A University professor, who was tired of student complaints about how project teams were put together, developed a new method for composing student teams. The method involved having the students interview each other in a controlled environment and provide the professor with detailed ratings of their classmates after the interviews.

The professor used these student ratings from the interviews as the basis for deciding who would work together, keeping teams the same size as they had always been (i.e., 4 - 5 team members). Below are the instructions given to students who were assigned to the role of being a team leader by the instructor.

"During our next class meeting, you will be interacting with your classmates in an exercise to help you choose your project teams for the semester. The project involves an online Business Simulation Game that requires teams to make financial, marketing, human resource and production decisions. Your team will also need to complete case study write ups and present your team's simulation results. You have been chosen as a Team Leader because of your strong analytical skills, which will be essential to the success of your team during the game. You will be interviewing your classmates to assess if you want them on your team. Keep in mind, they will also be interviewing you so that they can determine which team leader they want to request.

There are many things to consider when building a team. For example, you may want to find team members who have similar goals for the semester, such as winning the competition, getting an A, just having fun, or merely passing the class. In addition, you may want to check each other's schedules to see if they are compatible for team meetings. Make sure that you consider the skills that you think will be necessary to complete the simulation and that you aim to build a team with complementary skills. Also, consider the potential impact of having both divergent and shared perspectives on the team and how these may affect team dynamics and success. Recall that positive conflict can help teams search for the best answers and note that research on student teams has shown that friends (especially from the same major) often have a difficult time being critical of each other and demanding accountability regarding what is expected from each person on the team."

Similar instructions were given to students who were going to be team members. They were told that they would be interviewing team leaders to see which one they wanted to request, and they were reminded that the team leaders would be interviewing them. They were also told that they would be interviewing their classmates to see which ones they wanted to request as other team members.

QUESTION

What is the most likely effect of the professor's new method for composing student teams on team cohesiveness? Provide a rationale for your response by applying concepts under the heading of factors influencing cohesiveness and use information from the case to support your answer. Make sure you include a word count with your response.

Word Limit: 375 words