BC 541: Managing High-performance Teams

Overview

Maximizing teamwork output- which is done by groups of people working collaboratively to accomplish a task - is the goal for developing and using teams. However, simply calling a group a team and asking it to accomplish a task is not sufficient to form a team or to complete the task. In this course, you will explore the nature of groups and teams and learn techniques to transform groups into working, successful teams that can achieve goals. While you will become familiar with the research literature and the theory of groups and teams, the purpose of the course is to provide you with skills and knowledge that you can apply in your daily work and personal life.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Distinguish between the characteristics of groups and teams.
• Assess methods for transitioning from a group to a team.
• Recognize the patterns or stages most commonly followed as a team develops.
• Recognize roles and their function within a team dynamic.
• Assess the positive attributes and the challenges that diversity might bring to group and team dynamics.
• Evaluate and select a method for analyzing the behaviors of groups and teams to determine what is preventing them from being successful.
• Recognize and apply strategies needed to compete in one's industry and globally by using virtual teams and technology effectively.
• Recommend methods for improving group and team functions to achieve goals.
• Problem solve, using current research and theory, the development of an intervention plan to overcome dysfunction within a team.

Required Texts
BC 541 texts are available from the JIU/MBS bookstore