Competency Based Team Formation: An Experiential Exercise
Barry A. Friedman

Abstract
Groups are widely used to achieve organizational objectives including improved products, services, productivity and quality. Teamwork is among the top skills employers look for in new hires. Educators therefore place considerable emphasis on teamwork. In this exercise, undergraduate and graduate students learn how to form task groups composed of relevant and complementary knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs), and balance the need for task effectiveness and student developmental needs. Students are presented with a Request for Proposal (RFP) from Apple® that describes a store employee retention issue. Students brainstorm KSAs that are required to effectively write competitive proposals, conduct KSA self-assessments, and form task groups based on complementary KSAs and student developmental needs. The instructor then debriefs the exercise to reinforce learning objectives. Relevant literature, handouts, and rubrics are provided. This exercise is appropriate for graduate and undergraduate students of organizational behavior, human resource management, and business administration.

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