ATHENA WEEK 3 - 3 Flashcards
a good team is essential because it influences 3 things
- mix of skills
- access to resources
- effectiveness in proving communication and coordination across divisions
Pros large team sizes
More people = More ideas and skills
Can tackle complex problems better because everyone brings different knowledge
Cons large teams
Harder to manage
People may not feel like a close team (hard to build team spirit)
social loafing
Some people do less work because they rely on others
Team composition
who’s on the team?
Example: If it’s just engineers, the product might work great technically but won’t fit customer needs because there’s no marketing or customer input.
Solution: CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TEAMS:
teams whose members are drawn from multiple functional areas in the firm such as R&D, marketing, manufacturing, distribution and so on
BUT… Cross-Functional Teams Have a Downside → Homophily
Homophily means: “People naturally prefer working with people who are like them.”
In a mixed team, engineers might stick with engineers, marketing people with marketing, hurting collaboration.
Functional teams
- Members stay in own department
- Regular meetings
- Temporary: only exists while project runs
- Low time commitment: less than 10% of their time on the project
- no project manager: no one leads the project fulltime
- easy to set up
- weak on coordination
.
Appropriate for DERIVATIVE PROJECTS that primarily affect only a single function of the team (= something the company already has but makes small changes or improvements).
Lightweight teams
- Just like functional they stay in their departments
- there IS a project manager
- There’s also a liaison who helps improve communication between departments.
- temporary
- Project manager is not very senior, so they can’t force departments to do things — they mostly coordinate.
Heavyweight teams
- leave their normal department and work FULLTIME on project
- sit together with stromg senior project manager
- temporary
- strong cross-sectional coordination and communication
Autonomous teams
- leave their department and work fulltime
- project manager is senior manager
- what makes them special is that the team is independent from the company’s normal rules.
They can create their own policies, procedures, and rewards — like a mini startup inside the company.
functional/lightweight/heavyweight/autonomous teams: appropriate for derivative projects and technical problem solving
functional teams
functional/lightweight/heavyweight/autonomous teams: appropriate for derivative projects
lightweight
functional/lightweight/heavyweight/autonomous teams: appropriate for platform projects and breakthrough projects
heavyweight
functional/lightweight/heavyweight/autonomous teams: appropriate for breakthrough projects
autonomous teams
team leadership
Responsible for directing the firm’s activities, maintaining the team’s alignment with project goals, and serving as a communicator between the team and senior management
What is required of a team leader in heavyweight and autonomous teams?
They must have high status in the organization, act as a concept champion, be skilled in conflict resolution, and be able to influence engineering, manufacturing, and marketing teams.
What is the purpose of a Project Charter in team administration?
It defines the project’s mission and sets clear, measurable goals for the team.
What is a Contract Book in team administration?
A document that details the plan to achieve the project’s goals outlined in the charter.
What are Virtual Teams?
Teams that collaborate from different locations using technology like video calls, email, and group software.
What is a challenge of managing virtual teams?
Less face-to-face communication makes it harder to build team norms and may increase conflict.
