The CVRO was in charge of five primary categories: leadership, network development, marketing, knowledge management, and funding. Making the CVRO work, legitimizing it so that it becomes accepted by the valley community, helping it successfully and diplomatically negotiate with and integrate its numerous players in diverse yet collaborate and harmonious partnership directed to the same goal was the key, and huge, issue that Sally Parker had to deal with.
Recommended Action
Sally is recommended to adopt the Forming, Storming, Performing, and Norming framework where it is recognized that for a team to effectually work and cohesify it has to go through various initial phases. Tuckman's model of groups that are characteristically formed of 4 stages - forming, storming, norming, and performing (with later a fifth, Adjourning, added) - can help here (Chapman, n.d.).
In the Forming stage, the CVRO can help representatives of each of the three other groups know each other and help them casually discuss their different ideas and objectives. The CVRO may use this stage in order to prevent the next one of storming (i.e. conflict) by encouraging them to generate possible differences in outlook and discuss ideas amongst each other. Once done, Norming occurs where co-operation prevails and the different participants listen to each other. Finally, Performing is the end-result where the group works effectively as a cohesive whole.
Research by Cohen and Bailey (1997) indicates that there are four types of...
The work teams are those that do the actual work. Parallel teams are those that pull the people together from the different teams and ensure that calibration is maintained. Project teams are time-limited and ensure that projects area accomplished per deadlines; finally, management teams coordinate and provide direction to the sub-units under their direction. Each of these four units has to be recognized and each given its demarcation. Parker (or the CVRO) is advised to do just that, ensuring that each keeps to its specific task thereby producing substantial results. Autonomy should be given them and that - as well as internal and external team cohesiveness (i.e. within and between the various teams) - is positively related to performance. Active listening, respect for other opinions, conflict-resolution techniques are other strategies that the CVRO can employ to ensure that its huge spectrum of stakeholders and four divisions work together for rejuvenation of the Valley region.
References
Blair, G., Groups that work, Retrieved July 27, 2010 at: http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/~gerard/Management/art0.html?http://oldeee.see. ed.ac.uk/~gerard/Management/art0.html
Chapman, A. (nd). Tuckman's 1965 "Forming Storming Norming Performing" Team-Development Model. Retrieved July 27, 2010 at: http://www.businessballs.com/tuckmanformingstormingnormingperforming.htm
Cohen, SG & Bailey, D. (1997) What makes Teams work. Journal of Management, 23, 239-290
