Please provide feedback and advice on the post below? Along with a question that could be asked back?

Good morning,

It has been brought to my attention that the Easy Chair design team is not working to their fullest potential due to ineffective communication amongst the team.

Josh, the team leader, has explained to me that he is not receiving feedback from the team when he is seeking confirmation of their understanding concerning their assigned tasks (UMGC, 2023). Josh has acknowledged that he is not consistent with his email responses (UMGC, 2023).

The design team indicates that Josh does not effectively reply to emails, and he makes changes to designs and does not communicate those changes to the team (UMGC, 2023).

To ensure that the design team is working effectively and efficiently, Josh has to understand, as a team leader, he is technically taking on a managerial and leadership role within his team. It is imperative that Josh understand that he is not only a designer, but when team leader, he is in a managerial and leadership role. The first course of business would be to enroll Josh in a leadership training class.

To help the team communicate better, the following should be implemented immediately:

1. During team meeting, notes should be taken outlining topics discussed, assignments, follow up dates, and deadlines. These notes must be distributed to all team members and placed in an electronic older for future reference.
2. Any design changes or transfer of responsibilities should be in writing and saved in the electronic designated team folder for reference.
3. Prioritization and delegation should be a team effort and noted in the meeting minutes.
4. Periodic check in with the team, via zoom or conference call, to ensure all members are still on the same page and progressing in line with meeting the deadline.
5. If a team member requires a detailed response to a topic, that request should be in person or phone call. If any significant changes to a design are required, those changes should be noted in the electronic team folder. All team members must seek clarification if not clear on a directive or have received conflicting orders.
6. All delegated task and deadlines will be placed on the Outlook calendar for reference and confirmation of who the task was delegated to and the deadline for completion. All follow up meeting should also be placed on the calendar.

Upon your review and approval, a meeting will be had with Josh and these recommendations will be presented to him for his review and dissemination to his team. As stated above, Josh has to take on more of a leadership role within his team and the first step would be to listen to their concerns and adjust accordingly. As leaders, we know that to improve communication within your team, one must be able to listen, build relationship, solve problems, build trust, a solid communication structure (UMGC, 2023), to ensure that the team and organizational goals are met.

References:

UMGC. (2023). Managing Knowledge. Retrieved March 2023, from Week 2: Skills for Effective Management: https://coursecontent.umgc.edu/umgc.edu/umgc/bus/bmgt/bmgt485/weeks/week-2/content/index.html#/lessons/SZalhlpuBJXbnQsh61VSZacZTMYfVYZU

UMGC. (2023). Week 2 Brainstorming Discussions. Retrieved March 2023, from UMGC: https://learn.umgc.edu/d2l/le727148/discussions/topics/4198866