Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Modules 8-7 Discussion: These questions are designed to provide possible pathways for discussion.
There is no need for each person to answer all the questions. Also, please feel free to discuss other ideas
(i.e. from the recommended readings) that are not included in this list of questions.
Lastly, Northouse (2013) provides very insightful conclusions about the dynamic between
leaders and team members, based on the Team Leadership model. He argues that this model,
while extremely important in the literature, it has both strengths and weaknesses:
[] One of the strengths of this model is that it is designed to focus on the real life
organizational work group and the leadership needed there in. [] In addition, the reallife focus on performance and team effectiveness enables leaders and members to
diagnose and correct team problems. [Moreover,] [t]he responsibilities or functions of
team leadershipsuch as setting goals, coaching, and rewardinghistorically have
rested with the groups formal leader, but now, with organizational restructuring, these
duties and responsibilities often are distributed across the team. [One of the weaknesses
of this model is that it] [] does not provide on-the-spot answers to specific problems
facing the team leader, such as When is the best time to intervene? [or] What do you
say to a member who is upset and crying (pp. 305-306).
In what ways would designing work for a virtual team be different from designing work
for a face-to-face team?
As organizations design teams, it is paramount that leaders understand that both approaches are
necessary depending on organizational structure and nature of project. As organizations become
regional and even international, the evidence suggests that virtual teams seem to be more
appropriate. Nonetheless, it is important to recognize that
[] Virtual Teams are not just necessary for companies that have multiple sites; they
offer some distinct advantages over traditional teams [] First, virtual teams combine
the best talents of people in companies, thereby allowing better use of human resources.
And because of their virtual nature, they can provide team members with a level of
empowerment that more traditional teams do not enjoy. [Thompson, 2011, p. 333).
In contrast, designing face-to-face teams would require a different approach. The reason, among
other things, is that
[..] Face-to-face contact is crucial in the initiation of relationships and collaborations.
People are more cooperative when interacting face-to-face than via other forms of
communication. Without face-to-face communication, relationships between
businesspersons are often strained and contentions. Face-to-face meetings are ideal when
teams must wrestle with complex problems (ibid, p. 319).
Lastly, the question that perhaps a leader can ask is Which team design is better? Thompson
(2011) suggests that both are essential and both have strengths and shortcomings:
[] There is a strong intuition in the business world that face-to-face communication is
necessary for trust, understanding, and enjoyment. However, face-to-face communication
in no way ensures higher productivityespecially in the case of creative teams.
Information technology can increase productivity in teams. The skill manager knows
when to use it, and knows which obstacles are likely to crop up when using it, and how to
address those obstacles (p. 344)
References
Northouse, P. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks: SAGE.
Thompson, L. (2011). Making the team: A guide for managers (4th ed.). Boston: Prentice Hall.