Promoting Team Effectiveness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Promoting Team Effectiveness - Essay Example Individual conflicts tend to be about personality differences in terms of preference, likes and dislikes, background and so on. These differences are natural and can be a double edged sword. If not managed properly the individual differences lead to team conflicts. Team conflict is characterized by constant disagreements, mistrust among team members, and formation of cliques which act against each other and so on. A case of individual conflict is a situation at the workplace whereby two ladies in a team fail to get along because they share affections for a fellow male colleague. In such a case this problem is purely individual. An example of team conflict is whereby members disagree about the sharing of responsibilities and work in the team. In such a case the problems emanate from the issues that are team related Decision making in a team can be difficult because it may be hard to reach a compromise whereby everyone in the team feels satisfied and like a winner. Additionally, selfish interests among team members may inhibit smooth decision making. However, in contrast, a team leader may experience problem of indifference or disinterest among team members in the area of decision making so that the leader feels disserted when making decisions. Further, a decision affecting team affairs may need to be discussed among team members and welcome their input on the matter which in turn complicates decision making. More often than not these problems of decision making stem from unclear team goals and vision, confusion over who has the final say, unwillingness to take responsibility, selfish interests among other reasons. As a leader, it is important to ensure that these issues do not extend to the point of breaking team spirit which takes so long to build. For example the problem of team members purs ing individual interests first may be resolved by elevating the team's common goal and urging members to realize that the team is bigger than their individual goals. The problem of disinterest or indifferentness in the process of decision making can be conquered by delegating duties more to team members such that they feel more competent to contribute ideas. Perhaps the problem may be that members do not feel valued in the team in which case the atmosphere within the team should change to be accommodating. Question 4 Participation is a strong aspect that attributes to effective teams. Some of the benefits of participation include greater performance/output, efficiency and effectiveness, cohesiveness, growth, innovation and so on. Given the crucial benefits of participation team leaders can devise various methods in order to stimulate/enhance participation, for instance at the workplace a manager may use delegation as a way of promoting participation. Where delegation is made part of the work culture then individuals are forced to step up beyond their comfort zones and participate in team activities. A manager may also reward system to members who show active participation in team activities so that others are enticed to participate too. Importantly, a warm atmosphere and trust in the workplace needs to be nurtured so that team members feel free and uninhibited to participate in activities. Criticisms, gossip and self centeredness should be kept at bay. Communication is also key in fostering parti cipation in the workplace. A team leader should be able to communicate to

Causes and Effects on the High Cost of Health Care Essay

Causes and Effects on the High Cost of Health Care - Essay Example The death rates are falling. There are less barbaric wars and more peace in the world at large. People are now living longer. There are many reasons for this the first being that most people are more mindful of health and wholesome living and are therefore, spending a larger share of income on health care. People are now turning towards healthful products that low fat, zero calories, no sugar added etc. An average individual now takes out more time for exercising, walking and other sports. Many people have reduced smoking after learning about the risks associated with it In developed countries medical insurance takes care of much of health care expenses. However, critics argue that there is an ever-growing number of people (especially Americans) who are overweight or even obese, which may breed physical disorders and afflictions and finally acquire medical attention. Therefore demands in growing at a faster pace than supply of medical services. These and many more reasons have increased life expectancy overall. When people live longer, they put a greater burden on health care services. Apart from this high population growth rates also contribute as a load on such services. Therefore, governments and private health care providers are left with no option but to increase their fees, costs of drugs and other health related expenses. Moreover, a lot of investment is being made in this sector. ... EFFECTS Perhaps the biggest effect of expensive health care services is that many people will use home made remedies for diseases and avoid going to doctors who would prescribe expensive drugs and ask for costly medical tests to be performed first. In years to come this might show as an increase in death rates. In third world countries (including many African states) there is high infant mortality. Many of the countries with the lowest life expectancies, namely Swaziland, Botswana, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, South Africa, Central African Republic, Namibia, and Guinea-Bissau, are suffering from very high rates of HIV/AIDS infection, with adult prevalence rates ranging from 10 to 38 percent. The residents of poor countries will continue to suffer. As a result, corruption will increase. Existing health care practitioners may not wish to offer their services to anyone who does not pay the prescribed amount. Less qualified individuals with little or no experience might get more patients as their fees would be less. This will lead to an extremely inefficient health care system, with more people falling sick. CONCLUSION For the thousands of years of humankind's existence, lifespans were short and rough. It is only within the last hundred years that life expectancy at birth has risen substantially. The world's average life expectancy at birth was 45years in 1950 which rose to 61 years by 1980 and currently it is 67years. This shows that as people are living longer, the demand for health care is rising. This demand is by far exceeding the supply in many countries of the world, making health care too expensive for most people. High costs of health care will affect