BMGT44760 The Science of Teams

Academic Year 2021/2022

This course will introduce students to scientific research on group and team behavior in organisational settings. The focus is on the interpersonal processes and structural characteristics that influence the effectiveness of teams and their development over time. The format of the course is a sequence of team and group exercises and case analyses which are framed by a series of readings, lectures, and in-depth class discussions. Key content includes:

Introduction & Types of Teams and Groups
Effective Team Decision Making
Team Communication & Conflict
Team Creativity & Innovation
Leading Teams
Designing Teams
Cross-Cultural Teams
Multi-Team Systems
Team Case Competition

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

Students who take advantage of everything this course has to offer will be proficient in identifying and understanding credible information on the science of teams and will be adept in participating and managing a wide variety of group and team enterprises. The following is a partial list of objectives achieved by researching and practicing the science of teams:

1. Become a more knowledgeable team member and leader: Achieved by reading and discussing foundational literature on teams as well as cutting edge scientific literature. Supported by analyzing the case of a team in distress and identifying root causes of problems and using evidence-based research to design and defend an intervention.

2. Become a more effective team member and leader: Achieved through practice in a series of carefully designed team exercises which challenge students to effectively and efficiently organize communication and workflows, design teams for high performance, intervene in disruptive conflict, work in asynchronous and virtual environments, navigate power and politics within teams, and to evaluate and reward team performance.

3. Become a more reflective team member and leader: Achieved through verbal and written individual and team reflection on team dynamics and performance.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

40
Specified Learning Activities

60
Autonomous Student Learning

100
Total

200
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Much of the learning that occurs in the course will involve exercises, simulations, and cases that draw on students’ current experiences in the class as well as their previous experiences in teams and organizations outside of Smurfit. The module has four key features:

1. Experiential learning: In each session teams will be given a new challenge pertaining to a key aspect of building, maintaining, and designing teams.

2. Feedback: The professor will lead the teams in a debrief that involves analyzing their own performance. Benchmark performance will also be provided.

3. Case analysis: Teams will analyze cases looking at teams in a variety of organizations and will compete in a team case competition on the final day of the module.

4. Applied learning: Each session the professor will introduce a theory or model and students will be encouraged to apply the model to: (1) the analysis of their own team performance in class; (2) their team case analysis and (3) work teams in real organizational settings.
 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Learning Exclusions:

No students who took BMGT30450 Groups and Teams module in their undergrad degree could take BMGT44760.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Continuous Assessment: Lab reports, team challenges, and team case competition. Varies over the Trimester n/a Graded No

100

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.