Creating and Enhancing Team Involvement Report Order Instructions: Please read below for information concerning assignment.
Support responses with examples and use APA formatting in the paper. You may access the school’s website by logging into:
https://mycampus.southuniversity.edu/portal/server.pt
Please note that when you log into the website you must click launch class, and on the next screen click syllabus to view this week’s readings (week 3) and Academic Resources to access the school’s library.
Creating a Report
In Week 3: Assignment 1, you began the Pre-Writing step for a report for your boss on Richard Hackman’s statement that using a team to complete a complex project may not be the best approach.
Your assignment this week is to continue the 3×3 writing process and complete the report.
Continuing your research using the South University Online Library and the Internet, complete the report. Your report must include the following:
• An outline of how you have formulated your response to Richard Hackman’s statement. Your outline should provide a reasonable framework for the report and show where you are going to use each of the pieces of information you found through your research
• An introduction to the report that explains the purpose of the report, the significance of the topic, and a preview of the main points to be discussed
• The body of the report that uses clear headings and topics arranged logically, in an appropriate tone
• Meaningful conclusions and practical recommendations in the report
• Multiple current and credible sources
Support your responses with examples.
Cite any sources in APA format.
Assignment 2 Grading Criteria Maximum Points
Provided an outline of how the response to Richard Hackman’s statement was formulated that provides a reasonable framework for the report. 30
Provided an introduction to the report that explains the purpose of the report, the significance of the topic, and a preview of the main points to be discussed. 30
Created the body of the report that used clear headings and topics arranged logically, in an appropriate tone. 30
Provided meaningful conclusions and practical recommendations in the report. 40
Provided multiple current and credible sources in the report. 30
Written components. 40
Total: 200
Creating and Enhancing Team Involvement Report Sample Answer
Outline
- Introduction
- Provide a personal view of Richard Hackman’s view
- Explain the reason behind the view
- State objectives of the report
- Indicate the main points discussed in the report
- Arguments for team utilization
- What might be the motivation behind Hackman’s statement?
- The need for different skills, experiences, and capabilities in complex projects
- Using teams to enhance creativity and decision making
- Distribution of tasks, faster completion, and professionalism
- Recommendations for team utilization
- Team leadership versus management
- Identifying best expertise
- Team motivation
- Efficiency in communication
- Enhancing team involvement
- Dealing with conflicts
- Conclusion
- Restatement of view on Hackman’s statement
- Summary of report’s main points
- References
Creating a report
Introduction
Complex projects consist of numerous aspects, activities, and decision making processes, which require different skills and capabilities to achieve the project objectives satisfactorily. The use of teams in managing such projects is therefore inevitable. The statement by Richard Hackman, indicating that teams may not work effectively for complex projects does not augur well with the absolute demand for skills and capabilities required in the management of complex projects. Therefore, I disagree with Richard Hackman and maintain that teams are an important prerequisite in managing complex projects. This report is an argument for the utilization of teams in managing complex projects. It attempts to deduce the reason behind Hackman’s statement and explain the importance of using teams and how project leaders can ensure that teams remain an asset to the project.
Arguments for Team Utilization
Richard Hackman postulates that it may not be best to use teams in executing complex projects. This may be explained by the belief that complex projects are very sensitive and that they require significant precision to ensure that their objectives are achieved. According to Hackman’s view, he may have considered teams as being prone to conflict, slow in decision making due to numerous ideas and lack of creativity as members try to fit into the team (Allen, 2014). The benefits of teams, however, outweigh the cons as discussed in the next section.
Different aspects of a complex project require varying skills, experiences, and capabilities. These can only be obtained by including team members who possess certain strengths to ensure that all aspects of the project are effectively achieved (El-Sofany, Alwadani & Alwadani, 2014). By utilizing teams, the project brings together individuals with various strengths, who then contribute to the various aspects of project execution including budget management, procurement, technology and operations (Zofi, 2011).
In the management of complex projects, teams ensure enhanced creativity because each team member brings invaluable ideas that may be used to accomplish project objectives. Based on the ideas, the best and most innovative ones can be used to enhance project performance (Zofi, 2011). This further enhances the decision-making process.
Effective use of teams can simplify project tasks by distributing tasks and responsibilities among team members. Depending on their strengths, skills, and experiences, team members are given specific tasks to complete. This ensures that projects can be completed faster and in a more professional manner, as opposed to where there are no teams (Zofi, 2011).
Recommendations for Team Utilization
Due to the complexity of managing teams in projects, various challenges may also be witnessed, thus limiting performance (Allen, 2014). This to a significant extent explains Hackman’s view on teams in the management of complex projects. To enhance the efficiency of the team in managing complex projects, you will need to consider some of the factors that promote team success in complex projects as follows.
Take the position of a team leader, not the manager: This calls for the project leader to play the role of a team leader, effectively guiding the team members to achieve shared vision (El-Sofany, Alwadani, & Alwadani, 2014). As opposed to being a manager, a leader is hands-on and is basically part of the team. He guides the team as opposed to giving orders or tasking team members with doing the work.
Identify the best expertise: Having the most effective team calls for the careful selection of the best talent and expertise. This will ensure that the project objectives are effectively achieved.
Motivate the team: Teams are more likely to be successful when there is motivation. As noted by Conill (2013), project leaders must ensure that the team is well remunerated, recognized and rewarded for their efforts. This will ensure that they are more committed to achieving project objectives.
Enhance communication: Poor communication could thwart a team’s performance capabilities, leading to increased conflict and inefficiency in delivering task objectives. The need to develop effective communication channels is, therefore, necessary to ensure information is well disseminated (Saonee, et al, 2011). The medium of communication also matters significantly. According to the media richness theory, face-to-face communication is important in enhancing communication as opposed to written communication (Guffey & Loewy, 2012).
Involve team members: Team members want to be recognized and feel as if their efforts and contributions matter in the project’s execution (Conill, 2013). It is therefore important to involve team members throughout the project.
Develop conflict management skills: Conflict will always occur where teams are involved and it is therefore important for project managers to develop conflict resolution skills (Hill & Lineback, 2013). This will ensure that conflicts do not limit the project’s ability to achieve its objectives.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I disagree with Hackman’s view on utilizing teams in complex projects, arguing that teams are highly important in the execution of projects. This is because team members bring invaluable skills and expertise, ideas and can share responsibilities to promote project performance. I, however, concur that the management of teams is equally complex and the project leader must, therefore, possess various skills necessary to manage the team effectively. Special emphasis is given to team leadership, hiring individuals with the best expertise, effective communication, team member involvement, and effective conflict resolution.
Creating and Enhancing Team Involvement Report References
Allen, P. (2014). Evolution: complexity, uncertainty, and innovation’. Journal of Evolutionary
Economics, 24 (2), 265-289, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 28 May 2016. Retrieved from eds.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=5&sid=6df148f4-132c-425d-bffa-8a769947b8f9%40sessionmgr4003&hid=4202
Conill, F. R. (2013). Motivation in Virtual Project Management. Retrieved From
www.Diva-Portal.Org/Smash/Get/Diva2:624038/Fulltext01.Pdf
El-Sofany, H., Alwadani, H., & Alwadani, A. (2014). Managing Virtual Team Work in IT
Projects: Survey. International Journal of Advanced Corporate Learning, 7 (4), 28-33, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, Viewed 27 May 2016.
Guffey, M. E., & Loewy, D. (2012). Essentials of business communication. Cengage Learning.
Hill, L. A. & Lineback, K. L. (2013). Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great
Leader, United Kingdom: Harvard Business Press.
Saonee, S., Manju, A., Suprateek, S., & Kirkeby, S. (2011). The Role of Communication and
Trust in Global Virtual Teams: A Social Network Perspective. Journal of Management Information Systems, 28 (1), 273-309, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, Viewed 27 May 2016.
Zofi, Y. (2011). A Manager’s Guide to Virtual Teams, AMACOM Div American MgmtAssn,
New York. Affinity.
