Team Diversity and Characteristics

Overview:

For the final project for this course, you will be placed into a group and become a consulting team that is tasked with solving an organizational issue/problem that is hindering the productivity and/or profitability of your assigned company.

For Milestone 1, you will meet with your assigned group to spend some time getting acquainted and creating group norms. This worksheet outlines steps for a group activity for developing a set of operating norms or ground rules to be highly effective in meeting expectations and goals. Group norms are established in an organization to:

· Ensure that all individuals have the opportunity to contribute

· Increase productivity and effectiveness

· Facilitate the achievement of common goals

To prepare for your first group meeting, please review this worksheet and complete the individual step prior to meeting with your group. Then, as a group, your team will meet to complete the Group Norms Table at the bottom of this worksheet to establish group norms. This document will help you work through this course as a highly effective team. Your team may find it beneficial to read the norms at the beginning of each meeting.

Note: You may find it helpful to utilize the group wiki tool available in Blackboard to organize your thoughts, information, and resources for the group milestones and final group project. You are not required to use this tool, but if your group would like to use it simply ask your instructor to create a wiki for your group.

Directions:

1. Schedule Meeting: Communicate via email to establish a date and time, and the method by which your group will meet. You may choose to meet in person, virtually through Blackboard Collaborate, by phone, or via any other communication platform that is accessible to all group members.

2. Individual Preparation: Before the group meeting, prepare a list of norms that align with your personal expectations for each category in the table below. As you are creating this list, reflect on your previous experience in a group or team and which team and individual processes helped or hindered meeting the group’s goals. You should have three to four items listed under each category, and you may come up with additional categories that are not listed. See the examples of group norms in the Sample Norms Figure below.

3. Hold Initial Group Meeting:

a. Begin the meeting with the understanding/consensus that effective teams generally have a set of norms that governs individual behavior, facilitates the work of the team, and enables the team to accomplish its task.

b. Establish a recorder for the meeting who will save a copy of this worksheet document in order to edit the Group Norms Table below to record the group’s discussion during the meeting and share the document with all group members.

4. Complete the Assignment Worksheet as a Group:

a. Complete the Group Norms Table at the bottom of this worksheet as a group, capturing three or four agreed-upon group norms in at least four categories. This may be accomplished by giving each group member a turn to speak on each category, or your group may choose its own manner of creating the list together. See the questions to consider when establishing group norms below.

b. It may be a good idea to have a timekeeper for this task so the group stays focused and is sensitive to time. This is merely a suggestion, and if you choose to have designated roles in your team that is an option. You may also want to consider having a leader, recorder/notetaker, or other roles as you decide.

5. Submit Completed Milestone Worksheet. When the team agrees on the norms that it will abide by for each category, each team member must list their name at the bottom of the worksheet to complete the activity. One group member must submit a saved copy of the worksheet to Blackboard to complete Milestone 1.

6. Schedule Meeting With Instructor. In Module 4, you will have a milestone that requires a check-in with your instructor as a group. It is a good idea to find a time agreeable to all group members and schedule the check-in now so it is on the calendar. You will need a group member to reach out to the instructor with a few options in order to identify a mutually agreeable time. One option is to invite your instructor to attend your regularly scheduled meeting via Blackboard Collaborate.