Showing papers on "Team management published in 1997"

Middle management in schools : how to harmonise managing and teaching for an effective school

Abstract: A poor business often has poor management. Yet effective management is just as vital in education - if not more so - than it is in business. "Middle Management in Schools" is a practical and informative book which is a must for all head teachers, deputy head teachers and students on education management courses. It provides you with: *an introduction to management and middle management issues *guidance on team management and leadership *information on recruitment and selection *a framework in which to develop your skills *advice on how to advance your career. "Middle Management in Schools" gives you the management skills you need to advance your career and improve your school.

Collaboration and the community mental health team

Abstract: Community mental health teams provide a forum where the difficulties and opportunities relating to effective collaboration in community care are particularly evident. Effective and long-term collaborative relationships with service users are the cornerstone of good quality provision. This requires effective targeting, the provision of relevant services, appropriate team composition, adequate resources and measures to maintain morale among staff. A positive sense of belonging to the team and clarity about its role are likely to be central to its long-term viability. Clarity over accountability and responsibility within teams, effective relationships with primary care and the need for collaborative commissioning, strategy development, and training initiatives are also required.

Skill mix in Primary Care: a study of the interface between the general practitioner and other members of the Primary Health Care Team

Abstract: The Medical Manpower Standing Advisory Committee made its first report, “Planning the Medical Workforce”, to the Secretary of State in December 1992; recommending that research should be undertaken to quantify the manpower effects of skill mix initiatives. These issues are being raised against a background of changing roles under the GP Contract, manpower shortages and boundary definitions and enhanced roles for nursing staff as well as shifts at the primary/secondary interface and by other initiatives such as the growth in day surgery and early discharge from hospital. Given the acknowledged complexity, this initial research has focused on the interface between the general practitioner (GP) and other members of the Primary Health Care Team (PHCT). Detailed data are needed on the work patterns of the doctors and nurses in the PHCT, on the extent of referral between members of the team, and on the acceptability and appropriateness of delegation from the GP to other members of the PHCT. Hence the broad aim of this enquiry; to propose ways of examining the constraints upon, and the opportunities for, spreading workload more effectively and efficiently amongst members of the PHCT. The objectives of this study were: • To document the current pattern of activities and interactions between the GP and other members of the PHCT. • To assess the potential for some of the GP’s activities to be performed by other members of staff in terms of the mix of skills required. • To examine the attitude of GPs towards delegation, of the practice managers and nurses to taking on other responsibilities, and of everyone’s attitude towards team management. • To document the outcomes for patients and their views of the different working arrangements of the PHCT. • To estimate the costs of delegation in practices of varying size and configuration in order to make a preliminary assessment of cost-effectiveness.

What we know about technological support for project-based learning

Abstract: This paper describes the authors' experiences in building tools to support project-based learning. They briefly describe their successes and failures in three areas: team management and collaboration; supporting reflection; and providing information in project-based form. Their approach combines insights on learning from cognitive science with an appreciation for the practical challenges raised by focusing on projects in a class. Based on their experiences, they conclude that technology can play an important role in supporting project-based learning.

Conflicting Values Team Management Portrayed in Epic Metaphors

Abstract: This article analyzes a CEO's use of extended epic metaphor in building corporate culture Whereas much of the research on management's use of narrative has examined shorter stories and anecdotes,

Management development and management NVQs

Abstract: Compares individual perceptions of management development across two groups of students who had achieved either an academic management qualification or a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in Management. Also examines the experience of candidates on the vocational qualification (VQ). Reports that perceptions of the extent to which management development had occurred were similar between the two groups, although the NVQ group had a higher proportion of non‐developers on some dimensions. Significant differences were found only for development of written and numerical ability, where the academic programme was rated more highly, and for team management, where VQ candidates rated more highly. Also reports that similar patterns of development were perceived by the two groups. Self‐understanding by NVQ candidates appears to have been enhanced through development of openness to feedback, leading to greater awareness of own management style, sensitivity to others and personal confidence. Managerial development centred on task analysis and prioritization, and awareness of the organization’s micro and macro environments.

Middle management, communication and organization change

Abstract: INTRODUCTION In organization theory the popularity of the concept of organization change reflects the uncertainties in many branches of industry. Concepts such as total quality control, re-engineering, empowerment, synergy, core competencies, benchmarking, team management, etc. are introduced in organizations as answers to enhance competitive opportunities.

Team management of the female athlete triad: Part 2: Optimal treatment and prevention tactics

Abstract: Multidisciplinary management of the female athlete triad (disordered eating, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis) is optimal, but what exactly does it entail? With the primary care physician as the point person, the healthcare team addresses the underlying causes of disordered eating through such measures as drawing up a contract for returning to play, resolving nutrition issues, exploring psychotherapy options, and, sometimes, prescribing antidepressants. Hormone replacement therapy and conservative or orthopedic intervention for stress fractures may also be required. Communication among the members of the treatment team is crucial, and athletic trainers especially can provide valuable input. Prevention strategies need to involve education of coaches, teachers, trainers, parents, and others who work closely with female athletes.

The truth about teams

Abstract: Many companies have adopted self‐directed work teams as a way to empower their employees and thus enhance both productivity and quality. Many of these same companies, however, have experienced a myriad difficulties and problems in attempting to implement a team programme. Explains how to determine if your company could benefit from using a team management approach, as well as how best to “set the stage” for an empowerment programme such as teams. Includes useful strategies for implementing teams, a discussion of the critical role of management, how long the transition can be expected to take, how to deal with issues of accountability, and the importance of initial and ongoing training. Addresses the concept of team efficacy in the context of why teams are successful at some companies and disastrous at others.

How do we measure the effectiveness of team building? Is it good enough? Team Management Systems ‐ a case study

Abstract: Looks at the use of the Team Management Index (TMI) as a team building intervention in a programme of organizational development (OD). Attempts to assess the instrument’s effectiveness using a variety of measures (including the taxonomy of De Meuse and Liebowitz, 1981). In so doing, raises wider methodological and epistemological issues as to the whole nature of data collection, validity and proof in measuring the effectiveness of OD interventions. Discovers that, according to the measurement criteria, set out by De Meuse and Liebowitz, the TMI can be considered to be an effective OD instrument. However, finds that these measurement techniques are “blunt” and, by their very nature, lacking in academic rigour. Argues, therefore, that all levels of data collection and evidence gathering can never constitute 100 per cent proof of a causal link between OD interventions and resultant changes in the organization. Concludes that what will be deemed to count as adequate evidence or proof of an intervention’s effectiveness ultimately will be a personal choice; that in concentrating on comparing before and after measures of a team’s effectiveness theorists have ignored the change process which is taking place as a team begins to become effective, and have treated teams at the end of a team building intervention as if they were finished products; and finally that research time should be devoted to studying the process of change which a team undergoes during its development (of which team building is just the beginning) in order to highlight the ways in which an organization could nurture, support and facilitate this process to ensure the effective development of its work teams.

Evaluating Interprofessional Working — A Case Example of a Community Mental Health Team

Abstract: The community mental health team had been operating from their newly-built centre for 18 months. The team was not a disaster; in fact, compared to the previous lack of services, it was a quiet success and had many progressive aims. But there were problems or, as the manager put it, ‘challenges’. The team management board decided to do a full review of the team on the team’s second anniversary. Members of the board realised that they did not have sufficient information to do a review. They also wanted unbiased suggestions for improvements, especially concerning interprofessional working, and felt that the other teams which were being planned could learn from the experience of this team. Managers at a higher level in health and social services which jointly-funded the team agreed, and provided the finance for a short external study of the team conducted by the author.

Synergy between On-the-job Training and Academic Education in the Case of a Newly Created Part-time Engineering Curriculum.

Abstract: SUMMARY Part-time vocational engineering curricula provide a response to a number of present-day demands related to economic developments. Their aim is to transform experienced higher technicians into engineering managers through a combination of knowledge derived from past experience in working positions and in new situations, with courses and activities in an academic institution. Synergy between the two streams can be achieved by specific means such as dual tutoring by the academic institution and the company, training in the capacity of synthesis regarding technological developments in progress, observation and analysis by the learner of his/her own work station, field research on team management and the writing of a final professional dissertation in the company.

"Peopleware" integration in an evolving software engineering curriculum

Abstract: This paper describes our experience with Software Engineering education at the University of Namur (Belgium). Emphasis is put an the evolution of SE education from one technical 30-hrs module to a group of several modules representing a central part of our curriculum. In particular, Software Engineering project-course was extended in order to integrate aspects which are not usually considered as parr of software engineering classical teaching. Aspects like team management, communication skill, leadership, meetings management,... are learned more naturally by-doing than by classroom teaching. The purpose of our experience is take profit of the rich experience students have to live anyway in the project-oriented course. In fact, the size of the project, its extend over the whole life-cycle, and the requirement to achieve it by teams make it an ideal place to make students sensitized to such aspects. Our believe is that the software development process of any sizable project should be to the human nature of participants should not be ignored (nor overestimated). The experience is practiced for two years. At the beginning, students were troubled because they used to focus on techniques and to ignore completely human aspects. But finally, at the end of year the experience has been judged positively by them. Subsequently they showed better understanding of human aspects related to their jobs. The paper develops this enlarged view of SE education and, in particular it describes the integration of "people-side" topics within technical material.

Matching team management strategy with the organizational culture

Abstract: Summary form only given. Culture is defined as the values, beliefs, and norms of an organization. Teams have been successfully applied in a variety of organizational cultures. Based on the underlying values of organizational members, two dimensions are used in the literature, needs of environment (change/flexibility vs. stability/direction) and strategic emphasis (external vs. internal) to define four culture types. The types are: an adaptability culture characterized by focus on the environment through flexibility and change to meet customer needs; a mission culture reflecting the values and norms associated with a shared vision of organization purpose, but without need for rapid change; an involvement culture emphasizing the involvement and participation of the organization's members; and a consistency culture based on norms and values associated with an internal focus and a consistency orientation for a stable direction and environment. Given the emphasis that different cultures put on change, flexibility, stability, direction, external and internal focus, it is felt that teams in such cultures also will use different management strategies. Data were collected from 29 team leaders. Their task was to assess the relationship between the team management strategy and organizational culture, and to provide data for hypothesis testing. The information that we gathered may provide a useful yardstick for managers responsible for the design and implementation of team management strategy.

The professional secretary's handbook : Communication skills

Abstract: The second volume in Barron's Professional Secretary's Handbook series, this guide helps the secretary achieve effective administrative and supervisory skills in the areas of team management, time management, motivatingg others, and influencing fellow workers and clients.

SYSTEM INTERRELAll0NS OF ORGANlZAll0NAL VARIABLES

Abstract: This paper studies some of the organizational variables in project management. It is shown that only a few variables have a significant direct impact on the management system. The paper focuses on system variables in the emerging modern engineering and technology-based medium- and large-sized organizations such as contracting firms, consul­ tants, developers, and the U.S. Army. This paper studies the interrelations among the system variables and their total effect on the management system. It examines the organizational system through a study of organizational variables-planning measures, power bases, conflict management, role pressures, organizational structure, team management, and strategies for success. It establishes that three variables-planning measures, team management, and strat­ egies for success-have higher relevance than others in the complex environment of organ­ izational variable interrelationships. Their higher significance on the management system makes them both important and sensitive. Other variables affect the system directly to a lesser degree, and indirectly through their interrelation with the most relevant three.

Preferred interaction styles of managers of different status

Abstract: Szrmtnay.-Members of three levels of management from a major New Zealand manufacturing organization rated their preferred participative or decision-malung styles: Tough Battler, Friendly Helper or Logical Thinker. A two-way analysis of variance indicated a significant simple effect establishing logical thinking as the over-all preferred style and an interactive effecr benveen selected style and the st:lrus of the manager. When major problems or contlicts have to be dealt with, top rnanagcment become tough batders, whereas junior managers respond by being Friendly t~elpc~ s The manner in which team leaders manage their work groups has increasingly been recognised as an important determinant of the potential success of an organization (Francis & Young, 1992). The leadership or management style adopted forms part of the "culture" of the organization concernkd and recent studies suggest that flexible approaches to leadership at different levels of the organization are most likely to be associated with desirable outcomes (Bass, 1990). The "culture" model applied to organizations recognizes that, as well as being influenced by formal decision rules, work groups are also affected by a number of factors which form an emotional underground to the behaviour of the team and its managers. These ddferent approaches to influencing work groups, which Schein (1988) has described in his analysis of "Process Consultation," were categorized by Kolb, Rubin, and Osland (1995) as three major emotional approaches to team management. In attempting to solve problems and reach decisions, managers or leaders adopt one or more of three styles. The Tough Battler feels that decisions are best achieved through assertiveness, confrontation and giving orders. The Frzendly Helper llkes to encourage team members, expresses warm friendly feelings, and tries to develop a harmonious work group. The Logical Thinker consistently appeals to reason and sees no place for emotion in group decision makmg. Problems are systematized and the work group is used to collect information, clarify ideas and evaluate the logic of proposals. The present study investigated the preferred styles of managers at three organizational levels, in a major production industry in New Zealand. Method.-Subjects were all 17 male managers from a major New Zealand Plastics manufacturing organization. The sample consisted of three sub