13 Jan Take-aways related

Week 6 Learning Activity

Learning Activity #1–Critical Thinking Activity

Grifo Graficos, a web design and internet marketing company located in Miami, Florida, got hammered during the Recession and during the last few years by increased competition. As the company sought ways to cut costs, Grifo Graficos layed off about half of its staff, mostly designers and programmers, each averaging 8 to 10 years of experience. By replacing and hiring workers located in Chennai, India, millions of dollars could be saved and the company would survive. While saving money was a prime motivator, Grifo Graficos remained committed to keeping its small self-managed work teams made up of highly qualified designers and programmers working closely together. Deep familiarity with products and customers allowed the pre-outsourced teams to cut corners on specifications and task project management.

After six months in out-sourced mode, the 11 time zones separating the team members, lack of experience of the new college grads hired as replacement (experienced designers and programmers are hard to find in India), no on-site manager in Chennai, and the Miami-based teams’ preference for working with teammates a cubicle or two away (not 12,000 miles!), and constant communication problems (the Miami team use English and Spanish), have become a formula for failure. Chennai team members are starting to quit.

What are the work team development challenges Grifo Graficos is facing by outsourcing work to India?

What work team development strategies and tools would help the Indian and U.S. teams work more efficiently and effectively together?

Use the following headings to organize and format your Response:

Work team development challenges in outsourcing work to India

Recommended work team development strategies and tools to maximize efficient and effective remote teamwork

Analyze data, information, and ideas from the Week 6 readings and other resources listed in the Course Schedule. Create a Response evidencing and citing at least three required readings/resources, primarily from this week’s schedule (note that sources may be identified creatively in place of standard in-text citations). Also, identify, analyze, and integrate at least one well founded, credible outside source relevant to outsourced work team development. Integrate and use bold font for at least three organizational change concepts, methods, theories, strategies, principles, or practices Use examples to support your claims. Cite all reference sources using APA format. Use in-text parenthetical citations, for example, (Cummings & Worley, 2005, p. 17)—please include page number(s), or other location such as chapter and section heading, or URL—within your Response content, and full citations at end (see Content/Using APA). Review the Discussion Guidelines to clarify expectations for successfully completing this question. Refer to the Week 6 Overview to reinforce the course learning outcome(s) and key concepts addressed in this week’s conference.

Learning Activity #2–Workplace Application Activity

Create a goal-setting tool tailored for your team, unit, office, or department based on components illustrated graphically—for example, as a concept map or flow chart. Each component should be customized to represent specific elements you consider germane to your work target. When completed, examine the tool for at least two challenges you anticipate in the tool’s successful implementation.

Use the following headings to organize and format your Response:

Take-aways related to potential challenges, problems, or issues

1.

2.

3.

Review data, information, and ideas from the Week 6 readings and resources. Create a Response evidencing and citing at least two required readings/resources, primarily from this week’s schedule. Also, identify, analyze, and integrate at least one well founded, credible outside source. Integrate and use bold font for at two organizational change concepts, methods, theories, strategies, principles, or practices (at least one per factor/aspect). Use examples to support your claims. Cite all reference sources using APA format. Use in-text parenthetical citations, for example, (Cummings & Worley, 2005, p. 17)—please include page number(s), or other location such as chapter and section heading, or URL—within your Response content, and full citations at end (see Content/Using APA). Review the Discussion Guidelines to clarify expectations for successfully completing this question.