Case studies seventh week was a tough one. A large group submission was due which took a lot of time and planning, however the end product was not of a very good standard.
Although this can be frustrating it is worth analyzing why we, as a group failed to return a high quality submission. I have identified some of the factors that played against us:
Team Management factors:
- Lack of motivation – At each stage of the assignment we all lacked motivation (some more than others). In ‘real-life’ environments there is generally either a financial motivator or ethics (in the case of volunteers).
- Lack of a common goal – Not all of our team has the same goal for the subject, so whilst a team member may be achieving their goals the group may fall short of other members’ goals.
- Lack of defined consequences – If a team member failed to perform, there was not defined consequence. This is something we should have defined clearly.
Individual factors:
- Ability and Knowledge – Most companies have a minimum of 5 weeks training plus 3 month probation for any complex jobs. I can now understand the value of ensuring team members possess the tools they need to do a job. Relying on team members to ‘pick it up as they go’ can work out well but is very risky.
- Clear communication – If something is not going well it is the responsibility of the team leader to identify this and amend it. Staying calm and positive may not be the best way to communicate impending disaster.
There is a lot more to team dynamics than this but these are some small points that I took out of the last task.
