In business and business school, students are often asked to work in teams. What are some of the challenges that you have faced on team projects? What role does communication play with teams? How important is digital communication with teams?
My leadership style is to lead by example, and I do delegate when necessary. I also believe in explaining to others more than is needed for the assigned task, so that they have a deeper understanding of what the project and their role is. By doing this I find this I avoid getting asked unnecessary questions because by having the bigger picture they can more easily try to solve any issues that come up before bringing to me.
I try to rule by consensus when the outcome affects everyone, however within certain groups having too much many opinions is not productive, so in those cases I will take responsibility for the final decision.
Some challenges that I have faced on team projects primarily are lack of motivation and not meeting the expectations of the project. It is understandable that some will be better suited for certain tasks than others, but when it comes to group projects, just like in the real world, sometimes effort alone is not enough.
Communications plays a large role in team projects, and I’ve found the most effective groups I have been in had constant email communication, using google docs, as well as meeting in person to review and discuss on a periodic basis. The use of cell phones and computers to communicate, whether through conference calls, skype, google docs, or other services is extremely useful, however I also sometimes find people use it as a substitute for meeting in person, instead of a tool to be used with face to face meetings.
