Television
super network, ABC, was in need of the integration of their digital media
content into the company’s overall format and developed a team to complete this
task, consisting of five members (Becker, 2006). Albert Cheng, who oversees the
Digital Media Department of Disney-ABC, is the team’s immediate supervisor
(Becker, 2006). In addition to their team-related responsibilities, they are
responsible for educating other departments within ABC on the company’s digital
media content initiatives and acting as liaisons between digital media and all
other areas. In the Nut Island Effect, Paul Levy (2001) states that teams that
have too much autonomy and isolate themselves from the rest of the
organization, is a formula for failure. Acting as liaisons between digital
media and the rest of the company allows the team to stay connected to other
departments, increasing communication, education and innovation.
Hill (1995) stresses the importance of choosing the right team members when constructing an efficient team, adding that, “a team can only be as strong as its weakest link” (p.6). The members of Cheng’s team hold titles which include, VP of Digital Media, Senior VP of Business Development, Senior VP/General Manager and VP of Digital Development. The team has just enough diversity to be effective in their productivity yet the expertise and experience to add value (Becker, 2006). According to Hill (1995) team members should “be neither so similar that they are clones of each other and offer no added value, nor so different that they cannot learn from one another or work together” (p.7). Cheng’s team represents a healthy balance of the two.
One of the primary challenges of the digital media team will be maintaining Disney-ABC’s brand value and presence while distributing its content across digital media channels, and allowing it to be available without oversaturation (Becker, 2006). Simultaneously, the team must develop ways to shield digital content from piracy (Becker, 2006). Cheng’s team has their work cut out for them ahead, but creating a strategically-designed team which embodies the formula for improved efficiency and performance, can only help them to get there faster.
Hill (1995) stresses the importance of choosing the right team members when constructing an efficient team, adding that, “a team can only be as strong as its weakest link” (p.6). The members of Cheng’s team hold titles which include, VP of Digital Media, Senior VP of Business Development, Senior VP/General Manager and VP of Digital Development. The team has just enough diversity to be effective in their productivity yet the expertise and experience to add value (Becker, 2006). According to Hill (1995) team members should “be neither so similar that they are clones of each other and offer no added value, nor so different that they cannot learn from one another or work together” (p.7). Cheng’s team represents a healthy balance of the two.
One of the primary challenges of the digital media team will be maintaining Disney-ABC’s brand value and presence while distributing its content across digital media channels, and allowing it to be available without oversaturation (Becker, 2006). Simultaneously, the team must develop ways to shield digital content from piracy (Becker, 2006). Cheng’s team has their work cut out for them ahead, but creating a strategically-designed team which embodies the formula for improved efficiency and performance, can only help them to get there faster.
References:
Becker, A. (2006). ABC's Digital Evangelists. Broadcasting & Cable, 136(13), 13.
Hill, L. (1995) Managing Your Team, Harvard Business School, pp. 1-22
Levy, Paul. (2001) The Nut Island Effect: When Good Teams Go Wrong, Harvard Business Review, pp. 5-12
Dawn, this is an interesting example. It sounds like the team strikes the right balance of homogeneity/diversity. However, as we saw from the readings it takes more than that for a team to be successful. What sort of recommendations would you make to Cheng if he asked you, as a communication management scholar, for your top three tips on effective team management?
ReplyDeleteDawn, I enjoyed reading about Cheng’s team and the challenging project they have ahead. It does appear that they have a healthy balance of homogeneity and diversity. As Jessica, I also wondered how they ranked on the other components that we read about this week. You mentioned Hill’s notion of team selection. By looking at the names of the members, the team sure looks like a powerhouse with all the members being executive management. Did you find any information mentioning how exactly the team members were selected (i.e. title, experience, etc.)? I definitely agree with you that strategically designing the team can only aid their progress as a group. Thanks for sharing!
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