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Bronson Bass
Dr. Bagley
1/14/14
Reflection Paper on Design
Productivity with Design Teams
Designing in teams can be difficult enough to start off with, but throw in a deadline and a
budget and you have a brutal truth. With minimal budgets design teams need to be productive in
their meetings and discussions. With distractions such as off topic conversations, cellphones,
conference calls, laptops, or even tablets its easy to get off track (Bhusari 2008). Design teams
usually have one general idea to work off of, but with so many distractions its hard to manage
the productivity level in the meetings. This is a common problem in the workforce and an issue
that design teams need to work on within their selfs and with the management. Overall design
teams may have great ideas, but they are altered by these distractions in the workplace.
(Hammond 2005)
Teams that have workers and partners across the world like to stay connected and have
meetings any time, often leading to audio or video meetings (Hammond 2005). Studies show that
video meetings are much more stressful than audio meetings, but video is sometimes needed in
order to present a project or an idea. Also our five senses come into play with meetings and
discussions which is lost with convenient electronic meetings (Anderson-Butcher 2005).
Brainstorming and critical thinking proved to be more difficult while working electronically and
was harder to achieve communications with the other teammates. (Hammond 2005)
The members of the group are very important as well. Most of the new and creative
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ideas come from these college graduates that just entered the workforce. (Bhusari 2008) The
management needs to be more experience Bhusari goes onto say, having someone who knows
that the meetings can easily become hectic and therefore less productive can have a positive
reinforcement on the fresh college graduates. Having an overseer that is experienced and
educated in their field is crucial to have new fresh ideas from the new younger teammates.
(Bhusari 2008)
When design teams from across the world come together they have the opportunity to
form a power-sharing enfranchisement that begins with the team experts. (Hammond 2005)
These workers on the team serve as the people that know what the outcome many situations and
know how to control a large sum of international people. A process within social work has
design factors too; design can be used this way by going outside the lines and having a building
process within one another. Individuals need to be on teams and have teammates, and once they
are done with their individual work, they go to assist the other workers on their team.
(Hammond 2005)
Design teams are intended to result in permanent community teams that practice and
learn together (Hammond 2005).Teamwork is a huge part as well, without willing workers the
end product may not be what was intended. Teamwork needs the individuals though, and having
a close relationship with the team is always good for productivity, allowing the individual to feel
like their voice matters, because it actually does (Anderson-Butcher 2005). With one great idea
you can have your product, with no ideas and room full of designers you have a budget going to
waste. Trust and accountability are the cure for the fears and risks that come with meaningful

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communication and commitment. Trust means confidence in team leadership and vision.
Ineffective communication creates barriers, thereby making tasks more complex. Once lines of
communication open between teammates and managers, however, it is easier for the team
members to overcome the barriers and work together. (Hammond 2005)
People who work more than 50 feet apart have a less than 10 percent likelihood of
communicating personally more than once a week (Bhusari 2008). With this fact alone
management needs to make sure that designers are coinciding and having a proper workplace to
make the team successful. (Bhusari 2008)
Overall teamwork is a much needed step in achieving a design process in the workforce
(Anderson-Butcher 2005). With international business meetings and electronic assistance for the
meetings it can often be distracting and making the productivity of the meeting degrade and
therefore wasting the budget. Management will always have a hard time keeping the team
focused, but thats what makes the designs so great; but if a team doesnt have a personal
relationship within each other then the process slows to a halt and is once more wasting the
budget. Having a good design team is the key for success and handling those distractions in a
way that cause the end design to be altered in a great way is what makes a great design.






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References:
Anderson-Butcher, Dawn, Hal A. Lawson, and Carenlee Barkdull. "An Evaluation Of Design
Teams In Four States." Journal Of Health & Social Policy 15.3/4 (2002): 131-161.
Education Research Complete. Web. 11 Jan. 2014. http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.
lib.pdx.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=ebe58d56-0c7a-45c1-bed0- d6e90 b1434c
d%40ses sion mgr4001&vid=2&hid=4114

Bhusari, Vijay, et al. "Managing global design teams" Research-Technology Management July-
Aug. 2008: 48+. Academic OneFile. Web. 11 Jan. 2014. http://go.galegroup.com.proxy.li
b.pdx.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE% CA180798854&v=2.1&u=s1185784&it=r&p=AONE&sw
=w&asid=669d218c7c2961066fcb9e2481f0d96d

Hammond, Janeen M.Harvey, Craig M.Koubek, Richard J.Compton, W. DaleDarisipudi, Ashok.
"Distributed Collaborative Design Teams: Media Effects On Design Processes."
International Journal Of Human-Computer Interaction 18.2 (2005): 145-165. Computer
Source. Web. 10 Jan. 2014.