Teamwork and Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Teamwork and Leadership - Essay Example It focuses on leadership of the support staff and teamwork involved. It further explores leadership theories in relation to the role played by the support staff in a SEN school setting. The paper suggests a plan that can be used at the workplace to influence improved strategies, approaches and policies for managing teams and groups in an organization. Finally, offers the conclusion and recommendations to the SEN team on how to improve overall management performance. HRM Theory Human resource management refers to the way in which employees’ efforts are managed. HRM conveys a wider and dynamic approach concerning the role of employee management in organizations as stated by Bratton and Gold (2001). However, this term has different meanings in varying organizations and contexts. HRM takes into account the needs of the organization and those of its people. Different employees in a team have individual aspirations and needs. It involves finding out their needs and creating opportun ities where they can develop. In general, HRM relates to all aspects of how an organization relates to its staff in regards to teamwork, training, development and opportunities. This paper focuses on the HRM theory in the education sector. The concept is different in the education sector as it focuses on performance, effectiveness and success (Earley et al. 2004; Stakes and Homby 2000; Nind et al. 2003). Provision of high quality education in SEN schools is dependent on the quality of work put in place. There are two HRM models that can be used to describe the HRM theory which are, commitment based HRM and control based HRM. Commitment based HRM This model is described as a working situation where there is teamwork and shared goals and beliefs (Bratton and Gold 2001). In this case the job is designed for joint implementation and planning (teamwork). Employees work to achieve common goals and objectives. Problems are solved mutually by consulting all the team members. Fulfilment of t he employees’ needs is mandatory. There are effective channels of communication among different staff levels (Lewis and Norwich 2004). This model is contradictory to the current situation in the school. Control- based HRM This model suits best as the leader handles most of responsibility on their own. The management can be described as top- down coordination (Bratton and Gold 2001). There is sub- division of work and each employee is given a specific responsibility and is held accountable for it. Compensation is based on the work done, job evaluation, incentives and appraisal. The management dictates what should be done and the other members of staff are excluded in the decision making process. Strengths and weaknesses of HRM HRM is applicable in the case study as it involves the relationship between the management and employees. It focuses on the needs of the employees and the inclusion of all the members of staff in the decision making process. This approach has several wea knesses since it is business oriented. It is influenced by business policies including competitive advantage whereas schools aim at achieving improved performance and quality improvement in education. Analysis of leadership The concept of leadership within the schools means that the managers are responsible for the work done by others (Gibson 2001). For them be successful, they have to effectively carry out their roles and responsibilities. The major roles played by leaders are, monitoring, supervising and implementation of the