1HuTJJ0VBbkiBJRVYZ500Fnpz60aXMHt1

♫♫ Hi, I'm John And I'm Natalie And this is our presentation on the best ways to set up and manage work roles in virtual teams Katie, Chad, Annie, and Jeff are all taking an online introduction to business communications course through their university They must work as a team to write a research report about the evolving role of technology in business Katie and Chad are both domestic students While Jeff is an international student from China The three of them are living on campus this semester While Annie, another domestic student, is abroad in Europe Although the team has been trying to work individually, they are failing to accomplish anything as a whole, and their rough draft deadline is quickly approaching Katie and Chad believe the team may be struggling because they failed to assign group roles at the beginning of the project The group contacted Natalie and I, the UA's for the class for some guidance Here's some advice we had to offer First of all, socialize and get to know one another's personalities And see if any natural roles occur based off of that This isn't about getting any work done, but just getting to know everyone in your group If roles still aren't apparent, try taking a personality test, such as the HBDI or Clifton Strengths Assessment to see where each individual would be strongest in the group From there, your group should try to align roles with strengths and interests Keep in mind, in a work setting your specific duties may already be assigned However, informal roles may emerge based off personality Will Schultz developed the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientations Behavior or FIRO-B to help understand interpersonal behavior in teams According to the theory people fall into team roles based on their own needs in relation to the needs of other team members Some roles include the energizer, who insists on covering the and then pushes the team towards decision making and action the Initiator, who begins discussions generates ideas and ensures that the problems and procedures are addressed The Clarifier, who summarizies facts and data and keeps everyone in the team up to speed and Lastly, the Task Master, who keeps the group focused while avoiding unnecessary conversation In our scenario Chad is very motivated and enthusiastic So he may serve as the teams Energizer Someone who pushes the project forward Annie is very direct and meticulous So she may serve as the teams Task Master Someone who keeps the team focused on their goals After assigning roles the team should develop a group contract that outlines expectations In the workplace, expectations align with company and industry culture So, there is no need for contracts However in a student setting, they help students to develop habits and practices that are needed for collaboration in the workforce In the work setting, employees are really focused on the project rather than their grades, everyone will succeed or fail together Since taking our advice, Chad, Katie, Jeff, and Annie have changed the course of their project and are on their way to success If your team follows our recommendations for establishing and managing team roles from the start it will also develop a strong foundation for its lifetime ♫♫