Topic 6 DQ 1

There are five stages of team development:

• Stage 1: Forming- This is when the team first initially meets, and get to know each other. This is when the team will be introduced to the project that they are to perform. 
• Stage 2: Storming- This is the part of the team process where the team will begin to develop. Often one of the hardest parts of the team building and project process because the team may or may not have worked together in the past. There are many times different opinions and differing ideas during this stage and conflict can arise. 
• Stage 3: Norming-This is a very productive part of the project team, this stage is when the team begins to work together, make indefinite decisions and begin to put things into motion for the remainder of the project. The norming stage of a project team is crucial because the layout of the outline of the project really happens and takes form during this stage of the process. 
• Stage 4: Performing- One of the most important parts of the project team design is the performing stage. During this time the team is and should be functioning at a high level of performance and team unity. This is essential because in order for the project team to be effective this stage has to operate and run smoothly. Not every team makes it to this point, which is often the downfall of the project and can cause many interruptions. 
• Stage 5: Adjourning- This is the final stage of the project. Once the team has completed the project, or at least their parts of the project the team will begin to end. This is the point where the team was either effective or not depending on how the rest of the process has gone. 

I have participated in many teams from volunteer, student, work, or management level projects throughout my lifetime. I feel that working through all of these stages is very valid. There have been many classes through GCU that we were required to do CLC projects. In my management 420 class we were assigned a team at the beginning of the class, and participated with that same group. This was one of the best, and most enlightening experiences thus far through GCU. So many times we will have a CLC and change groups throughout the 8 week period. But this instructor had us stay with the same group. We went through all 5 stages, effectively! We also worked through the communication barrier of being spread throughout the country, different time zones, different strengths and weaknesses, etc. That group and myself exchanged phone numbers and communicated via text message and were able to complete 3 very extensive projects with great grades and ease! Not only that but we also all became very good friends and still talk now! This was most assuredly one of the better experiences of the 5 stages of project team building that ended with great success!

Nicci

5 Stages of Team Development. (July 7, 2020). Retrieved from https://project-management.com/stages-of-team-development/

 

Topic 6 DQ 2

More often conflict arises within a team is mainly due to objectives or common established goals are not clearly specified / communicated / irrelevant to the team members specific skill set.. If goals are different among the team members then there are more chances where a project manager has to face this kind of a problem at every activities or processes.

The major role of a project manager here is to set a common goal for all the team members then set individuals tasks or sub-tasks or secondary goals can be given to them. Various approaches can be deployed to do this, but there are no hard and fast rules.

Briefing and de-briefing session:

A project manager can hold briefing and debriefing of a project and its goals to the team members who are involved. Before that the project manager must understands the goals or objectives of a project to be executed. During this session, project manager can divide the activities and allot it to team members with a specific timeline. Hence there will not be any conflict among the members. Sometimes inter-dependent activities are also be discussed among the members to have a clarity.

Resolving a personality conflict within a team?

One of the most difficult area where a project manager has to handle this kind of a conflict subtlety. First step is to differentiate personality conflict,

1. Knowledge based
2. Behavioral (stereotypic)
3. Attitudinal

Knowledge based:

Most of the time a team member could not understand the repercussion of the activities which are linked to one another unless there is no proper knowledge orientation given to them, technical or non-technical. A project manager should know the skill sets, strength and weakness of the team members before assigning them the roles and responsibilities. This gap can be easily bridged by providing trainings, proper induction etc., Establishing a proper communication protocol or hierarchy of communication channel would be right way to resolve this.

Behavioral (stereotypic)

Handling teams among the team, generally a common problem for a project manager where one sub-team does not support others. This will be very difficult to identify at the initial stage. A team building exercise would be better option to allow members to interact with each other and developing a rapport between them. In recent times, organization allowing project managers to take their team members for a picnic, lunch / dinner, games etc. to create a better platform to understand each other.

Attitudinal:

A critical conflict to be handled by a project manager where it is mainly depends upon an individual. A team member can be highly knowledgeable or result oriented if the member has an attitudinal issue it will dampens the spirit of the team. A project manager can hold one to one discussion with the member to resolve the conflict by explaining the difficulties aroused out of his action. It is the responsibility of project manager to motivate without demoralizing the member.

It is the ultimate desertion of a project manager to let go off the member if the positive results are not seen after the discussion.

Reference:

 Larson, E. W., & Gray, C. F. (2018). Project management: The managerial process (7^th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.