Nickeloden

Taran Swan has demonstrated strategic leadership and team-building skills in her identification and cultivation of a highly effective team in the Nickelodeon Latin America (LA) office. Key components of the Team Effectiveness Model (Robbins) can be seen in her approach to developing a skillful management team, especially in regards to team process and composition. As a result, the Nickelodeon LA team has evolved through several stages of development to currently operate as a relatively well-established performing group (Robbins).

In the complex environment of launching Nickelodeon LA, the control of key process variables outlined within the Team Effectiveness Model, namely the pursuit of a common purpose and specific team goals, was instrumental in the teamÐŽ¦s ability to act as a cohesive unit. During the teamÐŽ¦s early forming stage and throughout their development, Taran consistently reminded team members of their goal to build the Nickelodeon brand as a quality supplier of childrenÐŽ¦s entertainment (pg4). This vision filtered through the entire officeÐŽ¦s operations via the distinctive ÐŽ§grow downЎЁ approach (pg13) and ensured that staff at all levels shared a common understanding of the companyÐŽ¦s goal. This shared vision and understanding of the companyÐŽ¦s ultimate direction proved to be a critical success factor for the teamÐŽ¦s effectiveness (Wageman 13).

In building the Nickelodeon team and shaping them as a cohesive unit, Swan laid out a clear set of performance norms (Robbins) at the selection stage by explicitly emphasizing the focus on team effort and disapproving any individual promotion. In addition, Swan consistently utilized an inclusive approach to garnering ideas and solutions to business challenges, which was especially evident during the channelÐŽ¦s launch events (pg 4). This resulted in strong group cohesiveness and a greater acceptance of solutions (Robbins), thereby leading to high group productivity

An underlying theme throughout Nickelodeon LAÐŽ¦s development was the constant focus Swan placed on recruiting specific people; not only for the individual roles they would fill but for the value they would add to the team as a whole. Some of the ideas met with resistance from seniors at Viacom,