Please answer one of the following two topics:

1. Using information from Chapter 7, imagine that you are the leader of a newly formed self-managed work team.  The team includes 12 people, all from different functions and departments within the organization.  How will you lead your team through the various stages of team development?   How will you handle challenges that arise?

OR

1. Imagine that you are the leader of a newly formed virtual work team.  The team includes six people all from different geographical regions across the globe.  What communication methods will you employ?  What challenges will you face (esp. regarding communication) and how will you handle these?  Be specific in your response and use concepts from Chapter 7 in your answer.

 
 
Discussion Board Posting Grading Rubric

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Discussion Board Posting Grading Rubric
 
 
 
Response to 2 students
Derek Dabish 
Dabish – DB #3
COLLAPSE
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I am the leader of a newly formed self-managed workgroup which consists of 12 individuals all with different functions and different departments within my organization.  “A self-managing team is a group of workers who manage their own daily duties under little to no supervision” (Neck et al, 167).  As the leader of this team, I have high expectations of each individual and expect them to be confident enough to make important decisions without having to include me in the decision-making process.  In my recruitment process I made sure to engage individuals that would be capable of working within a self-managed team and feel that the group dynamics of this newly formed group will be successful under my direction.
Upon forming the group, I would bring everyone together for an informal team meeting/luncheon to provide the members an opportunity to familiarize themselves with each other, to educate them on the overall goals and structure of our group, and to advise them on their roles within the group.  The forming stage is when “members meet for the first time, get to know each other, and try to understand where they fit within the team structure” (Neck et al, 175).  My goal for this meeting to would be to initiate the team norms and provide the group members with a perspective of the group dynamics to help avoid future conflicts.
As the team continues to develop and the individuals begin working with each other, in order to avoid the storming phase of group development and to promote cohesiveness, I would continue to have daily morning meetings.  The daily meetings would be called the “round table” during which we would go over group goals, obstacles, and opportunities.  I would promote the success of my group by fostering trust among members, supporting group identity, and advocating group efficacy (Rampton).
It is inevitable that challenges within the group would arise, however, I would manage the issues by being an effective leader, establishing a connection amongst the group members, and maintaining an open-door policy.  By establishing a connection with the group, I would hope to motivate, influence, and inspire each person so that they are aware of how important they are to the overall cause.  I would also maintain an open-door policy in which the group members would have easy and open access to me at all times, even after work hours, thereby increasing accessibility to improve relationships within the group.
 
Works Cited
Christopher P Neck; Jeffery D Houghton; Emma L Murray., Organizational behavior a critical-thinking approach.  2017. Print.
 
Rampton, J. (2020). 7 Ways to Create Emotionally Intelligent Teams. Retrieved from The Ecomomist : https://execed.economist.com/blog/guest-post/7-ways-create-emotionally-intelligent-teams
 
 
Amy Hughes 
Virtual Teams
COLLAPSE
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In the midst of this pandemic, many companies are now resorting to virtual teams. There are many benefits to employees engaging in virtual work teams. “Virtual team members have great flexibility because they are able to work anywhere, including their own homes” (Neck 2017; page 167). Not only are virtual teams appealing for employees, but they also have the potential to save their company money by eliminating travel expenses.
Imagining I was the leader of a newly formed six-person virtual work team, I would have high expectations of my team’s ability to communicate and motivate themselves. With employees being able to work anywhere they’d like, it is important that employees stay motivated and do not get distracted by their surroundings. As the team is in the forming stage, I would schedule a mandatory video chat meeting where team members can “get to know each other and understand where they fit within the team structure” (Neck 2017; page 175).
There would also be a number of communication methods I would employ early in the forming stage in order to avoid miscommunication and confusion. The first method I would instill is a schedule that puts each employee online at the same time despite different time zones. This can be a major source of miscommunication, therefore I believe it is important to establish a schedule that is the same across the board early on. I would also schedule at least one mandatory virtual team meeting a week, and encourage more for individual employees in order to keep lines of communication open.
 
 
Option B
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There are many benefits with the option of having a virtual team. This allows the team to work a lot of flexibility, “Virtual team members have great flexibility because they are able to work anywhere, including their own homes”(Neck 2017; page 167). I think now more than ever we see the benefits of being able to work virtually. With this virus most companies have no other option than to adapt to having a virtual team. Another benefit of this option is that is saves costs for the company. There is no need for travel costs and it is easy to share information with collogues across the world.
In order for my team to be successful and there not to be miscommunication, I would first establish work systems. This would define everyone’s roles within the group. I think this will be vital, since we will mostly be communicating though emails, instant messaging, and occasionally video-conferencing.  My team will have to know how to self-manage, “group of workers who manage their own daily duties under little to no supervision” (Neck 2017; page 168). Because of this open-communication is going to be vital of our success. Everyone will be expected to give daily updates on their progress, so everyone continues to stay on the same page. I would also implement weekly video conference meetings. Obviously, everyone is expected to create and work on their own schedules, but I think it is important to have everyone communicate face-to-face. This would be something that would happen a couple times a week at the same time to create a routine. I believe that this will also help build trust and relationships within the team.
 
I would also like to incorporate fun activities that we can do as a team to learn about one another. This is something that happens is offices to create a break, and builds bonds, so I think it’s important to also have it happen in the virtual office. This can be done through games that involve team building, or even a virtual coffee room that creates conversation and work collaboration.