This week in class, we had our first project simulation. The goal of the simulation was to determine how to modify a testing protocol to identify what was causing a failure in the label adhesive. One thing I noticed in my own team was that we all had different backgrounds, and it caused us to each have a different perspective on problem solving and what could be causing the label failure. In the case of my team, these differing backgrounds seemed to work well together and I believe they contributed to a successful simulation. For us, the key aspect was to have an extensive discussion which allowed us to compromise on how we would address the problem. We also benefitted from having some team members who were strong leaders, and others who were strong listeners. I am curious how other people addressed their own team dynamic. Most of us probably do not know each other outside of the simulation project. Did you have any conflicts that you needed to resolve? Were there any specific aspects of your team style that you believe contributed to success or struggles within the simulation?
We faced the same situation in my team. I noticed that the difference in our background led us to some interesting discussions about what could be causing the label failure. Initially, we struggled a bit because different people had different approaches to solving, but it became a strength once we took the time to listen to each other.
I also think our success came from having a good balance of leadership and collaboration. Some people naturally took charge, while others were great at asking questions that made us think more critically. By the end, it felt like we had a solid strategy considering multiple angles.
Managing problem-solving on diverse teams requires fostering an inclusive environment where all perspectives are valued. Leaders should encourage open communication and active listening to ensure team members feel heard. Emphasizing shared goals helps align diverse viewpoints toward a common purpose. Leveraging the unique strengths and backgrounds of each member enhances creativity and innovation. Addressing conflicts constructively ensures that differences become opportunities for learning rather than barriers. Ultimately, a well-managed diverse team can generate more effective and well-rounded solutions to complex problems.
I totally agree! Being in the same group, I think our approach worked really well because we took everyone’s ideas into account. Since all of our perspectives were valid, we decided to rank them based on feasibility and potential impact. This really helped us stay organized and make sure we weren’t just focusing on one solution too early. Plus, we also made a backup plan in case our main approach didn’t work, which gave us flexibility if we needed to pivot.
Having a mix of backgrounds definitely helped too. Since I have experience working in plastics, I was able to provide some insight into how materials react under different conditions and suggest a few tests that might be useful. That diversity in knowledge really made a difference in how we tackled the problem.
I’d love to hear how other teams handled decision-making! Did you struggle with different opinions, or did it help drive better solutions like it did for us?
Diverse teams lead to the brainstorming of unique ideas because of those different backgrounds. These ideas can conflict with each other so it is necessary to identify which plans can be implemented together without creating more problems in the long run. Project managers can facilitate this process by listening to the concerns of the team and incorporating them into current plan.
Fortunately, my group did not seem to run into any issues. However, we did run into a similar situation where everyone seemed to have a slightly different background. I believe it helped us as well. Our group was able to find the solution to the simulation after just one attempt. Everyone pooled their ideas together and "attacked the problem from all angles" so to speak. We managed to test multiple variables all in our first attempt to identify specific cases where the labels were not adhering as they were supposed to. This led us to a sure solution as opposed to having to design more tests, which in the real world would take even more time and resources. Our diverse backgrounds led to a much more efficient solution.
Managing problem-solving in different teams means that collaboration, flexible thinking, and structure will be required in the decision making process. Teams with different specialties are able to provide a wider range of ideas which leads to better solutions for the problems at hand. For these ideas to actually be useful, however, teams must improve upon them by employing an approach that focuses on only one variable at a time and truly make decisions based on facts instead of blindly accepting assumptions. In this weeks simulation, all team members came up with preliminary considerations, reflections, and ideas that were shared across the larger team so that everyone could decide which of the ideas seemed most realistic for execution. Another aspect that is essential is flexibility, given that the technical solutions must address business obstacles such as cost, time, and other restraints. Clear communication and strong documentation keeps everyone of the same page so that they can iterate on everyone else’s ideas. The important question to consider now is, how do teams blend innovation with budget and feasibility constraints while being efficient in problem solving?
My group performed similarly. We took a more collaborative approach. We first did a root cause analysis and identified the areas of error that could have contributed to the testing failure. From that, we listed ideas on which methods we should proceed with and collectively rejected other ideas that we did not think had an effect. Throughout this, we made sure to give everyone in the group some time to give their opinions and respond before submitting an attempt. Having a group of people from different backgrounds leads to everyone having a different approach at problem solving and providing a solution from a different perspective. I appreciated that we all took time to hear everyone's thoughts before proceeding. I think there needs to be a balance within a group, in that decisions should be made collectively.
One of our largest issues for the project simulation involved having a clear line of communication. The presence of a discussion board in both the group canvas and main course assignment canvas was a confusing start. Thankfully, this problem was solved via a member creating a GroupMe for us to speak. This case really shows that it takes just one individual taking initiative to create a clear path of communication to resolve a communication conflict.
In terms of the team dynamic we had, a great way we were able to exchange ideas was through creation of a shared google doc in which we brainstormed ideas. With brainstorming, we then prioritized different ideas from the list based on how likely they were to contribute to finding the solution to the simulation. A huge factor that aided with this process was also creating a timeline to work on the brainstorming document, giving ourselves till 10:00 pm the next day to write ideas, and then subsequently discussing them.
With this simulation, a diverse group allowed for all of us to take a project manager role in some form or way. Most of us are practicing the knowledge we are learning in this class, and were able to aid one another with issues the team was facing - creating an effective work flow.
Good idea to take some time and reflect on what worked with our teams- it was definitely interesting how we all approached problemsolving from different angles. In my team, I took the lead on organizing the project by setting up meeting times and creating documents because I found that having clear expectations upfront really helped maintain focus. When it came time to work on the report, we did run into a situation where one of the group members hadn’t contributed yet, so I just asked the individual to wrok on specific things and that got the job done.
We were able to brainstorm a variety of ideas, and there was a lot of collaboration. Some team members had questions that we could take to the professor, which was really helpful. Personally, I suggested a solution that would require minimal changes to the current procedure. Instead of immediately changing the label adhesive formula, I recommended trying a mechanical press method to apply the labels, as it seemed like a more straightforward fix. It didnt end up being the solution, but it was a good start in my opinion
