Henry Tam and the Mgi Team

HENRY TAM AND THE MGI TEAM

INDIVIDUAL REPORT NO.1

BY

Q. Drawing from this particular case, discuss what determines the effectiveness/ success of a team.

Drawing from the Henry Tam and the MGI team case study there are a few points that stand out as essential when working in a team and for the success of the team.

They are as follows: -

1.Clarity with respect to goals and clarity in vision: -

One of the main aspects Henry Tam and the MGI team lacked was the clarity in their goal, with no common goal in site, the entire process was full of uncertainty with respect to their final product. There was very little to no unanimity in their thought process. One part of the team lobbied for the final project to be a part of the music education industry, while the other lobbied for the commercial music industry. With both the sides having different interests, the project went through a series of futile meetings with no concrete conclusions and consistency. It is absolutely vital for a team to have clarity in their goals and vision in order to succeed.

2. Importance of Structure and Leadership in a team: -

One of the biggest lessons this case teaches is the importance of structure and leadership for a team to function smoothly. Right off the bat the team lacked structural organization. There were no specific roles assigned to each individual. With this kind of poor delegation, members of the group like Dana and Henry

were unsure of their role in the group until the very end of the project. Their chaotic work approach, haphazard meetings, lack of cohesion hampered the progress of the project. A presence of a neutral leader could have solved this situation, as a leader holds a position of authority where he could have easily driven the group together, administered and directed the group in the right direction making sure they worked in complete unity. In case of a conflict in the team, the leader could help pacify the situation by intervening and providing unbiased solutions.

3.  Respect and Consideration among team members: -

Taking a page out of the “Dana-Sasha” conflict we realize that it was a clear clash between two people who belonged to different schools of thought. They were stubborn and refused to let go off their own ideas. Rather than thinking of the greater good, they just focused on their opinions and disregarded each other. This not only delays the process of the project but also induces negativity in the group. It is very crucial in a team setting for members to hear each other out, give each a fair chance and then draw conclusions. Whereas in the case of Dana and Sasha, rather than giving each other a fair chance they chose to jump to conclusions and labelled each other, “difficult to work with”, “salesperson” and “too general”. In a team setting there is bound to be a difference of opinion but for the team to maintain its harmony and work in complete symbiosis, it is crucial to listen to one another and take each other’s opinion into regard and eventually meet each other in middle. When there’s a greater goal to work towards it is best to leave personal egos aside and work towards the well-being of the group and the project.

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