“Anatomy of a Team” Custom Essay

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1. Choose a team that meets the following criteria:
a) Pick a team that is currently performing well or performing poorly.
b) This can be any type of team: sports, class project, civic board, project (e.g., Lost at Sea teams), etc.
c) A team:
i. Has two or more people
ii. With work roles that require them to be interdependent
iii. Who operate within a larger social system (organization)
iv. Performing tasks relevant to the group mission
v. With consequences for others inside and outside the organization
vi. And who have membership that is identifiable to those who are in the team and to those who are not in the team.
d) You must be able to get sufficient information about the members and what went on in the team.

2. Prepare a written report in which you:
a) Team Definition: Describe the team, its purpose, and how the team was formed.
b) Team Leadership: Identify any team managers or leaders. Who directs the team? Use Path Goal theory to describe the leader’s behavior? Does the leader tend to use one behavioral style or can he/she switch styles according to the situation?
c) Organizational Culture: Describe the organizational culture in which this team works. Distinguish between visible artifacts like work space characteristics (physical office layout, uniforms) and color scheme, and less visible things like the underlying values of the owners/managers (e.g., F.A.I.T.H. is the acronym for N.O. Saints value set). Are there clear ethical lines about acceptable versus unacceptable workplace behavior?
d) Team work: Describe how team members work together in order to do their job and perform as a team. Do members work together in the same physical space or do they work in separate offices and come together only in regular meetings?
e) Member Personality: Describe the members of each team on relevant personality and other individual differences. Reference the Big 5 model in your answer. How do these differences lead the team members to interact?
f) Team Motivation: Analyze how motivation strategies and leadership lead the team members to perform. Apply at least two different theories of motivation to describe team members’ effort.
i. Theory 1: Use Reinforcement Theory to discuss the reward structure for team members. How is compensation/pay determined? Are rewards given at the team level (e.g., one team score for football, pooled tips in a restaurant) or at the individual level?
ii. Theory 2: Choose another motivational theory from lecture or your textbook that applies to this team.
g) Describe how decisions are made for the team. Discuss which decisions tend to be made by one individual or by the group. Discuss the difference in programmed and non-programmed decisions made by the team or its leader.

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