Apologizing
In class number 11, we discussed managing teams. One of the topics was repairing breaches of trust. I'm not sure the class was able to make any immediate personality changes on anyone, but I definitely have been noticing certain practices since. One of my HR Simulation teammates missed class that day. This was the same day the first inputs for the simulation were due. As a result, the team wasn't able to include this team member's graphs. Needless to say, he was sorry he let us down. Strikingly, later on, he sent the team an email saying he'd "gladly take on some more work next week to make up for it." I definitely recall this being one of the appropriate measures to restore trust from group members.
Comments
Posted by: Brian Jameson
Posted on: October 12, 2006 11:19 PM
This was particularly amusing since he missed the class, but still followed the exact procedure discussed that day. It was really quite amazing.
Posted by: Benjamin Meck
Posted on: October 13, 2006 11:59 PM
Wow! I wish I could learn the information we discuss without attending class! I remember when we set up the HR Simulation it was recommended that we create a policy for dealing with late work or absences. Our policy was rather broad and may have included a threat of physical violence, but it sounds like your team has the right idea. Perhaps having your teammates email their contributions to the leader or someone who could compile the contributions the day before class could help avoid situations like this one in the future. That is how our group is set up and it is working really well. Hope your simulation is successful - good luck!
Posted by: Grace Liaw
Posted on: November 4, 2006 12:16 AM
I'm curious about this. How did you emphasize the importance of the project to your team member? What kind of incentives did you use? I agree with the emailing strategy. It works very well with my group, too. (My team leader also helps revise the things we turn in, so we maintain a small double-checking system.) I hope your group is doing well, now.