Technology As Innovator

1. To you, what is team effectiveness? And why should we work in team rather than individually to some extent?

~~> Answer

• Quality of output
• Sustainable development of team
• Organizational values
• Knowledge management
• Balance of different factors as expected by different parties

Why work in teams

• To solve problems that exceeds one person’s capability
• To learn from different people
• For networking

2. When we establish a team, what should we consider to be the most important things?

• Defining, communicating and having all participants agreed on Vision
• Having the right people doing the right jobs

3. Do you like to work with Homogeneous or Heterogeneous team? And Why?
(_ Homogeneous team: Are composed of members with the same gender, age, race etc. Members share the common knowledge and skills. Cohesive, less conflict
_ Heterogeneous team: Are composed of members with different gender, age, race etc. Members have a wide range of knowledge and skills. Less cohesive, more conflict)

~~> Answer

Homogeneous teams

Advantages

• Less prone to conflict
• Easier empathy
• Relationship more quickly built
• Requires less training on communication
• Brings in-depth networks to the team/organization

Disadvantages

• Less different points of view

When to apply

• Deadline is tight. Required to finish known tasks quickly

When to avoid

• Tasks required innovation
• Customer is from a different background of the majority of the team

Heterogeneous teams

Advantages

• More ideas
• Promising more resources when researching
• Variety in evaluating the products
• Brings wider networking opportunities to the team/organization

Disadvantages

• Cost for cultural / communication training
• Cost for conflict management

When to apply

• Tasks require innovation

When to avoid

• Deadline is tight

4. Do you avoid conflict or eager to meet it? Is conflict needed for team development? In this case, how is the role of the team leader?

~~> Answer

Conflict is inevitable and avoidance is not advised.

On the positive side, conflict is needed for team development, as it makes way for:

• Evaluating objectives, working environment, standards, process, working attitudes, compensation
• Team empathy
• Alerting of unbalance in management

The role of a leader in conflict management is to

• Anticipate possible conflicts
• Define process for conflict management
• Communicate frequently to members on objectives, works and personal issues
• Facilitate conflict management as early as it is known
• Escalate to higher management (if any) - or seek help from more experienced people - if conflict resolution is beyond one’s ability
• Take responsibility to higher management (if any) if unsolved conflicts affect productivity

5. What do you think about “task interdependent”?

~~> Answer

Task interdependence is more and more common as organizations continue to develop. There are some points one should be prepared for:

• Understand organizational behavior theory
• Practice teamwork
• Continue self-improvement
• Share knowledge and experience so other people can perform better, which in turn accelerates one’s job

6. Can you suggest how we can make team work efficiently and maintain its high performance? (About reward, communication, structure, leadership, etc)

~~> Answer

From team members

• Maintain positive attitude
• Find pleasure in work
• Practice lifelong learning in profession knowledge, from other people, and in teamwork
• Be honest and open about needs and issues

From middle managers

• Improve management skills. Know when to do what to whom
• Prioritize tasks effectively
• Balance between goals and members’ needs
• Encourage open communication
• Create opportunities for team members

From executives

• Communicate vision, values and expectation to the organization
• Continually process and compensation systems

7. Any differences between studying-purpose team and working-purpose team?

• A student group’s leader has no real ‘power’ to enforce members to do their tasks. They have to perform this with the help of lecturers
• College groups have less chance to experience diversity
• Tasks assigned to college groups are under many assumptions, while real tasks in the industry require a greater variety

8. Can you share some of your experience (some problems and solutions) you have met as a CM of Business Club while working in a team?

~~> Answer

• Problem: no power to enforce members to do their tasks.
  Solution: have backup plan when assigning tasks, be ready to do others’ tasks
• I am the youngest in my team and it’s hard to build trust in the position of a leader.
  Solution: prove myself by quality of work and commitment
• Problem: work with people with ego, who will do well if their ego is satisfied
  Solution: satisfy their ego, while balancing many factors

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May 2007

Tai

“In our factory, we make lipstick; in our advertising, we sell hope.” - Charles Revson, founder of Revlon

The basic question in customer-driven enterprises goes: “What do you actually sell?” or “What is the essense of your business?”

IT people sell Opportunities

The purpose of IT solutions is to help users save their time and efforts in managing their works by automating certain workflows. By saving time doing repeating tasks, the workforce now can concentrate on generating new ideas and innovation, thus bring more Opportunities to the organizations.

The rapid development of the IT industry also revolutionizes the way people do business, whether it is sale, delivery, public service or advertisement. e-retailing, e-marketing, e-market research, social networks are just a few to name. What these have to offer is the Opportunity to reach, satisfy and get money from different market categories.

My value: I sell Inspiration

Beside a thinker, a doer, a problem solver, a solution definer, I bring to the organization my uniqueness: Inspiration.

My passion - and also what I’m naturally good at - is to inspire people, with my commitment, loyalty, faith, warm heart and energetic zeal.

“Outward, I offer solutions. Inward, I inspire to achieve such ambitions.”

Dear Mr. B. T. Client,

I’m writing toward the completion of my assignment to work with you.

Thank you for having been involving me in part of your vision, so I was able to learn how greatest minds see and seize the world for decades ahead.

Thank you for all the quests you’ve been putting me through, though which I gave more values than what I could.

Thank you for all the knowledge you brought, which opened up a new horizon for me.

Thank you for showing me your commitment, loyalty, passion and sacrifice, so that I saw how painfully and gloriously you carry the world on your shoulders.

Thank you for the party, your ice cream was marvelous.

I really appreciate the time we spent together, and shall treasure the values we shared.

Sincerely,
Tai Tran