a currently employee of Harbinger Corporation a leader in e-commerce software there is yet another prime example of theory Y successfully implemented. The shared-leadership model. This addresses the important factor of leadership within the team. In this department, members take on a leadership role for a different aspect of the work that needs to be done and is responsible for being the authority in that area. For example, one member can be in charge of keeping an eye on the competition's products, one can be in charge of helping create new ideas, and another can research possible vendors to keep costs down and quality up. This way, all members have equal influence and authority in the group. It also eliminates the need to keep information from others to obtain power within the group. This was a problem observed at SunTrust with the Self-Directed Work Team. In the Shared Leadership Model, the members have to address key issuer early on. Four major issues that must be determined early on are: Who leads when, and who follows when? What will the team accomplish? How will the work be carried out? How and when will the team know the project is a success? After the members decide on many of the workings of the group, managers can assist them in addressing any issues of authority and help them shift the assignments for authority as necessary. This does not completely eliminate the need for a manager either. The support of the manager is vital to the team's success in the shared-leadership model. Some critics point out that one of the issues that a Human Resource Manager must keep in mind is that, "employees will feel vulnerable in a self-directed work team because it lacks the familiar clarity of a hierarchical structure (Arnold, 1996)." This can increase the sensitivity of authority issues. Also, should competition help the team by pushing each member a bit harder, or is it a hindrance that erodes the solidarity an...
