Team Process

Team Process

Introduction

As a group, we have decided to analyze Whole Foods, which is a socially responsible company. Studying the history of the company has made our group realize that other companies should emulate its footsteps in leadership qualities. John Mackey the CEO of the company is a good leader who has inspired our group through his leadership qualities. Globalisation has changed the quality of business operations and has also revolutionised the criteria for success, which is identified as essential in the team work of today (Flin, O’Connor and Mearns, 2002). Organizations over the years have realized the power of teamwork, which has made it a strong tool for achieving success on the global platform. The major challenge when dealing with a  team is to maintain harmony between people of different origins, as companies are actively hiring individuals from different cultures to contribute positively in the success of the organization. This shows that all sectors are getting globalised and culturally diverse, and also suggests that a culturally diverse business environment requires individuals who are aware of the cultural needs of different members of the team. This will enable the management to uphold the quality of teamwork.

Leading by positive change

The virtue of leading by positive change is not easily achieved. However, Whole Foods management has done it all. Their focus on environmental sustainability is overwhelming. The company uses solar panels to utilize renewable energy sources. Also, Whole Foods operate on the rule of three R’s.

Reduce They believe in reducing environmental pollution through reduction of plastic bags that are released to the environment. In some regions, the company has managed to reduce it up to 75%. Additionally, they support public transportation and carpooling for team members.

Reuse The Company encourages the use of used plastic bags to reduce environmental pollution. Further, the company has recently implemented the use of re-useable bowls and plates at its dining areas.
Recycle The Company leads by example when it comes to recycling of plastic. First, they have introduced rechargeable batteries to replace rechargeable ones. In addition, they utilize recycled paper where possible.

Motivation others

According to Haselhuhn & Kray (2011), motivation goes a long way from one individual who changed positively to many more. It spreads quickly as it is the centre bolt that holds the will of people, which deem it fit to change from negative habits to positive ones. Personality is in-born such that it is invariably a permanent trait in people. That is why it needs to be changed by applying the will and desire to do so. For instance, an introvert person could be encouraged to talk so as to unravel why he/she does not like talking. The action plan is crucial as it betters the welfare of every social community. Since it has a core interest in assisting clients who want to bring a positive aspect of their image; the process is more important, and its results may be far reaching than imagined (Whetten & Cameron, 1991).

Communication is also part of motivation. The company leads by example by ensuring that communication is open throughout the company. This acts as an incentive for the employees to work hard and to gain a sense of belonging. Employees also should be motivated through generous compensation and rewards for them to achieve job satisfaction. The management also ensures that it appreciates all the employees to keep them focused on their work. As a decent company, the organization also caters for its customers. As a food supplier, they have a responsibility to ensure that the food that customers eat is healthy. In addition, loyal customers benefit from regular promotions.

Social responsibility

The way corporations behave in regard to social responsibility creates powerful effects on the image value of a brand and a company. It also reflects on the tendency of customers to choose a certain brand and on the financial functioning of corporations (Lou and Bhattacharya, 2006). The Whole Foods chain’s  marketing strategy relies on the fact that they are active supporters of organic farming by using only products that are additive-free and which come from farm workers, protecting at the same time the environment and the farmers.

Team work

According to Thomas et al., (2013), managing a team is not an easy task; it requires great motivation and effort. It is the responsibility of the manager to make sure that the team members remain focused and share a similar goal with the organization. According to Thacker and Yost (2002), effective communication and trust between the team leader and the members are of crucial importance for the success of the team.  Lack of trust and ineffective communication can result in conflicts, which can affect the quality of team work and in some cases can even break the team.  It is desired in a team to respect each other’s decision, so that everyone is happy with the final decision taken by the leader of the team. Every member of the team plays an effective role in the success of a task; therefore each member should proficiently understand the importance of fulfilling his/her responsibilities and his/her contribution in the team.  According to Taylor and Humphrey (2002), teams can be classified as work teams, sports teams or learning teams. I have worked as part of a work team during as a marketing manager in various firms and as a member of a sports team as a football coach in Africa.  I have noticed that, in both the teams, members must work in collaboration to improve each other’s performance for the betterment of the team.

According to my experience, making a team is not difficult but picking the right members to be the part of the team and to keep them in the team are the two most difficult tasks. Similar findings were presented by Taylor and Humphrey (2002); however, an argument presented by Haselhuhn and Kray (2011) emphasised the influence of human nature on the quality of teams. The efficacy of the team can be greatly affected by individual interests; therefore, individual interests must be kept aside both by the leader of the team and the members of the team. From my experience, I can say that teams should work in co-operation with each other and must always try to understand each other’s perspectives, as doing so upholds the quality of the team. However, there are situations where people do consider self interest over team interests and in such cases the harmony of the team can be disrupted. The involvement of all team members in important decisions is of crucial importance and, if given the chance, I will definitely rectify my mistakes and make acceptable collaborative decision, which is also suggested by Thacker and Yost (2002), to maintain the quality of work produced as a result of teamwork.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that the business environment is rapidly changing, and the financially tough environment due to the recent economic crisis had led to an increased demand for international managers who are highly skilled. It is evident from the literature that businesses can proficiently grow in this highly competent environment with the support of leader or managers possessing a flexible attitude to work. Furthermore, the increasing demands of the business industry in the recent years have highlighted the need of leaders who can change their leadership style in response to the changes. It was also clear from the literature that soft skills are in high demand due to their flexibility in comparison to the hard skills.

Further, Whole Foods which is a socially responsible company. Studying the history of the company has made our group realize that other companies should emulate its footsteps in leadership qualities. John Mackey the CEO of the company is a good leader who has inspired our group through his leadership qualities. Lastly, the Whole Foods chain’s  marketing strategy relies on the fact that they are active supporters of organic farming by using only products that are additive-free and which come from farm workers, protecting at the same time the environment and the farmers.

 

 

 

References

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Luo, X. and C.C. Bhattacharya , 2006. Corporate Social Responsibility, Customer

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