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Basic Management Styles: Team Player

© Lincoln Bittner

To be an effective manager, you need to understand the basic styles of management, and when they are or are not appropriate. What follows is one of the most common styles of management, and when it is appropriate to use this style.

A team player is someone who is comfortable working with a group of people who are working together to accomplish a common goal. This style of manager is capable of making those around them forget that they are a manager. This manager is adept at combining the skills and ideas of his/her coworkers together to accomplish a task without anyone realizing that this is what has been done. To be a true 'team player', a manager must enjoy the trust and respect of the people that they work with. Remember that it is not a manager's job to direct others, as much as it is a manager's job to support those who perform the functions of business. Remember that management is the art of accomplishing a task by facilitating the needs others.

Mark worked in a factory making metal parts. He did his job well, and he got along well with the people in his department. Something puzzled management about him though, and they began to ask questions. Every time a manager would look for Mark, he was in another area doing something for someone else. It appeared that he was not doing his own work, and this concerned management. After all, Mark had not made any comments to his managers about any problems. The whole situation did not make sense to his managers, because the work from his station was always delivered to the next processing station on time.

As management started to investigate, they found that the reason Mark was always in different work stations was because he was helping that employee figure out how to do something, or he was fixing a small problem. The more they investigated Mark, the more they found that everyone liked and respected him. They really appreciated his help.

Finally Mark's manager approached him. He asked him what was going on. "Nothing special", Mark said. "They just needed some help, and I was available."

After watching Mark set up his machine, the manager discovered that Mark had found a more efficient way to feed the materials into the machine. It required less intervention by him, which left him some free time. He was using that free time to help the others in his department set up their machines to operate in a way that best fit each persons skills. This was the reason he was so well liked. Mark was making their jobs easier, and wasn't telling anybody about what he was doing.