W1_Folakemi_Tuckman Analysis Assignment

1.      Problem recognition, definition and evaluation

Bistro 12 group (Nigeria AACE Preparatory Group Run 4 2013) is a team of 26 people, established with a team governance agreement and two key objectives. The objectives of the team are to pass at least one (1) AACE examination and also to implement the new skills acquired during the learning process in our daily work. The team has just been established during the face to face workshops held from 22 to 26 October 2012. This write up seeks to answer the question: Which leadership style is appropriate for the Tuckman stage that Bistro 12 is in? A questionnaire based on Tuckman’s four stages of team development was completed in order to identify Bistro 12’s stage of development. My perception of the team, based on this questionnaire, is that we are currently in the Performing stage.

 

2.      Development of the feasible alternatives

Various perspectives of leadership and leadership styles have been proposed by researchers over the years. This includes the following:

 

3.      Development of the outcomes

For the purpose of identifying the leadership style that best fits the Bistro 12 Team, I will focus on Likert’s four systems of leadership and the Situational Leadership theory of Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard. These two theories are selected based on the fact that it is easier to relate them to a project team and Bistro 12 is a project team.

 

4.      Analysis and comparison of the alternatives

5.      Selection of the preferred alternative

Leadership style contributes a lot to how easily and how quickly a team can move from one Tuckman stage of development to another. In addition to this, different leadership styles may be required for the different Tuckman stages, this is the underlying theory of Situational Leadership. Based on the analysis done in Section 4 above the leadership style required for each stage of team development are as follows:

The recommended leadership style for Bistro 12 at the performing stage is Likert’s Democratic leadership style or Hersey and Blanchard’s Participating style. However, just as the Situational Leadership model suggests, different leadership styles may be required for different situations faced by the team, therefore the other leadership styles may also be used as required.

6.      Performance Monitoring & Post Evaluation of Result

The effectiveness of the team’s leadership will be evident as different decision making situations arise. The performance of the team each week will reflect the level of effectiveness of the team’s leadership.

7.      References

Andrzej A. H. and David A. B. (2007)

Folakemi Fadahunsi. Leadership and Business Success in Nigeria (MBA Project)

Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing: Helping New Teams Perform Effectively, Quickly. Retrieved from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_86.htm

Geof Lory. Project Parenthood: Leadership Style through the Team Stages. Retrieved from http://www.projectconnections.com/articles/032905-glory.html