1. What is the underlying cause of the conflict? Additionally, what role (if any) has each team member played in creating this level of conflict?

1. This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome2. What should the coach's role be as a third party helping this team (improve performance)?

1. This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome3. What are the coach's basic options (processes, actions) and for each option what are the risks and potential benefits?

1. This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome4. Which team members should the coach talk to, what should he/she say to them or ask of them, and in what order (i.e., order of parties and order of questions and/or statements)?

Team #6 has been working as a team for about four weeks. They have had some successes, but alsosome terrible times. John and Mary just can not get their act together. Rob and Ted have tried to mediate, but it has gotten worst. As this point, it seems that alliances are forming, and Mary may be the oddone out. She is angry and frustrated. You have talked privately with each of the members of the team. Here is what they have told you. MARY: "I have just given up on this group. Every time we have an assignment, people just listen to John. I can't figure out why. He may be smart, and he has some experience, but he is just incapable of getting things organized. Plus, he does not seem to really care about this class. I am the one who does all the first drafts. I am the one who calls for meetings. I am the one who checks with the professor about how we should do the assignment. Then, despite the fact that has done squat, John just blows off my work and says we need to start new - usually just 24 hours before it is due! And Rob and Ted fall for it. I don't see why I should do anything for this team any more. Screw them." JOHN: "Mary is so far out of touch it is not real. She just wants to push. I've been out in the work world for 10 years. What matters is not just the classes, but attending lots of info sessions with companies, and networking with people. Mary wants to be a kid in school. She's only 26 years old, and does not have much experience with business - she just worked in publishing! I've worked on Wall Street. Get real! In real life, you do the work you have to do, when you have to do it. Not weeks ahead of time. I don't need some young inexperienced student telling me how to organize my work. I've done it longer than her! And, just because she is gunning for top honors does not mean she can impose that cost on me. Plus, when she does analyze a problem, it is totally academic. I'm the one with practical experience." MARY: "John says he's the one with experience!? Yea, but he can't write worth a damn. He thinks that just because he worked in some famous companies, he knows the answer. He just wants

2 everyone to listen to him. What's the point in being here if you are not going to do the work?! He just can't stand that I am always three steps ahead of him. He can't stand when I point out inconsistencies in his argument. Then, he gets us all off track and wants me to do all the last minute editing of his ideas, which are badly reasoned to begin with. He insists on changes the night before a paper is due, and then we see the result in the morning and it is crap. I've got to drop everything to try to fix the damn thing. But it is too late." ROB: "We've had struggles, but both are good contributors. John has the experience. But Mary is much more organized. I am struggling very much in accounting right now. I'm O.K. following John or Mary, but I don't have the energy to do more. This is my first time ever to take accounting and stats. I like Mary. John is a lot of fun." TED: "This thing is driving me nuts. Mary is a control freak, and John is just a shootfromthehip type of guy. They're both smart. In principal I'd like to be on top of things like Mary, but we can't quite pull it off. At that point, the only option really is to back up John and scramble. Whether we like it or not, we've just got to do some last minute sprints. But then Mary does not want to help out. I know that John's work is a bit raw. We could really use Mary's help at that point, but she is usually too annoyed that John has ignored her ideas. I'm just looking forward to next semester when we can have a new group.