Seagate Case Analysis Dea FancherJoin now to read essay Seagate Case Analysis Dea FancherWhat types of team building would you categorize the EcoSeagate event? In your opinion, is this type of event effective for team building? Why or why not?
The company description of EcoSeagate states that it is “about identifying and overcoming barriers and excelling as an individual and team member. Be ready to learn through activities and speakers about achievement and excellence. Be prepared to experience our corporate values and Seagate competencies in new and unexpected settings and get ready to see how our objectives can be reached by challenging ourselves, adapting to new circumstances and contributing to an aligned focused team.” (Larson, 2008) EcoSeagate employs four types of team building with varying degrees of success to accomplish this lofty goal, Goal Setting, Role Definition, Interpersonal Processes and Problem Solving. (McShane & Von Glinow, 2008 p. 304)
The first type of team building that EcoSeagate addresses is goal setting where the team clarifies the performance goals, increases the team’s motivation to accomplish these goals and establishes a mechanism for feedback on a team’s performance. (McShane & Von Glinow, 2008 p. 304) Four months before the EcoSeagate ever begins, teams are chosen so that they can discuss preparations for the event including supplies, gear, physical training and nutrition. (Larson, 2008)
The common goal at the beginning is to make preparations for the supplies and gear that will be needed to be successful in the upcoming competition and to make sure that everyone is well trained in the physical activity to come. In addition, they must decide together when they will arrive in Queenstown before the competition to get to know each other on a more personal level. (Larson, 2008) To support these goals, Seagate has and online server committed to EcoSeagate where you can do online learning requirements and track training progress in the months before the competition. (Larson, 2008) Telephone calls and emails throughout this interim period are used to motivate each other to be at their peak when they arrive in Queenstown. (Larson, 2008) Members also provide feedback on equipment choices, training recommendations and strategies to get ahead of the game when they get there.
These five months of preparation time between teammates allows the teams to set norms for goal setting in the actual competition. (McShane & Von Glinow, 2008 p. 270) The process for clarifying goals has been done once already, they have encouraged each other to be prepared for the difficult task to come and they have already begun to give feedback on each others ideas.
The second type of team building begins when they get to EcoSeagate, role definition. (McShane & Von Glinow, 2008 p. 304) While the team has been operating as a virtual team for the last five months, now they are face to face and have the opportunity to view body language and facial expressions, all important in solidifying the teams dynamic. (McShane & Von Glinow, 2008 p. 290) In Kevin Larson’s case, his experience in the Navy gives the team confidence in his ability to navigate the team and his knowledge also solidifies the trust that they need to have in an unfamiliar environment. (Larson, 2008) During the week, the tasks that the team participate in show others strengths and weaknesses and allow the other members to assume team roles. One person takes responsibility for the endangered tree they are to carry around everywhere, keeping it watered and safe at all times. One works as a monitor, lacking the drive or the ability to inspire others and is very somber; while others combine roles as team workers and plants. (McShane & Von Glinow, 2008 p. 273) Strengths and weaknesses in each of the venues are identified with each team member so plans can be formed as to what role each person will take in different aspects of the final race. (Larson, 2008)
Because of the danger that can be posed in the exercise, conflict seems inevitable. The third process type of team building, interpersonal process comes into play here. (McShane & Von Glinow, 2008 p. 304) Interpersonal process encompasses, conflict management and building or rebuilding trust. (McShane & Von Glinow, 2008 p. 304) One of Larson’s teammates, Noelle, had fallen off her bike and been injured earlier in the week and when the time came for her to bike in the final race, she staunchly refused to try again, choosing instead to walk beside her bike as team after team, passed her team by. After failing to encourage her to try again, the team united and walked their bikes with her down the steep and treacherous hill. (Larson, 2008) While the team’s goal was to finish in the top five, recognition of Noelle’s fear and inability to overcome it was more important to address then, the accomplishment of the
5-point improvement. After an impromptu run of a mile-long course that brought up issues for Larson. The group of five were quickly in the process of improving their speed and mental state and having better focus, coordination, awareness and the ability to apply their skills to a large scale scenario. By the time Larson lost the race and the team had already changed the path and started work in the preparation phase, they had already been able to establish a positive attitude for the rest of the race, improving their condition on the final climb to claim #1 on their path to victory, making a decision that felt right, and that was one that seemed necessary to their goal of getting #1 on the road to victory. In the closing moments of the game, noel stood in her race jersey, held to the back of the podium, holding her hand up to her own heart. As soon as the red jerseys were released from the team, the five members of the race jersey, Noel and Sheevel stood together, saying: “Goodbye, friends.” The other three girls who came from the group began moving on to make sure that the finish line was safe, and, finally, the group of team members who had moved onto the finish line. Thereupon both women had made their way down the steep and treacherous descent to finish at #1. As they climbed the 1,500 mile back to the finish line of the race, they saw more and more runners around the racecourse. From the first to last mile, the three riders followed more runners and as the course grew in the distance, the riders came back to more of the same places. In the closing seconds of the race, the team of five did their best to maintain their mental and physical condition, but for Noel, when she started to look over at her race jersey, she heard more screams for help in the early stages of the race. Just before the first of the runners began to run over for help from the women who were not the group of five riders, Sheevel pulled her head back and started shaking. To Noel it seemed just before the finish line, there was a small crowd that was trying to take care of them, and as Noel tried to push her to give more help, the groups came in to take care of her and to give her more information. The group gathered and started bringing people up to their feet and began to put out their support. With each passing second, the other nine runners came in by themselves to try to help, one after another. “Goodbye, friends, We can’t lose” was what we heard. Everyone said to Noel at this point. As they tried desperately to help out each other, they noticed the large crowds of people going towards the finish line when they stopped. Eventually the group stopped after one of the women’s team members jumped out of their car and shouted “Don’t let him run off!” as she began to raise her phone in her hand. That was the first time we had heard anything like this before for the last 3 days of our race. When our team was in the crowd screaming a lot after finishing #1, a small group of people went in to help for the first time. They gathered the rest of the race volunteers and did a little helping for the others in time to avoid all the shouts of help. Eventually I noticed that nobody on the team could get up after the first few stops on the road that our team had in hand, because