1. Which characteristics of excellence were lacking in this task force?
2. Which characteristics of excellence were evident in this task force?
3. How would you assess Kim as a leader?
4. What actions would you take (internally or externally) if you were the leader of this task force?
Kim Green, a faculty member from the management department of a major university, has been asked to chair a committee tasked with planning the mission of the university for the next 20 years. The president gave the committee its charge: "What should Northcoast University be like in the year 2020" and told members to make this a high priority.
Several faculty members served on this committee and seemed excited about the task and honored to be selected. The members regularly met and shared research related to their task. With time, however, the members began to disagree about the mission and goals of the group. People stopped attending meetings, consensus was never reached, and even the president lost interest in the project.
This case study is all too real: lofty and ambiguous goals are created, new teams are formed, and the goals are not achieved. However, by dissecting the dysfunction in this case, students will be able to pinpoint key areas for change that could help teams like Kim Green's function well in the future.