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Conference turris::womannotes-v2

Title:ARCHIVE-- Topics of Interest to Women, Volume 2 --ARCHIVE
Notice:V2 is closed. TURRIS::WOMANNOTES-V5 is open.
Moderator:REGENT::BROOMHEAD
Created:Thu Jan 30 1986
Last Modified:Fri Jun 30 1995
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1105
Total number of notes:36379

1039.0. "Teams and Individuals" by OLDTMR::DMCLURE (In search of a virtual team) Tue Mar 20 1990 10:58

	I am interested in learning more about what it is that bonds people
    together because I am interested in the way virtual teams are formed.
    The reason I pose this note here in this conference is because there
    *seems* to be a higher degree of cohesiveness in this particular notesfile
    than others perhaps (yet this is all merely based on casual observance).
    Given this assumption, I come here to learn how this sort of cohesion
    works (assuming it does exist at all).

	Generally speaking, I seem to have somewhat of a mean streak in my
    bones when it comes to any sort of mob behavior (call it paranoia, an
    inferiority complex, or what have you).  Yet, at the same time I am
    somewhat fascinated by the cohesiveness found in teams.  Now if that
    isn't a paradox, then I don't know what is.  I suppose I'm basically
    just a frustrated individualist who wishes to learn how to be a better
    team player without giving up one's individualism.  Is this possible?

	If there are any in here who consider themselves to be united in
    some sort of a bond, do you feel you had to forfeit any of your own
    individualism in order to become bonded?  How are the needs of the whole
    balanced against the needs of the one?

				   -davo
T.RTitleUserPersonal
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1039.1My needs/your needs/our needsSUPER::EVANSI'm baa-ackTue Mar 20 1990 13:0918
    Well, in some cases, for the needs of the One to be met, the needs of
    the Whole must be met. If any member of my race can be devalued because
    of our common race, I will never be free until we all are free.
    
    These things are on a parallel track, however, since my needs as a
    motorcyclist have no relevance for others with whom I may share
    commonality in other ways. 
    
    Then again, the needs of motorcyclists in general cross common
    boundaries, too. 
    
    I don't see these things as all mutually exclusive of each other.
    
    What's the difference between a group and a mob if their behaviour is
    the same? 
    
    --DE
    
1039.2Is this Zen?REGENT::BROOMHEADDon't panic -- yet.Tue Mar 20 1990 13:1912
    In "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home", that question arises and is
    answered:
    
    Do the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one?
    
    Yes.
    
    Do the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many?
    
    Yes.
    
    						Ann B.
1039.3SuggestionOACK::SMITHPassionate committment/reasoned faithTue Mar 20 1990 14:045
    Would the originator consider making this string a FWO/FGD pair?  I
    believe that serious answers just may differ significantly along
    gender lines.
    
    Nancy
1039.4STAR::RDAVISThe Man Without QuantitiesTue Mar 20 1990 14:329
I see far greater cohesiveness in RADIO_RADIO, AFTER_HOURS, COMICS,
FRIENDS, and that bunch of loony guys'n'gals, VMSNOTES, than in =wn=.  But
those conferences don't punch my mob button either.  

If individuals can be considered a group when they have interests in common
and are willing to talk about them, why should forfeiture of individuality
come into it? 

Ray
1039.5YUPPY::DAVIESAGrail seekerWed Mar 21 1990 08:0846
    
    Teams are interesting, and how they form even more so. I've been
    on some brilliant courses designed to develope and enable "team
    work"........
    
    It seems to work like this:-
    
    1) The group shares a common fully-understood goal.
        
    This is a goal that is *important* to each individual personally,
    not something that they just pay lipservice to.
    There is *passion* involved here....
    
    2) The group agrees the tasks that need to be undertaken to enable the 
    reaching of that goal, and how they wish to structure the group 
    (if at all) - bearing in mind that.....
    
    3) Each team member contributes their best skills to the most
    appropriate task. Not the most visible, not the most "prestigious",
    not the most "vocal" - just what they honestly do best.
                       
    If a task arises and there is no specialist skill in the group then
    the team can elect to bring in that skill or use it as a learning
    opportunity for volunteers within the team - depending on how cruicial
    that task is to the overall success.
    
    Being dishonest with yourself or others in the group about your
    own skills does not therefore aid the overall goal. If working
    well, old power plays like "who's the leader" or "who's at the
    top" (or, if you like, "my skills/position are more valuable then yours")
    disappear. Motivation becomes automatic - "work" becomes an exciting 
    and enjoyable activity. 
    
    Every individual in the team learns more about themselves and about
    the other involved, and all feel equally (highly) valued within that team.
    
    These seem to me to be the general rules within which a truly
    productive team can work. There are doubtless other ways....
                                                      
    'gail
    
    
                                        
    
                                 
    
1039.6IMMATERIAL ENTITYWMOIS::D_DUVERGERFri Mar 23 1990 07:1732
    
             THE BONDING COMES FROM THE INNER HEART
    
     I CHOOSE TO>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
     Identify with the underprivileged.
     I CHOOSE TO>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
     Give my life to the hungry.
     I CHOOSE TO>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
     Give my life to those who have been left out of
     the sunlight of opportunity.....
     
     This is the way that I am going.
     If it means suffering a little bit,
     IM GOING THAT WAY.
    
     If it means sacrificing,
     IM GOING THAT WAY.
     
     If it means dying for them.
     IM GOING THAT WAY BECUASE I HEARD A VOICE SAYING
    
     Do something for others................
    
                                        Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
    
     The answer to your question lies within this.
     If you support your brother and sisters in this manner
     you are part of the bond....
    
                                                Ridge Runner
                                                POW*MIA FREEDOM NOW!
                                                CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN
1039.7teams can add flexibility...KOBAL::BROWNupcountry frolicsFri Mar 23 1990 17:2512
    
    In terms of the two or three strongly bound teams I've been on,
    there has been an external common goal (a product, a quality level,
    etc.) and there has been an internal goal.  The internal goal is
    somewhat different for each member of the team but has some common
    elements of support, trust, and respect.  And in each of the cases,
    I've felt that being part of the team has allowed me to be more
    like myself, more of an individual, than if I had been going it
    alone.  Teams allow me to do what I do best and learn to do those
    things I don't do as well from people who do them well.
    
    Ron
1039.8What about "virtual teams"?OLDTMR::DMCLUREIn search of a virtual teamFri Mar 30 1990 14:0145
	Well, I'm still not sure if much of this really applies to the
    notion of a "virtual team" (as opposed to a traditional work group
    team within one's own cost center or organization).

	The way I see it, there is an increasing need to be able to effectively
    organize "virtual teams" within DEC to tackle the many sorts of temporary
    situations which tend to arise in this fast-changing market place.  The
    traditional approach to handling these sorts of situations is to wait
    until corporate designates a "program office" and then count on this
    newly formed committee to be able to adequately address the issues.
    This is a strictly hierarchical approach to crisis management.

	The problem as I see it however, is that the hierarchical approach
    is too inefficient to be able to respond quick enough to market needs.
    More recent trends seem to be focusing less on hierarchical solutions
    to more of a peer-to-peer approach to solving problems of the global
    scale.  In order to effectively organize people towards such a peer-to-
    peer approach however, a process of virtual team building and cooperation
    must take place.  A paradox seems to exist however because corporate is
    not able to address global issues efficiently, yet on the other hand,
    when it comes to peer-to-peer virtual teams, no individual group seems
    willing to take ownership of the larger issues which effect the entire
    corporation.

	DECWORLD '90 is fastly approaching, yet as usual, the corporation
    seems to be putting off any real organization to meet this need until
    the last minute.  I was heavily involved in DECWORLD '87 and noticed
    the exact same thing.  It wasn't until just a few months before DECWORLD
    that we were ever given any marching orders for developing any DECWORLD
    projects.  As a result, we barely made it in time to deliver anything
    in terms of demos.  I wasn't in an "official" DECWORLD development
    group then (nor am I now), but I somehow wonder if I won't be called
    upon once again at the last minute to help out.

	DECWORLD is one example, but there are many other such examples
    in which a good virtual team building mechanism would help out in
    such emergencies.  I think the notesfiles are the closest thing we
    currently have to providing a framework for virtual team building
    (as well as virtual team project management), but there has always
    been a DECWORLD notesfile, and few people use it either until panic
    mode sets in and even then it is pure chaos.  What I am wondering then
    is whether there is some way of ordering the chaos by establishing a
    given set of virtual team building guidelines?

				    -davo