Jamie Morley

Discussion Comment

Sheila, This is a good strategy. You may want to rotate the responsibility of memorializing the answers to the questions to a different person every meeting. This will not only capture the questions and answers, but also make sure that people are paying attention, beyond when they answer their question. Dr. Jamie Morley

Jamie Morley

Discussion Comment

The Challenge of Teambuilding

Jon, This is a common problem at many career colleges, where faculty donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t have time between classes to interact with one another. Your situation sounds similar to ones in culinary programs, where the use of food by one session impacts the results of the next. One effective tool is to have each session responsible for assisting the next session with the physical product. Have the students leave notes for the incoming students and faculty leave notes for the incoming faculty. This not only bolsters communication but allows them to practice valuable team working skills that are important in the workforce.… >>>

Jamie Morley

Discussion Comment

Team Engagement

Janet, Taking the opportunity to make the most of informal meetings and interactions is so important. Having an open door policy may sound clichÃ©, but it is a sign of a transparent culture, which employees need to feel comfortable. Dr. Jamie Morley

Jamie Morley

Discussion Comment

The Challenge of Teambuilding

Cory, Protectionism is a learned behavior based on a companyâ€™s culture. The best way to break down barriers is to build up trust. Managers can do this by â€œwalking the walkâ€ and being fair with the distribution of resources. It takes time. If any other students have comments, I hope they will reply. It sounds to me like you are on the right track. Dr. Jamie Morley

Jamie Morley

Discussion Comment

Team Engagement

Lisa , You make several good points. Teams are more likely engaged when they have a vested interest in an assignment or outcome. Sharing responsibilities and then managing each member to success will encourage each team member to do their best. A strong manager will keep all team members informed about the progress, provide realistic due dates and assignments based on peopleâ€™s aptitudes, and coach and praise as appropriate. Dr. Jamie Morley

Jamie Morley

Discussion Comment

Team Leader

Ranee, I agree with you that people can receive training to bring out or strengthen their leadership qualities. People can also be taught the fundamentals of management and supervision, as well as how to follow and implement policies and procedures. What training do you think would be required to create a great leader that would inspire his or her team members? Dr. Jamie Morley

Jamie Morley

Discussion Comment

Team Leader

Thomas, I agree with your assessment. Much like athletes, anybody can be taught the mechanics of a sport, but it takes a person with innate talents and gifts to excel. Management is the same way. One of my favorite books is called Ã¢â‚¬Å“Flight of the Buffalo.Ã¢â‚¬Â The book compares the leadership strategies of Buffalo and Geese. Buffalo herds have one leader and when the herd is in danger the buffalos surround the leader. Unfortunately, if the leader gets killed, the herd scatters and is decimated because none of the other buffalo were ever trained to be the leader. Geese fly… >>>

Jamie Morley

Discussion Comment

Team Engagement

Stephanie, Great insights! You can never over communicate. Knowing your audience is another clue to how and how much communication is necessary. Encouraging the use of task lists or a formal system like MS Project, can also help to move a project along. It is helpful when the employee and manager have the ability to input and review information about a project independently or together. Dr. Jamie Morley

Jamie Morley

Discussion Comment

Improving Team Performance

sheila, I am glad that your team is successful! You are right that communication is an important key to that. Taking the opportunity to make the most of informal meetings and interactions is so important. Having an open door policy may sound clichÃ©, but it is a sign of a transparent culture, which employees need to feel comfortable. Dr. Jamie Morley

Jamie Morley

Discussion Comment

Virtual Team Challenges

Michalina , Managing across time zones can be challenging. You want to have as much face to face interactivity as possible. SKYPE has a new platform that allows multiple participants to see each other. Video Whisper is a software that enables team members to see each other. Although not as interactive, services like Go To Meeting and WebEx allow all members to talk and see what is on the screen. One great feature about these services is that the interactions can be recorded and played back for people that could not participate because of the time difference. Another suggestion is… >>>