Lecture 10: Managing the New Product Development Team Flashcards
Team Size
= range from a few to a hundreds of members
= Bigger is not always better
= Larger teams have higher potential for social loafing
Team Composition
= Including members from multiple functions ensure greater coordination between these functions
= Firms around the world rely heavily on cross-functional teams for their new product development efforts
Diversity in NDP teams
= Diversity in functional backgrounds increases breadth of knowledge base
= Other types of diversity can benefit as well
= However: Diversity can raise coordination costs
-> Individuals may prefer to interact with those they perceive as similar
-> May be more difficult to reach shared understanding
-> May lower group cohesion (Zusammenhalt)
=> Extended contact can overcome some of these challenges
The disadvantage of team brainstorming
- Fear of Judgement
- Production Blocking
- Feasibility trumps originality
What are “Functional Teams”?
= members report to functional manager
= Temporary
= Members may spend less that 10 % of their time on project
= Typically, no project manager
= Little opportunity for cross-functional integration
= Likely to be appropriate for deviate projects
Lightweight Teams
= Members report to functional manager
= Temporary
= Members spend about 25 % of their time on the project
= Typically have a project manager
= Manager is typically junior or middle management
= Likely to be used for deviate projects
Heavyweight teams
= Members are collocated with project manager
= Manager is typically senior ans has significant authority to command resources and evaluate members
= Often still temporary
= BUT: core team members often are dedicated to project full-time
= suitable for platform projects
Autonomous teams
= Members collocated and dedicated full-time
= often permanently on the team
= Project manager is typically very senior
= PM has full control over resources contributed from functional departments and has exclusive authority over evaluation and reward of members
= may have own policies, procedures, and reward systems that may be different from the rest of the firm
= Useful of breakthrough and major platform projects
= Can be difficult to fold back into the organization
Team Leadership
= Team leader is responsible for
- directing team’s activities
- maintaining alignment with project goals
- communicating with senior management
= Team leaders impact team performance more directly that senior management or champions
Team Administration
= Many organizations now have heavy-weight and autonomous teams develop a project charter and contract book
What is the project charter
= encapsulates the project’s mission and provides measurable goals
= Describes:
- Who is on the team
- Time the members will be on the team
- Percentage if time spent on project per member
- Team budget
- Reporting timeline
- Key success criteria
What is the contract book
= defines in detail the basic plan to achieve goals last out in the project charter
= proved a tool for monitoring and evaluation the team’s performance
= Team members sign contract book
-> establish commitment and sense of ownership
What does the contract book usually include?
- Estimates of resources required
- Development time schedule
- Results that will be achieved
Managing Virtual Teams
= In virtual teams, members might be far apart, but are still able to collaborate intensely
-> This enables people with special skills to be combined without disruption of their personal lives
-> BUT: difficulties in communication may occur
-> Requires members who are comfortable with technology, have strong interpersonal skills and work ethic, and can work independently
