Business Leadership Tools to Improve Team Performance
This paper takes the form of an executive memorandum addressed to senior management at Sapphire Department Stores, a large retailer with over 200 business units and a diverse workforce of 6,500 employees. The memo examines communication and performance problems affecting two struggling team leaders in one business unit. After reviewing peer-reviewed literature on relevant tools and techniques—including fishbone analysis, root cause analysis, Skinner's reinforcement theory, Belbin's team roles, Cornell's talent management matrix, participative management, the Hawthorne effect, flextime, and employee suggestion systems—the paper provides an analysis of contributing factors and concludes with specific, measurable recommendations for improving team leadership effectiveness and reducing absenteeism.
- Introduction and Background: Context, significance, and scope of Sapphire memo
- Literature Review: Tools and Techniques: Eight management tools reviewed from scholarly literature
- Analysis and Discussion: Tools applied to Sapphire's two struggling team leaders
- Conclusions and Recommendations: Actionable steps and benchmarking strategy for Sapphire
- References: Full list of cited peer-reviewed sources
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What makes this paper effective
- The memo format grounds an otherwise theoretical discussion in a practical, organizational context, making the recommendations feel immediately actionable rather than purely academic.
- The paper draws on a diverse toolkit of management frameworks—ranging from behavioral theory (Skinner) to team structure (Belbin) to process improvement (benchmarking)—and demonstrates how each applies to the specific situation at Sapphire.
- The recommendations section ties directly back to the literature review, creating a coherent argument that flows from evidence to application without introducing unsupported claims.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates applied literature synthesis: rather than simply summarizing sources, it evaluates each tool or theory against the specific organizational problem at hand. For example, the author explicitly notes cost differences between approaches (the Hawthorne effect as essentially free versus costly incentive programs) and uses Belbin's framework to suggest structural re-assignment as a practical solution, showing how theoretical frameworks can be translated into concrete managerial actions.
Structure breakdown
The paper follows a four-part memo structure: (1) an introduction establishing context and significance; (2) a literature review organized by individual tool or theory; (3) an analytical discussion connecting the tools to the team leaders' specific problems; and (4) a conclusions section divided into recommended actions and measurement/benchmarking strategies. This structure mirrors professional consulting reports, making it appropriate as a model for business writing courses at the undergraduate level.
Major department store retailers such as Walmart and Target have faced significant challenges in an increasingly competitive and globalized operating environment in recent years. At the same time, innovations in transportation and telecommunications have redefined the marketplace itself, and growing numbers of consumers are choosing to make most of their department store purchases online. These trends have been matched by a proliferation of social media networks such as MySpace and Facebook that are also redefining marketing best practices. In this environment, it is not surprising that some organizational leaders have failed to maintain pace with these changes, and this is certainly the case with Sapphire Department Store's two troubled team leaders.
Significance of the Project. With more than 200 business units and a workforce of 6,500 employees from 40 different countries, Sapphire is well positioned to model the way in developing approaches to improve employee relationships and managerial communications with a diverse workforce.
Nature of the Project. This study analyzes the relationship and communications problems Sapphire has been experiencing in one business unit with 30 full- and part-time employees. Following a review of the relevant peer-reviewed and scholarly literature concerning these issues, the study presents a summary of the research and important findings in the conclusion.
Importance of the Project. A growing body of evidence confirms that motivated workers are vitally important — and even critical — for companies to achieve and sustain a competitive advantage in an increasingly globalized marketplace. As workers become increasingly involved in complex knowledge-processing activities, they have developed new skill sets and management practices that defy traditional motivational approaches (Kumar 2011). In this regard, Jamrog (2006, p. 26) emphasizes that "the combination of job dissatisfaction and demographic trends that predict labor shortages, skill deficits, and fewer workers has all the elements for dramatic changes in the way work is performed, who performs it and where, and the skill sets needed."
Fishbone Analysis
Fishbone diagrams (so termed because they resemble the skeleton of a fish) have been used to good effect in situations where decision-makers must take into account a number of hypotheses and perform a number of tests in order to identify the root of a problem (McGraw & Harbison 1999). According to McGraw and Harbison (1999, p. 292), "When creating these diagrams, analysts should represent the more common hypotheses near the 'head' of the diagram, and uncommon or infrequently selected hypotheses near the 'tail.'" To date, fishbone analyses have been used for a wide range of applications, including the evaluation of healthcare services and human resources management (Parayitam & Desai 2009).
Root Cause Analysis
According to Middleton and Walker (2005, p. 37), a root cause analysis "is a systematic method of analysing a specific adverse event to determine what happened, why it happened and what can be done to prevent it from happening again." A root cause analysis is an essential tool for evaluating human resource issues and provides a measure of how well participants understand and comprehend their company's policies and procedures (Schafer 2012).
Skinner's Behavior Reinforcement Theory
According to Todd and Morris (1999, p. 4), "Reinforcement theory is sometimes called 'behavior theory,' 'learning theory,' and 'operational behaviorism,' among other things. It has come to deal with a great deal more than a few experiments on dogs in a frame or rats in a box." During his experimentation, B.F. Skinner found that both positive and negative reinforcements can affect behavior, sometimes in truly powerful ways (Todd & Morris 1999). Reinforcement theory is especially salient with respect to employee motivation. In this regard, Luthans (2000) reports that "a primary activity of any type of leader involves motivating and reinforcing others to encourage superior performance. Put another way, theories of motivation encourage leaders to tie important outcomes to desired behaviors." Therefore, when team leaders apply reinforcement theory, it is with a singular goal in mind: "To sustain motivation, leaders must demonstrate to employees a close link between performance and rewards" (Luthans 2000, p. 31).
Belbin Team Roles
During a seven-year period, Belbin and his associates studied more than 120 management teams taking part in competitive business simulations (Biech 2001). An enormous amount of observational data was compiled during these simulations, including a wide range of recorded contributions from various team members (Biech 2001). Based on these observations, Belbin's researchers identified several team-role patterns. According to Biech (2001, p. 87), "It became obvious that each team member had a preferred or natural role, a secondary role (one that he or she was able to assume when necessary), and least-preferred/best-avoided roles." Belbin's original observational studies resulted in eight different team roles, and a ninth role was later identified as well (Biech 2001). All nine roles are regarded as important to team performance and are described below.
The nine Belbin team roles are: Plant (devises creative solutions to problems); Coordinator (interprets objectives, encourages decisions, facilitates appropriate resources); Resource Investigator (finds useful contacts and resources outside the team); Monitor Evaluator (discerns opinions, makes insightful judgments); Implementer (translates ideas into action and organizes the process); Team Worker (resolves disagreements; concentrates on diplomacy); Completer-Finisher (fixes errors; ensures work is complete; meets deadlines); Specialist (offers knowledge or skills that others may not have); and Shaper (challenges others to overcome difficulties).
These nine team roles are not necessarily static, and team members may perform different roles at different times. Developing balanced roles within a team serves three valuable purposes: (1) it increases the likelihood of positive contributions from individual members; (2) it decreases the likelihood of destructive conflict among members; and (3) it enhances the team's ability to adapt to changing and unpredictable circumstances (Biech 2001).
Cornell's Talent Management Matrix
The talent management matrix developed by Cornell categorizes employees along dimensions of performance and potential, prescribing specific managerial actions for each profile. For example, employees who may be new to a job or who have lost pace with organizational changes are advised to receive continued orientation, time for development, and clear expectations. Steady and dependable performers who appear capable of more should be challenged and given opportunities for growth and new experiences. High performers with capacity for immediate advancement should be given top-level assignments, partnered with executives, and rewarded and recognized. Those who have reached job potential but are underperforming require a managed performance improvement plan or, in some cases, an exit from the organization (Cornell Talent Management Matrix 2013).
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