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Information Management:Lecture 1.5: Team Workshop

DIG 3563

Fall 2013J. Michael Moshell

University of Central Florida

Original image* by Moshell et al .

Imagery is fromWikimedia except where marked with *. Licensing is listed.

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The Usual Problem: TEAMS!

They suck, don’t they?

Either (a) your leader is an egomaniac, or

(b) Your team members drop out without telling anybody, or

(c)They can’t (or don’t) do what they say they will

AND (d) there is no good way to choose team members.

Prof assigns: You get stuck with the losers

Choose friends: Not necessarily the brightest bulbs on the tree

Random: Who ARE these people, anyway?

Dreamstime.com

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Then, why have them?

a) Real businesses ARE teams

b) Prof can’t grade 50 projects

c) You might learn from each other

SO we were looking for a new way to approach the problem.

Last year, we tried an "entrepreneural model".

Patricia Abon

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Then, why have them?

a) Real businesses ARE teams

b) Prof can’t grade 50 projects

c) You might learn from each other

SO we were looking for a new way to approach the problem.

And magically, there appeared a new model on the horizon.

KEY IDEAS: Hire the best people for your team

Pay them on a competitive basis, like the real world

Fire them if they don’t perform

Reward them (and yourself) for success

Patricia Abon

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A worldwide organization, Startup Weekend, has helped

conduct two events in Orlando. (Another in November)

Moshell participated in Startup Weekend Education

Individuals ‘pitch’ an idea for 60 seconds.

People in audience vote-with-Postit Notes to select ten best

Those people are designated as Entrepreneurs

They then build and lead Corporations.

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Hence, a

STARTUP GAME

Pitch concepts

Raise equity capital

Form a corporation, hire staff

Design product, market test, build

Improve and extend the final product

Participate in a Market Driven Evaluation

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To YOU, students in 3563 -------

From YOU (7500 Moshell Bucks)-------

Hence, a

STARTUP GAME

Pitch concepts

Raise equity capital

Form a corporation, hire staff

Design product, market test, build

Improve and extend the final product

Participate in a Market Driven Evaluation

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THE STARTUP GAME: KEY FEATURES

1. We are creating a ‘simulated economy’.

2. They will earn Bucksby several mechanisms

3. Their grades for Project 3

(20% of course grade)

were determined SOLELY by how many bucks they

had at the end of the semester.

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THE STARTUP GAME: KEY FEATURES

What ‘roles’ exist in this game?

• Entrepreneur – pitch an idea, convince investors to fund it!• Sell stock, raise Equity Capital. You control lots of Bucks.

• Worker – sell your services to an Entrepreneur

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THE ENTREPRENEUR’S PATH

Up to 50

People

Pitch ideas

DIG4104c

Students

(~55 of them)

THE ENTREPRENEUR’S PATH

Up to 50

People

Pitch ideas

Post-it Vote 10 Stage 1

Entrepreneurs

Are chosen

DIG4104c

Students

(~55 of them)

Everyone

Builds

Brief

Resumés

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THE ENTREPRENEUR’S PATH

Up to 50

People

Pitch ideas

Post-it Vote 10 Stage 1

Entrepreneurs

Are chosen

DIG4104c

Students

(~55 of them)

Everyone

Builds

Brief

Resumés

10 Ents

Choose

Prelim

(design)

Teams

RAISING CAPITAL

10 ents from 4104c

DIG 3563

With plenty

bucks

Investors

Vote

For 6

Best

ideas

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RAISING CAPITAL

10 ents from 4104c

Investors

Buy

Stock in

Dutch-

Auction

Investors

Vote

For 6

Best

ideas

E1

Has

88k

Bucks,

100

shares

E2

Has

74k

Bucks,

100

sharesEtc…

I1

I2

DIG 3563

With plenty

bucks

I2

Has

65

Shares

Of

IBN

I1

Has

77

Shares

Of FLK

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RAISING CAPITAL

10 ents from 4104c

DIG 3563

With plenty

bucks

Investors

Buy

Stock in

Dutch-

Auction

Investors

Vote

For 6

Best

ideas

I1

Has

77

Shares

Of FLK

I2

Has

65

Shares

Of

IBNEtc…

E1

I2

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Forming Public Corporations

6 Ents with Bucks

Ents

Hire

Their

teams

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PH Corporations:

Receiving Funding (to pay your workers)

Ents

Hire

Their

teams

E3

Has

45k

Bucks

SUBSCRIBED

eXchange

Has I3’s

45k Bucks

8/28: 15k

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Receiving Funding (to pay your workers)

Ents

Hire

Their

teams

E3

Has

45k

Bucks

SUBSCRIBED

eXchange

Has I3’s

45k Bucks

8/28: 15k

I3 review9/27: 15k

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Receiving Funding (to pay your workers)

Ents

Hire

Their

teams

E3

Has

45k

Bucks

SUBSCRIBED

eXchange

Has I3’s

45k Bucks

8/28: 15k

9/27: 15k

10/26: 15k

I3 review

I3 review

W21 Stockholder

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The Equity Payoff – Final Review by Class X

E3

Entrepreneur

Stockholder

eXchange

Has Market

Earnings

(allocated

By Class X

Review)

I3 Stockholder

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Well ... what happened?

ALL the teams in the Web Design Workshopdecided, up front, to go with communism.

Everyone agreed to split the profit evenly.Nobody took explicit responsibility and leadership roles.

And how did the projects turn out?

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Pretty good ...

Not GREAT (with one exception)Not TERRIBLE.

We had the usual disasters ... one guy never got hired, did his own project, sorta OK

So, today we're gonna Workshop the problem.

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The TeamWorkShop

1. Divide into groups of 4 (this is NOT necessarily your semester-long Team)

2. Discuss previous team projects you've had,in high school or college. Ask this:

* What structure worked best, and why?* What breakdowns occurred, and why?* What did you produce ... was it perfect?

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* What structure worked best, and why?Did you pick your groups, or be assigned to them?

If you picked your group, how? Friends?Did you elect a leader?Did a natural leader emerge?How did you keep everyone engaged?Did you build and follow a design document?Did you build and follow a schedule?

* What breakdowns occurred, and why?Did people drop out? Why?Did people slack? Why? How to motivate?Did people communicate? What's best way?WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY?

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In 20 minutes we will start randomlysampling your groups.

We will compile a "Best Practices" list

Then we will set about building yourSemester Project Team

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TIME TO MAKE TEAMS

0) ALL TEAMS have FOUR (4) MembersNot 3, not 5. (except one odd-man-out team)

1) If you want to pick your own team,move to left of classroom

2) If you want me to randomly assignyou to a team, move to right of room.

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PICK YOUR OWN TEAM

1) The MAIN CONSTRAINT:* Everyone must have availableONE HOUR (or more) at the same timeto meet outside of class, when needed.

2) Other advice:See if you can get a techie and an artistand a writer on your team. You needall these skills.

3) Decide on your leadership model NOW.

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IF I ASSIGN TEAMS:

1) The MAIN CONSTRAINT:* Everyone must have availableONE HOUR (or more) at the same timeto meet outside of class, when needed.

2) How to do it? I'll just assign you randomlyand you introduce yourselves. a) Write schedules, find common timeb) Check skill match. Need somebody?

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BEFORE YOU LEAVE CLASS TODAY:

a) I must have a piece of paper with* Team Name* Members' names* Your Meeting Hour

b) You must make sure that EVERY TEAM MEMBER has the team's

* names* email* phone numbers – AND the meeting time!