Syllabus
Questionnaire
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Pres. Bibliography
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Final Project

Making the Team, by Leigh Thompson (2000). Prentice Hall, NJ. ISBN 0130143634. Check in the USC bookstore for availability before ordering online. If you are having difficulty locating the text, you may contact a number of online book sellers or the publisher, including amazon, barnes & noble, borders, campusi, ecampus, and others.

Instructor: Dr. Kelton Rhoads
USC Office Room ASC 129 (on the north side of the building on the first floor, accessable via the concrete outdoor walkway). Office hours are Tuesday 1-2 pm & Thursday 3:30-6:30 pm. Phone appointments & email are encouraged, since we're trying to go virtual, here!

Please note that I rely heavily on filters to keep my mailbox free of spam, so if you want to send me an email, it's important that:

1) you put the words "COMM 535 " in the title/subject line of the email (this, and my record of your email address, will allow your message to pass through my filters);
2) please do not send email with HTML formatting, or turn HTML formatting OFF before sending an email to me;
3) Please don't send unsolicited attachments. If I've asked you to send me a particular email attachment that we've discussed, please send textual material with either Microsoft Word, RTF, or TEXT formatting, and send graphics as JPG, EPS, Photoshop, or Illustrator files. You can "zip" or "stuff" documents before sending them, and you can use binhex or mime encoding to send them.

This course is designed for 1) the present or future manager of a distributed group; 2) for the person who is, or is likely to become, a virtual team member; and also 3) scholars who plan to study human behavior and communication patterns within groups, both face-to-face and distributed. Since virtual groups are a relatively new topic of research in communications and psychology, new information continues to stream in about how people work in virtual teams, how computer mediated communication differs from face-to-face communication, and how distributed groups are best managed. The newness of the field is even reflected in the dates most texts in this field are published -- most in the 1990s or 2000s! However, studies of distributed groups are simply extensions of more established lines of investigation: the study of the psychology of groups, communication patterns within teams, and dynamics that occur when people work together toward a common goal. We'll take a look at the best and most recent information we have about the psychology of, and communication patterns within, teams and groups--and then extend what we know from this base of empirical investigation into settings where people are working remotely in distributed groups. In this way, we'll be able to get "up to date" on what's known about virtual teams, and also to make educated guesses about the many areas of distributed groups that remain unexamined. We'll hold several of our classes virtually, and work as distributed teams on several projects, so we can experience the challenges faced by virtual teams first hand. As a member of a distributed team myself, this course will contain the things I wish I'd known when our office first went "virtual" years ago.

There's a lot of procedural detail in this class that will need to be adhered to in order for the class to run smoothly. That's because this class attempts to approximate the working world in may ways: team assignments, ambiguity, 360-degree feedback, deadlines, and group dynamics. Please read the syllabus carefully so you'll know what's expected of you. Please be certain to review the gold links at the top left corner of this page.

A typical FTF (face-to-face) class will consist of:

1) A review of important points from the previous class period;
2) A discussion of the reading material;
3) A group presentation;
4) A lecture (and perhaps an exercise).

Virtual sessions will not be as homogeneous!

The "product" or "deliverable" of this class is a database of information to which you may refer later in your career. Our collective goal is to acquire, understand, and organize information, so emphasis will be placed on the collection, analysis, contrast, synthesis, presentation, and archiving of information regarding groups and distributed groups.

This graduate class will be conducted as a seminar, so substantive participation and regular attendance is required, whether face-to-face or virtual.

Readings: Please read assigned text readings before class, so we can have informed discussions. A portion of each class may be devoted to a discussion of our readings, where you will be asked to contribute your insights. I will ask you to submit a weekly email (no longer than 4-500 words) of your notes, observations, outlines, or reactions, based on the weekly assigned readings. Your reading notes should contain 1) the insights you had and the connections you made while reading; 2) things you'd like to say or explore in class; and 3) the information you think is valuable and important to remember. (I'm not asking you to "review" or "critique" the reading--we aren't literary critics, here.) This email is due to me on Wednesday, by 6:45 pm at the latest (ie, 24 hours before class). Please don't send reviews on earlier or later days, or as attachments. Late reading reviews can't be made up; they're "only good when fresh," because they are intended to motivate your timely reading and to aid class discussion. 20% of your grade is based on class participation in conjunction with the quality of your notes, observations, outlines, and reactions in response to the readings. (Please use only a single email account to send me email. I will set up a filter to collect your emails based on a single email account for each student.)

Presentations: Since this is a class about groups, most of our information-gathering work will be done in teams (see the "teams" link at top left). Topics will be assigned to groups for exploration and presentation. It's important that presentations are given on the days indicated--otherwise we enter a rescheduling nightmare. Some presentations will be virtual. Teams will be rearranged for the final presentations (Teams D & E). Presentations will be worth 50% of your grade. Peer ratings will determine this portion of the grade. See more information about group presentations under the link above left on ths page.

Exams: There will be a take-home final, worth 30% of your grade.

Paper: You will be relieved to know that there is no final paper for this class (although the final is somewhat paper-like in that you will write answers to questions I give you).

Jan 10 - Introduction. Read the syllabus thoroughly. Answer the questionnaire (see link at top left of page) and bring it to class on Jan 17.

Jan 17 - Virtual Tools (1): Email, Webspace, Webpages, Chat, PDF, Blackboard. Load internet software on your machines if you have it. Review any internet programs you may need to use. Get to know your A, B, C team-members.

Jan 24 - Building the Virtual Team (2)
Thompson, Chapter 1 -- Basics of Teamwork (FTF)
This week: Collect references from bibliography for presentations.

Jan 31 - Compensation (3) - virtual asynchronous (don't come to the classroom), conducted by the professor (while out of the state). Reading summaries are still due, as always.
Thompson, Chapter 3 ­ Compensation
This week: Collect references from bibliography for presentations.

Feb 7 - Performance & Productivity (4)
Thompson, Chapter 2 ­ Performance & Productivity (FTF)
Thompson, Chapter 8 ­ Creativity I

Feb 14 - Tasks & Skills (5) (Virtual synchronous by popular request-Valentine's Day. Start with a concall.) Thompson, Chapter 4, Building the Team, page 59 - 78 only.
Thompson, Chapter 8 ­ Creativity II

Feb 21 - Cohesion & Trust (6)
Thompson, Chapter 4, Building the Team - page 79-84 only.

Feb 28 - Communication (7)
Thompson, Chapter 5 - Communication & Collective Intelligence
Group A presentation on Communication (FTF)
Group B presentation on Group Processes (FTF)

March 7 - Bias & Disfunction (8)
Thompson, Chapter 6 ­ Thinking Errors
Thompson, Chapter 11 ­ Interteam Relations Gone Wrong
virtual synchronous (don't come to the classroom) Start with a concall.

March 14 - Spring Break

March 21 - Cooperation, Competition, Conflict & Affect (9)
Thompson, Chapter 7 - Conflict in Teams
Group A presentation on Cooperation, Competition, Conflict, & Affect - virtual synchronous (don't come to the classroom). Start with a concall.

March 28 - Technological & Cultural Boundaries (10)
Thompson, Chapter 9 - The External Environment
Group B presentation on Technological and/or Cultural Boundaries- virtual synchronous (don't come to the classroom). Start with a concall.

April 4 - Leadership & Status Online (11a)
Thompson, Chapter 10 - The Leadership Paradox
FTF

April 11 - Negotiation & Influence Online (11b)
Thompson, Chapter 12 - Teamwork via Information Technology
Virtual Asynchronous - Kelton in Ohio.

April 18 - Review of VTs & Exercise (13 continued)
Group C presentation - Topic of Your Choice - FTF (45 min presentation)
Group D presentation - Topic of Your Choice - FTF (45 min presentation)
In-class exercise. Be there!
The final is distributed to the class. Please note it is an individual (not group) assignment.

April 25 - Study Day - virtual synchronous - check in at class time for a 45 minute chat session, then work on your exam.

May 7 - Final Exam due - virtual asynchronous - please submit electronically to my email address. Deadline is 9 pm, May 7. RTF format is preferred, PDF is OK.

Copyright © 2002 by Kelton Rhoads, Ph.D.
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