operation managment Teams

Virtuoso teams are comprised of experts and are organized to accomplish lofty goals not likely to be fulfilled by ordinary teams. An opthamology firm, we started an aggressive marketing campaign two years ago to stimulate new business. Patients were offered delayed payment options and other incentives to receive treatment before their insurance would cover it or even when their insurance would not cover the procedures they were seeking. The result was a backlog of unpaid bills: and subsequent loss of revenues. The firm was forced to call a virtuoso team to remedy the situation and create feasible goals for the future prosperity of the firm, while retaining patient loyalty. The situation demanded a virtuoso team: one that could keep the central goals of the firm in mind while collecting interest on unpaid bills. The standard billing office cannot address the legal, accounting, and marketing issues that the situation demanded.

The virtuoso team would be ideally comprised of legal analysts with an area of specialization in medicine. Our team would also require the expertise of a marketing analyst who can help the firm rethink its approach to attracting new customers, while also keeping our brand name unsullied by retaining those customers who will be called upon to balance their past-due accounts. Also, an accounting expert would help the firm address their financial situation honestly. The owners of the firm would be called in for regular consulting. Because the members of the virtuoso team are comprised of top experts in their fields, their egos are likely to clash. Differences in opinion could lead to stalemates, as virtuoso teams often operate with democratic principles and do not have a discernable team leader. However, in this case, the team leader(s) would be designated as one or more of the owners of the firm.

2. An ethnically diverse team presents thrilling challenges for any team members. People not used to working in environments in which they are the minority members might have a hard time dealing with the cultural and linguistic barriers that prevent clear communications. Their ability to wield power due to their being from the dominant culture is thwarted and they are therefore forced to learn about how other cultures deal with conflict and other organizational issues.