LEARNING TEAM

Course T i t l e Instructo r Course 6/14 Dates Faculty Approval (signature) MKT 571 I participated in the creation of this charter and I agree with its contents (member signatures):

Team Members/Personal Information (OPTIONAL)

Name Address Phone Fax E-Mail

Team Member Skill Inventory

Name Strengths/Contributions Areas for Development Name Strengths/Contributions Areas for Development

Computer, details, organization

Strengths/Contributions Project Management, MS Office, All things IT related Strengths/Contributions Marketing, Management, Planning, Big picture

Communication, spelling.
Areas for Development Communication, proofing responses Areas for Development Communication Name Strengths/Contributions Areas for Development

Name

Strengths/Contributions

Areas for Development

Learning Team Goals (May include project assignment goals, group process goals, quality level goals, etc.)
Timely assignments of group projects. Input from all members in regards to assignments, goals, and decisions. Constant communication on progress. Able to ask for help without fear. Work with each other to complete assignments by deadlines established by the group. Completion of tasks and project on time and in a professional manner with each team member supplying best effort and maintaining constructive communication and feedback of assignments.

What are potential barriers to the achievement of these goals? Time availability. Distance communication. Online communication can be more difficult than in person especially when waiting for responses. Misinterpretation of comments.

Ground Rules
Meeting schedule, locations, attendance expectations, agenda, notifications, assignment completion, etc. Assignments set and deadlines established that all agree on. Completing assignments on time and in correct formats. Communication.

When the team is faced with a conflict about attendance issues, our team will manage the conflict by following the guidelines that we established as a team. By following these guidelines, all members will know what is expected of them and help in avoiding conflict. I agree that when the team is faced with a conflict about, our team will manage conflict by actively seeking all members input, coming to a collective resolution.

How will communication among team members be facilitated? (telephone, e-mail, fax, etc.) Online group forum should be sufficient, but additional emails or phone calls if needed are acceptable.

Conflict Management
What are potential conflicts that might arise among or between team members during this course? Need to try to work out amongst the team. Talk to each other and determine what the issue is and find a resolution. If unable to resolve, will involve the instructor.

New material and compressed timelines can make coordinated team effort difficult. Poorly defined steps and assigned tasks in each project, unequal workloads. Communication breakdowns - Schedule conflicts with other team members, other commitments.
If communication falls apart and team members are unable to successfully involve one another, it is imperative to have a plan clearly laid out ahead of time. If the team is approaching a deadline and unable to get a response from one member, it will be discussed amongst the active team members and upon a united decision may be taken to the instructor for review/input. How do team members agree together that they will deal with these and other conflicts? Written communication that terms are agreed upon.

Each team member should attempt to communicate clearly existing problems, and work together as a team to resolve all problems. Feedback should be shared in a manner that is respectful and professional and all team members ideas and suggestions should be reviewed and considered as part of

the process of completing the team assignment.

Preliminary Project Plan
Task/Process Completion of Team Charter week 1 Assigned Team Member Kim to start All members fill in information. When last one fills in, all must edit and then approve before final posting. Due Monday June 20.

Determine each weeks team assignments and create outline for disbursement of assignments. Agree on assignments and deadlines.

Note: The Learning Team Charter is to be completed (one per team) during the first Learning Team Meeting between Workshops 1 and 2 and submitted to the instructor at the beginning of Workshop 2. Copies should be made for each team member.

Guide to Completing the University of Phoenix Learning Team Charter

University of Phoenix Learning Teams are required to charter their teams at the beginning of each course.* During their first learning team meeting, members should use the Learning Team Charter form to guide them through the process. At the conclusion of the meeting, members should sign the form and make copies for each team member and the instructor. The form is then submitted to the instructor at the second course workshop. This is a guide to completing the form. (*Note: Learning teams sometimes remain intact as a student cohort moves from one course to the next. Over time, team members naturally tend to take the chartering exercise for granted. An important aspect of the team process to keep in mind is that even when team members remain together, the instructor and team project are usually different. Additionally, team members grow and develop over time. These changes affect the context in which the team operates and suggest that it is literally not the same team. The discipline involved in renewing a work team is an essential management skill. The Faculty of the University encourages members of learning teams to approach each course with this in mind. Although chartering your team may require less time in succeeding courses than it did the first time, it is important to use chartering as an opportunity to reflect on changes in the task, the instructor, and the relative skills of team members. In that way team members will maximize the learning and skill development that this process can bring.) Course and Contact Information The top sections of the Charter are largely self-explanatory. Students identify their course and instructor, and share contact information. The upper-right hand portion provides space for team members to sign that they collaborated in the completion of the Charter and agree with its contents. This helps to create a sense of shared commitment among team members and can assist later in task accomplishment as well as conflict avoidance and resolution. Team Member Skill Inventory This is meant to be the point in the process when team members can identify for the others what they think they bring to the team in terms of the task and maintenance roles they can fulfill. It is also a place

5 where they can identify if there are skills or knowledge areas they would like to work on during the team process and to solicit the help of others. For example, team members may tend to volunteer in areas of relative strength. In the short-term, this may save time in the accomplishment of group tasks. Over the longer-term, however, it may limit the learning and skill development of that member. This part of the process encourages reflection about the individual learning the team may help to facilitate. Learning Team Goals In this section, the team lists its goals for the course. These include but are not limited to objectives relating to task completion, task quality, or the development of specific team process skills (e.g., holding effective meetings or project planning). This section provides an opportunity for team members to practice setting specific and measurable goalsa skill that is central to the management process. A subsection calls for members to identify barriers that may hinder goal attainment. This encourages teams to develop contingency plans and take an active approach to problem identification and problem solving. Ground Rules By identifying and agreeing upon ground rules at the beginning of the course, teams minimize the risk of conflict and facilitate task completion. Ground rules may pertain to reaching agreement about meeting times, meeting protocol, team roles (e.g., agenda building, meeting facilitation, record-keeping, etc.), notifications, assignment responsibilities, and other task and maintenance issues. Members are also encouraged to discuss the best ways to contact one another and limits on contact. Conflict Management This is an essential element of a good team charter. Conflict cannot and probably should notbe completely avoided, but it can and should be managed. By identifying the likely kinds of issues that might bring team members into conflict and agreeing beforehand how to deal constructively with those conflicts, team members will help to ensure the optimum functioning of the team. One common conflict, for example, is the perception that one or more team members are not doing a fair share of the work. This can be the result of unclear or conflicting expectations, or of an intentional or unavoidable failure to follow through on assignments or attendance. Either way, by agreeing on the rules of engagement before conflicts even arise, teams can manage it more ably if it should arise. This valuable skill is one that will carry over into each team members work and personal life.

Preliminary Project Plan Once the foundation for a successful team has been laid, team members can then begin to plan for the accomplishment of its course project or assignment(s). Space is provided for identification of tasks or processes, member assignments, and due dates.