Research paper on attached documents

Teaming and Emerging Business Trends

Organizations and business in the 21st century are not like those of even the last part of the 20th century. Several factors influence this evolution: globalism, increased expectations of transparency, stakeholder comments and involvement, and governmental regulation. Many of these expectations are generational and part of the ongoing evolutionary process of culture and attitudinal change. For instance, the success or failure of a contemporary business or organization is quite dependent upon the management of diversity. Public and private sector organizations, both are involved in numerous federally mandated programs that are designed to reduce cultural and communication barriers within the workplace. Multiculturalism is no longer a "nice-to," with the era of globalization upon us, and rapidly growing, diversity training and maximization of multicultural understanding, combined with management and leadership commitment to provide a diverse workplace, is now the norm. The same is true in accepting and managing a diverse workforce -- those over 55 perhaps vs. those under 25. This is particularly evident in the manner in which different generations act towards their employer -- the older the individual the more loyal towards the organization; the younger, the more it takes to continue to motivate employees and ensure longer term satisfaction. Further, there seems to be a clear distinction between generations regarding the meaning of work. Younger workers, it seems, tend to see more of a reason to balance out their lives between work and home or recreation, and that balance in one's life actually breeds and engenders more creativity (Henemen, 2001).

Clearly, too, groups and teams form both a strategic and tactical tool in the modern workplace. By the very nature of culture and humanity, humans tend to be group animals -- they thrive in groups, coalesce into groups, indeed, the very process of moving from hunter-gatherer to cities was part of a group behavior. Group norms are defined as a set of internal rulings that are followed by the group members in order to increase the overall efficiency of the group's activity. These norms usually refer to the members' behavior towards themselves, their hierarchical superior and group outsiders, as well as to their approach and attitude towards the work they are expected to perform. Norms determine the way in which groups solve problems, make decisions and do their work. They influence interactions between members and between the group and the facilitator. Norms reflect the group's culture of shared (Garrow, 2008).

In addition to this idea of normative grouping, trends in workers and in production come from increasing the level of knowledge workers as opposed to rote workers. A knowledge worker is someone employed more because of their specific informational expertise or mastery of a subject or process instead of their ability to perform manual or physical labor. These individuals will tend to advance the information available about their subject because they are able to devote their time and energy to focused analysis, or even redesign and development of a process. They are somewhat like the pure researchers of the past -- they work to solve particular problems, influence organizational decisions, and set priorities and strategies through their own intellectual curiosity. Most experts say that the real differentiation of knowledge working is that it is "non-routine" problem solving based on higher level thinking (Reinhardt, W. et al., 2011), We can certainly see the value in this based on the dual paradigms of information load and transparency. Expectations of leadership tend to now focus on being able to see not only the big picture strategically, but to manage the tactical aspects of employee development, reward systems, and the continual evolution of the organization (Pryor, M., et al., 2009).

Additionally, within the business paradigm, it is often ironic that at times the old Confucian maxim of "be careful what you ask for, you may get it," becomes true. The goal, of course, for any organization is to grow and prosper. However, there remains quite a fine line between slow growth, managed growth, and the explosive growth of a product or service. All have their merits and problems -- if growth is too slow and expenses to bring to market too high, the company fails; if growth is exponential, it may require additional infusion of capital, staff, and a rapid ramping of manufacturing -- sometimes without adequate planning, and products are produced without sufficient quality control or not shipping fast enough to keep up with consumer demand. The goal, of course, is that elusive middle ground of managed growth, strategic planning, and tactical implementation.

One well-known author and leadership coach begins each public presentation making it very clear that having a leadership position and being a leader are not the same thing. Leadership and management are quite different even though often used synonymously. A "position" is something one is hired into, or appointed -- whether that results in leadership is dependent on the qualities of the individual. Some leaders rise from relative obscurity, and lead from below; some managers never learn to lead (Ventura, 2008). Leadership, however, is the key. Providing effective leadership not only allows everyone to move in the same direction but also a role model for highly talented individuals to remain with the company, and to grow the company as they grow themselves. Leadership takes on less formal, more psychological roles, than management- even though it is possible to combine them. Leaders challenge the process. Effective leaders challenge the normal process. That is not to say that they are always controversial. Leaders challenge current beliefs and practices and take the initiative to propose and establish better ways of doing things. Leaders do not wait for things to be done, they do them. Leaders inspire a shared vision. Using authority does not appeal to leaders or their followers. Effective leaders inspire and motivate others by appealing to their shared beliefs. Leaders enable others to act. They make information readily available and empower people to their full potential. Leaders help others achieve their goals. Leaders model the way. Leaders demonstrate their beliefs in their actions (Effron, 2010).