TEAM FUNCTIONING IN SYNDICATE GROUPS CONCEPTUALISED

Jay (in Mullins, 2002: 465) describes the importance of team functioning as:

All of us know in our heats that the ideal individual for a given job can not be found… But if no individual can combine all the necessary qualities of a good manager, a team of individuals certainly can and often does. Moreover, the team is unlikely to step under a bus simultaneously. This is why it is not the individual but the team that is instrumental of sustained and enduring success in management.

Hellriegel and Slocum (2004: 196) share similar ideas on teams in that team members with complementary competencies who are committed to common performance goals and working relationships for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. The base of any team is a shared commitment by members for their joint performance. The essence of teamwork therefore, is co- operation and a mutual accountability within the group.

Swanepoel et al (2003: 347) describe team management as work accomplished by committed people. Interdependence through a common stake in organisational purpose leads to relationships of trust and respect. For Bennett (1997: 294) defining characteristics of a team is that its members co-operate and voluntarily co-ordinate their work in order to achieve group objectives. Team members are highly interdependent and each individual must to some

extent interpret the nature of his or her role. In a team each person feels inwardly responsible for promoting the interests of the syndicate group and is personally accountable for its actions.

3.4.1 Importance of effective team functioning in the work environment

Teams contribute to the organisation and for Katzenbach and Smith (1994: 9),

Effective team functioning has existed for hundreds of years…most people believe they know how teams work as well as the benefits teams offer!

There are few organisations that have not used the team in one way or another (Mullins, 2002: 465). Team contribution to the company objectives is vital as they promote efficiency within the organisation (Bateman & Snell, 1999: 470). To ensure that the team is effective, effective team management can produce greater levels of performance and greater levels of organisational effectiveness (Schultz, Bargraim, Potgieter, Viedge & Werner, 2003: 97).

Benefits of teamwork for the organisation and for the individual are varied and there are examples of the benefits gained from working in teams within the organisation. Bateman and Snell (1999: 471) describe the organisational benefits of teamwork as:

• Accomplish tasks that could not be done by an individual alone; • bring multiple skills and talents to bear on complex issues;

• provide an efficient means of organisational control of individual behaviour;

• facilitate change in organisational policies or procedures; and

• increase organisational stability by transmitting shared beliefs and values to new members.

Table 3.1: Benefits of team functioning for organisation and employee

Organisational Benefits Employee Benefits

Better performance in comparison to traditional supervision structures

Aid in learning about the organisation and its environment

Improved job satisfaction levels

resulting in improved intrinsic rewards Aid in learning about oneself Increased collective commitment to

organisational goals Provide help in gaining new skills Hierarchical supervision is replaced by

peer control, which frees management from buffering the work process

Obtain valued rewards that are not accessible through individual initiatives

More creative solutions to problems as teams enable people to pool their ideas

Satisfy important personal needs directly, especially needs for social acceptance

Team performance commitment as employees see the value of the team Peer pressure to perform

(Source: Adapted from Schultz et al, 2003: 97 and Bateman & Snell 1999: 471)

Syndicate groups can be defined as group of people who combine to carry out a business, enterprise, or some other common purpose. A co-operatively functioning team is a number of people organised to function co-operatively as a group (Encarta, Premium Suite, 2004).

In the MBA programme these advantages are seen as important building blocks for the student when in the work situation and, therefore, it is essential to include teamwork in the MBA programme. In addition, an effective syndicate groups in the MBA programme has a better chance of completing their studies while students in ineffective syndicate groups, find it more difficult.

In Table 3.2 the differences between effective and ineffective MBA student syndicate groups is highlighted.

Table 3.2: Effective vs. ineffective syndicate groups

Effective syndicate groups Ineffective syndicate groups

Benefit from each others expertise Time is wasted

Achieve synergy Individuals are de-motivated Achieve effective and fast decisions Poor decisions are reached Meet the social needs of other members Resentment can be generated (Source: Student Handbook, 2007: 20)

The MBA students can gain valuable insight from fellow syndicate group members that work in other sectors of industry. In addition, effective syndicate groups achieve synergy and attain better marks than ineffective syndicate groups. The NMMU Business School, MBA Unit also recognises effective syndicate groups and awards are annually given for the Best MBA Group of the

Year. This award is awarded to syndicate groups based on academic

achievement and overall syndicate group synergy.

The syndicate group is influence by various external and internal factors from when they form to the final conclusion of the syndicate group. A model of team functioning describes the factors that affect team functioning within the syndicate group. This model is the basis for the effective team functioning section of the study.