Managing People

Date : 31 January 2009

To : Lucy Lam of Greenlife

From : Your Name , Managerial Consultant [initial by hand]

Subject : Group dynamics of Greenlife

Analysis of the dynamics of this team yields information that that categorises this group as being in the Top or Bottom stage of development (Schutz , 1958 . It is clear that many conflicts do exist under the smooth surface of Greenlife 's top team , and these include such problems members ' inability to understand their role in relation to others and members ' having the feeling that their ideas are not

sufficiently appreciated . There also exists an underlying power struggle between Patrick Lam and Jane Donohue (Schutz , 1958 . The former expectations of certain members that have proven not to come to fruition are real concerns that should be dealt with as a group , and not left solely as the responsibility of those individuals . Also , the leader hasn 't taken the time to officially assess not just the team being created but his /her own actions in to make sure that room is left for the significant input of the subordinate members of that team

The overall assessment of Greenlife finds that deviation from structural norms and the resultant change in interpersonal relations affects its cohesiveness . This makes decision making artificial and the result is that productivity suffers

The structure of the company has recently changed , and as a result , the members of the team have been experiencing uncertainty not just about their roles but about the expectations that their new CEO will be placing on them . The employees are aware that the norms of the Greenlife organisation a likely to undergo change and are concerned about the possibility of their roles changing (Feldman , 1984 . Confusion about the methods of relating to their new boss is a necessary part of the transitional period groups must go through when they experience changes of the magnitude taking place at Greenlife . Changes in job which some have faced has only compounded the issue of confidence in their ability to work effectively in their new environments

While Jane is both good at her job and keen on building team dynamics she is apparently not familiar with the different aspects of building a good team . McKenna (1994 ) has proposed that cohesiveness is affected by the extent to which the group has similar goals , and Jane Donohue has not utilised her influence (as CEO ) in ascertaining the goals and expectations of her team members . She does employ the McKennan aspect of cohesion that requires that the members spend time together (1994 . Yet the effectiveness of this time is questionable . While exposing the team to activities and pep talks may have their place , such actions cannot be effective if underlying problems faced by individuals are not sought out and dealt with . During the six months that she has been running the team , she seems not to have grasped the undercurrent of non-cohesiveness that exists within the company . She lacks a thorough understanding of the roles and strengths...