Professor Heimovics

Trent Bickel for session 4 on September 20: In ch.4 Thompson discusses team design and team building. Page 80 highlights the topic of diversity. What are some of the best ways to design a team that is to be built around the diversity of its members? Are there different steps that need to be taken to achieve group socialization within diversified groups?

Evangeline Ndangam, for session 4 on 09/20/06, Thompson mentions age differences being a cause for conflict in a team. Is there an ideal strategy for managing people significantly older than your self? Has anyone been in this position before? Or been in a team where the leader was significantly younger than your self? How did age differences affect team performance?

Corinna Plassmeyer, for session 4 on Sept 20: On page 99, Hackman discusses social loafing, or the "tendency of individuals to slack off when working in groups." How can a team effectively deal with an individual who refuses to cooperate or participate in the team's activities, especially if the team is not allowed to dismiss that individual?

Matt Birkel. Session 4 on September 20. Many important aspects of team work come from the culture of the group and relationships built from everyday interaction with other members of the group. How does an effective manager build the culture of a strong team when their members are separated?

Rachel Fowler for Session 4 on September 20: In Chapter 4, Thompson discusses team cohesion. She mentions physical proximity in helping to create team cohesion, so I wonder, are virtual teams or teams separated from each other, doomed to be uncohesive, leading to less productivity? Also, how can these types of situations be managed to create the cohesion needed to be truly productive or effective? How is physical proximity managed in a setting where all members of a team are in the same geographic location? Any examples from anyone's experiences?