Assignment:
Do you prefer to work in groups or solo? From your experience, are you more productive working in a group or on your own? What are the implications of your preferences on your success in healthcare management? (Note: Your grade does not depend on your preference.) You have just been selected to be the leader of an interdisciplinary team. Some of your team members are from different cultures.
At your first meeting, you observe that the team members have different agendas, significantly different points of view, and that the group is somewhat dysfunctional. What do you do to build a productive team? What are some of the benefits and challenges when working with virtual teams?
What strategies could you use to overcome any communication barriers when working in virtual teams? When working with a group of people from different ethnic communities, what does it mean to be culturally competent? What do culturally competent managers do differently from those who are not culturally competent? Is managing diversity a more challenging or important task in the healthcare industry than in other industries? If so, what makes it different and what are the implications for managers?