Emotional intelligence and effective team functioning of MBA syndicate groups at the NMMU business school
- Authors: Doolabh, Chetna Gidhar
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Emotional intelligence , Interpersonal relations , Teams in the workplace , Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. Business School
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8747 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/740 , Emotional intelligence , Interpersonal relations , Teams in the workplace , Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. Business School
- Description: A common issue in leadership development is the high flyers who reach a position where their lack of “soft” skills hampers their performance and proves a barrier to their continued progression to higher levels of responsibility (Newell, 2002: 288). Business Schools offering Masters in Business Administration (MBA) programmes assist in developing managers with not just managerial competence but also with “soft” skills. By delivering educated business managers, these managers through their intellectual skills and community sensitive values, will lead future transformational processes. It is useful and interesting to consider how important emotional intelligence is for effective performance at work. A considerable body of research suggests that an employee’s ability to perceive, identify, and manage emotion provides the basis for the kinds of social and emotional competencies that are important for success in almost any position. Furthermore, as the pace of change increases and the world of work make ever-greater demands on an employee’s cognitive, emotional, and physical resources, this particular set of abilities will become increasingly important (Cherniss, 2000). The primary objective of this study is to determine the perceptions of the Masters in Business Administration (MBA), B-Tech in Business Administration (BBA), Advanced Business Programme (ABP) programmes and the Business School Alumni to determine the overall emotional intelligence profile of students as well as the effective team functions of the syndicate groups. Based on the main findings of the survey, it was concluded that emotional intelligence is an important factor for the NMMU Business School, MBA Unit students. The skills attained through the course work will not only improve team effectiveness in the syndicate group functioning but also enhance their performance in the business environment. The MBA team learning experiences enhances workplace learning as the ability to work in a team and ability to think and act independently are highly desired skills and competencies for success in the workplace.
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- Date Issued: 2007
A strategy for the development of team leaders in the East Cape motor industry cluster : a competency based approach
- Authors: Melamed, Graham Morrison
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Leadership , Teams in the workplace , Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DTech
- Identifier: vital:8568 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/419 , Leadership , Teams in the workplace , Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: The research undertaken in this study was to identify the strategy needed to be adopted by the East Cape Motor Industry Cluster (ECMIC) in order to develop the competencies of its Team Leaders. v Hamel and Prahalad (1994: 28) are of the opinion that the focus of a company must move from current market share, to the share of tomorrow’s opportunities that the company can reasonably expect to gain. The company must therefore consider what it can achieve with its existing set of competencies, and what new competencies need to be acquired in order to prosper in the future. The development of competencies is thus deemed to be critical to the South African economy as the various local automotive manufacturers enter the export field. The ECMIC has traditionally been considered the heart of the automotive industry in South Africa with three of the major manufacturers located in the Nelson Mandela and Buffalo City Metropoles. In order to support these manufacturers, a vast number of component manufacturers and service providers have been established to support the automotive manufacturers both in the ECMIC and in other areas of the country. Since the establishment of a democratic South Africa and the removal of sanctions, the automotive industry has started to establish itself globally. This study will undertake a literature study of the application of competencies in the workplace, teams and team leaders and how competencies are applied in the ECMIC. The results of an empirical study into core competencies in the ECMIC will be used to elucidate a set of competencies which will be used to develop a strategy utilising the competency approach in team leaders in the ECMIC.
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- Date Issued: 2006
An analysis of the factors that influence effectiveness in information technology student project teams
- Authors: Patrellis, Yiota
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Information technology -- Management , Project management , Teams in the workplace , Organizational effectiveness
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech (Information Technology)
- Identifier: vital:10800 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/199 , Information technology -- Management , Project management , Teams in the workplace , Organizational effectiveness
- Description: More and more organizations are making use of teamwork. Effective teams are also important from an Information Technology (IT) perspective, since teamwork forms an integral part of all software development activities. It is therefore extremely important that IT students are able to work together as an effective team. These statements lead to the following questions – How can IT student project teams be effective and what obstacles need to be overcome in order to ensure effectiveness? This dissertation reports on an exploratory study of second and third year IT project teams and exposes factors that lead to ineffectiveness. Firstly, the problems experienced by the groups seem to have the largest detrimental effect on effective team functioning. Secondly, the project mark is also affected by the priority issue that is associated with the particular task. Thirdly, the issues of time management, communication, conflict management, compromise, social loafing and group cohesion also play an important role in team effectiveness. This dissertation sets out to prove that the key to "effectiveness" lies in empowering the student to deal with all possible dilemmas that may be faced when working in teams in the tertiary team situation. The benefits of these actions will hopefully lead to the realization of “effectiveness” in the tertiary team situation and ultimately, in the student’s work environment.
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- Date Issued: 2003
An evaluation of the interventions utilized by manufacturing organizations in the Eastern Cape to ensure the optimal implementation and functioning of self-directed work teams
- Authors: Mey, Michelle Ruth
- Date: 2001
- Subjects: Self-directed work teams , Teams in the workplace
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech (Human Resources Management)
- Identifier: vital:10870 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/61 , Self-directed work teams , Teams in the workplace
- Description: Organisations worldwide are attempting to increase individual job satisfaction, productivity and efficiency by implementing work teams. This research study evaluates the interventions considered necessary to optimally implement and maintain self-directed work teams (SDWTs). In order to complete this study it was necessary to address the characteristics associated with SDWTs, problems commonly experienced during implementation and functioning of SDWTs and the identification of the interventions used to promote the successful implementation and maintenance of SDWTs. These objectives were achieved by means of a comprehensive literature study. Subsequent to the literature study, a process model for the successful implementation and maintenance of a SDWT within a South African organization was developed. Thereafter, a questionnaire was developed based on the findings of the literature study and distributed to a randomly selected population. The objective of the questionnaire was to evaluate the interventions utilized during the implementation and maintenance of SDWTs. The results of the empirical study were statistically analysed and interpreted. Finally, conclusions and recommendations were made. The most important recommendations are as follows: Firstly, the trade union must be consulted and involved in the decision to implement SDWTs. Members of the team must be exposed to training interventions prior to the implementation of the SDWT. Thereafter, team members must undergo advanced training in interpersonal and problemsolving skills. Salary and reward structures within the organisation must be adapted to suit a teambased environment. Finally, the success of the SDWT will depend on the support provided by management. Management needs to exhibit total commitment to the change on a continuous basis.
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- Date Issued: 2001
Talking about teams within a team building context: a discourse analytic study
- Authors: Chapman-Blair, Sharon
- Date: 2001
- Subjects: Discourse analysis , Teams in the workplace
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2947 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002456 , Discourse analysis , Teams in the workplace
- Description: This research initiative responds to some of the issues raised by theoretical challenges leveled at Industrial Psychology (postmodernism), and practical challenges in the workplace (the use of teams) by investigating notions of what a team is via the postmodern methodology of discourse analysis. The research explores “team talk” – repertoires of speech employed by individuals to construct particular versions of “the team” for specific effects, of importance given emphasis placed on shared understanding, expectations and goals in a “team”. A Rhodes University Industrial Psychology Honours class required to work as a team (having participated in a team building exercise), as well as their lecturers who facilitated the team building process were interviewed to obtain “talk” to analyse. This uncovered a multiplicity of meaning, namely four ways of speaking about (constructing) the team. These repertoires are explored in terms of how they are constructed, how they differ across context and speakers, how they interrelate and what they function to achieve. The educational team repertoire constructs academic hierarchy, justifies individualism, positions members as experts and maintains distance from interpersonal processes. The machine repertoire divides work and interpersonal issues, regulates productivity and constructs team roles (defining individual activity and “team fit”), but is inflexible to change. The family repertoire voices emotive aspects to maintain cohesion via conformity, leaderlessness, group identity and shared achievement, but cannot accommodate conflict or workpersonal boundaries. The psychologised team repertoire constructs the team primarily as a therapeutic entity legitimately creating individual identities (and expertise) and facilitating personal growth, but this flounders when support in the “team” fails. Given that each repertoire has a different emphasis (reflective learning versus work processes versus building relationships versus personal growth), there are slippages / clashes between repertoires. This postmodern look at “the team” thus assists in recognizing and problematising these multiple meanings and identifying practical implications.
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- Date Issued: 2001
Development of a model of factors promoting team effectiveness in the automotive component industry
- Authors: Hutton, Timothy Strathearn
- Date: 2000
- Subjects: Teams in the workplace , Automobile industry and trade -- Management , Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:10833 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/24 , Teams in the workplace , Automobile industry and trade -- Management , Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa
- Description: The research problem addressed in this study was to determine what makes a work team successful. To achieve this objective a theoretical model of factors promoting team effectiveness was developed, using relevant literature in which models for team effectiveness are described. The theoretical model consisted of the following factors: Individual background factors; Facilitation; Team Factors; Synergy; Team effectiveness; Organisational factors. Each factor of the model was broken down into dimensions that were then analysed using literature identified during the literature study. The theoretical model was then used to develop a questionnaire to test the degree to which managers working for automotive component manufacturers in the Port Elizabeth /Uitenhage magisterial district and falling under Chapter III of the Bargaining Council for the Motor Industry concur. The empirical results obtained indicate a strong concurrence with the theoretical model of factors promoting team effectiveness that was developed in the study. This resulted in the theoretical model being confirmed and being accepted as a model of factors promoting team effectiveness.
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- Date Issued: 2000