Week 4

Team Formation – William A. Kahn

     A team as Merriam Webster defines it is a group of people who work together but I believe a group in itself does not necessarily represent a team. Teams normally have members with complementary skills and generate synergy through a coordinated effort, this allows each member to maximize his/her strengths and minimize his/her weaknesses. Team members should learn to help one another, help other team members realize their true potential, and create an environment that allows everyone to go beyond their limitations.

     Within the reading, the author talks about a mission statement and how it is a “destination”. He then proceed to explain that many of us arrived at this destination because we perform to get the passing grade and that we should work together to reach a common end goal instead. This way the members can go through the struggle of being team members and learn from the experiences and each other’s skill sets. I find that groups that work well together can achieve much more than individuals working on their own. A broader range of skills can be applied to practical activities and sharing and discussing ideas can play a pivotal role in deepening your understanding of a particular subject area. A side from that being part of a team will help you develop your interpersonal skills such as speaking and listening as well as team working skills like leadership, and working with and motivating others.

What unique team challenges do design teams face?

     

     Some unique team challenges that design teams face are Ineffective Leadership, Participation, and Time management. Without effective leadership, teams generally have trouble sticking to their plans and maintaining personal discipline. Although effective leadership is essential, few people are natural leaders. Most of us need to develop our leadership skills and to get practice using them. Team members have different skills and abilities as well as different motivations, energy, and levels of commitment. This means that every member makes a different level of contribution to the team’s performance. In fact, the variation among the members’ contributions generally increases with increasing group size.