Over the weekend, our team put together the first draft of our proposal. This was a very challenging process because we had to figure out a way to all work together to put our ideas into one concrete document. We had a long discussion to narrow down our ideas and figure out the details. It was very productive, and going into the week, we had a good idea of what we were trying to accomplish. My role in writing the proposal was to write the conclusion and to edit everyone else’s work together to make it a single, flowing document. My writing skills as an English major were put to the test. I had never attempted a task like that, and I learned a lot from it. I experienced some very challenging situations throughout the editing process. I was constantly worrying that I would offend my team members by correcting them or by making changes that they did not approve of. I did my best, though, and it was a valuable experience.
We had our team member evaluations, as well. I found it very challenging to pass judgment on the other members of my team. I do not like the responsibility of telling people what they are not good at. That is something I hope to change by learning how to constructively criticize without offending people. I was pleasantly surprised by the feedback I got from my group. For the most part, they seem to appreciate my contributions. However, I need to work on encouraging other members to participate more.
On Wednesday, we set up a prototype news room. Watching how people spent their time there was far more valuable than we anticipated. One of the participants was from France, and he watched some French news. We had not considered the fact that the business school has a large number of international students. They may want to see news from their home countries in their own languages. American students may also want to see foreign news because it is presented differently in each country and it helps to create a balanced view on different topics. At first, we had envisioned this room as a quiet place, but as the participants saw stories that interested them, they discussed them. These discussions led to the participants sharing related stories with each other and following up what they heard on other internet sites. The observations we made in the prototype will help us to improve and shape our project.
This week, our group determined our POV. At first, we had a solution but we were unsure of the need. After the interviews, we discovered that most students had a very limited knowledge of the current events. There is a need for a way to connect students with the outside world and so that has become our goal.
As we progressed through the process of determining our POV, there was a lot of frustration among group members. We knew what we wanted to do, but we were unsure of how to shape it. By identifying this frustration its cause, we were able to overcome it, for the most part. Once we knew why we felt that way, it became evident that we were all working and struggling together, and that made us closer as a team.
This week, I found the memo writing assignment to be very interesting. It is very likely that this is a skill I will need to have when I begin my career. I learned how to communicate effectively and appropriately depending on the audience. I also learned how to add skim value.
I also learned about the design process. Before this class, I thought that designing just meant making a product aesthetically pleasing. In reality, it is shaping a product or service to fit the needs and desires of the customer. Through innovations and feedback, one can shape any product or service to make it better and more desirable.
Our group met for the first time to make our team agreement. The main goal that our group has is to get a high grade. It will be a great challenge and possibly a source of strain on the team. However, it will drive us to excellence. Since my Leadership Development Plan involves learning to inspire a shared vision, I will work on keeping the team dedicated and focused on this goal.
Our team agreement also includes rotating roles throughout the term. This will help us be a more effective team because we will all have a sense of empathy toward the people in the other roles. We will all have an understanding of what the other team members are trying to accomplish and that will help us function better. When I played football in high school, our coaches had us switch positions sometimes. It gave me an appreciation for the hard work that the other players put in and also gave me a better understanding of how I could improve the process when playing my normal position. I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish.