Case Analysis of The Team that Wasn't

After reading through the whole story, people might be skeptical that Randy is the crux to

ruin the team harmony. Isolating Randy out off the team would be the most efficient way to get

work done. However, there are other factors besides Randy hindering behind the problem. Only

if Eric can figure out these drivers, the team could collaborate and make the collective goal

successful.

Analysis and disclose the hidden factors

Here, the Model of Team Effectiveness is being applied to analyze the performance of

the team. Eric, as a team leader, should first evaluate team inputs in team building phase, team

working process management and measure perform and viability in order to find factors driving

the poor effectiveness of the teamwork.

Goals
There is no evidence of a common commitment to a team purpose. From the CEO level,

the goal to Eric is not clear. Eric, as a team leader, did not adjust the vagueness of the goal or

establish a new one in the building phase. He tried to hold the members to an agenda only based

on the CEO's charge: "to have a comprehensive plan for strategic realignment, running, and

winning within six months." Consequently, the members do not understand the purpose of the

Strategic realignment and what are the criteria or the result to be used to evaluate the win of the

strategic realignment. All the members failed to understand why they should work together and

why teamwork is more significant than individual contribution. (Recom. 1)

Norms
There is no evidence of a clear working approach. The team was composed of top people

from all divisions, manufacturing, design division, human resources, distribution, finance as well

as marketing and its diversity of skillsets and experiences is enough to form a well performed

team. However, without a clear work approach, people could not maximize their competences
and mix them together to generate greater impact. In this case, the only preparation Eric did to

make the team work was preparing a structure and guideline for the group discussion,

disagreement, and decisions. That might work well for people rich in working in a team

environment, just like the one where Eric worked before as a consultant. Consulting firm has

clear titles and roles from analyst, consultant, manager, team leader, principle and partner.

Everyone knows pretty well his or her responsibility and the rules of the road in his or her post.

However, at FireArt, these managers were unaccustomed to the team process. They did not know

how each is expected to contribute, how they will collaborate, or how each person's "nonteam"

responsibilities will be handled.

In addition, Randy, the same level as other team members, seems to play a tricky role at

FireArt. He is treated by CEO Jack as " had the best mind" and "the future of the company".

Randy also thinks himself more important and more intelligent than others. As a team leader,

Eric did not do anything to minimize the effect of Randy's different status. Does he play the

same role with the same level responsibility as other members? Or does he take a higher level of

position in the team? Eric even did not prepare to handle this specific situation.

Task process
There is no clear task division. We know little about what they are supposed to be

working on and accomplishing. In the whole story, Eric never divided specific tasks to different

members. Since there is no common goal, the process was that team members tried to propose

their own ideas within their own division. Well, Randy never executed any task as others. He

could listen, comment or ignore just as he liked.

In addition, Eric's group spends more time on feelings and past experiences than on the

task at hand. In an effective team, leaders can always create a safe environment for member to

feel comfortable to ask questions or express their ideas. To get thing done and get goal
accomplished are their direction of collaborate. However, in Eric's team, except for Randy, the

members are supportive and helpful- to the point where feelings and past experience are more

important. Citing Ray LaPierre of manufacturing as an example. He always expressed diffidence

toward his high school educational background. Besides, Maurren Turner of the design division

was so sensitive of people's attitude toward artists.

Moreover, group seeks consensus rather than accomplishment. Real teams seldom seek

consensus. In an effective team, each member devotes to maximize his or her skillsets or

resources to make a collective goal accomplished. They are encouraged to express different

opinions on a command issue and quite flexible to accept other's suggestions. They are always

objective to evaluate and choose the best position to ensure performance. The final solution can

be originated from the leader or another person, and the best solution always is a combination of

ideas from more than one person.

Conflict management
Conflict could benefit the teamwork, as well as harm the teamwork. How to manage the

conflict is crucial for leader to guarantee a good team performance. Look at the conflicts in Eric's

team, the conflicts escalated from task conflict to relationship conflict, which focused on

personalities and relationship dynamics and was highly destructive. As a team leader, Eric

should have sought a way to manage the conflict, or cannot prevent, immediately after the first

meeting. However, he did nothing and things were out of control now. It is harder now than it

would have been then because now he also has considerable repair work to do with Randy and

with the team.

Perform and viability

Unclear and non-measureable goal made task performance evaluation impossible.

Members needed supports and guidance from the team and from team leader. In this case, Eric
set no rules of performance and people try without clear direction and criteria.

Recommendation
First, Eric should seek immediately help from Jack, CEO of FireArt, to reinforce his power as a
leader, asking for member's performance evaluation right and correlating their performance as a
team member and the group's overall performance with their economic benefits. In addition, Eric
should talk with Jack about Randy's issue. Jack could help to clamp down on Randy and let him
understand leadership position of Eric in the team. Using the management resources is a good
method to order the chaos.
Simultaneously, Eric should reset goals or products for the team. Besides a clear common

goal for the whole team, Eric should set another short-term goal or milestone. If this can be

accomplished, the team members can be expected to develop trust and respect by working

together to those ends. In addition, Eric should treat Randy separately at beginning of all his

plans. Eric should talk to Randy in person, show his respect and let him recognize both the value

and the need for collective work and skills. And then discuss the team work with him and get his

suggestions before every meeting. Eric could approve the absence of Randy in the first several

meetings.

In addition, Eric should motivate the members and encourage them to devote to the team

building phase, and require the team members to determine how to hold themselves mutually

accountable for achieving their goals. The entire group must believe it can succeed or fail only as

a team.

Moreover, design a more disciplined working approach that emphasizes team

performance. . Eric should change his leading style and set clear and enforceable ground rules to

which all members must abide. A member giving presentations to the rest of the team must

constitute collective work for purposes of increasing team performance.

At last, to better manage progress and the conflict, one way is to show some good

examples of teamwork and to provide a basic training of teamwork. Then create an open and safe
environment to ask questions and exchange opinions.