Managing a project team and addressing people\'s issues are challenging for proj

Question

Managing a project team and addressing people's issues are challenging for project managers. A flood of people's issues may overwhelm a professional, and especially those who aspire to be a PM someday. There are professional tools that consultants use to bring teams together and bring awareness to personality types. There are two types of activities that can help: personality assessment tools andteam building exercises.

Personality assessment tools are useful in two ways. They introduce and promote discussion about the notion that different people have different personalities and these differences influence their effectiveness as team members. While it may seem patently obvious that different people have different personalities, examining and discussing this is useful. They also give insight to each individual on how their own personality might influence their interactions both as team members and as managers.

There are many assessment tools on the market today. One tool mentioned by the textbook's author is the Personal Style Inventory third edition, by Champagne and Hogan, published by HRDQ®(www.hrdq.com). This assessment is based on the well-known work by the mother daughter team of Myers and Briggs. You may also review the personality profile test at www.humanmetrics.com

An astute student will recognize that not only are these types of assessments and exercises useful in a classroom environment, they can also be used in “real” projects. Many PMs will administer personality assessment tools as a team building exercise that also gives the team real insights into how best they can work together.

What type of team building exercise would you use if you were managing a project team? Why will this work? What challenges have you personally experienced, if any, and how did a team building or team assessment tool help?

Your comments should be supported by research that you reference at the bottom of your post - see rubric in syllabus for complete submission guidance.

Explanation / Answer

Establishing and developing a greater sense of collaboration and trust between members of a team is the most important thing for the success of the team. And the process of doing so is known as team building.

Good team morale depends on support, resources, communication and personalities.

So to build a team it goes through different phases which are forming, storming, norming and performing.

In the forming stages the main goal of the team is discussed. Than it formulates strategies for tackling the tasks, determines the challenges and identifies information needed. Finally individuals take on certain roles.

In the storming stages the project manager or the team leader checks if the team has developed trust and communication.

In the norming stage the team members accept their team, its rule and procedures and their role in the team.

Finally in the performing stage team members have gained insight into personal and team processes, a better understanding of each other’s strengths and weaknesses, gained the ability to prevent or work through group conflict and resolve differences.

For team building team games should be used as games are interesting and fun.

To start with one can use the ice breaking game, where in every member would share of limited and safe bits of information. This in turn will lay the foundations of a more open and trustworthy climate for the group.

Than one can have games like the problem cure where one learns how to get out of of bad situations e.g. difficult trainees - dominant talkers, silent sitters, disruptive 'know alls‘.

Than there should be personal talk to encourage the team member and see how they feel about each other.

Such games will work as they simple and not boring.

There would be challenges as team would have members with different personality, culture, behaviour etc. Also there would be difficulties to give equal opportunity and that every individuals idea, problem or suggestion is shared.

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