Henry Tam and the Mgi Team Case
Henry Tam and the MGI Team Case Characteristics of group formation and team processes are highlighted in the Harvard Business School case of Henry Tam and the Music Games International (MGI) Team. The MGI founders sought to improve the commercialization of their music game by launching a team to market their product and develop a business plan. The team was formed with positive intentions by the MGI founders; however, the lack of a common goal, defined roles, and a decision-making process hindered team progress and productivity. The following sections evaluate the MGI team’s processes in detail, describe root causes of problems, and present specific actions Henry can take to improve the team’s overall effectiveness.
Assessment of team processes at MGI
The MGI team had a diverse mix of people who brought a spectrum of experience. The team included award-winning musicians, business and marketing professionals, creative artists, and software developers (Henry Tam, 2003, 15). Such diversity provided an environment for developing a creative and promising product. Additionally, beyond the extrinsic motivation of personal financial gain from a successful early-stage venture, members of the MGI team were also intrinsically motivated to launch a creative product.
Even with this foundation, deficiencies in team processes hindered the team from achieving its goals. The interactions among MGI team members were characterized by severe disagreements, personality clashes, and a lack of leadership (Henry Tam, 2003, 18).
At the outset, the team could not agree on whether they should target the entertainment or education market. In effect, they were unable to agree on a common vision. As Henry observed, business plan meetings had become long and unmanageable. During arguments, team members were unable to work together, and thus, were unable to achieve their team objective (Eisenhardt, 1997, 5).
Moreover, interpersonal conflicts and the development of subgroups
Assessment of team processes at MGI
The MGI team had a diverse mix of people who brought a spectrum of experience. The team included award-winning musicians, business and marketing professionals, creative artists, and software developers (Henry Tam, 2003, 15). Such diversity provided an environment for developing a creative and promising product. Additionally, beyond the extrinsic motivation of personal financial gain from a successful early-stage venture, members of the MGI team were also intrinsically motivated to launch a creative product.
Even with this foundation, deficiencies in team processes hindered the team from achieving its goals. The interactions among MGI team members were characterized by severe disagreements, personality clashes, and a lack of leadership (Henry Tam, 2003, 18).
At the outset, the team could not agree on whether they should target the entertainment or education market. In effect, they were unable to agree on a common vision. As Henry observed, business plan meetings had become long and unmanageable. During arguments, team members were unable to work together, and thus, were unable to achieve their team objective (Eisenhardt, 1997, 5).
Moreover, interpersonal conflicts and the development of subgroups
References: Henry Tam and the MGI Team. (2003). (HBS case #9-404-068) Polzer, J. (2003). Leading Teams (HBS case #90403-094). Eisenhardt, K., Kahwajy, J., & Bourgeouis, L., (1997). How management teams can have a good fight. Harvard Business Review, 77-85. Cosier, R. A. & Schwenk, C.R. (1990). Agreement and thinking alike: Ingredients for poor decisions. Academy of Management Executive, 4, 69-74. Heath, C. & Staudenmayer, N. (2000). Coordination neglect: How lay theories of organizing complicate coordination in organizations. Research in Organizational Behavior, 22, 153-191.