affectthe-team-environment/

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Factors that affect teamwork in the workplace, Leadership Strategies (Helium),by D.P Noe (September 02,2010) Retrieved from : http://www.helium.com/items/1940400-major-factor-that-affects-teamwork-inthe-working-environment How Does Poor Communication Affect Business, E-How, by Chynthia Gomez (2011) Retrieved from : http://www.ehow.com/info_7875517_poor-communication-affectbusiness.html

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