Priyanshu Kumar

Roll no 1311314

Teamwork Turmoil
Not all groups are teams. This statement, of course, refers to the training team in this case
study. The case protagonist Tony Marshall, a second year is a mentor of Learning Team (LT)
which comprises of first year students at Darden University. Upon experiencing a meeting
with the team members, he came to know about the differences they are facing. It was
imperative to solve the problems that are being faced by the team for ensuring a good firstyear school experience.
Upon going through with the case it was observed that LT was devoid of any set norms.
Some of anomalies are discussed below.
1. Before the meeting the purpose of the meeting should be defined which was not
the case with the group. It was not defined beforehand whether the meeting is for
concept clearing, case analysis or both.
2. There was also ambiguity about how long the duration of the meeting is going to be
in normal circumstances.
3. There was no rule or fixed date on which meetings were scheduled to happen or for
the matter of fact informing other team members about the absence in a particular
meeting through any mode of communication.
4. It was also observed that the members were coming at any time suitable for them
rather than the team.
5. There also was no rule regarding picking up personal calls during a meeting.
6. Rather than discussing each matter they seemed to put their own points even
without knowing the case facts which the team members were supposed to be
prepared for.
The only thing that they seem to be worried about was their individual performances rather
than focussing on the improvement of team performance. There was a clear lack of
accountability on the part of the members. The team has not evolved any acceptable
standards of behaviour for achieving this. Lack of trust and openly ridiculing the team
members was also a cause for concern.
In order to achieve some sanity in the proceedings LT should have some set norms which
will help them in better planning and greater learning. Some of the proposed norms can be
as discussed below.
1. For every team to be successful some standards of behaviour is expected. It includes
not skipping meeting when committed and if not possible to attend intimating the
team members about it. Also members should not ridicule on any ideas given by
their peers and always aim for constructive feedback.
2. Agenda of the meeting should be clearly defined with proper communication to all
the team members. This communication should also include the duration of the
meeting so that people can plan for other things in advance. This would help in
resolving some of the conflict.

Priyanshu Kumar
Roll no 1311314
3. It should be made a rule that each and every member of the team should come to
the meeting fully prepared armed with case facts so that it will not impede the
discussions in the meeting.
4. It is advisable that at each meeting some different member takes the lead in solving
case questions.
Going through the literature there are many thing that differentiate a team from a group.
Team players will sacrifice their individual dreams in favour of helping the team succeed.
Real teams are collectively committed to the overall work and goals.
They may not be equal in education, talent, or experience - but are equal in their
commitment to the good of the organization.
Some of the attributes that will certainly help in improving the team performance are
discussed below.
1. Commitment: Commitment towards shared goals with respect and mutual trust for
each other
2. Collaborative: Sharing diverse experience, expertise and skills and unique
backgrounds to approach a problem for unique solutions
3. Focus: Result oriented focus for maximum performance
4. Openness: Clear thinking to invite open discussions on the topics at hand
5. Participation: Extensive participation through focus on sharing leadership roles
An open feedback always goes a long way in removing these barriers. Tony Marshall should
meet the team members and talk to them about their behaviour and how it can be
improved for the betterment of the team. Learning teams are made in a way to enhance the
diversity of the group. He should encourage the group to appreciate its diversity and learn
from the experiences of the team members. This would help generating innovative ideas
and different approaches to the same problem. He should also suggest to the team to set
some ground rules as discussed above for better functioning of the group. Some healthy
comparison is always helpful. Tony should give anecdotes about how other groups are faring
and how it is helping them achieve their goals.
Marshall could help facilitate resolution of the groups issue by showing that being critical
although helps in generating better ideas it sometimes produces bitter results. Like in the
example of Apple, Steve jobs was always regarded a visionary but never a people person
and always had bitter relationship with people around him. He should also encourage the
team members to give honest feedback about the team members so that each of them
know what others think about him/her which will help in improving their behaviour around
others. As the saying goes in Darden University Build Fun into the Work Week the group
should plan for activities other than academic like an outing which will help in increasing the
bond among themselves and also improve their tenuous relationship.