Planning for a winning team

The Times ‘Ideas at Work’ section has a feature today about how to build a winning team in business. The first point questions whether you actually need a team, or simply a group of individuals working on separate tasks but reporting to the same supervisor. On the assumption that the business needs something a bit more than that, much of the advice centres on long term strategic planning, which should be a central part of human resource management – allowing time for team dynamics and bonding to evolve, having a team which is small enough to be co-ordinated and setting clearly defined roles with a decisive leader. There are two vital aspects of recruitment that reflect points made by Mike Southon, the Beermat Entrepreneur, at last week’s Business Studies National Teacher Conference; getting a mix of people and talents rather than several matching talents, and bringing in a ‘deviant’ – someone who is prepared to take a different view and question the normal status quo, but without acting as a ‘team destroyer’. To quote Lynda Gratton, Professor of Management Practice at London Business School, “You want people to challenge each other, but you don’t want winners and losers — people stop talking to each other.”

BUSS4 - a clash of culture and a failed takeover [24 May 2012]
Revision Presentation - Recruitment & Selection [17 May 2012]
Simple solutions to everyday problems - Spanx [11 Mar 2012]
Twitter recruitment video - so bad it’s good? [22 Feb 2012]
A light-hearted look at induction training [6 Feb 2012]
Leadership - what qualities does an effective leader and manager have? [29 Jan 2012]
The cost of recruitment [3 Jan 2012]
BUSS3 Quiz on Human Resource Strategies [28 Dec 2011]
Investment in People - Google and Human Capital [26 Dec 2011]
Characteristics of an entrepreneur - Fil Adams-Mercer [13 Dec 2011]
The Rise and Fall and Rise of Gerald Ratner [27 Nov 2011]
Recruitment Law - Don’t get caught on the hop [21 Nov 2011]
How we made our millions: Michelle Mone and Richard Reed under the spotlight [10 Nov 2011]
Brilliant Video for Just in Time and Kaizen [4 Nov 2011]
Lets Teach Kids to be Entrepreneurs [3 Nov 2011]
How PepsiCo are trying to control diseconomies of scale [18 Oct 2011]
Applying for a Franchise [6 Oct 2011]
Revision Presentation - Risks and Rewards to Enterprise [7 Sep 2011]
Revision Presentation - Objectives of New Businesses [6 Sep 2011]
Revision Presentation - Enterprise Skills [6 Sep 2011]
Insights from an Entrepreneur - Lara Morgan (Pacific Direct) [5 Sep 2011]
Debunking the myths of entrepreneurs and startups - a must read [28 Aug 2011]
Corporate culture meets recruitment [28 Aug 2011]
Entrepreneurs and Calculated Risks [25 Aug 2011]
Tim Harford on why it its good for new businesses to fail [16 Jul 2011]
Leaders’ Weaknesses [4 Jul 2011]
Recruitment challenges from the skills gap [25 May 2011]
Private v Public Sector - A Clash of Two Cultures? [20 Apr 2011]
Michael Porter - Shared Value and the Limitations of CSR [15 Feb 2011]
How technology is changing the recruitment process [17 Jan 2011]
Insights from an Entrepreneur - Kirsty Henshaw (Worthenshaws) [8 Jan 2011]
From crisps to vodka - a profile of a down-to-earth entrepreneur [7 Jan 2011]
Introducing the “austerity” entrepreneurs [4 Jan 2011]
Bangers for Cash - Giveacar and Social Enterprise [4 Jan 2011]
Celebrating the Everyday Entrepreneurs [29 Dec 2010]
BUSS1 Revision Quiz - Employing People [14 Dec 2010]
BUSS1 Revision Quiz - Sources of Finance for a Startup [13 Dec 2010]
Start-ups - a surge in new businesses post recession [2 Nov 2010]
Hilary Devey - Profile of an Inspirational Entrepreneur [22 Oct 2010]
How to start a toy shop [12 Oct 2010]
Insights from an Entrepreneur - Laura Tenison (JoJo Maman Bebe) [11 Oct 2010]
Insights from an Entrepreneur - Fraser Doherty (SuperJam) [10 Oct 2010]
Insights from an Entrepreneur - Will King (CEO King of Shaves) [10 Oct 2010]
The business cost of labour turnover [7 Oct 2010]
Business structure in the UK - the rise of micro companies [21 Sep 2010]
Why we should encourage our students to start a business at university [1 Sep 2010]
Lesson Worksheet - Enterprise & Entrepreneurs [9 Aug 2010]
Essential business reading for the summer! [5 Aug 2010]
Entrepreneurs LIVE! 2010 - THE Enterprise Event for Students in 2010 [1 Jul 2010]
New BBC Resource: Start Up Stories [25 Jun 2010]
BUSS4 - Recession Strategy Lessons from Four Female Entrepreneurs [6 Jun 2010]
Rajeeb Dey to Speak at the 2010 Business Teacher National Conference [3 Jun 2010]
Managing People - Will Staff Turnover Increase as the UK Emerges from the Recession [2 Jun 2010]
The Dark Side of the iPad and iPhone? [26 May 2010]
British vodka beats the world! [19 May 2010]
Airlines founder plans a shareholder revolt [16 May 2010]
Build a Tower - Build a Team [22 Apr 2010]
How to make a million before lunch! [12 Apr 2010]
Recession Survival Strategies Cost UK SMEs £16bn [31 Mar 2010]
Entrepreneurial success - Cath Kidston bucks the recession [25 Feb 2010]
Money as a motivator in social work? [20 Feb 2010]
Managing a recruitment business through the recession [16 Feb 2010]
Leadership sets the culture for a thriving retail brand [31 Jan 2010]
Can bluetooth replace recruitment agencies in the battle to find job applicants [18 Jan 2010]
OECD stats on entrepreneurship [11 Jan 2010]
HR manager sentenced for lying about qualifications: useful recruitment and selection resource [6 Jan 2010]
Revision Presentation - Recruitment for a New Business [30 Dec 2009]
School for Santas [7 Nov 2009]
Q&A - What is Leadership? [30 Oct 2009]
A Recruitment Classic - Job Interviewing the David Brent Way [28 Oct 2009]
Entrepreneur takes advantage of the postal strike [24 Oct 2009]
4 minutes with Stelios - insights into entrepreneurship [24 Oct 2009]
The gentle touch in city finance [14 Oct 2009]
HRM - should we mourn the demise of the HR department? [5 Oct 2009]
V-Water - from start up to exit [4 Oct 2009]
How to be a top UK HR Director [1 Oct 2009]
Meet the Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2009 [30 Sep 2009]
Emma Jones to speak at the Business Teacher National Conference 2010 [30 Sep 2009]
Born in the Storm - 4 Start-ups One Year On [16 Sep 2009]
Is a recession the perfect time to launch a technology start-up? [14 Sep 2009]
Icing on the cake for entrepreneurs [13 Sep 2009]
The Changing Face of Human Resources [11 Sep 2009]
Patent Theft threatens enterprising inventors [3 Sep 2009]
Third Age Entrepreneurs drive start-up successes [1 Sep 2009]
Video case study: battling for survival in the restaurant trade [31 Aug 2009]
Picking from a growing pool of job hunters [19 Aug 2009]
Banks lend more and charge more at the same time [3 Aug 2009]
Recruitment & selection gets scary [27 Jul 2009]
How to improve profitability? - give customers a “staff appraisal” [12 Jul 2009]
Coffee Republic struggles with the daily grind [6 Jul 2009]
Entrepreneurial Brothers in Arms - The Egos Have Landed [6 Jul 2009]
Job applications please - but no more than 160 letters long… [6 Jul 2009]
Introducing Teen-Trepreneur [22 Jun 2009]
Can Paid Staff Be Entrepreneurs? [22 Jun 2009]
Situations Vacant - Apprentice Supervisor [10 Jun 2009]
Apprentice Stars Lack Entrepreneurial Spirit [4 Jun 2009]
Mike Southon at the Business Teacher National Conference - Friday 19 June 2009 [4 Jun 2009]
Do The Dragons Get It Right? [1 Jun 2009]
From crisps to vodka - what else can you make from potatoes? [31 May 2009]
The Dragons got this one badly wrong - the entrepreneur that got away [29 May 2009]

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