Birmingham City University 2010/11 MBA FT

Section - 3 Working as a group member

To Mr David Smith

From Yogesh Bhujbal Student ID: 10497122 17 December 2010

Working as a group member

I would like to describe about how I develop myself while working in a group in Birmingham City University at certificate stage of MBA FT. since I joined MBA group C I have learned many skills such as presentation, negotiation, teamwork, Leadership and relationship building. Here I would like to bring focus on the main skills I have developed.

Leadership: Definition:

In its essence, leadership in an organizational role involves (1) establishing a clear vision, (2) sharing (communicating) that vision with others so that they will follow willingly, (3) providing the information, knowledge, and methods to realize that vision, and (4) coordinating and balancing the conflicting interests of all members or stakeholders. A leader comes to the forefront in case of crisis, and is able to think and act in creative ways in difficult situations. Unlike management, leadership flows from the core of a personality and cannot be taught, although it may be learnt and may be enhanced through coaching or mentoring.

(Business Dictionary, 2010)

There were six members in group. While working in group I have been give several tasks. We all are from different countries so communication was the biggest challenges for us. Though English is common language for communication we were facing problem understanding different accent and innovative frames of English sentences. It was fun sometime. However, we successfully manage to transfer messages at the shortest given time. There are six styles of leadership.

Autocratic leadership: This is consider as a classic style of leadership. Manager in this style of leadership dont ask for opinion to the subordinated and they are expected to the obey instructions by the manager. They do not trust employee. The company is poorly managed by these leaders.

Bureaucratic leadership: These managers are followers of policy and producers. They like everything should be managed by rules and regulation. They are very rigid to bend on some rules.

Democratic Leadership Style: leaders in this style encourage employee to take part in decision making share vision and inputs. Employee can access all possible company information. These are the non conflicting leaders and most of the big organisation has this kind of leadership. These leader need lot of input from their staff. Leader in this style wants to keep informed their

staff about organisation development. There are following organisation have democratic leadership styles. Microsoft, L&T, Wipro, and WNS.

Laissez-faire leadership: This types of leader are excel in giving direction to the employee and they do not participate in decision making activity. They like to give freedom to their employee. Employees under this leadership are trustworthy, highly educated, and experienced. The factors that also influence which leadership style. The managers family background, values, personality, ethics, experiences, and does the knowledge manager have. What does he think will work? Employees are persons with different personalities and backgrounds. The leadership style managers use will differ depending upon the each worker and what he will act in response.
(Essortment, 2010)

When refer to human resources we generally include both manager and subordinates. According to Jeff Gold, Richard Thorpe and Alan Mumford (2010) Leadership, in distinction, has a longer history and is the term traditionally used in the management of experts. With the increase in information in the new country, and a proportionate increase in specialized tasks, the term
4

leadership has become leading when discussing the way powerful, selfdirecting, and knowledgeable workers might be managed. (Jeff Gold, 2010) Leadership, in compare, has a longer derivation and is the term usually used in the management of professionals. With the increase in knowledge in the new economy, and a proportionate increase in professional employment, the term leadership has become foremost when discussing the way powerful, self-directing, and knowledgeable workers might be managed.

Every organisation needs a person in charge to put in order and achieve companys goals successfully. Leadership is mainly connected with the people and it is exclusive duty. Good leaders are followed because people believe and value them rather than their power. Leadership is about actions first and expertise second. (Business Balls, 2010)

Managing People and Organisation programme help me to gain extensive as well as depth of knowledge and is strengthened by firm-wide development framework. This has given me leadership skills, tasks delegation skills, personal and strategic thinking, together with quality teaching support and an excellent mixture of work.

The principal important of leadership are explained below.

When leader complains that his followers are failing to obey him then its not the fault of followers but the leader. Leader not been followed because of their views, arrogance, stupidity and reliance on others. Leading is about telling followers about the share vision of the organisation but not the ordering employee. Understanding of leadership is actually establishing bridge between peoples need and organisations goals. Results of leadership confront are not because of their desires or requirements they are because of the followers. Loyalty cannot be build by asking or forcing followers that does not count a leader to be an effective leader. Before expecting anyone to follow a leader first he has to show vision and values worth for subordinates. Followers look for kind, ethical, honest, fair principal and peacefulness qualities in leaders. They have much deeper knowledge than most leaders think. Followers can have better answers to the solution but many times they do not get chance o express their views. This is because of bad leadership which does not allow rooms for subordinate to express themselves. Leaders who make mistake should come forward ans accept their mistakes. Subordinated generally excuses mistakes but they dont not like being rules by empty brain.

(Business Balls, 2010)

Team work
Definition: The process of working collaboratively with a group of people, in order to achieve a goal. Teamwork is often a crucial part of a business, as it is often necessary for colleagues to work well together, trying their best in any circumstance. Teamwork means that people will try to cooperate, using their individual skills and providing constructive feedback, despite any personal conflict between individuals. (Business Dictionary, 2010)

Working in group can give great reward like new pioneering suggestions as information and knowledge of group member is from different background. It can give variety of viewpoints so that we can implement them in to our new tasks. Innovative ideas and individuals creativity help us to reach far more realistic ways. Team work environment meant for respect for the other team members from senior to colleague. Every member is authorized to do on their own about some issue or idea. This does not mean that other member has to agree with what is being said, simply that they allow the group member to say how they think or feel. A team construction is when your team can achieve incredibility bigger and work more efficiently than a group of the same persons working on their own.

In reality, team work success doesnt really happen on its own, without purposeful team structure and activities. For instance, different individual, instead of cooperating and balancing each other, may end up in differences. Some people with similar character may start hostility for power and governance in certain areas of capability. If the team goals are understandable and acknowledged by each one, there may be no team promise to the group goals or no compromise on the means of achieving those goals. Those in the team just follow their personal views and move in at variance commands. There may be a lack of trust and honesty that obstructs the significant message and directs to loss of management in the individual hard work. This is why every team needs a good person in charge who is able to deal with team work concerns.

Four phases that all teams will go through:

Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing

In the Forming (awareness) phase, belief, flaws and errors are sheltered up and there is no mutual accepting of what needs to be done. People show little care for others morals and observations.

The Storming (conict) phase is more dangerous as individual issues are opened up and the team becomes more hidden looking. There is more anxiety for the morals, views and inconvenience of others in the team.

In the Norming (co-operation) phase, condance and trust start to come out, together with a more organized and open approach, foremost to a clearer and more systematic way of working. There is better worth of people, clarication of point, finding of objectives, orderly collection of information, bearing in mind of all options, homework of thorough plans and advancement reviews to make improvements.

Evidence of the Performing (efficiency) phase includes exibility, management decided by situations, not set of rules; everyones energy is make the most and basic philosophy and communal features of the organisations decisions are measured.

(Business Balls, 2010)

Summary Working in the group and finally research by using different resources make me to developed high efficiency and analytical thinking in my performance. At the end what counts is what way your skill will benefit to an organisation. Lots of activities in the class and research by reading variety of text enhanced my business management, leadership, and negotiation skills.

References: 1. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/leadership.html Accessed 09 December 2010 2. http://www.essortment.com/all/leadershipstyle_rrnq.htm Access Date: 14 Dec 2010 3. J. Gold, R. Thorpe, A. Mumford, Gower Handbook of Leadership and Management Development, fifth edition, Published by Gower Publishing Limited. 4. http://www.businessballs.com/leadership.htm Accessed 09 December 2010 5. http://www.businessballs.com/leadership.htm#jack_welch_leadership _tips Access Date: 11 Dec 2010 6. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/teamwork.html Access Date: 12 Dec. 2010 7. http://www.businessballs.com/dtiresources/TQM_development_people _teams.pdf Access Date:12 Dec 2010

[Words Count: 1556]

10