Andy Syms was recently appointed manager of a new project team consisting of professionals from different functional areas of the company. Some of the members have worked with each other before, but several others have not.
Help Andy build an effective team. Specifically, enlighten him about the self-oriented member concerns and behaviors that might get in the way of team development. Tell him what specific task- and relationship-oriented leadership roles he is likely to need if this team is to become effective, and why. Talk to Andy about the potential positive and negative consequences of team heterogeneity (assuming team members have diverse characteristics and backgrounds). Tell him about group cohesiveness and how this can have both positive and negative consequences for the team, and why. Also tell him what "groupthink" is and what he can do to avoid it. What insights are provided by Jerry Harvey's ill-fated trip to Abilene?