1. There were many factors led to the eventual disintegration of Learning team #28. It was apparent that there was a growing dissatisfaction amongst members stemming from poor communication, disproportionate involvement in team tasks, and an evident lack of supportive leadership. Three major factors have been identified for discussion: the absence of the team’s constitution or a charter that clearly defined the team’s goals and processes, inadequate knowledge and skills amongst team members to drive the team’s performance, and absence of positive team culture and values. We explore each of these factors below and analyze how they contributed to the issues in the case.
One fundamental misstep that resulted in the progression of issues in LT#28 was the lack of clearly defined standards for both the team and the individuals. With this oversight they failed to address several key components, including: individual and collective performance goals, identifying the roles of each member within the team, and establishing a set of procedures to ensure achievement of the desired results. This crucial organizational step was overlooked. During their first meetings, the team seemed to be enthralled with each other on a personal level and coincidentally made the common misconception that good personal relationships would translate into a solid team structure. The team bypassed the planning process and jumped directly into coursework. When the work started to pile up and pressure fell on them, conflict arose. Members held different perceptions on the performance goals – some viewed it as competing with other teams and getting work completed before any other team, while others perceived it as taking time to work on the task and helping individual members to ensure their individual success at the end of the school year. They had no predetermined means to ensure that every