Ms. Ubuntu is very proud of her administrative/finance team. It is the solid foundation for the organization with its clockwork support and strict adherence to policies and procedures. The team's reports are always accurate and on time.
As a result of a new grant from NPI, the team expanded its department with two new positions. To recognize the good work of her staff, Ms. Ubuntu promoted one staff member to unit manager and recruited two new junior staff members to fill the gaps. As expected, everyone was very happy with this development at first. But now Ms. Ubuntu's day is filled with petty bickering among her staff. Some complain that the new unit manager has become arrogant in his new role and thinks he is superior to his former peers. Others complain that the new members are the cause of reporting delays. To top that off, her trusted bookkeeper has started calling in sick frequently. Exasperated, she wonders what is happing to her team.
Discussion Questions
1. In what stage of development is this team?
2. What characteristics of effective teams are either present or missing?
3. What would be the team's next goal for team development?
4. If you were Ms. Ubuntu, what would you do? What task/support functions would be appropriate?
5. If you were a staff member, what actions could you take to best support your department?

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

Based on the information provided this team appears to be in the storming stage of development The storming stage is characterized by conflicts power struggles and a lack of cohesion as team members a... View the full answer