Learning Teams: Shrinking To Fit Essay

Successful teams often have differences among their team members and may sometimes even collapse over these interpersonal conflicts. Teams must strengthen these weaknesses or recruit for the missing competencies if they are to move forward. This case depicts what could and often does happen to a team with no traditional rules of engagement or effective conflict resolution techniques. Alternative Courses of Action The first alternative is to maintain the status quo by allowing Spencer to continue dictating the meeting discussions while the five remaining team members remain complacent, and, in some cases, resentful of Spencer’s domination. The second alternative is to establish a set of engagement rules. This â€Å"set of engagement rules† will establish and define each team member’s roles and responsibilities, their commitment to the group, expectations from each other, and what goals they collectively have towards team accomplishment. Finally, a third alternative in dealing with the interpersonal conflicts affecting team members is to establish strategies on teambuilding and effective interactions among team members. Applying the MBTI tool provides an outline for comprehending differences between personality types, which would encourage the team to learn about themselves and each other. This would further reinforce the team by maximizing each member’s unique strengths (e. g. enhancing each member’s unique expertise) while also minimizing weaknesses (e. g. understanding how a personality type may irritate the team). Recommended Course of Action We recommend the second alternative: establish a â€Å"set of engagement rules. Basis for Recommendation By implementing a set of engagement rules, the team will establish a set goal. Teams need a common goal with performance metrics if they are to be successful. Moreover, to connect individual strengths and personalities, firm ground rules are needed. Additionally, this agreement will assign roles to individual team members. Establishing and defining roles will help team members understand how their various roles working together can achieve the team’s goal. Implementation In order for a team to function efficiently, effective rules of engagement need to be established early. Therefore, the rules of engagement must be implemented immediately. The learning team needs to assign responsibilities to each team member and identify expectations of the team. Additionally, all team members have strengths and weaknesses that allow them to achieve team goals. As such, it is essential that an assignment of team roles and responsibilities be made for maximum team effectiveness. Critique of case: What is missing? Information that would have been helpful includes knowing whether the team had established rules of engagement or not. With the way the team members acted towards one another, it is safe to assume that there was none established. If there was a set rules of engagement established, there was no explanation as to group roles, group norms and culture, what the consequences are for missing meetings, non-participation, bullying, and dominating meetings for instance.