Assignment Question

Apply what you have learned from the Gratton and Erickson article (2007) to assess how well your organization fosters a collaborative team environment. Discuss how your organization currently operates within four of the eight principles, and explain how the organization can strengthen its ability to perform complex collaborative tasks and maximize the effectiveness of large, diverse teams, while minimizing the disadvantages posed by their structure and composition. The Gratton and Erickson article will provide the foundation for this assignment. Write a paper to assess how four of the eight practices that lead to success in Gratton and Erickson article, “Eight Ways to Build collaborative Teams,” are applied within your organization. Review the diagram as noted on the “Eight Practices for Creating a Collaborative Team Environment” page of this lesson and use this visual as a framework for your paper. The paper should include a narrative that consists of the following information: One paragraph: Provide a brief introduction of your organization, including elements such as company name, size, purpose, team environment, and organization/team structure. Two paragraphs on Application of the Practices: You will be asked to assess a total of four of the eight practices—one practice from each category. Once you select all four practices, discuss the related principles of collaboration for each of the four practices selected. For example, if you chose executive support, discuss signature relationship practices, modeling collaborative behavior, or creating a gift culture. Discuss each practice separately. Be specific and clear in describing how your organization performs within each practice. Identify whether the actions taken by the organization, as they apply to each practice, supports or does not support the intended collaborative culture as defined by Gratton and Erickson. Once you select all four practices, discuss the related principles of collaboration for each of the four practices selected. For example, if you chose executive support, discuss signature relationship practices, modeling collaborative behavior, or creating a gift culture. Discuss each practice separately. Be specific and clear in describing how your organization performs within each practice. Identify whether the actions taken by the organization, as they apply to each practice, supports or does not support the intended collaborative culture as defined by Gratton and Erickson. One paragraph on Cultural Environment: State whether your organization is attempting to maintain or change the cultural environment. In other words, is the organization in a state of flux as it pertains to developing a collaborative culture? Be specific. Three to four paragraphs on Concluding Argument: Lastly, include a concluding argument that identifies what changes you feel are necessary for the nonsupporting factors to become supporting or for enhanced action to be taken on supportive practices. Think from a team facilitator’s perspective.

Assignment Answer

Fostering Collaboration in Organizational Teams: Applying Gratton and Erickson’s Principles

Introduction

In today’s dynamic business landscape, fostering collaboration within an organization is essential for success. This essay assesses how well my organization promotes a collaborative team environment by applying four of the eight practices identified by Gratton and Erickson in their 2007 article, “Eight Ways to Build Collaborative Teams.” The organization under scrutiny is XYZ Corporation, a multinational tech company with over 10,000 employees globally. The company’s primary purpose is to develop innovative software solutions for a wide range of industries, and it operates in a matrix organizational structure that encourages cross-functional teamwork.