Across phone lines and fiber-optic cables, a group of six struggled to form a team. Obstacles stood in their way, but innovation and the common goal of building on each other's strengths led to the week's endgame, completion of assignment one, and a team ready for its next challenge. The two issues, which the team will encounter during the COM 515 class, are communication and time management. These issues are interrelated since effective communication depends on the use of time management to deliver the communication when it is needed.
What is communication? Communication is the transmission of information by various means. One of the biggest issues facing a team, be it in person or online, is clear and well-delivered communication. The eClass environment, specific to U of P, lends itself to problems that must be continually resolved by participating learning teams in order to achieve their goals. The communication challenges we would encounter are the lack of face-to-face communication, the struggle for effective decision-making, and the accessibility of individual team members.
The convenience of face-to-face communication was not a luxury we were afforded. The online world presents several unique challenges in this regard, such as reduced capacity for communication resulting in a diminished level of understanding between team members. Here, perspective and meaning can easily be lost amidst the lack of body language and tone of voice. Thoughts and ideas taken out of context would lead to attempted interpretation and misunderstanding, leaving the team vulnerable to frustration and dissention among members. .
The need for effective decision making within the team would pose a significant challenge to us.