Chapter 1
Studying Business Grade 11
PTY LTD
Exercise 1.1: Teamwork hampering productivity It can be argued that teams can achieve the exact opposite of all these benefits as well. See how many aspects you can list where teamwork can hamper productivity, or be more cumbersome and expensive than individual work.
3. Team Roles In Grade 10 you learnt about the most standard team roles using the LTCD Method: Leader, Thinker, Carer and Doer and (or any other similar classification). These are some of the team roles at their most basic. However, in reality, most teams are more complex and many of the problems that arise in teams could be avoided if roles are more clearly defined and correctly allocated. For this reason, we are going to look at more detailed role allocation this year. Aspects that need to be considered when allocating roles include: ○ T he aim of the team: What does the team intend to achieve? If it is a complex goal, it will also need to be broken down into sub-goals. ○ T he size of the team: Members in a particularly small team will need to double up on roles (play more than one role), whereas a large team will have several members playing similar roles. ○ T he expected life span of the team: Some teams operate only for a limited period, e.g. a sports team for a season; others will be long term, e.g. the workers in a factory. ○ T he strengths and weaknesses of each member: Too many similar strengths could lead to conflict, and weaknesses that are not compensated for in team members may lead to serious problems, e.g. if no group member is computer literate and the task requires Internet research. One of the greatest factors here is also the availability of a leader. If none of the team members has leadership qualities, the team is likely to have substantial problems in operating. ○ T he available resources: Resources such as financing and equipment can, in some cases, compensate for some of the problems mentioned above. For example, if sufficient funds are available, someone else can be hired to do the computer work. ○ A ccountability: It is important that there is accountability for each task in the group. Even if the whole group is involved, one person must take responsibility to co-ordinate it. Previous experience may be the deciding factor in who gets the task.
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