Evo Teamwork Case Study:

For years Evo has supported athletic teams, but only recently did the Seattle$-$based e$-$commerce company launch a formal work team. Like many organisations, the online retailer of snowboard, ski, skate, and wake gear used team loosely to describe anything involving random groups of employees. But Evo got an education on real work teams when the company formed a team for its creative services employees.The new group, which is comprised of a photographer, designer and copywriter, is responsible for producing Evos magazine ads, promotions, and website content.Although the individuals roles are not generally interchangeable, photographer TreDauenhauer might dabble in design, graphic designer Pubs One may write a few lines of copy, and copywriter Sunnuy Fenton might snap photos on occasion. Most team projects require a combination of eye$-$grabbing photos, clever words, and a compelling design, and the teammates are committed to a common purpose.When the creative service team launched, group members moved into their ownspace, away from Evos chaotic, open$-$plan work areas. Being together every dayenabled the team members to become better acquainted and move through theforming stage more quickly. But even with quarters, Dauenhauer, One, and Fenton needed help navigating the conflict$-$ridden storming stage of their teams development.Before joining the team, they functioned individually and werent used to sharing power or making decisions as a group. To help the members learn to work together, Nathan Decker, director of e$-$commerce, became the team leader. As a skilled negotiator,Decker makes sure his talented trio steers clear of dysfunction and delivers the goods.Any time the team finishes a project, Decker brings members together for a post$-$mortem discussion a method of reviewing what was learned and how things couldbe executed differently. Its here that the team members identify new routines andrituals to incorporate into their process for future improvement.Due to Deckers leadership and skilful negotiation of conflicts, members of the creativeservices team are learning how to communicate in ways

never before possible. Having a skilled leader to facilitate work processes has helped build team cohesiveness and deliver a collective output that is greater than the sum of its parts.

QUESTIONS:

$1.$ What is the difference $($if any$)$between a group and team?

$2.$ What organisational dilemma was hurting Evo's creative output and how did management resolve the problem?

$3.$ What team inputs should organisations such as Evo pay the most attention to when designing work teams?