Module 12: Collaboration in and across Teams
Here are four roles that no team should be without:
A Leader: In the event there is no clear chain of command, a team must be prepared to assign the role of leader. A leader can keep the team focused, mediate conflicts, and ensure that individuals are held accountable. A note taker or scribe: Again, a simple idea, but documenting every meeting is an important step in developing a productive team. A scribe can quickly get a team up to date with past notes, so little time is wasted remembering where the conversation left off. By documenting and distributing notes from each meeting, the scribe can keep all members of the team equally informed. Lessons-learned tracker: Identify one person to track both positive and negative outcomes of meetings and projects. This individual can solicit input from other members. Documenting what everyone thinks went well and why, and what did not go well and why, can keep a team productive by not repeating past mistakes. Devil's advocate: Teams need to embrace conflict and different points of view. A devil's advocate is a person who brings up alternatives or objections to other's ideas. Assigning such a role can make the team more objective and reduce problems like Groupthink. Because this person's role can stir up conflict, it can be helpful to rotate who plays the devil's advocate for the team.
these four aspects are the basis for LaFasto and Larson's Connect model (Table 1), which can be used to develop good relationships.
A constructive relationship can also be between a person and the team. "Good relationships are constructive for both people."[5] In order to have a constructive relationship, there must be trust and mutual understanding between both parties. Constructive relationships do not happen overnight, it takes time to develop trust and to be open with others. Productive relationships are important because if the relationship between two individuals on a team is not productive, the team may not be productive. Productive relationships also, "allow us to focus on real issues—the ones that matter—and to do so in a way that makes a difference."[6] Mutual understanding is critical because, "[it encourages] us to focus on and understand the other person's perspective, and [it offers] us the satisfaction of being understood."[7] Not only is it important to validate another person's point of view, it is important for us to be validated. It goes back to trust and building a constructive relationship; in order to be understood, you have to be able to understand others. Good relationships are self-corrective, like a good marriage in which each partner is committed to improving the relationship. By continuing to work on improving a relationship, you are developing trust and mutual understanding among the parties.
Justin leads a team that has started showing signs of apathy. He's noticed that the team has become less productive and he is concerned that this could lead to morale and cohesion problems. What can Justin do respond to this situation:
Acknowledge the conflict and address it openly with the team.
Sandra has noticed that the team she leads has become less productive lately. They've shown early signs of apathy and she's concerned this could lead to more problems with morale. What can Sandra do to respond to this situation:
Acknowledge the conflict and address it openly with the team.
One concern during collaborative writing projects is duplication of some content, while leaving out other important information. In the "divide and conquer" method, what can a team do to avoid these problems:
Create a strong outline for the whole document.
Lauren has been growing frustrated lately because she feels her manager is increasingly out of touch with the needs of her team. She recently received an email from her boss that outlined a new process for submitting vacation times. She deleted the email without reading it, assuming the idea was impractical. What is the source of this conflict:
Differences with management.
Which of the following would be considered appropriate eye contact during a conversation in the workplace:
Direct your look to the top of the other person's nose, and occasionally glance around.
Open communication can be established by the following:
Establish ground rules. Some rules might include the following: Take turns when talking and do not interrupt. Ensure that each team member has equal time when stating their perspective. Listen for something new and bring something new to the discussion. Avoid restating the facts and "talking in circles." Avoid power plays, and eliminate status or titles from the discussion. Listen actively and compassionately. Avoid thinking of a counterargument while the other person is speaking. Listen to the other person's perspective rather than listening to your own thoughts. Don't make an effort to remember points just so you can refute them one by one. Point out the advantages of resolving the conflict. "I know you feel that is too much for us to spend right now, but we should figure out how to solve this problem. Then, we can figure out when to spend that money." Maintain a neutral vantage point and be willing to be persuaded. "Can you help me understand why...." Avoid all-or-none statements such as "always" and "never," and point out exceptions when these statements are used. Rather than say, "we have never done it that way," try "we had good reason for not doing that in the past, but let's talk this through to see if conditions have changed." Create a goal of discovery rather than of winning or persuading. "Let's set aside our final decision until our next meeting. This meeting, let's brainstorm solutions and try to put a cost to each." Be alert to common goals and where goals overlap as each party is communicating their perspective. "I'm not sure I reach the same conclusion as you, but a 5% decrease is something we do all appreciate." Use clarifying statements to ensure the other party feels understood and listened to. "What I heard you say is that you feel unappreciated and that you lack vital feedback to help you perform, is this correct?" Help team members to separate the problem from the person. "I know your job is to remind us of the rules, but could we try to approach this a different way?" Use techniques such as role-playing, putting oneself in the competitor's shoes, or conducting war games. Such techniques create fresh perspectives and engage team members. "Let me try to be the devil's advocate. You tell me your solution, and I'll be the technician trying to poke holes in the idea." Team members should recognize each other for having expressed their view and feelings. "I'm glad to hear your side all the way through. Thank you." Help each team member to understand all the other perspectives, and help them to re-frame the situation. "So, if I heard you correctly, you are concerned about x. Is it possible that we could address this by trying y?"
Sources of Team Conflict
FUND ALLOCATION A new product team may find itself split between allocating funds for the second release of the device or bringing a new product to market. The team may find about half of its members preferring one path and the other half advocating for the other. In this case, the team may split into two factions—or more if there is additional disagreement within each group. Even if business considerations support one group's position more strongly, powerful personalities, interpersonal complexity, and group history can come into play to overwhelm those practical factors. DIFFERENCES WITH MANAGEMENT Employees may think, "Why doesn't the boss just ask us? We do it every day and that will never work." The boss may think, "Those employees don't realize what that will cost. It will blow the entire department budget in half the time." Gaps in communication between leaders and the teams they lead can cause particularly thorny conflicts. There may be conflict with management because management has not given clear goals to the team or may not be supporting the team. The organization could have a culture that does not allow teams to work effectively. In extreme situations, this can lead to the team's refusal to follow the directions of its leader. SALES VERSUS SERVICE A company organizationally separates its sales employees from its service (installation and maintenance) employees. On more than one occasion, Sales asked, "What are those service people thinking? We can't charge the customer for every little thing." Equally frequently, service is asking, "What are those sales people thinking? Are they giving the company away? We can't install it for that little." When different teams don't take the time to understand the roles and tasks of individuals on different teams, conflict can arise between different functional groups within the organization.
groupthink.
Groupthink occurs when members strive for unanimity, resulting in self-deception, forced consent, and conformity to group values and ethics
Freny's team tends to repeat mistakes from past projects, and also seems to forget past successes. What suggestion should Freny make to the team leader to break out of this pattern:
Have one member track outcomes of meetings and projects.
Karen's team used to have trouble working together. To remedy this, they focused on improving their relationships, which led to members being assigned specific roles. Which pitfalls should Karen's team be aware of that may get in the way of her team's new effectiveness
Hindrances to team dynamics.
Karen's team used to have trouble working together. To remedy this, they focused on improving their relationships, which led to members being assigned specific roles. Which pitfalls should Karen's team be aware of that may get in the way of her team's new effectiveness:
Hindrances to team dynamics.
What advantage is there for individual contributors to improve their team communication skills in the workplace:
It makes both the individual and the organization more successful.
Elaine Chao, the CEO of her company, is attending a company dinner to celebrate the company's 25th anniversary. She, and many other long-time employees, are in their seventies. You are at the table when Elaine arrives, and you are hosting the event. What would be an appropriate way for you to greet her:
Rise and introduce the CEO to the others at the table.
You are at a company dinner, hosted by the founder and all her colleagues. Most people present are in their 70s. You are sitting at a table with a few others. The founder enters the restaurant and approaches your table. What would be an appropriate way for you to greet them:
Rise and introduce the founder to the others at the table.
In terms of business communication, which of the following best describes the contribution of teams in the workplace:
Teams accomplish more than individuals.
Lucy is the CFO of her company. She's known to overbook her time and is often late for meetings. Right now, she is thirty minutes late for a meeting with one of her junior colleagues. How could the junior colleague appropriately handle this situation:
Text Lucy to reschedule.
In the last few decades, the need for effective communication on teams at work has increased. What is one of the main reasons for this:
There has been an increase in organizations becoming more virtual.
What is one of the main reasons why the need for effective communication on teams has been growing so much in the last few decades:
There has been an increase in organizations becoming more virtual.
Asynchronous communication tools have many advantages, including low cost and ease of use. What is one of the drawbacks of asynchronous communication tools:
They lack the ability to give immediate feedback to other members.
task force
a group or committee, usually of experts or specialists, formed for analyzing, investigating, or solving a specific problem.--The goal of a task force is to offer solutions, support, and, if possible, put preventive measures in place against future problems.
cross-functional team
a team that pulls its members from across the different functional areas of an organization. These teams are typically permanent or long-standing; may be used to implement new solutions in the workplace; Unfortunately, the very factors that give cross-functional teams strength can also lead to weaknesses. Without a strong leader and very specific goals, it may be hard to foster social cohesion in cross-functional teams and to create a system of accountability.
Eric was involved in a collaborative writing project. Some team members were involved in creating the outline, while others were involved in editing. Eric was the solo writer of the document. Who gets credit for writing the document:
all members
Nazneen prefers a less structured, more ambiguous work structure. She is detail-oriented and can come up with innovative ideas, as long as she has enough time and information to analyze a problem. What most likely is Nazneen's decision-making style:
analytical
Zoya is leading a team that can't seem to come to an agreement. The heated battle is between employees who feel customers want easy access to the fruit and produce and those who believe customers prefer easy access to the cooler and freezer goods. This discussion has been going on for the last four meetings, and they can't decide on a resolution. Zoya keeps asking for more data before letting the team vote. Which quadrant of the Rowe and Boulgarides Decision Style does Zoya's situation fit into?
analytical
Simi needs to find software that will allow her team members to keep track of each other's progress, while working on projects. It should also allow her to coordinate the whole project and make sure everyone is on the same page. What tool would best suit Simi's needs:
asana
tobias has just been offered an internship with a government agency. He was excited for the internship, but he wasn't sure what his soon-to-be boss, Cassie, had meant when she said they were "pretty casual" in their office. Which outfit might NOT be a good idea for Tobias's first day?
brand new jeans and a flannel
jennings is increasingly frustrated with the final steps of this project. Each team member is writing part of the final report. There is one Microsoft Word document that they keep emailing to each other. Just yesterday, Jennings had to rewrite part of his corrections because he'd been working in an old copy of the file. Which of the following would help solve this problem?
compare documents feature
Victor used to be on a team that made decisions through majority rule. He felt this wasn't fair to everyone. So, on the team he currently leads, he asks all members to participate in the decision-making process. He knows this way requires more input than other methods, but he feels it gives members more freedom of choice. What decision-making process does Victor prefer:
consensus
Daichi likes working with people in different areas of his company. He believes that the diversity of experience can help give different perspectives to solve problems. He also prefers to work on teams that stay together for a long time. What type of team would best suit Daichi:
cross-functional team
The team has completed their travel and research, and now they are ready to write a summary for review by upper management. There was one leader, but each of the four team members has expertise in various topics that must be addressed by the report. Which is the best choice of action for writing their report?
divide and conquer. each person should write a section and then they should all take part in the review
Ash is planning a nationwide project, and knows that effective team communication will be critical to its success. Setting up meetings for people in several time zones will be key to the planning process. Which software might Ash use first with this project?
doodle
Lenny is working on a collaborative project with his virtual team. They're located all around the country and are putting together a training workbook, based on each of their areas of expertise. Each member creates and edits their own document. When it's finished, they all need to share their documents, but no one else needs to edit or comment. Each document is extremely large and requires considerable storage. What collaborative tool would best suit Lenny's team's needs:
dropbox
compromise.
each member gives up something, as well as gaining something.
Collective efficacy
eam's belief that its members are capable of organizing and working together to reach its goals.
Sigi is on a remote team. Today, he's working on a project that requires time flexibility with responses and feedback from his team members, who are all in different locations. Software with a chat option would be ideal. Which of the following communication tools would best suit Sigi's needs:
either Webex or gmail
Large organizations have a harder time than smaller organizations when it comes to disseminating information and communicating with employees. Understanding group dynamics is essential in this process. Which of the following is key to cultivating good group dynamics?
good relationships
self-managed teams
group of employees that is responsible and accountable for all or most aspects of generating a product or delivering a service
Virtual teams
groups of individuals working together with a common purpose but in different locations. Virtual teams by definition may overlap with the team types listed above. People may be in different time zones or even different organizations. The obvious advantage of a virtual team is the low cost, both in time and money, to maintain it.
At a team meeting last week, Paul went along with an idea even though he didn't agree with it. He simply didn't want to create disharmony in the group. Which of the following best describes this team problem:
groupthink
Nimra was very excited to be leading the team managing a move to a new office with four of her favorite coworkers. The group of five seemed to agree on everything. However, when their manager asked for an update, it went poorly, as the manager asked many questions Nimra and her team had not thought to ask one another. Which team dynamic issue likely contributed to this outcome?
groupthink
Evan's team had just launched their new app. They held a big party that night for the whole staff. It was in a nightclub with an open bar. Evan began the night mingling and avoided alcohol. But, after seeing everyone else was enjoying themselves, he decided to catch up with the rest of his drinking colleagues. As he spoke to his co-workers, his speech was a little slurred and he expressed disappointment with some of his bosses. He felt it was alright to let off a little steam with his team. After all, it was a celebration. How would you describe Evan's behavior at the party:
inappropriate
teams may select from several methods of collaborative writing. It is important that the team discuss which style they will use for their project.
ingle Writer. In all groups, there are those who are stronger in certain areas—such as conceptual thinking, leadership, public speaking and writing—than others. The group may elect a single individual to complete the actual composition of the document while everyone else contributes to the thinking and research that goes into it and also review, edit and possibly rewrite. This style leads to consistent voice for the document. Writing by Committee. Teams should discuss individual team skills related to conceptual thinking, organizational structure, writing skills, subject expertise and proofreading skills. Ownership of the output belongs to all, no matter how individual work steps are completed. An example of this might be found in the parallel activity of creating sales proposals. There is a sales leader for the project, but operations team members, legal team members, and others have important input to the costs and description of the proposal. Multiple Writers. Other projects are created using more of a divide and conquer method. In this style, each team member writes one or more assigned sections. This division of work is usually based on individual expertise. While expertise is important to each section, it may lead to some significant writing style complications. Final editing must consider these issues. Without a strong outline, there may be duplication or oversight in content when reviewing the entire document. The team may schedule some preliminary reviews to ensure the entire writing project is on track.
Brent and his team are collaborating on a written project. They require a collaborative tool that will allow them to highlight the changes each user makes, while also noting who made the change. Since these writing projects often produce many edits, they also want to be able to see the original document next to the edited document, to get some perspective on the changes. What tool would best suit Brent's team's needs
ms word
Brent and his team are collaborating on a written project. They require a collaborative tool that will allow them to highlight the changes each user makes, while also noting who made the change. Since these writing projects often produce many edits, they also want to be able to see the original document next to the edited document, to get some perspective on the changes. What tool would best suit Brent's team's needs:
ms word
The community board meeting included a terse exchange between two members. "You can't keep spending that much on landscaping year after year!" said one member. "We need to plan on that much because things die every year, said the other member. "We told our members that dues might go up," said another member. These statements indicate that there is a problem to be solved. Which of the following statements may be the most helpful as the board solves this problem?
perhaps we should create a 5 year landscape planning document
authority rule.
requires essentially no input from the group, although the group's participation may be necessary for implementing the decision.requires essentially no input from the group, although the group's participation may be necessary for implementing the decision.
consensus.
requires the most group input is called consensus. To reach consensus group members must participate in the crafting of a decision and agree to adopt it. While not all members may support the decision equally, all will agree to carry it out. In individualistic cultures like the U.S., where a great deal of value is placed on independence and freedom of choice, this option can be seen by group members as desirable since no one is forced to go along with a policy or plan of action to which they are opposed.
Some teams are thought of as smaller companies within the larger company. What is this type of team called:
self-managed team
Rochelle is putting together a working group to generate new product ideas for her company. Which of the following statement represents her best strategy?
she should select people who come from different backgrounds and represent a range of positive personality traits
project team
similar to a task force, but a project team is often ongoing and covers a wider range of tasks.
The main factors influencing cohesion are
size of the group, similarities among its members, and team success. Small groups tend to be more cohesive than larger ones because people can interact with each other more. Similarity among group members contributes to team cohesiveness because people with similar backgrounds are more likely to have fewer communication barriers and share views on what constitutes appropriate behaviors. People are generally more trusting of others when they share some important background experiences.
Assigning different roles can be an effective way to cultivate good relationships on teams. Which of the following roles would be considered essential on a team:
someone who brings up alternative perspectives and ideas
One way to develop good relationships on a team is to assign different roles to members. Which of the following roles would be considered essential on a team:
someone who brings up alternative perspectives and ideas
Customer and installer complaints are on the rise due to shipments that seem to either have the wrong cables, missing cables, or too many cables. Which type of team is best suited to solve this problem?
task force
This start-up company is no longer the "nimble little company" first reported on in the business section of the newspaper. They have grown from three people in a basement to 25 people in a simple office. Why are they now getting hit with so many orders with errors? And why are various employees, all of whom have email, keep saying "nobody told me"?
the communications network has grown too complex
Riccardo works for a large company. He feels overwhelmed by the amount of information he receives every day by so many different people. What would be a more structured way to share information in the company:
use a newsletter
When it comes to making group decisions, Viola believes everyone should have an equal voice in the process. And after everyone has had their say, she will go along with what the majority wants, even if she disagrees with it. What decision making process does Viola prefer:
voting
Voting
voting is advantageous because everyone is able to have an equal say in the decision process (as long as they vote). Unlike consensus, everyone may not be satisfied with the outcome. In a simple majority, 49% of voters may be displeased and may be resistant to abide by the majority vote. In this case, the decision or policy may be difficult to carry out and implement. For example, a college campus recently had a department vote on whether or not they wanted to hire a particular person to be a professor. Three faculty voted yes for the person while two faculty voted no. Needle
