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Lesson 2: Team Processes
Team Roles
Co-located teams often discover member strengths while working together and interacting face-to-face. GV team members must be more explicit in describing their skill set and the desire to take on specific roles. For example, a co-located engineering team entered a work area only to see a totem pole left on the board from a previous team. One team member asked who would be where on the totem pole (the higher one is on the totem pole the stronger his or her skill set). For the next 45 minutes the team created several totem poles referring to several engineering skills (i.e. mathematics, CAD modeling, manufacturing, etc.) that the team used. Each team member placed his- or her-self on the totem pole. This helped the team identify those with the strongest skill set and allowed the each member to assume leadership in that roll.
Such a spontaneous activity would be difficult due to the limited view
provided by virtual activity and cultural understanding... What is a
Totem Pole?
However, on a GV team such a similar activity would help to identify the strengths of each team member in a very open and intentional way. It would enable the team to work better and more efficiently later when the project required specialists to assume leadership. However, such an activity would require that team members understand the purpose of setting the roles.
This requires each team member to categorize his- or her-self in a way that realistically identifies strengths and weaknesses. It reveals their willingness to share information and motivations. It also expresses a desire to learn new skills or grow into new opportunities. Any cultural influences would need to be explained. For example, if a team member has never heard of a totem pole or its function in culture, the example above and any exercise referring to a totem pole would be quite confusing.
Identifying team roles allows team members to be able to understand who is able and willing to do what. It creates a support system within the team and provides an opportunity for team members to understand how the outcome of the project affects all team members.
