Bob Travica
MIS 2000
Class 11
Group Processes and
Group Support Systems
Updated Feb. 2015
Bob Travica
Outline
• Workgroup (Team) Concepts & Project Team
• Team Life Process
• Group Support Systems
• Distributed Teams
• Summary
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Workgroup Concepts
• Workgroup or team:
- Collection of people working together on a specific task for a
defined period of time.
- Team is an organization in small with a shorter life span.
- An organization can be team-based (e.g., Protegra; se Ch. 10).
•
Workgroup defined by:
-
Task: What needs to be done
Work roles: Who does what
Timeline: Start and end point, landmarks, schedule
More…
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- Members depend directly on each other – interdependence: can be
sequential, parallel, & reciprocal (process coordinaiton aspect).
-
Group could do more than an individual – synergy
But there may be problems in teamwork:
- some members do not put in their part (free ride)
- members accept mainstream thinking without reasoning
(groupthink)
- Success conditions: member composition, communication, leadership
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Project Team
• Project Team (PT) is a kind of team that performs in
fundamental production processes (see case later).
• PT has a key role in project-driven organizations
(research, marketing, construction, public accounting,
software development)
•
PT has lots of autonomy as it manages work, money,
time.
• Collocated and Distributed team
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Team life process
•
A set of complex activities (phases) from team formation to team’s delivery of
product and disbanding. Cyclical process.
•
Each complex activity is a process in itself:
1. Set team task & team
2. Establish team roles & leadership
1. Forming
5. Disbanding
4. Performing
2. Storming
3. Norming
Developing/Using
Group Mind
3. Create project schedule, Set communication channels
More
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Team life cycle (cont.)
4. Performing phase – most imporatnt;
Execute project activities  Socialize  Deliver product
- Group mind may develop – better performance
5. Create final reports & close project
1. Forming
5. Disbanding
Focus
for IS
4. Performing
2. Storming
3. Norming
Developing/Using
Group Mind
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Group Support Systems
• Support the Performing phase (sub-process) in the team life cycle.
1. Project Management System (PMS): Covers activities, people,
time, financials (tracking work hours, expenses), management
of versions of developed software, and sharing of project
documentation.
A team project is planned as a process that consists of activities.
Activities employ team members, and are timed. People get paid at
a certain rate, and PMS calculates the pay, variance from budget,
etc. (next slide).
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Project Management System: Gantt Chart
2016
Activity
2016
2016
2016
Inventory Management System
John
2016
Time
John
Jean
People
Jean, Alex
Alex
Money: Hourly rate is entered in a separate sheet for each person, and the system multiplies
it by planned time entered in this sheet. With the progress function, the budget balance is tracked.
PMS generates many reports automatically.
Output from PMS showing plan and execution of a project.
More…
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– Boeing-Rocketdyne’s Internet Notebook PMS
• Project: Developing an economical type of rocket engine in 10
months
•
Distributed team made of engineers from Boeing and two partners;
Very successful outcomes.
• GSS supporting the team: Internet Notebook (repository of design
documentation with online access via laptops, email notifications on
project progress tracked, hypertext links on learning sources).
• Functions that required more time & effort were used less –
surprising to management.
SCHEDULE
Document
repository
Linked
learning
sources
Internet Notebook PMS
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Group Support Systems
• 2. File Sharing System - Google docs, drop boxes; included in
other GSS
• 3. Application Sharing System - Sharing screens and programs;
e.g., engineers cooperating on the same diagram.
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Group Support Systems
4. Workflow Support System - Electronically connecting individual tasks
in a process; see case in Chapter 10
5. Teleconferencing Systems - Meeting at distance;
videoconferencing, private email, el. bulletin boards, chat –
communication syste4ms serving dispersed groups
6. Group Decision Support System - Group brainstorming and option
selection via GDSS. Parallel and reciprocal coordination.
Facilitator –
Moderates the
session
Decision makers –
team or ad-hoc group
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Distributed Teams
• Team of our time! YOU will work in it!
• Challenges for distributed teams:
o Aligning workflows over space & time; IS for communication and
work support are necessary
o Following same values and norms
o Maintaining trust in others and their work
o Effective communication is the key to sucess
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Summary
•
Workgroup (Team) is a collection of people working together on a specific task for a
defined period.
•
Some key aspects: interdependence, synergy, composition, communication, leadership.
•
Project team plays key role in project-driven organizations.
•
Team life cycle is a process that consists of five phases (sub-processes).
•
GSS types are: Project Management System, File Sharing System, Applications Sharing,
System, Workflow Support System, Teleconferencing System, & Group Decision
Support System.
•
In a distributed (virtual) team members work at different locations and face particular
challenges.
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