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Leading Teams at Southwest Transit

Kristen Marcum, Melanie White, David Chapman, Matthew Rochester, Lashawn Tubman, Elizabeth Ilagan

Colangelo College of Business, Grand Canyon University

MGT-605: Leadership in Organizations

Dr. Helen Hammond

13 Jan, 2021

Leading Teams at Southwest Transit

Southwest Transit (SWT) is a successful, regional airline, so being tasked to form a team for a high-stakes, high-pressure project is no easy feat. As part of the management team, the pages below will reveal the Southwest Transit team selection to be proposed to the director of SWT. Team selection will first be announced, as well as a justification for why those members were chosen, and why others did not make the cut. Following team selection, the management team will highlight diverse factors that have a probability of influencing specific team members. Additionally, the team will outline which motivation and strategies theories the management team will use, and which they will not, to motivate specific individuals on the team. Furthermore, the management team will discuss the anticipated conflict or challenges that the selected team may experience and which strategies can be implemented to resolve them. Lastly, the team will recommend leadership strategies for the Southwest Transit team to apply in order to have a successful team and project.

Team Selection

It is understood, as part of the management team, that the roles and responsibilities bestowed upon us are to choose a team of individuals, who despite their diversities, will be able to be effectively led and motivated. Additionally, these selectees will possess vital decision-making, communication and collaboration skills in order to meet the demands of a high-stakes, high-pressure project such as this one. Our proposal is to build a team, in no particular order, comprised of Elizabeth, Katelyn, Bob, Michael, Susan and Natalie, and below are the reasons why.

The first member to be proposed is Elizabeth. She is overall perfect for the requirements of the task at hand and the team.  She has always worked well in a team environment, has an open mind, thrives in communication, flexible, non-threatening, positive attitude, and wants to remain long term in the company (GCU, 2020).  Her quality of work is also highly important to her, so we know she will leave a solid finished product, which is what the company needs. 

The next proposal is Katelyn. She is a highly motivated new-hire who works great in pressure situations which the team believes to be a key trait (GCU, 2020). Due to her high standards for her team and herself, the team believes she will be a driven team player, and possess a willingness to step in and take the lead on group projects. The management team believes her high standards and love of challenges will make her a great member of the team.

Up next is Bob. The team has chosen Bob for his eagerness to assist team members when needed (GCU, 2020). He is quick to volunteer when a task needs to be completed, and that type of go-getter personality is just what the SWT team needs (GCU, 2020). His team player attitude and eagerness to produce a job well done will surely outweigh any of his weaknesses.

Another wonderful option is to welcome Michael to the team. Michael has the ability to think strategically and deliberately (GCU, 2020). He also is talented in being able to see distinct parts of a plan and transmit them to the projects grand goal (GCU, 2020). He is known to be a team player, and has an innate ability to bring out the best of others on the team will surely enhance the members cohesiveness throughout the project (GCU, 2020).

It is the team’s recommendation to also add Susan to the team. The team believes she would be a great addition to the SWT team because she is a go-getter, an excellent team player, believes in quality work and will be an honest communicator to other team members (GCU, 2020). We believe she will be a great additional asset with her shining personality and drive for doing good for others.

The sixth proposal is Natalie. Natalie enjoys the challenge of a difficult project, and thrives in a competitive environment, which is what helps her produce great work (GCU, 2020). She is also great at communicating. The management team is confident she will be able to communicate her expectations, especially due to her natural leadership abilities (GCU, 2020).

Other individuals of the South West Transit Team Member Profiles were not selected because the management team felt they lacked traits such as the motivation of completing a project as a team, or considering others goals. Others were not selected due to their lack of interest in completing projects or interest in exceeding expectations required to make this project a success.

Motivation and Behavior Management Strategies

Each team member is diverse in their own individual way for varies reasons with factors, such as physical and self-awareness abilities, affect the team’s behavior. Attitude and perception represent other significant factors affecting the selected team’s behavior as well, including culture. To ensure success, the selected management team will reference the following four theories: Herzberg’s Two-factor theory, McClelland’s need achievement theory, Abraham Maslow hierarchy of needs theory, and Porter-Lawler Model.

Herzberg’s Two-factor theory acknowledges that employees’ satisfaction is attained through achievement and positive recognition (Badubi, 2017). McClelland’s need achievement theory ascertains employees’ success will be driven by the desire for personal achievements. The two theories are essential for motivating the team members driven by the challenging tasks like Natalie, and Katelyn. These theories also provide an effective platform for members like Susan, who seeks personal achievement instead of individual rewards, Elizabeth seeking rightness, and Michael seeking perfection. Psychologist Abraham Maslow hierarchy of needs theory, “argues humans are wanting animals, having an innate desire to satisfy a given set of needs, and arranging them on a foundation of hierarchy” (Griffin et al., 2020).). “These hierarchy of need start with 1) psychological needs, 2) security needs, 3) belongingness needs, 4) esteem needs, and 5) self-actualization needs” (Griffin et al., 2020).). Maslow’s theory works because it targets every team members motivation through the hierarchy of needs and does not leave any need unnoticed or unheard.

Management team believes Porter-Lawler Model will be ineffective for the team. The team members can decide on the perfect alternative despite the differences. However, the management team recognizes financial incentives and non-monetary rewards such as promotions, leaves, and off-work times would be ineffective for this team due to the financial constraints and limited time to accomplish the task encompassing the members.

Conflict and Conflict Management

Every team, no matter how efficient or successful will always have to deal with conflict whether it be from internal or external sources. However, the best teams are able to use that conflict to their benefit in order to spur on innovation and alternative ideas. There are seven common types of conflict that are experienced within a team. These include: task conflict, process conflict, relationship conflict, conflicts of interest, change, values conflict, and information conflict (Griffin et al., 2020). Since we were able to hand pick the team for this project based on their personality and the project length is short, we do not believe we will have to deal with all of these conflicts, but we do anticipate encountering a few of them.

The two main conflicts we expect to encounter during this project are process and relationship conflicts. Process conflicts occur when team members disagree on what course of action or process is best used to complete a project (Griffin et al., 2020). We anticipate this happening for one main reason. Our team is a mix of people with all different experience levels. For example, Bob has been with the company since it was formed, and Susan is still in her first year with the company. Because of this, the individual team members may have different ideas on how to tackle certain parts of the project. In order to help resolve process conflicts we have decided to institute Conflict Management Interviews (CMIs). “CMIs are private in-person meetings between two individuals to confront and resolve prior or emerging conflicts, develop and revise action plans for collaboration; and discuss task, process, or interpersonal concerns” (Dunford et al., 2020). We believe that providing a space for the team members to voice their opinions as well as their concerns will allow them to work together more efficiently. The other conflict we anticipate on encountering during the project is relationship conflict. Relationship conflict occurs when teams have incompatibilities or differences at the individual level (Griffin et al., 2020). This stems from the team being put together on such short notice and do not have any prior experience working with each other. However, we believe this conflict can be resolved easily. To do this we plan on hosting a team building event before the start of the project. We plan on sponsoring a trip to a local professional baseball game and provide the team with the tickets, dinner, and a stress-free environment where they can meet each other and build relationships.

All teams will have to encounter conflict during their time together. Whether it be from internal or external sources, conflict is inevitable. However, the best teams are able to not only get past conflicts, but use them to their benefit. After identifying the possible conflicts our team may face, we believe that we have set up the proper conflict management strategies to make sure they can operate as efficiently as possible.

Vision and Leadership Strategy

Our vision for the success of our team is that we are able to reconcile the differences between personalities and are able to swiftly complete the project within the timeframe given. To get the team to come together, there are a number of leadership theories that could be utilized. The first theory that is recommended for usage for the team is the Human Relations Approach. This theory highlights the importance of making all the team members feel important and to highlight every member’s contribution (Griffin et al., 2020). Having a tight deadline and the future of the company at stake, this is an important theory to utilize to ensure that the entire team is satisfied in their project work.

Another important theory to use is the Acquired Needs Framework. This theory highlights the need for achievement, affiliation, and power (Griffin et al., 2020). The most important part of this for our team will be achievement, given the nature of the project on which the team is working. For this, management will need to constantly check in with the team and provide immediate feedback on the members’ progress to be able to monitor progress and help guide the team along in completing the work (Griffin et al., 2020).

The management should also embark on a transformational leadership framework as another key part of its strategy. Transformation leaders communicate positive views of the future and encourage trust and collaboration among team members (Perreault et al, 2020). Due to the importance of this project to the survival of the company, it is imperative that the management have a positive outlook for the project. It is also important for the team to have collaboration instilled among the members and for the team members to have the knowledge of how their contributions affect the rest of the team and the project as a whole. One key strength of the team members is their dedication to their work and their ability to work with others, which makes the management’s ability to embark on transformational leadership all the more important.

Conclusion

In conclusion, our group is confident in our team selection. We have built a talented and diverse team of motivated individuals, who have proven themselves adept at solving complex problems while under strict deadlines. As a group, we understood the selection process wouldn’t merely be based on tenure or prior accomplishments, but instead we carefully considered a combination of factors. Although the project is crucial in the immediate goal of regaining SWT customer base, the group understood the long-term success of the company would be based on the selected members’ ability to face potential conflict and obstacles, while rising above stronger and wiser as a result. Understanding the potential challenges this team may face, our group is proud to present the six selected staff members who will confidently mitigate challenges and motivate their team in the pursuit of maximizing SWT marketing campaign success. For these reasons our proposal is to build a team, in no particular order, comprised of Elizabeth, Katelyn, Bob, Michael, Susan and Natalie.

References

Badubi, R. M. (2017). Theories of motivation and their application in organizations: a risk analysis. International Journal of Innovation and Economic Development, 3(3), 43-50. https://doi.org/10.18775/ijied.1849-7551-7020.2015.33.2004

Dunford, B. B., Mumford, K. J., Boss, R. W., Boss, A. D., & Boss, D. S. (2020). Integrated Conflict Management Systems Pay Off with Lower Levels of Formal Grievances and Lower Turnover Rates. ILR Review, 73(2), 528–551. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/0019793919882892

Grand Canyon University (2020). South West Transit Team Member Profiles. Retrieved from: https://lms-grad.gcu.edu/learningPlatform/user/users.lc?operation=loggedIn&token=qkVjQfVNbgnJaNmw%2bvbjpMlUky1rfAVXZn3ciNUhBAHp6h4tMmX4robzSZHMg%2bBU&classId=2404820#/learningPlatform/class/syllabus.lc?operation=getClassOutlineIUView&c=prepareClassOutlineForm&fromOtherPage=true&t=coursesMenuOption&folderContentId=57f67c8d-61a6-4702-8829-b49dc241c4d2&classId=861b3ae3-eb9b-4610-8d0b-dd990696d5e6&tempDate=1610330426423

Griffin, R.W., Phillips, J.M., & Gully, S.M. (2020). Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizations (13th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage.

Perreault, D., Baker, A., Cohen, L., & Blanchard, C. (2020). The influence of social climate on transformational leadership potential in young adults. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science / Revue Canadienne Des Sciences Du Comportement, 52(3), 188–197. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1037/cbs0000182