Essay Example on Effectively Harnessing Team Collaboration for IT Management

Introduction

Group work is an essential aspect of any organization, which allows people with diverse skills and ideas to work together towards a common goal. Collaborative problem-solving is a useful technique that businesses use to develop long-lasting solutions. In the field of information technology management, the use of a team is paramount. It allows the provision of diverse skills to aid in operating systems and employ digital technology. The paper addressed the description of ideal team composition, ways of dealing with group disagreements, and evaluation of a form of cyberthreat also the use of ERP as a solution in relation to the course's objectives.

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Team Composition

The team will comprise of people with diverse skills to ensure the development of practical techniques to deal with the problem raised in the project. The group will only have four members since the presence of a small number of individuals will enforce effective communication (Peeples et al., 2017). People will be able to communicate regularly, which is vital to ensure a collaborative problem-solving process. The group will rely on asynchronous media such as email to send relevant messages and notify each other on the progress. It is because the online mode of communication will make it possible for the team members to ensure proper internal communication to facilitate the success of the project.

The four members will have skills in data analytics, marketing, management, and finance, respectively. As a data analyst, I have excellent ideas on how to develop solutions from comprehensive information. It will ensure the implementation of accurate evaluation tools to analyze collected data during the group discussion. The research will involve the collection of detailed data, so I will ensure that the group retrieves data from credible sources and implement effective technology during analysis. I have diagnostic skills; hence I will have the responsibility of indulging in critical and creative thinking, which will allow the creation of new and innovative strategies to ensure collaborative problem-solving. I am SAP certified hence I am conversant with management information systems such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), which will make it easier for the team to handle the project. The marketer will enable the group to determine the business issue that should get addressed to accomplish the set goals due to one's comprehensive knowledge of various industries. It will be the work of the individual with managerial skills to hand out duties to the members as per their strengths to ensure work gets done within the scheduled deadline. The member with managerial knowledge will help in developing communication techniques that will enhance team performance. The individual with financial skills will allow the team to develop strategies that will ensure money and time management. The accountant's work will be to evaluate the group's strengths and weaknesses at various stages of the project's running. It will allow the members to understand their shortcomings and work towards getting better to ensure that they complete the project.

Team Conflicts

Disagreements are inevitable when people are working and coordinating with each other as a team. There are two types of conflicts in terms of relationship and task (LehmannWillenbrock & Chiu, 2018). Within a problem-solving group, individuals differ in perspectives, work ethics, and social beliefs. Before commencing on the team project, if I will be the leader, I will allow the members to have time to learn more about each other through an entire session. Individuals will have a chance to understand each other's weaknesses, strengths, and skills to avoid crossing boundaries, thus maintaining mutual respect. Team players need to realize that they can have different work opinions, but it is not a reason for the eruption of disagreements during group discussions. It is a concept that will allow people to settle their differences quickly since it can hinder the completion of the group's objectives. Group members should have practical listening skills such as avoid interrupting speakers and proper sitting posture, which will eradicate miscommunication, which is a significant source of conflict.

Three steps will get employed during conflict resolution: the preparation process, understanding the disagreement, and reaching an agreement task (LehmannWillenbrock & Chiu, 2018). The first stage involves the parties agreeing that there is a form of dispute between them to allow the initiation of the clash solving process. The individuals can go ahead to evaluate the effect of the difference in their work performance. The presence of conflict makes it impossible for people to conduct their assigned duties hence undermine the completion of the project in due time. The individuals should agree to work with each other to deal with the issue by expressing their feelings and opinions freely on the matter. The second stage comprises of comprehending the factors that led to the occurrence of the disagreement. It involves identifying the facts and assumptions surrounding each of the parties' positions on the matter. The third step consists of determining the solution that can eradicate the problem so that the disagreed members can continue working together in harmony. Some teams resolve disagreements by including all members, but if I would be the leader, I will employ the mediation process. It will involve the use of a mediator to help the conflicted members in developing a solution. I prefer the technique of not solving issues as a team since I believe in the essence of privacy. There is a possibility that conflicts will be frequent; thus, indulging the entire group will undermine the accomplishment of set objectives.

Course Objectives

ERP is a tool that ensures that a firm incorporates technological applications to enforce management and automation (Ali & Miller, 2017). The project will focus on the management information tool's component known as the inventory system. The research process will involve storing and analyzing data through the use of information technology. The study will entail the introduction of fire wall to replace secured passwords to eradicate the risk of data breaching within the Soules College of Business facility. It is a form of cyber design that will help reduce cybersecurity threats due to the enforced protection of the students’ personal information within the database (Ali & Miller, 2017). The technique will undermine hackers from accessing private data stored in the high-tech laboratories. The study will implicate the course objectives in both direct and indirect ways. The team members will only comprehend indirectly the course goal on the various roles that information systems play within a firm, such as storing big data. The individuals will learn more examples of information systems such as ERP and cloud computing. The group members will also understand the technical components of information systems. They will also gain insights into the various objectives and techniques of data management. The members will acquire skills for handling search technologies and retrieving data from a large data set. The team will comprehend the functions of information techniques in problem-solving such as it enforces decision making.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is vital to have team members with different abilities to ensure that each of the individuals has a significant role in the project. Conflict is a common aspect when people are working together due to inevitable differences; hence individuals need to accept each other to hinder the occurrence of disputes. Strategies such as the use of a mediator can help in resolving disagreements among team members. ERP is a technique that employs the use of applications such as cloud computing to aid in the storage and retrieval of data.

References

Ali, M., & Miller, L. (2017). ERP system implementation in large enterprises–a systematic literature review. Journal of Enterprise Information Management. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JEIM-07-2014-0071/full/html

LehmannWillenbrock, N., & Chiu, M. M. (2018). Igniting and resolving content disagreements during team interactions: A statistical discourse analysis of team dynamics at work. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 39(9), 1142-1162. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/job.2256

Peeples, T. L., Peterson, T. R., Nyaema, M. K., & Newhall, B. (2017, June). Engagement in Practice: Increasing the Researcher/Inclusion Staff Collab-oration Culture for Inspiration of Diverse Learners in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). In ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Columbus, OH, USA. https://peer.asee.org/28233.pdf