Team Dynamics and Leadership in Microsoft Corporation

Team dynamics and leadership1
TEAM DYNAMICS AND LEADERSHIP
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Team dynamics and leadership 2
Abstract
This report is based on project leadership and team building with a focus to Microsoft
Corporation. The incorporation of well-defined groups into the management of a project is rising
day by day because self-directed team leads to improved performance of an organization. For an
organization to be successful, it is supposed to choose a good team. It should also be able to
define its objectives clearly. This paper focuses on discussing theories and framework used in
project management. It covers topics on the team culture, team motivation, team composition,
team culture, team leadership, team communication, team conflicts, negotiations and influencing
skills and the project team learning and knowledge management. It goes ahead to discuss every
item on the project management list, citing some of its advantages and disadvantages. In each
section, it concludes by relating the team dynamic to the case study which is Microsoft Team
Corporation. It describes how Microsoft Company uses the mentioned team dynamics in its day
to day operations by its employees.

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Table of contents
Abstract............................................................................................................................................2
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Short description of your role and work environment.....................................................................5
Short description of the team, its members and purpose.................................................................6
Project team structure......................................................................................................................7
Application in the case study.......................................................................................................7
Project team motivation...................................................................................................................9
Application in the case study.....................................................................................................11
Project team composition..............................................................................................................12
Application in the case study.....................................................................................................13
project team leadership..................................................................................................................15
application in the case study......................................................................................................16
Project team communication.........................................................................................................17
Application to a case study........................................................................................................18
Project team conflicts....................................................................................................................19
application to the case study......................................................................................................20
Negotiations in project team management....................................................................................21
application to the case study......................................................................................................22
Project team learning.....................................................................................................................22
Application to the case study.....................................................................................................23
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................23
References......................................................................................................................................25

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Introduction
Team performance can be predicted in an organization by making a better identification of the
dynamics influencing the team. A poorly designed team structure can lead to low performance
because members are not sure of their roles and might reporting to more than one manager. In
their review of the literature (Wegge et al. 2011), team motivation is the process by which team
managers persuade their team members to work efficiently to produce good results. Clear goals
will keep team members on toes to make sure they accomplish their mission. They will be
motivated to go an extra mile to see their project a success and thus greater rewards. Project team
composition shows how two or more individuals come together interdependently to attain a
common goal. It generally influences the team's operations and outcomes that are achieved.
Team culture consists of different values, attributes, skills, beliefs, and behaviours of diverse
individuals in an organization. A good team structure is built by having a team-oriented
organization. A team feels motivated when their leader guides them through playing their roles,
and this makes the team goal oriented. In their review literature (Mitchell & Golden 2012), when
communicating, leaders should ensure that the surrounding has a receptive atmosphere and
should display confidence and seriousness. Excellent communication leads to a positive
workplace because employees feel free to interact with their leaders. Team leaders should ensure
fairness and equality amongst themselves since each person is vital in the project. Project
managers need to apply negotiation skills throughout their reign as leaders. Getting to know each
other better minimize conflicts and hence the team can entirely focus on the strategic goals
together. This paper will discuss in great detail on how Microsoft Company uses team dynamics
in its operations.

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Short description of your role and work environment
As a member of the research group at Microsoft cooperation, I believe in the quality of research
we carry out in the world that we are living. This information technology industry focuses on
innovation in both software and hardware parts of computers, laptops and other electronic
machines. As a research group, we focus on the best gadgets to suit the needs of our clients to
satisfy their needs. In this company, researchers have a significant role in helping to meet
customer needs. The leaders also have a role to play in making research success by contributing
their ideas in all fields of research. As researchers, we do share our success and breakthroughs
with the world by sharing new products and services. We partner with other research
organizations and students from leading educational institutions to explore products that will do
fit the ever-changing market needs.
Short description of the team, its members and purpose
Microsoft Corporation is one of the leading software companies in the world. The company was
founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. The company deals with developing, licensing
and designing different software products. It also sells entertainment products such as Xbox,
Zune and Xbox 360. The company performs globally with its branches spread in over one
hundred and ninety countries. It headquarter are situated in Redmond, Washington. The Chief
Executive Officer is Satya Nadella. The services it offers are Azure, Bing, LinkedIn, MSDN,
Office 365, OneDrive, Outlook.com, TechNet, Windows Store, Windows Update and Xbox
Live. It had a total of 134,944 total employees as of 2018. The global company groups include
office of the CEO, sales and marketing teams, corporate strategy and operations, Human
resources, finance, business development among other groups. Microsoft Corporation has the
following characteristics: accountability, quality, and innovation, responsiveness to customers,

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growth mindset and diversity and inclusion. The purpose of the Microsoft team is manufacturing
software, licensing and selling computer hardware and software, developing new consumer
electronics and other related activities.
Project team structure
It is a structure that explains the relationships between members of a team and how they also
relate with other members from an external environment. It is done by defining the authorities in
a graphical representation. All aspects of the project team must be placed in the team structure
which should be drawn hierarchically. All project activities and member positions should be well
indicated on the structure. In their literature review (Bresman and Zellmer-Bruhn 2013), a team
structure provides guidance and clarity on specific roles. Having a team structure is essential
because it helps group members to know their roles which promote efficiency. A clear structure
indicates the flow of information in the team hence excellent communication among team
members. It also defines the reporting relationship amongst each member because they can
understand their roles. The structure may indicate the weak points of the team which may require
further attention thus essential for growth and expansion. The structure should ensure efficient
task completion of projects hence a necessity for planning purpose. It should also be designed to
fit the needs of the team
Application in the case study
Microsoft has a divisional organizational structure which is divided into critical divisions:
engineering and business. It shows the needs of computer hardware and software in response to
the growing market demand. The structure has product type divisions, global corporate groups,
and geographical segments. This structure tends to focus on developing its products hence
contributing to its competitiveness. A disadvantage of this structure is that it does not consider