Team Building and Conflict Resolution Gregg James at Sun Microsystems

A team is a collection of individuals guided by a common purpose striving for the same.. With a good team, the whole is better than the sum of the parts (Mallory, 1991)

Why Form a Team? To solve problems by drawing on the talents of variety of individuals. To foster togetherness in the workplace while tackling projects. To reduce or eliminate a lack of communication among staff members on projects. To heighten productivity by encouraging an atmosphere of cooperation. To achieve a solution that might be unpopular to some but is the desire of the majority.

What are characteristics of successful teams? A Teams succeeds when its members have: a commitment to common objectives defined roles and responsibilities effective decision systems, communication and work procedures good personal relationships According to Bob Mendonsa and Associates’ web page http://www. trainingplus.com on Team building : Team Building is a process and not an event. Team Building is about both willingness and ability. Sometimes teams problems occur because team members lack important skills. Sometimes there are trust issues. Team Building must address individual and group issues. People do not “disappear” when they choose to belong to a group. Any team building effort must address the strengths and development needs of individual team members that impact the group as a whole. Of course the corollary is true and groups or teams fail when they: Think differently Have poor leadership Have communications difficulties Have competition between members

Is diversity a good thing or bad thing for teams? Studies show diverse teams are either very high performing ones or very low performing ones, with homogenous teams being moderate performers

Diversity in teams: Challenges Dislike and mistrust Stereotyping and perceptual issues Communication problems Stress Decreased effectiveness Less identification with team

Diversity in teams: Opportunities and Challenges More ideas, better ideas Limited groupthink More creative

Best Practices for managing Diverse Teams Task related selection Recognizing differences Establishing a vision or superordinate goal Equalizing power Creating mutual respect Giving feedback

Virtual Teams Why do we have a virtual team? Situations for a global virtual team? What are some of the problems/challenges in managing a global virtual team?

Challenges in Global Virtual Teams Geographical distance – time zone and conditions Cultural distance Uncertainty Trust Leadership Differences in uses of technology

Managing a Global Virtual Team Face to face opportunities at intervals Communication Procedural or Task focus Social messages Displaying Enthusiasm Leadership Coping with uncertainty Individual initiative Temporal coordination – scheduling, synchronizing, Conflict resolution

How can hr in an mnc intervene in these teams? Leadership training – culture and group processes, structures Team building opportunities Self management vs team rules template Manage the environment Pay systems reflect success in group work Managing support