Research Paper on:
Team Approach Organizational Change and the Management of Conflict

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
to management. This paper points out the major conflicts that arise when implementing teams and how to circumvent those problems before they get out of hand. FACTORS FOR  USING A TEAM WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION Many firms are responding to the current pressure to improve their business by creating organizational structures designed to promote cross-functional and cross-company communication, coordination,  and collaboration. In order to support this, cross-functional teams have become increasingly important, particularly as firms attempt to develop leading-edge strategies and practices. While nearly eighty percent of the  major United States firms surveyed plan to emphasize the use of teamwork through the next several years, the success of this approach will vary widely from company to company and  team to team, even across teams within the same business. FACTORS AFFECTING THE SUCCESSFUL TEAM The direct relationship between leadership and performance is not the only indicator of the  importance of the team leader, however. Other conflicts that might arise stem from a strong relationship that exists between effective leaders and the teams organizational resources. Teams with  highly effective leaders indicate they are able to acquire the budget required to support team activities. Likewise, there is a strong relationship between effective leaders and the availability of  external resources, notably supplier support and support from personnel outside the team. Making sure that a team has the necessary resources is an important requirement of the formal leadership  position in order to avoid potential conflict. There is a direct relationship between highly rated leaders and team member effort, as evaluated by external performance raters. Gaining the  commitment and involvement of team members is an important prerequisite for team success. Leaders who obtain the commitment and involvement of all members can avoid conflict and have increased