You are working for a reputable company as a retail Team Leader. Your manager is getting ready to begin Maternity leave and you have been given the opportunity undertake the role of Team Manager in her absence.
You have discussed with your line manager how you might prepare yourself for this rol...
A company cannot thrive without a diverse set of teams that contribute to the smooth operation of the company. All
companies have goals that outline what they hope to accomplish in the future. In order to achieve these goals, they
usually lay out a series of objectives that the company must complete before reaching its ultimate goal. These
objectives serve as checkpoints for the company to assess what has been done, how to improve, and what to do next.
Teams are crucial to a company's success. If the teams formed are unable to collaborate to achieve a goal or complete a
task, the company will struggle to keep up not only with their competitors but also with the expectations placed on that
company. If every team in that company is focused on the company's success, the company will always be able to
satisfy demands while remaining afloat.
A team is a group of people who collaborate to achieve a common goal. It normally consists of 5 to 6 people. These
individuals may be all fluent in a specific topic or may have knowledge on topics that other members of their team are
not familiar with. A team is formed in order to foster the exchange of diverse perspectives, ideas, and skills, resulting in
an output that is stronger, better, and more coherent than any individual member of the team could have produced.
Each person brings their own distinct attitude, set of skills, and set of behaviours to the team, which not only benefit is
the team but also aids in the completion of the final task. A variety of teams can be formed to complete a task, but this
is dependent on the type of task assigned. In order to plan a birthday party, informal teams are formed; however, if a
company needs to develop a new product to sell, a formal team is formed. Other commonly used teams include
interdependent teams, in which each team member is dependent on each other, such as football teams, cross-
functional teams, in which each team member's expertise differs from each other, temporary teams, such as the
Christmas sales team, and permanent teams, such as a company's finance team.
Many people mistake a team for a group, but they differ in the sense that a team's common goal gives each member a
shared responsibility towards it. The outcome is directly attributable to team efforts. Team members build on each
other's strengths and fill in the gaps where teammates' skills fall short. As a result, teams can accomplish more than
their individual members could. Members of a group, on the other hand, work on their own specialisations, with each
individual driving toward their own goal. What an individual accomplishes is how a group measures success. Teams are
important because they allow for the growth of innovation. Because there are multiple minds attempting to generate
ideas, the team is more likely to generate more solutions and ideas than expected. It also allows for the sharing of
expertise because if the team works well together, each member will be able to mentor other members on topics with
which they are unfamiliar with if necessary.
It is not enough for a person to set a task, form a team and expect it all to be done from there. The team needs to be an
effective team. Team effectiveness is the ability of a group of people, usually with complementary skills, to work
together to achieve goals established by an authority, team members, or team leaders. What is the significance of team
effectiveness? Highly effective teams are able to meet their goals on a consistent basis. They accomplish more as they
are more engaged in both their work and their interpersonal relationships. This allows for the final task to be done to a
higher standard with every team member gaining new skills and understanding.
Apple is a technology giant known for it is consumer electronics, computer software, and online services. Apple is the
world's most valuable company and the largest revenue-generating information technology company. To keep their
services organised while ensuring the happiness of their customers, Apple has put in place a variety of teams to provide
the best service possible. Their 'Support and Service' team and their 'Marketing' team are two of their most important
teams.
The 'Support and Service' team at Apple focuses on customer issues and how to resolve them. Their support and service
team focuses on factors like online support, technical support, and customer support, which focuses on helping
customers with live support over the phone, chat, or email, as well as Apple store support, which assists customers who
do not have access to things like the internet or a phone, or who cannot solve their problem online. 1 This benefit’s
Apple and contributes to its success as if Apple's support and services team was of poor quality, it would be one of the
last companies that consumers would go to buy specific products and services from because if they have any issues and
are left with no support from Apple, they may feel ignored and mistreated as no one would want to put their money
into a company that doesn't value them. Although there may be hundreds of employees on Apple's 'Support and
Service' team, each one is a unique, trained individual with in-depth knowledge of the many products and services that
Apple has released. Their team members are knowledgeable, which is important when it comes to answering consumer
questions; Friendly, encouraging customers to speak freely and express any concerns they may have without feeling
unwelcome; Diverse, which helps in the day-to-day services provided by Apple because not every customer will have
the same issue and organised which is important as without a sense of organisation, consumers may simply end the day
with their issue unattended to.
Their marketing team, on the other hand, works directly with designers and engineers as products are developed to
ensure that Apple customers are as enthusiastic about their new products as they are. 2 Their marketing team is one of
the most important teams in Apple because if they hadn't come up with innovative ideas while taking into account
possible consumer needs, Apple products would not be as popular as they are simply because if people already have
something, they aren't as willing to buy an exact copy of it but if the new product had features that the consumers
current product lacked, they would be more biased towards the product when it comes to purchasing it.
Apple's marketing team is made up of talented individuals who focus on marketing services such as Apple TV, products
such as the iPhone, macOS, and iTunes, and marketing communications such as production, research, analysis, and
social media to ensure that the world is aware of their products and services. Members of the marketing team must be
quick thinkers because any sudden increase in encouragement from social media could heavily influence their
decisions, and they must know how to deal with such unexpected issues. They must also be innovative because without
a sense of innovation, all of Apple's products would be identical in every way. Most significantly, Apple's marketing
team must be mutually accountable, since if each team member refuses to accept responsibility for the decisions they
make, the team's consistent trust will be shattered, causing considerable damage to Apple.
One of the primary reasons why Apple has progressed so far since its inception is due to the teams' consistent
collaboration, range of opinions, flexibility, encouragement, and trust in one another. These are all characteristics that
contribute to the formation of an effective team. Collaboration improves the way a team works together and solves
problems.3 This encourages more innovation because each team member is encouraged to provide their own opinions,
which leads to increased success, trust, and improved communication because they all know that by expressing their
own opinions, they are more likely to be understood and listened to rather than being criticised. They would be able to
help each other reach their overall goal by listening to and learning from one another.
However, not all businesses sell the same product or service, and some do not sell anything at all. The NBA is one such
example. The NBA is a completely independent and self-managed entity that operates independently of the American
Federation. They are a global sports and media company centred on three professional sports leagues: the NBA, the
Women's National Basketball Association, and the NBA G League. The NBA has a wide range of teams. Teams such as
'The Los Angeles Lakers' and 'The Chicago Bulls' are among the most important playing teams in the NBA; however, to
ensure that each match runs smoothly, dedicated management teams work around the clock to ensure that each game
is safe, secure, fair, and enjoyable. The LA Lakers and their management team are the teams on which I have decided to
focus my research on.
The Los Angeles Lakers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers are one of the
most successful teams in NBA history, having won 17 NBA championships, the most recent of which was in 2020.
According to Forbes, the Lakers are the third most valuable franchise in the NBA as of 2021, with an estimated value of
$5.5 billion. Kobe Bryant, the greatest player to ever wear a LA Lakers jersey, tragically died in an aeroplane crash in
January 2020. The Los Angeles Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association as a member of the league's
Western Conference Pacific Division.4 They must all follow the rules, test negative for drugs, and participate in training
activities while maintaining a healthy body and mind.
The Los Angeles Lakers are a prime example of an effective team because, in basketball, players must work in an
interdependent team, which means they must collaborate in order to achieve the desired outcome, which in this case is
winning the game. During games, there is a clear sense of trust, encouragement, and communication. If the players
refrain from trusting each other enough to pass the ball around, the team's chances of scoring points are reduced
majorly. Every member of a basketball team must trust and communicate with one another. By doing so, they not only
2
https://www.Apple.com/careers/uk/teams/marketing.html
3
Ribeiro, S. (2020). The Real Benefit is of Team Collaboration in the Workplace.
4
NBA.com. (2021). Lakers.
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