Develop a plan for building an effective team with representatives from different functional areas that will work together to solve a business problem. Use the Team Planning Worksheet [DOCX] for the team building plan.
In preparation for this assessment, study your chosen company website to see what characteristics make its teams successful. Notice if it has any particular team guidelines or communication strategies that contribute to the group functions. You may have to observe the images on the website to make some assumptions about their teamwork.
Gather the background information you need about key characteristics of effective team members, group processes such as conflict resolution, and communication strategies that make teams successful. If you choose, you can read the articles in the “First Steps” resource.
Access the Team Planning Activity to review the profiles of eight current employees. Select three people to be members of your team based on their representation of the various functional areas and their individual characteristics. Fill in the grid with the information about each team member. Don’t forget that your manager will also assign one person to your team, so be on the lookout for the additional member. You will meet the individual within the Team Planning Activity.
Consider the business problem presented above and in the worksheet. In the Team Planning Worksheet:
Explain the reasons for including the specific functional areas in the organizational team.
Create a communication plan that includes recommendations for how the team will connect daily, weekly, and over the course of the project.
List 3–5 steps of a plan to solve the problem.
Explain strategies for delegating the various responsibilities in each step.
Describe how business skills from the functional areas will contribute to problem-solving and how individual soft skills of the team members will help to maintain a positive working relationship and functional problem-solving on the team.
Explain strategies that the team can use to resolve conflict.
Planning
Consider the following as rough guideposts for setting aside the time you need to do your work. You’ll want to adjust these as you learn more about your own pace and working style.
Research and Reading: 4 hrs.
Interactive activities: 30 mins.
Writing: 6 hrs.
Revising: 2 hrs.
Requirements
Font: Times New Roman, no smaller than 10-point font.
Organization: Based on the intended CEO audience, your answers should be well-organized and written in clear, succinct language.
Worksheet: Complete all sections of the Team Planning Worksheet, plus a reference page.
Resources: Include at least three reputable resources to support your ideas. Include a reference page.
APA: Follow APA rules for citing sources that support your analysis and conclusions. See Evidence and APA.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:
Competency 3: Solve business problems using critical thinking and effective decision making.
Explain the reasons for including specific functional areas in an organizational team.
Competency 4: Explain the skills and characteristics of an effective team.
Create a communication plan that includes recommendations for how the team will connect daily, weekly, and over the course of the project.
Explain strategies for delegating responsibility within a team.
Describe the characteristics and soft skills of effective team members.
Describe strategies for handling conflict between members of a team.
Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for the field of business.
Articulate meaning relevant to the main topic, scope, and purpose of the prompt.
