Question

Elaborate on the five essential principles for working together as a team according to the case study F given below.

CASE STUDY F

Conquer all - Tasks

Given the identified split in the packing department at Conquer All, management has decided to take action by asking workers to pair up with someone they don't know to work on some problem-solving activities.

The first activity is the well-known problem of the chicken, the fox, and the sack of grain. The farmer has to get each one to the other side of the river in his boat, but can only take one at a time. If he leaves the fox and the chicken together at any time, on either side of the river, the chicken will get eaten. Similarly, if the chicken and the grain are left together, then the grain will get eaten.

The teams are asked how the farmer can manage to transport his goods and companions to the other side of the river, while protecting each of them. The teams have five minutes to complete this task.

They are then asked to fill in feedback and summative forms to evaluate how well they worked together in a team, and to rate their communication out of 10. They are then expected to write down what they could have done better to solve the problem faster or more efficiently.

Answer 1

The five essential principles for working together as a team and how they can be used in the case study are:

1. Communication - The team at the packing department must communicate with each other about the tasks pending and tasks finished and who is responsible to complete them, or who has taken up any specific task.
2. Delegation - With better communication, the team will be able to know the strengths and weaknesses of each other. They will be able to divide the work based on the team members' strengths.
3. Efficiency - A strong and cohesive team will be efficient and will be able to complete the tasks assigned to them faster and better.
4. ideas - The team members will be able to put forth ideas to improve any process. This would be more effective if the team members are receptive to the ideas and improvement opportunities sent across.
5. Support - Every workplace has its challenges, be it the heavy workload or absenteeism. A cohesive and strong team will be able to manage those challenges effectively and still come out victorious.