Team Leadership/Management Style

Part 1:
In the current scenario, cross-functional teams have become more popular in the organizations. These
teams include members who have specific capabilities and skills in their own functional domain. It is how
effective that these teams are driven by their team leaders, how effectively are they communicated that leads to
the success of various projects that take place in an organization. A team leader is the one who helps engage
the team members, sets few goals based on the project requirements, makes them stay focused on the goals,
and also help resolve the issues faced by the team. The effectiveness of the leader is described by various
characteristics like the way he/she interacts with the team members, the influence that he/she has on the team,
etc (Sarin & O'Connor, 2009).

Every team leader has their own management style. Based on the article and my own experience in the
team that I work, Participative and Initiation of goal structure are the two styles that effectively manage the
team. In participative leadership, the team leaders involve the entire team in the decision making process.
He/she consults the team if the requirements related to a project can be met in the given timeline. This kind of
leadership helps in reducing the conflicts among the team in a more functional way where no peer pressures or
disruptive actions are used to resolve the conflicts (Sarin & O'Connor, 2009). Initiation of goal structure is
another style of management, where the team leader sets the goals that need to be achieved by each team
member and drives the project towards successful completion. This style of leadership also helps each team
member concentrate on the set goals and achieve success as a team. Each team member feels the responsibility
to accomplish the mission set by the team leader (Sarin & O'Connor, 2009). Each team member also shows the
level of confidence that the leader has on the individual team members.

Part 2:

After going through the article and my personal experience, I feel that an effective leader is the one
who is good at coaching and also being directive based on the team members. Coaching leaders help to
develop the capacity of the team. They are confident enough in their opinions and also increase the confidence
levels in the team and make every team member responsible. Under the leadership of a coach, coordination
improves among the team and also the team collectively work together for the success of the project (Derue,
Barnes, & Morgeson, 2010). Coaching style leadership works well in teams that have experienced members.
The leaders do not intervene in the daily activities of the team. In directive style leadership, the leaders assign
the goals for the team. The team members are assigned specific tasks that need to be done. The leader also
monitors the tasks and the performance of individual team member (Derue, Barnes, & Morgeson, 2010).

In my work experience, I have seen both coaching and directive style leadership. I currently work with
a charismatic leader, who is confident enough and also assures that the team can function independently
without being monitored daily. Most of the project related issues are solved by each team member’s co-
ordination. Every team member volunteers themselves to work on the tasks and provide updates to the entire
team during the stand-up. It is to be noted that not all the team members like to be self-driven. There might be
members who need to be clearly assigned what needs to be done. So my team leader switches his hat from
being a coach to a director in such situations and proves to be an effective leader.

References:

Derue, D. S., Barnes, C. M., & Morgeson, F. P. (2010). Understanding the Motivational Contingencies of
Team Leadership. Small Group Research,41(5), 621-651. doi:10.1177/1046496410373808

Sarin, S., & O'Connor, G. C. (2009). First among Equals: The Effect of Team Leader Characteristics on the
Internal Dynamics of Cross-Functional Product Development Teams. Journal Of Product Innovation
Management, 26(2), 188-205. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5885.2009.00345.x