Reference no: EM133673087
Homework: Recommend Strategies for Team Improvement
Background
In this scenario, you manage a work team of 10 people in a global information technology consulting firm. The team is diverse, with people who reflect different beliefs, ethnicities, and ages. By completing this homework, you will better understand why effectively managing a team can encourage high levels of participation and innovation. You will also recommend strategies for role modeling by the leaders and team members to influence more significant commitment, accountability, and trust. Be sure to address budget and resource allocation, as appropriate, to support your recommended strategies. One of the goals of a manager and leader is to find ways to minimize the threat of conflict within the team, which could affect team performance.
Review the three employee scenarios below to begin this homework:
1) Rae is 45 years old and is working in a team with 2 other people - Lance and Tress. The 2 other people are friends and in their 40s. The team works on the project until late at night. The next day, Lance presents the team project to the supervisor, saying that she stayed up late at night and this is what she came up with all by herself. After the presentation, Rae told the supervisor that this was a team effort, not just Lance's ideas. The supervisor asks Lance about this, and Lance confirms that she did not do this all by herself. The supervisor does not reprimand Lance. Tress confirms that this was a team effort. Rae now does not want to work with Lance or Tress on the team project.
2) Lance is 31 years old and is relatively new to your company and the team. Team members consider him to be an asset to both. Lance is very talented, works hard, and shows great potential. Managers believe there is an opportunity for him to have a great future with the company. He completes his work on time and at a high level of quality, and he contributes to team goals. He often completes some of his work from off-site, then arrives at the office later than other team members, and often leaves early. This behavior has caused complaints among his fellow team members, who see Lance's behavior as a lack of commitment to the company and a disregard for the understood working hours.
3) Tress is in her 40s and tells everyone that she is just using this job as a stepping stone to be CEO of this company or any company one day. She participates very little in the group. She spends a lot of time telling supervisors what she has accomplished in her career and that she does not feel she should be a part of a team because she is very knowledgeable. She says that teams slow her down.
Instructions
What strategies might you use to help these three workers understand each other and work together as a team? Create an action plan to bring your team members together as a cohesive and productive team. Prepare a PowerPoint presentation to present your plan. Avoid cluttering your slides with multiple lines of information. Add graphics or animations to make your point(s) clear. Remember to be specific.