Team Turmoil

Project & Portfolio Management - Teamwork Turmoil

Karthik Arumugham [1311299]

Teamwork Turmoil 1. What are the current team norms? There are no norms established by the team. They can’t even agree on simple things like what to do at the meetings and which research methods should/ shouldn’t be allowed. There is no person designated as the leader. The power and accountability are shared amongst the team. Each person is expected to come prepared for the session. Team Mentor is not yet mentoring. Team members seem to be looking for random seeming two people alliances instead of wor king for the good of the team te am as a whole. What do you think the group should add to its i ts norms list? Set a clear agenda for each meeting well in advance at the end of the previous session. Give each person 2 minutes to bring up their ideas/points - and have a set time limit on how long this pre-set point will be debated before it is documented and team moves on. Have a clear list of things that need to be accomplished at the end of each session. Indicate in writing if they were accomplished and/or how they can be accomplished before or at the next meeting. A chair should be selected to lead each session. This can be done on a rotational basis so each team member gets an equal opportunity to chair the session. This also gives a sense of responsibility and ownership to each team member.

Teams should come prepared to all meetings. If a team member is not attending a meeting, he/she should let the group know and provide the material they were responsible in advance. Phones should be switched off or put on silent for the duration of the session. A general chat five minutes before the meeting starts on what’s happening with everyone. This helps to bring everyone in on the loop on what the others are going through and creates a level of understanding. When the team has an issue that they can’t resolve, a vote will need to be taken but only after hearing both sides of the argument. No personal insults/comments allowed during discussions. Professional conduct needs to be maintained at all times. 2. What are the characteristics that the team lacks that would allow it to perform more efficiently? The team lacks emotional intelligence. This is evidenced by no one but Cooper noticing that Delery is not his usual self but instead upset about something. They also don’t have any good communication skills. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of productive communication - they mostly argue at each other, insult each other and talk over each other. Team should initially show trust by assigning tasks to group members and letting them run with them the first week. Should be there to help team member if they get stuck during the week. If task is not completed then team should definitively discuss why the member is having this issue - right at the start of the next meeting. Are there any attributes that would bring the team to a high-performance level? Most of the team members are competitive. This is evidenced by the fact that Martin competed in a pageant and some of the guys played sports at the collegiate level. If this competitive spirit can be harnessed in a positive way the group can perform at a high level. Another great thing about this team is their dynamics and the diverse skills and experiences that they bring. I think with the proper teamwork and communications, the team could better leverage their strengths to excel. Team should assign tasks to each member that reflect their individual strengths and interests. Team should ask their team mentor for non-personal input – this will be unbiased.





3. What would you tell the group if you were Tony Marshall? What kind of feedback would you give? The team needs to all agree on the general objective/purpose of the meeting and what everyone wants to get out of it. They need to decide what they want to accomplish during the meeting and, using this, determine what each person should do to prepare for the meeting. This will add more structure to their team and make the best use of their time together. It will also help them split t he work more equally. Don’t single out the team members or it will potentially make them defensive, hostile, and unproductive. He should talk about the issues in a broad sense. He should tell them to write down a set of norms immediately, to have a rotating chair, and to assign specific tasks and deadlines immediately and to track them. If they can get on track, they can also see if they have time to help a different member each week with something that the member is vested in - to build team spirit. Onyealisi is a huge negative influence on the group. His lack of commitment to preparing for the sessions and general attitude is counterproductive. Onyealisi should be told by the group that he must do the prep work for the session or leave the group. Cooper and Delery must control their t emper. What medium would you use to provide this feedback? I would gather the whole group together and get them to talk about all their issues and frustrations. I would talk about the issues in general. By openly talking about each issue and being transparent about how they are feeling, the group can come to a better consensus. In terms of Onyealisi, if the new group direction does not work to help in contribute to the group. Then I would definitely set aside some time with him alone and chat. 4. How should Marshall help facilitate a resolution to the group’s issues? Take them all out on a team building weekend exercise. And sit together as a group to brainstorm ideas and resolve their issues. This will also help them to strengthen their team and build collaboration. Also have clear agendas and time lines. Help each other out (rotate) once a week on a nonrelated issue that team member is interested in.

Team Turmoil

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