The issue to be discussed in this report is teamwork and how it can benefit GlaxoSmithKline (2008), a research-based pharmaceutical company employing about 100,000 people in over 100 countries and producing almost four billion packs of medicine and health care products every year. GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) (2008) has developed a strategy of striving for excellence by optimizing the performance of key products, delivering the product pipeline for patients, being the best place for the best people to do their best work, improving access to medicine, and maximizing total shareholder returns. It is a company that can certainly benefit from teamwork which is understood herein as the development of work groups that are meant to address a specific task or problem by drawing upon the skills, knowledge, and capacities of individual members who are brought together from different units within a business organization (Ivancevich, 1998).
The process of teamwork as described by Ivancevich (1998) involves team building, which helps or prepares employees to work more efficiently and effectively in groups. Team building is designed to enhance individual team members' problem-solving skills, communication, and sensitivity to others. Ideally, teams share leadership, work collaboratively, and enhance human capital (Miller, Walmsley, & Williams, 2007). The underlying assumption of teams as described by Miller, et al (2007) is that developing the leadership knowledge and skills of individuals will enable them to effectively change their organizations.
At GSK, Farrukh, Fraser, Hadjidakis, Phall, Probert, and Tainsh (2004) reported that the lack of a systematic approach to managing technology hampered the firm in its drive for improved organizational effectiveness. Consequently, a technology management process was needed and GSK found that a team centered strategy for addressing the problem was necessary. Given the scope of activities at GSK...