Unit 3:   Team-Building Under Duress

Flow Chart #3 for Paper #3

Unit Overview
This unit explores how to build effective teams in difficult times typified by a shortage of resources, funding, personnel, and/or time.

In addition to dealing with leadership theories, the unit will examine motivation, personality factors, perception, applied problem-solving approaches, and the role of vision, communicating a clear mission, and the development of appropriate tactics. Team-building in times of adversity, or when members from divergent groups are compelled to work together will be highlighted, with a focus on effectiveness and measurable results.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

• Define the concept of distributed leadership, and apply it to team leadership, and the notion of a "bossless team."
  
• Understand the fundamentals of team building and how decisions are affected when there are shortages of personnel, equipment, time, and resources.
  
• Explain how personality indicators such as the Myers-Brigg indicator can be used in conjunction with team-building.
  
• Describe the importance of vision in team-building, and how that relates to creative approaches to solving problems that arise from shortages of key elements needed to achieve the organization's mission.
  
• Explain how a lack of time can be as destabilizing as a lack of resources in terms of achieving goals, and how this can impact team members and team performance.
  
• Describe potential hostile environments, and their impact on individuals and groups.
  
• Relate transformational leadership to dealing with shortages of time, personnel, resources, and/or being in a hostile environment.
  

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Guiding Questions
Please use these questions as springboards for fruitful contemplation, and to help you with your journals.  You may respond to the questions if you wish.  If you prefer to address other issues regarding the readings and leadership, please feel free to do so.

When is a team affected by economic stress?

What happens in the workplace in times of economic crisis?  How do individuals act?  What are some of their positive behaviors? What are negative ones? How can coaching / leadership help?

Describe a situation when team-building is impacted by a lack of resources.

How do ideas found in your textbook apply to stress brought on by economic crisis?

What are the negative effects of a lack of time?

Describe situations when Myers-Briggs assessments may be counterproductive.  When can they be productive?

When does distributed leadership make the most difference to the accomplishment of a mission, goals, and objectives?

• Explain how personality indicators such as the Myers-Brigg indicator can be used in conjunction with team-building.
  
• Describe the importance of vision in team-building, and how that relates to creative approaches to solving problems that arise from shortages of key elements needed to achieve the organization's mission.
  
• Explain how a lack of time can be as destabilizing as a lack of resources in terms of achieving goals, and how this can impact team members and team performance.
  
• Describe potential hostile environments, and their impact on individuals and groups.
  
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