Applying Team Behavior Theory
The organization that was chosen is Magna America located in Plymouth. Michigan. This company is an automotive production plant that makes the headlamps and taillights for various General Motors’ automobiles. Magna gets their materials from various auto and electronic suppliers. These vehicle lights are created and assembled in-house on an assembly line and substations. Upon completion, the products are shipped out to different General Motors plants to be installed in vehicles. Magna America also has a small quantity of customers that can range from a variety of personal buyers and company cars to auto show demos and concept cars.
Diagnosis of symptoms
The diagnosis of symptom related organizational problems find that the symptoms are ringers for the root cause. Symptoms in communications presents constant arguments. Higher seniority workers are not listening to the thoughts and opinions of lowered seniority workers. They are also noticed placing themselves in positions that require leadership even when a lower seniority worker meets the requirements better. Team workers purposefully take their time to complete jobs at stations as to use up all of tact time for the group and leave the next assembler to have to rush and assemble their part. The lack of creativity is present. Older model headlamps are still in production causing newer model automobiles to include headlamps from previous years. Nonetheless, visible upgrades or new prototypes are not ready nor available for viewing and no new updated material or technology is seen.
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Breaks are longer than usual. Work stations are empty while in production, leading to parts being held up. Some of the parts are even sent down before full assembly. In stations that require 8-10 members to complete a job, only a few individuals are seen working. There is also underperforming staff in the unit, General Motors is sending back parts stemming from incorrect assembly or lack of completion. The materials department are picking mismatched products leading to team members arguing. The organizations direct suppliers are being put on hold from flow production and assembly or even shut down altogether. More so, headlamps are failing final inspection and recalls are present. Lastly, teams are going over tact time when the material is correctly picked.
Diagnosis of root cause
The diagnosis of root cause related organizational problems finds that all of the arising problems stem from another main issue that has trickled down. The problem with communication can stem from lack of management to subordinates. When superiors are not effectively communicating, it leaves the production teams without knowledge of relevant information or how to effectively perform. The present root cause in diversity and team barriers can stem from management not executing teamwork as a part of a means to increase productivity. Leaders are not making aware of how they are providing solutions to combat barrier and conflict. These barriers can also characterize unhealthy management and organization context for teams. More so, my findings show that conditions are not being met at Magna America to prevent these barriers and maximize team effectiveness. This includes the absenteeism of the “team is a real team not in name only, has compelling direction for its work, has enabling structure that facilitates rather than impedes teamwork, operates within a supportive organizational context and has ample expert coaching in teamwork” (Hackman, 2002, p. 31; Salas et al., 2013, p.36).
Consequences to the organization
If the organization does not provide solutions to the problem, consequences will occur beginning with negative production. The recalls/failed inspections will eventually lead to Magna America possibly losing their contract with General Motors. This will cause a loss of income and potential shutdown of the company. The lack of communication and respect to the lower seniority can lead to conflict and arguments/fights between employees. As Nzuve & Njambi (2015) notes, “the stronger the attitude, the more likely it will affect behavior” (p. 90). When solutions aren’t implemented, the lower seniority workers can form attitudes that tend to persist over a period of time, and this will affect their performance and behavior. Team members that aren’t acknowledged for their hard work or company loyalty will not feel a sense of workplace value. Negative attitudes and resentment will continue to brew if workers feel not everyone has equal chances to excel. These same employees can suffer from stress and anxiety leading to performance issues. The lower seniority workers may also de driven to quit and go work elsewhere.
Not to mention, the company can also risk fines for poor quality of products shipped, and incorrect parts assembled. Not to mention, possible lawsuits if these parts are assembled in an automobile and do not work properly. Not intervening on long breaks and empty work station will definitely affect production. For every person missing is equivalent to a part that could have been assembled and sent down the production line. This leads to higher unexplained tact time and an increased of assembly finishing time. More so, continuing with no technological upgrades on headlamps will run the risk of Magna America being out bid by a competitor who can offer continuous upgrades to keep up with annual automotive changes.
Potential benefits
If solutions are successful, there will be smooth production/assembly with breathing room in case of small errors. Worker tact time will be lowered as everyone is at their assigned stations on time. The team will collaborate smoothly as the higher seniority workers are taking into account the needs and ideas of the lower seniority. More visible upgrades will lead to a possibility of Magna American acquiring new company contract to assemble more auto headlamps. This will create an increase of hiring leading to more production teams and more profit. More so, less money sent on recalls and issues leads to bigger annuals employee profit sharing. Effective team communication will increase leading to new ideas being generated. Increased communication, interaction, and feedback within teams and the organization is one of the key factors. Straightforward contact will also lead to a greater understanding of the need for change within the company.
Another benefit is innovation which can lead to service and product enhancement. This can be achieved by employee development which centers on boosting morale and motivation and steers to rewarding success. By doing this, team engagement is increased and leads to higher innovation and creativity. The development of the organization will also raise product innovation by looking at consumer expectations, competitive evaluation, and market research to engage more thoughts and new ideas. Lastly, benefitting from productivity and innovation is profits and efficiency. The risk of employee turnover is then minimized, reducing cost and brining team satisfaction and a competitive organization.
Address the potential benefits
To address the above issues and solutions, interventions and evaluation processed must be considered between the production assembler teams, materials department, and management. A successful process starts with the will to implement. Information, resources, and involvement are the key contributions to the process of problem solving. Conducting a thorough analysis helps to define the reasons why gaps exists (Chevalier, 2014). The benefit of the analysis will include a look at each department and which teams are contributing to the development, communication, and assembly concerns.
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The work environment has three aspects that can influence performances; incentives information and resources. Information can include sharing expectations and providing the necessary guides to do the tasks all while offering timely feedback. The resources can include ensuing the correct processed and materials are present to complete the tasks. Incentives will ensure the proper financial incentives are existing to boost performance. According to Chevalier (2014), “the process of performance improvement begins by identifying the present level of performance in measurable terms and then describing in the same measurable terms the desired level of performance” (p. 6). Lastly, employee team meetings with leaders will give way for workers to voice their opinion or speak on any problems or team disagreements. This will ensure disagreements and conflicts do not escalate between teams and possibly affect production.
Intervention plan
Another intervention step is to recognize reasonable goals. This is something that can be accomplished in a short time that pushes the team where it wants to be (Chevalier, 2014). Goals must also be set for what should be expected from each team member. A useful feature of setting reasonable goals is it can serve as better encouragement to the teammates who will do the work and tighten the performance gap (Chevalier, 2014). Short term goals with production team members can be set such as lowering tact time will assist in this process. The number of failed headlamp inspections and recalls should be looked at as to why this is a repeat occurrence. Are the wires not getting properly connected? Is there a minor issue with the way the product is assembled? Is the supplier sending over faulty products to assemble? This is something that management needs to go in depth and try to find answers to. Furthermore, leaders need to assess the reason for empty work stations. The team members may be working on their break time and taking a break later on. The break times may not long enough and leave people with little room to take care of their need. Are the breaks long enough for an individual to actually accomplish going to the bathroom, grabbing a snack, or having a cigarette? Team leaders have to look at how many people are still missing once break time is over and review how many headlamps are not being built from the lack of workers. This can show if the organization is able to extend break times without losing valuable production or profit.
More so, leaders need to have meetings with their teams to access any thoughts or ideas that can be of value. This can include discussing product levels and new upgrades awaiting approval, a daily count should be done of all the headlamps that failed inspection. This can ensure the rejected material remains below a certain level so there is no surplus or stopping the line from an abundance of inspection fails. It also will let inspection team get to the cause of inspection failure faster and solve the issue. Finding out why the higher seniority is lacking respecting for the lower seniority and what can be done about will help solve the conflict and decrease possible employee turnover.
Furthermore, there needs to be employee suggestion boxes. This can be done with the help of the human resources department. Not all team members will be receptive to speak about issues or conflict with others openly and in front of management or leaders. Having a sealed box that individuals can write down any conflict, ideas, or suggestions will promote more employee engagement. This will also break down current barriers and communication walls that people are displaying. Recognizing the importance of individual meaning and evaluation in the effects of different organizational factors and improvements in work organization will eventually transform into job satisfaction improvement and other element in work adjustments (DeJoy, Wilson, Vandenberg, McGrath-Higgins, & Griffin-Blake, 2010).
Evaluation plan
How one will know the interventions were successful is from the decreased amount of inventory, reduced tact time, and increased productions. Workers will not be absent from work stations and the assembly line will have continuous movement. The team members will be able to seek, share, and understand other members feedback. Roles within groups will be clearly defined, respected and barrier will no longer be present. Team member communication will enable the collection of more data on team impact that an individual could not gather alone (Ancona, 1990; Kirkman & Rosen, 1999). With this data will come more product developments and more technology driven headlamps to keep up with competition. Team members will be able to collectively work on upgrades and prototypes to bring to management. Worker morale for the lower seniority workers will increase as well as performance and motivation. Focusing on a solution would benefit the organization in the sense of conflict reduction between the new and older employees.
Individuals bring to their job knowledge, capacity, skills, and motive. These motives need to be in alignment with team and work environment so that individuals have a yearning to excel in working. When the worker can learn and do the necessary tasks to be successful, capacity will be present (Chevalier, 2014). Another factor signifies if the person has the needed skills and knowledge to do the specified job to accomplish the goal.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the organization I chose to have assessed is Magna America. The initial assessment showed there were organizational problems, symptoms, and evidence present. Breaks longer than usual, work stations empty while in production, arguments breaking out constantly, and lack of respect for other’s opinions. The diagnosis of symptom related organizational problems find that the symptoms are ringers for the root cause while the diagnosis of root cause related organizational problems finds that all of the arising problems stem from another main issue that has trickled down. If the organization does not provide solutions to the problem, drawbacks can happen. This will include Magna America losing their contract with GM from constant recalls and failed headlamp inspections. The lack of communication can lead to conflict and arguments between team workers. This can trickle down and cause a loss of income and potential company shutdown.
If solutions are successful, there can be smooth production with breathing room in case of small errors. Worker tact time will be lowered, teams will collaborate smoothly, and team engagement will be increased leading to higher innovation and creativity To address the above issues and solutions, interventions and evaluation plans must be considered between the production assembler teams, materials department, and management. Goals must be set for what should be expected from each team member and can serve as support to the teammates who will do the work.
References
- Chevalier, R. (2014). Improving Workplace Performance. Performance Improvement, 53(5), 6–19. https://doi.org/10.1002/pfi.21410
- DeJoy, D. M., Wilson, M. G., Vandenberg, R. J., McGrath-Higgins, A. L., & Griffin-Blake, C. S. (2010). Assessing the impact of healthy work organization intervention. Journal of Occupational & Organizational Psychology, 83(1), 139–165. https://doi.org/10.1348/096317908X398773
- Kirkman, B. L., & Rosen, B. (1999). Beyond Self-Management: Antecedents and Consequences of Team Empowerment. Academy of Management Journal, 42(1), 58–74. https://doi.org/10.2307/256874
- Nzuve, S. M., & Njambi, M. P. (2015). Factors perceived to influence employees’ performance: a case of the independent electoral and boundaries commission. Problems Of Management In The 21St Century, 10(2), 88-99.
- Salas, E., Tannenbaum, S. I., Cohen, D. J., & Latham, G (Eds.). (2013). Developing and Enhancing Teamwork in Organizations: Evidence-Based Best Practices and Guidelines. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. ISBN-13: 978-1118145890.