MGT 508 CASE MOD 2
This module is concerned with the social context of effective teams. The task here is to encourage people to work together. The underlying question is “What does it take to build a strong sense of connection between and among team members?”
To do this, we will be considering two different team-building processes:
Establishing Interdependence
Management and Team Competencies/Conditions
Interdependence
Fostering a sense of interdependence is critical to team functioning. Each member must feel that he or she is accountable to all other team members and that the other team members can rely on him or her. There are three factors that must be managed during this process.
Connection
Team members must feel a sense of connection on two levels. The first is task connection. This involves a commitment on the part of each member to the goals of the team. The second is interpersonal connection, which leads to information sharing, loyalty, and trust.
Barriers to Connection
Perhaps the greatest challenge in building connection is establishing clear and open communication. This can be especially difficult in virtual teams because the lack of face-to-face contact limits many avenues of communication. Typically, interactions in virtual teams lack nonverbal communication and involve less rich channels. In addition, the isolation and anonymity of members can lead to less inhibited and more assertive interactions than might be expected in a co-located team. Finally, cultural differences/diversity can further inhibit clear information exchange.
Purpose and Goal Clarity
Purpose and goal clarity are the essential ingredients in building both task and interpersonal connection. Shared vision is more important than detailed implementation plans, and trust must be built early. Trust is the “social glue” that holds teams together and may develop more slowly in virtual teams than in co-located ones.
Management and Team Competencies/Conditions
A supportive team climate does not emerge naturally. It requires that management and team members commit to certain conditions and develop specific competencies that will encourage and support connection and interdependence. These include:
Creative Tension
In order for teams to take advantage of differing perspectives, opinions, and approaches, the team climate should be characterized by what is called “creative tension.” This involves an environment where differing points of view are accepted and members feel comfortable and safe in contributing their ideas. Input from all members is encouraged and honesty is a norm that is supported—even when that honesty means that others’ views are questioned. On the other hand, unwarranted criticism is not a characteristic of creative tension.
Challenge
Supportive climates for teamwork are those that present the task in a challenging manner. This may involve an urgent deadline, a perplexing problem to solve, or just a change from the routine way of approaching the task.
Collaboration
This involves the ability to pull together and work collaboratively on a difficult task. It involves a certain “surrendering” of the ego in order to set aside one’s own personal interests in favor of those of the group. It is a competency that is essential to interdependence and effective team functioning.
Freedom
Management must be willing to grant the team freedom from micromanagement, excessive surveillance, or other forms of intrusive evaluation. Freedom also involves the autonomy to determine how work is scheduled and accomplished.
Supportiveness
Management and team members can greatly increase team effectiveness by encouraging and empowering the group to take initiative. It should resist the temptation to rely on the status quo, but instead urge the team to discover new methods and solutions.
Resources
The willingness of individual team members and the organization to commit sufficient resources is essential. Resources can include time, effort, information, technology, funds, and manpower.
On the home page of this module, six different management and team competencies/conditions were described. Read the following article and in a 4- to 5-page essay, answer the following question:
How do the competencies/conditions act either alone or with others, to create task and interpersonal connection? Illustrate with examples from the Case article and the background reading.
Case Assignment
Compton, M. (2007). Personal accountability in a team. Women in Business, 59(4) 14-17.
You can find this article in the TUI library, in EBSCO, Business Source Complete database.
Assignment Expectations
Be sure to:
Discuss how each competency and condition leads to either task and/or personal connection by contributing to goal clarity, loyalty, trust, or information sharing.
Explain your reasons with reference to the background materials.
Your paper will be evaluated on the following seven points:
Precision – Does the paper address the question(s) or task(s)?
Breadth – Is the full breadth of the subject (i.e., all the keys to the assignment) addressed?
Depth – Does the paper address all elements of the topic in sufficient depth? Does it include and apply the background readings and other background resources as references?
Critical thinking – Are the concepts of this module applied accurately, logically, and relevantly?
Organization – Is the paper organized in a coherent and systematic manner? Are headings included in all papers longer than two pages?
Clarity – Is the writing clear and are the concepts articulated properly? Are paraphrasing and synthesis of concepts the primary means of response to the questions, or are points conveyed through excessive use of quotations?
Referencing (citations and references) – Does the paper use citations and quotation marks where appropriate? Are all references listed in the bibliography used and referred to via citation?
Turn in this 4- to 5-page paper by the end of the module.