Team_Paper

The Benefits of a Team Charter University of Phoenix Management 521 August 1, 2009 The Benefits of a Team Charter In today’s society, working within a team environment is essential in the business world. It can be challenging at times, because different individuals with different personalities. Each person needs to work with each other effectively to complete the task at hand. I have worked within a team structure my entire life, but working with my learning team for this assignment was new to me. Every person on my team has strengths and weaknesses. Coming together to make sure that everyone’s individual talent is being used to benefit the team as a whole is vital. Having some sort of structure to the way we accomplish our short and long term goals is very important. The team charter that we completed has served as our blueprint to successfully work with one another. In the past I have always had the luxury of physically seeing the individuals I was working with. This time around, I am not able to see them due to everyone living in different parts of the country. In order for us to be successful, we need to have strong communication. We have to rely on our online forums to accomplish all the goals that we have for our team. The use of chat rooms and emails is our primary resources for communication. If need be, using the telephone is always an option. The team still has to come together and brainstorm in order to create new ideas for implementation. While working with a team, quite a few obstacles that can hinder us. The fact that everyone lives in different parts of the country can be a major set back. This means that we have to deal with the different time zones. That can be a challenge for our group, because everyone has to work his or her normal full time jobs. We all have family obligations that need to be taken care of. That is why having faith in others to complete their part of the project is important. For some, that may be a weakness when working within a team. The team charter allows for us to have some ground rules in place. These rules are needed in order to keep everyone on the same page. Making sure we post updates to our learning team forum is imperative. This keeps our line of communication going strong. The charter allows members of the team to get clarification if it is needed. Turning in individual work in on time is very important also. Setting time limits for everyone ensures that we meet all our project deadlines. Conflict within the team is an issue that may occur. Every person on the team is intelligent and capable of sphere heading each project. Everyone knowing his or her role is a very crucial key to our success. Every team is not always going to see eye to eye. That’s why a discussion needs to take place if a compromise can’t be reached. If that was ever to occur then the team would go in favor of the majority. Everyone on the team needs to keep an open mind and look for ways to help each other. Sometimes an individual needs to take a step back in order for the team to move forward. For the sake of team, everyone has to put egos and all personal views aside in order for us to be successful as a whole. In other cases, some individuals on the team may not be as active as they should. Some people are comfortable with letting others pick up their slack. Those individuals are often referred to at free riders. Having a team charter in place helps the team make sure that everyone is being held accountable for his or her actions or lack there of. The charter is a viable asset for our team. The fact that our main outlet of communication is over the internet and everyone lives in different parts of the country makes it even more important to have this set in place. According to www.mindtools.com, team charters “define the purpose of a team.” It also helps a team when they may be guilty of losing their focus. Charters help them regain their view of the big picture. References Mind Tools. (1995-2009). Team Charter: Getting Your Teams Off to a Great Start. Retrieved August 1, 2009, from www.mindtools.com Stephen P. Robbins (Ed.). (2007). Self-Assessment Library. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. Retrieved August 1, 2009, from Mgt 521 – Management.