Cross-Functional Teams

No man is an island. This phrase has always been a fact for everybody. Yes, it is very true that we need someone in order to live in this world. In our work, even in our daily activities, we depend on each other to be able to go through life’s challenges. Teamwork, for example in a basketball team is very crucial for the team to bring home the trophy. This is as well true in all the departments of a company or in a group inside a class or even with members of an organization. Without teamwork, there will be no transparency of success or peacefulness in an organization.

If the members of the team tend to cease functioning because of some problems inside the organization, then the team or the organization little by little will cease also to function. Problems start to arise when team members stop to cooperate or communicate with each other. In order to conquer the obstacles in a team, there should always be ‘oneness’ among the team members. An apparent objective that is understood by all the team members should be the first thing to consider (Hollander et al, 1994).

With an apparent objective, the team members are able to function normally since they all know what they are working for, even though individual differences always exist. Some skills like leadership and responsibility should also be present not only to team leaders but to all the team members in order for the team to be smooth sailing. Without leadership as well as responsibility, the team members would not be able to learn from each other because they will only be expecting the leader to lead and be responsible in all the works to be done.

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Cooperation is also an important thing associated with leadership and responsibility. All the team members should be responsible in all the actions that they have done. Strong bond of friendship should also be present in all team members so that they will learn to accept their teammates for better or for worse. “Cross-Functional Teams” Page # 2 Winners, as we all know always bring home the title or the prize. A very organized team work has a high tendency to be the winners. Rewards are then given by the management to the team that has conquered the battle.

The problem sometimes is the management of a certain company or organization individualized the giving of rewards. They always pick the best player or the best person in the team though the load of work is not solely done by the chosen best player. Without team work, there is no best player because for me, in a team, everyone is considered the best player since they had done everything to succeed. So, giving individual rewards inside a team is a no-no for the welfare of the team. When giving a reward, the team should always be considered as one.

Reward systems need not to be money nowadays; it could be a flexible schedule or maybe an extra day-off to a work (Hollander et al. , 1994) Cross-functional team concept applied in a health care organization is I think will very useful for the welfare of the organization. The concept is used to solve problems inside an organization and this really help in building understanding, enhancing problem-solving abilities, creating an open communication between members and most importantly, there is an improved quality and productivity (Proehl, 1997).

This could be very useful since everybody’s thoughts and ideas will be considered in solving the problems that will arise. Leadership, intense cooperation and an open communication from all the team members in the all the areas of the hospital organization is expected since cross-functional team is a crucial thing to include in the management of the organization. The success of the implementation of a cross-functional team in a health care organization lies in the hand of all the employees inside the hospital not only in team leaders alone because one can’t call success a success if cooperation and sharing of ideas was not observed.

A man alone can’t run a hospital care organization by himself, meaning, he needs some people to help him manage the hospital. That is the reason why mixed ideas sometimes end up in a bright one because two or more heads are better than one. Cross-functional team is really a benefit when implemented by the right people in the right place. References: Appelbaum, S. H. & Gonzalo, F. (2007). Effectiveness and Dynamics of Cross-Functional Teams: A Case Study of Northerntranspo Ltd. Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge Hollywood. Vol. 10, Iss. 2; pg. 36, 9 pgs De Dreu, C K. W. (2007).

Cooperative Outcome Interdependence, Task Reflexivity, and Team Effectiveness: A Motivated Information Processing Perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology Vol. 92, No. 3, 628–638 Gezell, I. (2006). Tools for transformation: Improving team performance through improvisation theater theory and techniques. The Journal for Quality and Participation. Cincinnati: Vol. 29, Iss. 3; pg. 14, 6 pgs. Hanlan, M. (2004). High performance teams: How to make them work. Westport, CT : Praeger Hollander, S. F. , Gunderson, L. & Mechanic, J. (1994). Process improvements boost patient satisfaction and quality at Stanford University Hospital.

Costumer Inspired Quality Healthcare Operational Improvement. Retrieved June 01, 2007 from http://www. shawresources. com/artstanford. htm Melton, J. (2003). When teams work best: Book reviews- When teams work best (book) Business Communication Quarterly, Vol. 66 Proehl, R. A. (1997). Enhancing the effectiveness of cross-functional teams. Team Performance Management. Volume: 3 Issue: 3 Page: 137 – 149. MCB UP Ltd. Retrieved June 01, 2007 from http://www. emeraldinsight. com/Insight/viewContentItem. do;jsessionid=EB7903539AF9051C5607177D952F2EDA? contentType=Article&hdAction=ln

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