Group leader
A group leader is a manager who is supposed to lead a definable group of people ("team") to success. He is also known as the team leader . Working groups and youth groups, but also quality circles , project groups and value analysis groups can be named as groups of people. The leader of a group is appointed to lead the team by those responsible and is responsible for the successful handling of the group processes . He is responsible for the fulfillment of the set goals within the guidelines of the framework organization and is equipped with the competencies to enforce the orders. This distinguishes him from the informal group leader who z. B. represents the informal interests of the team as a group speaker. His main job is to coordinate the individual skills of his team members so that they do justice to their tasks.
In companies, the team leader is usually subordinate to a main group leader or department head or division manager and thus subordinate to a manager .
Professional functions
In business and in public administration , group leaders have very different professional functions depending on their designation, subordinate relationships or fields of activity , as the following examples show:
- In the public service , group leaders - also called departmental group leaders - perform public functions at the federal, state and local levels or at other institutions. In the organizational hierarchy there are e.g. B. the subject area and the unit / department under the group leader; the department head and the department head or the head / managing director are above the group leader.
- In the area of justice , the group leaders deal with legal issues. At the public prosecutor's office there is the group leader as the official title . He can act here as the deputy head of department ( senior public prosecutor ).
- In industry , the term group leader is represented in many areas, for example in the materials area as a leader of material groups, in the production area as a foreman , in the marketing area as a sales group leader and in the administration area as an office manager. In the hierarchy, the department head, the main department head and the company manager are above the group leader.
- In the service sector , we find the group leader primarily in insurance , the call center , in the context of social work , curative education and curative education care . In youth work , the group leader is mostly an older youth who is involved in voluntary work. In the case of a management function within a youth association , the youth leader is spoken, who reports to a department head or the head of the association.
tasks
The tasks of a group leader are usually diverse and can be very different depending on the responsibility. The central point is usually the execution of decisions by the responsible persons at higher management levels as well as the definition of goals for the team within this framework, including the communication of goals and the examination of what has been achieved, the planning of group tasks and delegation of tasks, the making and implementation of routine decisions, the maintenance of the workflow and the elimination of disruptions in the workflow.
A group leader can also control the use of resources, develop advertising concepts, create and evaluate analyzes, take certain quality assurance measures, perform special organizational tasks, take on activities in sales and human resources and carry out creditworthiness and risk assessments.
In summary, the management activities of a group leader consist of designing, organizing (e.g. setting up an appropriate organizational structure, creating an appropriate working environment and ensuring resources), realizing (e.g. supporting the group, delegating to task holders, the flow of information ensure, manage the performance of the group and define the degree of autonomy) and control the achieved group results.
With regard to personnel management, the main task can be seen as the goal of making the best possible use of the potential of the individual team members. A transparent (i.e. also communication-intensive) and cooperative management style that relies heavily on the problem-solving skills of the employees is considered to be contemporary.
Often the " motivation of employees" is given as the task of a team leader. This is misleading, as extrinsic motivation does not work in the long term and therefore cannot be implemented by a team leader.
Team building
The so-called “team building” (also “team building”; from English “team building” (literally “team building”)) is essential for team management . H. forming the team as an effectively and efficiently collaborative community. For this, the play guidance and promotion of group members (see also mentoring ) and the handling of conflicts a major role. Team leaders usually also lead team meetings. Overall, however, as a rule, they do not see themselves as completely separate from the rest of the team, so it is not uncommon for them to take part in team meetings as a comparatively equal member. In addition, they usually represent the interests of the team and, if necessary, individual team members within the organization.
Individual evidence
- ↑ HKE Wahren: Group and team work in the company.
- ^ HJ Rahn: Successful team leadership. 6th edition. Hamburg 2010, p. 39 f.
- ^ WH Staehle: Management. 8th edition. Munich 1999, p. 323 f.
- ↑ K. Lumma, Die Teamfibel , Hamburg 2006, p. 17
- ^ HJ Rahn: corporate management. 8th edition. Herne 2012, p. 142 ff.
- ↑ S. Pietruschka: leadership itself regulated labor groups. Munich / Mering 2003, p. 34 ff.
- ↑ a b c Ralph Frenzel: The first time boss , Rudolf Haufe Verlag, 2007
- ^ K. Wurst, M. Högl: leadership activities in the team. A theoretical approach to conceptualization. In: HG Gemünden, M. Högl (Hrsg.): Management of teams. 2nd Edition. Wiesbaden 2001, pp. 168-180.
literature
- Ralph Frenzel: Boss for the first time . Rudolf Haufe, 2007.
- I. Klein: Lead groups without fear. 12., revised. and additional edition. Donauwörth 2011, ISBN 978-3-403-03401-8 .
- U. Müller: This is how you lead a team to success. Offenbach 2010, ISBN 978-3-86936-065-2 .
- Horst-Joachim Rahn: Successful team leadership . 6th edition, Hamburg 2010.
- Ansfried B. Weinert: Organizational and Personal Psychology . 5th edition, Weinheim / Basel 2004.
