In the case study regarding Harvard Business School’s business plan contest, there were a multitude of factors that contributed to the dynamics of the Music Games International team. With strong personalities that often clashed and countless hours of arguing, this group seemed doomed to fail at first glance; however, the complex characteristics of each member contributed to the successful organized chaos that they turned out to be.
Firstly, it must be clarified that the MGI team was one that directed itself. According to Thompson, “Self-directing or self-designing teams determine their own objectives and the methods by which to achieve them. Management has responsibility only for the team’s organizational context” (15). This description fits the MGI’s team structure exactly; the three founders, Igor, Sasha, and Roman, were arguably the managers, and they mainly acted as the organization’s backbone and handled the responsibilities of recruitment. In the case reading, Dana specifically states, “There was no clear leader… whoever had the most …show more content…
Alex describes the first meeting he attended as “very unorganized” and “there was no structure” (Polzer 7). Brainstorming is a valuable technique that MGI should continue to utilize; however, they can learn to use it more effectively. A major issue with the team meetings is that they dragged on for hours and hours. If Henry is able to create a structure, for team meets, it will shorten meetings while getting more out of them. For example, he could allocate time in meetings to have thirty minutes for reviewing past work, thirty minutes for future plans, and thirty minutes for idea generation. In doing so, Henry would ensure that all the necessary topics are covered while keeping members focused on one subject at a time for increased concentration on relevant
Firstly, it must be clarified that the MGI team was one that directed itself. According to Thompson, “Self-directing or self-designing teams determine their own objectives and the methods by which to achieve them. Management has responsibility only for the team’s organizational context” (15). This description fits the MGI’s team structure exactly; the three founders, Igor, Sasha, and Roman, were arguably the managers, and they mainly acted as the organization’s backbone and handled the responsibilities of recruitment. In the case reading, Dana specifically states, “There was no clear leader… whoever had the most …show more content…
Alex describes the first meeting he attended as “very unorganized” and “there was no structure” (Polzer 7). Brainstorming is a valuable technique that MGI should continue to utilize; however, they can learn to use it more effectively. A major issue with the team meetings is that they dragged on for hours and hours. If Henry is able to create a structure, for team meets, it will shorten meetings while getting more out of them. For example, he could allocate time in meetings to have thirty minutes for reviewing past work, thirty minutes for future plans, and thirty minutes for idea generation. In doing so, Henry would ensure that all the necessary topics are covered while keeping members focused on one subject at a time for increased concentration on relevant