MNGT 250 – Organizational Behaviour

Case Study #2 – Effective Teams – Issues in Communication, Power, and

Politics

Student Name:

Student ID #:

Instructor Name:

Criteria Value Mark Received

Content 10
Use of Textbook Concepts 10
Writing Mechanics 10
Total 30

Note: Follow all instructions in this document.

This assignment is worth 10% of your final grade.
A detailed grading rubric can be found at the end of this document.
Objectives

1. Understand the concepts of team building, communication, power, and politics, and the impact of
these dimensions on teams.

2. Explain how the dimensions of communication, power, and politics are important to recognize in
yourself and others, and understand how they impact teams and building effective teams.

Instructions

Review
 Review the course content and exercises from Unit 4, 5, and 6.

 Review the textbook.

Reflection and Gathering Information

Important: This is a group assignment and must be completed in teams of two or three. This ‘research’
assignment is based on information that you have gathered about your experiences and you will use the
course material for a basis to frame your thinking and writing.

Consider your current work as a student taking an online course towards a diploma or degree. You are
assigned a team project. The team project is to write and submit an excellent eight page paper discussing
the aspects of effective teams, communication, and power and politics within teams.
• Think about the team work in which you have participated, either in your course work or in your
workplace. How do you go about forming your team for this project? What are the stages that
your team has gone through?

• Reflect on how you have experienced team building. What has made it effective or ineffective?

• Think about how communication has been effective or ineffective in your team work. How do
you communicate as a virtual team?

• Consider how power and politics has impacted your team work. What impression management
have you participated in? What influence tactics are apparent in your team?

Writing and Completing Your Case Study

1. Write a minimum of eight pages (12 pt, 1.5 spacing) working together to describe your team, how
it has experienced the stages of team growth, how you have communicated, and dimensions of
power and politics within your team that you have observed.

2. Describe a specific incident, story, or situation related to your team work in this assignment that
illustrates each of the significant dimensions of communication, power, and politics according to
your text material.
 3. In your paper, explain how and why team work, communication, power, and politics are
important to be aware of when you are working in teams. You must utilize specific references to
the textbook material to explain and support your discussion.

4. Review the grading rubric at the end of this document for guidance in completing your case
study. Please feel free to contact your instructor if you have any questions.

Due Date: Suggested deadlines can be found in the Course Information > Course Schedule
page.

Issues in Communication, Power, and Politics
Category Unsatisfactory
0 points
Content Did not cover all points
outlined in the assignment.
Did not exhibit a clear
understanding of material.
Recorded few comments on
specific incident and
dimensions of the
assignment.
0 points
Textbook concepts No evidence of text
used to support resources.
reflections
0 points
Writing Mechanics Many errors in grammar,
capitalization, punctuation
and spelling requiring
major editing and revision.
No structure.
Grading Rubric
Case Study #2 – Effective Teams -
Acceptable
3 points
Covered most points
outlined in the assignment.
Exhibited some
understanding of material.
Recorded some comments
on the dimensions of the
assignment.
3 points
Some use of text resources.
3 points
More than a few errors in
grammar, capitalization,
punctuation and spelling
requiring editing and
revision. Structure
apparent.
Effective
6 points
Covered all points outlined
in the assignment.
Exhibited understanding of
material. Recorded many
comments on the
dimensions of the
assignment.
6 points
Several uses of text
resources.
6 points
A few errors in grammar,
capitalization, punctuation
and spelling requiring
minor editing and revision.
Good structure.
Exceptional
10 points
Covered all points outlined in
the assignment in-depth.
Exhibited clear understanding
of material. Recorded excellent
comments on the dimensions of
the assignment.
10 points
Thorough and detailed use of
text resources.
10 points
No errors in grammar,
capitalization, punctuation and
spelling. Strong structure.