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Online teams have been a recent phenomena of the last decade. The concept of online teams has transcended boundaries, times zones, and is slowly becoming a viable alternative to traditional face-to-face meetings. In the educational arena, Sierra notes that “teams must demonstrate positive attitudes and behaviors to leverage diversity and to apply their different resources to learning tasks” (Glinow, 2004, p. 7). Research revealed that a crucial process challenging the teams success is effective team development. The team development, or process, consists of four parts: forming, storming, norming and performing. (Glinow, 2004, p. 277).
The forming stage begins as members learn about each other and define the roles and regulations that the team will use to perform tasks. The formation of Team A began with three students who chose to work together again after having been pleased with past team performance. Two additional members were added to the group and a new learning team charter was drafted. Due to time constraints, the storming phase overlapped the forming phase as team roles and performance standards were clearly defined in the learning charter. The next phase, norming, occurs when “the team develops its first real sense of cohesion as roles are established and a consensus forms around group objectives” (Glinow, 2004, p. 278). Attaining a consensus around group objectives has not been an issue, but the cohesion appears to have had some setbacks. The last stage is performing which involves task completion, which Team A has performed adequately and has been able to address minor communication issues in the interest of assignment completion.
In the short four weeks that the team has been working together, the norming and performing processes would be the places of interest for further development. A few members have settled into their roles more easily than others, likely because of prior team assignments. However, the norming and cohesion of the team as a whole still require some attention. Performing for the most part is on target, yet, the team still struggles for a balance between schoolwork and other responsibilities to improve the time requirements laid out in the team charter.
While technology has advanced virtual team collaboration, team leaders must be able to recognize and deploy effective strategies to manage virtual teams. In respect to Learning Team As management strategies, the following methods are used to manage Learning Team A effectively and efficiently:
1. Newsgroups. The learning team newsgroup provides an excellent medium for announcements and communications such as; meeting schedules, central repository for assignments and any topic that is relevant for the team. In addition, newsgroups provide a team leader an asynchronous process for posting.
2. Team Charter. Team charter defines the strengths, weaknesses, and the area of responsibility for team members and how they relate to the mission and vision of the team.
3. Instant Messaging. Instant messaging allows the teams meeting facilitator to manage meetings effectively, by creating a virtual “chat-room,” so that all team members collaborate virtually, either buy voice or keystrokes and contribute no matter where a team member is located.
4. Meeting minutes and logs. Team meeting minutes and logs are kept and posted to the newsgroup after each meeting. This clarifies deliverables and deadlines discussed and serves as a reference for any team member that either could not attend or had to exit early.
The strategies mentioned above must be organized and managed accordingly for the team to function at high-level. A strong leader who understands the technology and how to effectively implement team management strategies is imperative to the overall success of the team. “There is a positive synergy that results from these types of electronic tools when they are coordinated together to help yield higher performance through conveniences, accessibility, and structure of the design” (Alstest, 2001, para. 5).
Senior finds that “crucial to the performance of teams are the abilities and behaviors of their members” (1997, p.241). High-performing teams not only rely on team leaders, but also on all team members to achieve success. Belbin has proposed that aside from traditional roles such as leader, there are nine roles based on personality characteristics that are required for a teams success (Glinow, 2004). Belbin suggests that, if necessary, a team members primary role may change to a secondary role in the phase of a project. The roles begin with the plant, which is characterized by being resourceful and having the ability to overcome challenges. The team members that best fit the plant role are Alexis and Eliza. Alexis is able to take on the responsibility and lead the team, while Eliza is interdependent and determined to complete the team projects successfully. The coordinators role includes the ability to set goals and assign tasks. Alexis also takes on this role and is able to plan out projects effectively. Pat fits the role of monitor, requiring open-mindedness when making decisions, and the role of implementer, which can be counted on for dedicated performance to reach team goals. Eliza, Alexis and Pat, scan all tasks for adherence to requirements and share in the completer role, while the resource investigator role is taken on by Keith and Joy, who seek out tasks and facilitate communication among team members. The shapers of the team are Alexis and Pat who work well under pressure and provide motivation and support when needed. Each member has taken on the role of team worker by providing attention and dedication to the teams success and the role of specialist by contributing unique talents to providing positive end results.
Jungs Psychological Types Team Profile
ISTJ: Alexis
Takes responsibility
ISFJ: Pat
Work devotedly to meet obligations
INTJ: Eliza
Skeptical, critical, independent and determined
ESFJ: Joy
Works best with encouragement
ENTJ: Keith
Usually good at anything that requires reasoning
Personality types dictate how people might react to different situations and interact with one another. Many times, in both work and learning environments, teams try to find the balance between getting the job done