Enhancing Teamwork At Communico Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Enhancing Teamwork At Communico Company - Essay Example The intention of this study is organizational leadership assessment, a strategic tool for enhancing the effectiveness of teams in organization. Smith, Montagno and Kuzmenko argue that team effectiveness is a critical aspect for ensuring the profitability of an organization. As a graduate trainee employed by ‘CommuniCo’ a large UK-based mobile phone manufacturing company, I have come up with this advice paper to recommend the planning of an initiative to improve teamwork amongst managers and shop-floor workers. Cohen and Bailey describe that there are different definitions of a team within the context of an organization. Cohen and Bailey explain that a team is a collection of interdependent individuals in their tasks, share duties for outcomes, they see themselves and are viewed by others as an integral social unit embedded in another larger social system and manage their interaction within the organizational boundaries. According to Cohen and Bailey although different au thors use the word team and group interchangeably; she asserts that groups vary in their degree of ‘groupness’ with some groups being more integrated and interdependent than others. Katzenbach and Smith observes that they used the term; team to refer to groups that develop high degree of ‘’groupness’’. On the other hand, given that most previous authors had focused their studies on ineffective teams, Larson and LaFasto directed their energies on exploring different aspects of effective leadership as noted by Irving and Longbotham. (2007, p. 104). Consequently, given the diverse approach that the two different case studies used in evaluating team leadership models, I have chosen to base my analysis on the models they developed on effective team leadership. Katzenbach and Smith’s work is particularly important in that the two went further and defined a team as individuals who show high level of integration. The two case studies in-turn ca me up with high standards for a team in their generic model of effective team working. I therefore wish to benchmark teamwork initiative at CommuniCo with a hybrid of the two models to guarantee the success of our organization. According to Cohen and Bailey (1997, p.241) there are four different types of teams in an organization which include; work teams, management teams, parallel teams and project teams. Cohen and Bailey (1997, p. 242) explains that effectiveness in an organization include diverse outcomes that are important in an organization. The levels of evaluating effectiveness can be analyzed from an individual, business unit, group or organizational level. The effectiveness is categorized into three dimensions depending on its impact on the team. These include performance effectiveness which is assessed in terms of quality and quantity of the output, behavioral outcomes and members’ attitudes. The argument on this paper will base on the writing of various authors who have analyzed the works of Larson and LaFasto and that of Katzenbach and Smith. Planning a Teamwork Initiative for the Company Team buildings is a critical aspect in any organization be it a school, nonprofit organization, a firm or a religious group and are implemented with an intention of improving the performance of a team (Lencioni, 2002, p.10-12 and Naquin and Tynan, 2003, p. 332). Team building may involve use of various practices that are used to bring together a specific group within an organization or initiatives aimed at bringing the all the members of an organization with an effort to improve the performance. CommuniCo Company has proposed to implement an initiative to improve teamwork across the company. Burgoynem (2001, p.35) notes that team building is important in an

Risk factors for depression Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Risk factors for depression - Research Paper Example The best treatment options are said to be the combination of both medications and psychotherapy, but electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is also an option when others do not work. Depression: Evidences of Risk Factors, Signs and Symptoms, and Treatment Methods Introduction The human experience of sadness and gloom is normal among individuals, but it may be different once it becomes chronic and interferes with activities of daily living. Depression is one of the common causes in seeking professional psychologic help, and timely interventions could greatly help the depressed individual. Although depression may appear to be merely preoccupations of negative emotions, it can lead to dreadful effects, including suicide, once neglected. The diagnosis of depression may also be co-existing with other illnesses as well. It comes in different types with several signs and symptoms, and may be caused by a variety of elements, of which the present text will explore the risk factors associated with th e condition using recent studies as evidences. Risk factors Numerous researches have been published to study risk factors of depression. In a 7-year longitudinal population study, Lorant et al. (2007) determined if longitudinal change in socio-economic factors affect change of depression level. Low socio-economic status, especially in the context of material standards of living, has constantly been associated with increased incidence of depression. Results gathered show that a decline in socio-economic status is consequent to increased risks of depression, looking also into ceasing cohabitation with a partner and unemployment. Ceasing cohabitation with a partner increased risk levels of depression particularly among women; and unemployment did not influence the level or risk of depression, in contrast to other cited studies, but with considerations of the research design and methods (p. 296). It is also seen that generally, the negative effects of worsening socio-economic conditions were greater than the positive effects when these conditions improved (p. 296). This study presents that socio-economic factors, including income, poverty, unemployment, education, and social relationships, are linked to prevalence of depression, where both have an inversely proportional relationship. Netterstrom et al. (2008) focus on work-related psychosocial stressors in relation to the development of depression. Using several models, the authors review previous researches to assess such relationship, basing on either psychiatric scales, scales with with diagnostic classifications, or antidepressant prescription, or depression measured with a questionnaire (p. 121). According to the review, occupational psychosocial factors were associated with the development of depression, especially in instances where there are high psychological demands and low degree of social support (p. 126). Demands would, however, vary according to the job and the work setting. This review, in accordanc e to the studies looked into, implies that an individual’s work, especially job satisfaction and social support in such occupation, is linked to depression. When an individual feels satisfied and fulfilled with his or her job and receives positive reinforcement, there are lesser chances for depression, and vice versa.