RUNNING HEAD: LEADERSHIP TEAMING AND COLLABORATION 1

Municipal Leadership Teaming and Collaboration

Diana Householder (Student #522906)

Siena Heights University Graduate College

9-26-2017
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Team Leadership

The importance of team leadership, in coexistence with team building as an approach

utilized to increase productivity and work quality, can be viewed in terms of Aesops adage in

union there is strength. Teams are described as interconnected work groups with common or

defined goals, which foster effective decision making quickly and efficiently (Rogers, 2011).

The organizations of today are comprised of several layers of leadership who are responsible for

maintaining company vision, and attaining efficient and effective organizational performance.

Senior leaders, Rogers, (2011) fashion the vision of the organization to establish the direction by

developing strategic goals and initiatives to further the companys objectives. Through proper

leadership implementation and direction, team building, can lay stable foundations through

learning and understanding. Therefore, fostering affability and compliance which can be utilized

in all areas of life.

Collaboration

Communication and trust pave the way in building collaborative partnerships, coming

together productively to achieve like goals. Organizational and employee relationships have been

the focus of much research and the relationship between opportunity and satisfaction rely on the

state of the individuals current situation; as such there is variance in situations dependent on

anticipation and motivation (Aram, Morgan, & Esbeck, 1971).

Accountability in organizations starts with the proper leadership. Thus, accountability in

relation to the aspect of teaming is about taking ownership as a team, the team objectives,

commitment to achievement of these objectives, and feeling personally responsible for the

contributions as a whole. It is the Leaders who are looked to for taking the lead, setting the

example, and play an imperative role in the team dynamics. When team members are filled with
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a sense of accountability there is less turmoil within the team. A cohesive team which has a

strong sense of accountability has much more clarity. The ability to collaborate efficiently to

accomplish much more begins with skilled leadership. One can also conclude that a strong

positive association between group collaboration and organizational performance remains to be

demonstrated (Aram, et al, 1971).

Teams and Collaboration

Teaming is about learning and understanding through collaboration. Whereas, learning is

about gaining in understanding, and understanding is about gaining knowledge and not placing

importance on being right or wrong. Learning is about understanding and when we can learn

through the utilization of teams we can help to broaden perspectives. Teaming opens

opportunities to bounce ideas off of one another as well as discuss projects entirely and is about

building a sense of camaraderie amongst coworkers. According to Griffith and Sawyer (2010)

team performance involves complex interactions among individuals and integration of their

unique skills (p. 1008). Collaboration through teaming is an important component in achieving

exceptional results.

Modern organizations establish team work groups with a strategy of generating synergy

from within which expands to without, therefore, positively effecting the company as a whole.

Such work groups with the proper leadership have the ability to produce team output which is

much greater than the output of the independent worker (Walker, 2006). Moreover, teams are

typically a highly focused set of employees who have roles geared towards achieving specific

goals for the organization. When there is cohesiveness in a team, any problems encountered and

the solutions are as a group, not the individual which helps bring their projects into fruition in a

timely manner (Marks, DeChurch, Mathieu, Panzer, & Alonzo, 2005).

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Learning with teams is a creative process in which an ability to view perspectives through

another set of eyes which leads to seeing things from a different angle. Additionally, change of

perspective helps build a sense of comradery (Marks, et al, 2005). Such learning applies to the

whole and whether this is responding to customers faster, initiating new features smoothly, or

changing up internal processes for better communication, learning is the catalyst. The effect of

learning creates strong foundations which touches every aspect of the organization (Griffeth &

Sawyer, 2010).

Collaborative partnerships, Kayser, (2011) necessitate compliance in order to achieve

common or shared goals. Therefore, accountability in a collaborative alliance is the result of the

effort put forth from teammates who have an understanding gained through learning of being

responsible, being committed to shared goals and in finding solutions together in order to

achieve them (Kayser, 2011).

Kayser, (2011) describes six ingredients for collaborative partnerships which he has

broken down into two natural and simple groups, which are behavioral and structural ingredients.

Kayser, (2011) describes these six ingredients as a fundamental element of collaborative

partnerships as all ingredients combined support one another thus realizing a collaborative

aptitude. A great example of collaboration in action is the City and Township Municipalities of

Watervliet Michigan.

Municipal Teaming & Collaboration

Watervliet Michigan

History. Watervliet Michigan, which is nestled on the Paw Paw River and Paw Paw Lake

was established in 1833 upon the building of a sawmill. This sawmill eventually expanded to a

paper mill in 1892, and would serve as the towns main industry for the next one hundred years.
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As the timber industry began to decline, farming became the next big industry, shipping

thousands of barrels of apples and peaches to the markets in Chicago from the downtown

Watervliet train depot. As the Watervliet economy grew it also became a popular hot spot for

tourists. The citys downtown was filled with visitors on their way to hotels, camps and cottages

on the revered Paw Paw Lake. The community thrived as its close proximity to the Lake

Michigan shoreline, and accessibility to railroads gave it the perfect opportunity to grow into a

resort destination.

Unfortunately, with changing times and the decline of the timber business, which was the

staple industry of Watervliet closed its doors in 1994 for good. The Watervliet paper mill was

finally demolished in 2002 as a collaborative partnership between the city and Township of

Watervliet, the Coloma-Watervliet Area Economic Development Corp., the Berrien County

Economic Development Department and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

(Stevens, 2011). Along with the downturn of the economy in 2007 Watervliet began a

progressive economic decline. Community leaders struggled with finding solutions to its lagging

economy as business after business closed their doors in the quaint little downtown.

Leadership. Municipal governments such as Townships and Citys generally govern

within their own established charters, yet on a certain level must also function as a unit with the

entire communitys best interest in mind. They must be able to collaborate and unify working as

a team as well as collaborating with other teams that have been established with specific criteria

and certain goals for the enhancement of the community at large. To contend with additional

services needed for local business interests and community development, municipalities can, and

often do establish specialized committees with specific goals, such as a downtown development

authority or an arts advisory committee.

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Active Collaboration. In the history of the City and the Township of Watervliet there

has been, and continues to be an affable collaborative partnering which on this large a level

requires an immense amount of teaming. Such teaming brings forth the best possible solution

from all parties to benefit the community as a whole. A recent example is a unification and

collaboration on the restoration of a skateboard park in the city yet is utilized by the youth of the

entire community. Originally the establishment of the park was funded by a state grant obtained

by the city. Over the course of time and the result of shoddy construction the recreational park

fell into disrepair, thus the decision had to be made whether to repair or demolish the skateboard

park. One huge problem faced by the city was if the park were demolished all of the grant money

utilized to build the park would have to be paid back therefore it was decided that it would be

more sensible to seek a collaborative effort in gaining the funding needed to repair the park.

When it comes to large scale projects, such as this both the collaborative ingredients and

collaborative action benefit the project when put into place. The community witnessed the

positive teaming collaborative effort of the leaders, the committees and the community as a

whole which produced collaborative effort at its best in teaming and decision making. Now,

three months later the newly refurbished skateboard park is complete and being utilized by the

youth of the community. This type of teaming between parties, which do not always agree when

it comes to various external factors convey when goals are communicated properly the

collaborative ingredients can be utilized for effective teaming. Interdependence and

complementary skills go hand-in-hand (Kayser, 2011, p. 52).

Behavioral Ingredients. Understanding how municipal governments function and

interact with each other is essential to understanding in order for the effort for reforms of any

type to be made which will make a difference. The elected body and the administration must
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have a clear and high degree of understanding of their different roles, and the fact that these

operate within a chain of command system. Character of the individuals and the integrity of the

team, Kayser (2011) is important due to the relationship between council and the administration

being complex and fragile, and requires commitment from both sides to make it work. It

also requires tenacity, a and a strong will. The team of leaders must utilize listening and proper

communication skills to work through the more complex and difficult issues as well as the many

smaller or even trivial matters which can and do arise.

Structural Ingredients. In the local government organizations of Watervliet there is a

sense of collaborative leadership which inspires and brings about change through cooperation

across diverse stakeholders. The leaders of the community intentionally engage the community,

departments and businesses outside of their immediate influence. Furthermore, sharing of goals

and visions in anticipation of the same outcome to benefit the community as a whole.

Officials deeply committed to withhold a sense of transparency operate from a level of

accountability as without such principles democracy is obsolete (Rogers, 2011).

The municipal governing bodies are diverse and bring with them an incredible amount of

talent. The sharing of each leaders attributes and skill set pushes forth progress in common goals

within the operations of a municipal government which also extends out into the community.

Finally, in teaming emotional intelligence is an important skill for people to have, as this is the

ability one has to relate to others. The capability to recognize ones own and other

people's emotions, in combination with the ability to discern between different feelings and label

them appropriately. A sense of self-awareness is what guides thinking and behavior which also

enables adaptation to environments, ultimately establishing a sense of trust and group identity

(Marks, et al, 2005).

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Symbiotic engagement. Partnership studies indicate that reducing competitive tensions

in teams and/or collaborations are more likely to end in success by focusing on the pertinent

initiatives at hand (Davis, & Eisenhardt, 2011). Moreover, creating a synergetic focus on the

pertinent matters at hand can also increase innovation, and can develop a symbiotic relationship

to coexist between mutually adaptive partnerships (Royden, 2016). Creating the right climate

within a team initiative can create the proper conditions for collaborative success. If

municipalities collaborate such as the township and the city of Watervliet, and continue with

efforts and progress in collaborative initiatives the positive results will resound throughout the

community. It is these types of teamwork and collaborations which operate efficiently and

synergistically that provide positive role models and elicit a brighter future for a once struggling

small town.

Conclusion

Collaborations, such as have been referenced between the municipalities described have

the ability to branch out and broaden their vison in order to reach farther. Therefore, blazing new

trails by utilizing their abilities effectively to produce positive results on a much larger scale.

Such partnering stands to increase their potential in the collaborative initiative in operating like a

well-oiled machine instead of an ineffective and out of control summer camp, which lacks proper

direction. The harnessing of effective communication skills is critical in all such efforts. Team

leaders who open up freely and allow members to contribute to the agenda, gain in that the

conditions ripen for collaborative innovation and innovative collaboration which leads to

attainment of shared goals and/or visions. Skills such as listening and the ability to wield

emotional intelligence in order to achieve goals for the betterment of the whole are critical
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aspects in the attainment of success for the community at large. Collaborative effort resulting in

satisfying a purpose, reaching higher levels of commitment and awareness to the cause, as well

as increased levels of positive organizational performance in team leadership and collaborations

in teaming.
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References

Aram, J., Morgan, C., & Esbeck, E. (1971). Relation of Collaborative Interpersonal

Relationships to Individual Satisfaction and Organizational Performance. Administrative

Science Quarterly, 16(3), 289-297. doi:10.2307/2391901

Davis, J., & Eisenhardt, K. (2011). Rotating Leadership and Collaborative Innovation:

Recombination Processes in Symbiotic Relationships. Administrative Science Quarterly,

56(2), 159-201. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41410259

Griffith, T., & Sawyer, J. (2010). Multilevel knowledge and team performance. Journal of

Organizational Behavior, 31(7), 1003-1031. Retrieved from

http://www.jstor.org/stable/41683959

Kayser, T. (2011). Six ingredients for collaborative partnerships. Leader to Leader, 2011(61),

48-55. doi:10.1002/ltl.480

Marks, M. A., DeChurch, L. A., Mathieu, J. E., Panzer, F. J., & Alonso, A. (2005). Teamwork in

multiteam systems. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(5), 964-971.

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Royden, L. (2016, May 16). 4 Key Themes in Successful Municipal-Corporate Partnerships.

Retrieved September 11, 2017, from

http://www.governing.com/templates/gov_print_article?id=379675371 (Links to an

external site.)
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Cliff Stevens / H-P Coloma Correspondent. (2011, November 15). End of the line for Watervliet

paper mill. Retrieved September 08, 2017, from

http://www.heraldpalladium.com/localnews/end-of-the-line-for-watervliet-paper-

mill/article_27a6ac5b-863b-5a4c-9a45-e067264d847c.html

Walker, J. R. (2006). Evaluating collaborating leadership teams in public private

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