Leadership Tools and Teams: A Product Development Lab

Lecture Notes

SES #	TOPICS	DETAILS
1	X-teams (PDF)	In class I will go over the syllabus and course objectives. In addition, we will learn the model of teams that will form the basis of all the team work done during this course. Think about teams that you have worked in — what makes a team effective?
2	The distributed leadership model and the leadership program (PDF)	Today we will review the Distributed Leadership Model. This is the basis for many of the courses and workshops that we run at Sloan. Tools that you develop should have some relationship to the model. Readings related to the model will be handed out at the end of class. This class will also include an overview of the Leadership program at Sloan and the needs for leadership tools to enter the program. Examples of leadership tools and product ideas will be presented.
3	Ideas fair	In class, you will have a chance to brainstorm product ideas that will enhance the program. You will put ideas of products up around the room and class members will form teams around shared interests. Then teams will begin team building.
4	Setting up for exploration	We will start with an overview of the exploration phase and you will work in teams to map out how you will go through this phase of work.
5	Influence skills for exploration	Continue to work on exploration activities.
6	Preparation for interim reports	In class your team will discuss what is going well and what is going poorly in your team. How can you change to be more effective? You will need to think about how to write your interim report and prepare an oral presentation for Thursday. Also, you will need to think about how to move from exploration to exploitation activity. This is the time to shift from exploring the terrain to focusing on one product idea.
7	Interim presentations	Teams will present on the following: What did you do during exploration? What have you learned about your product, the market, the organization, key stakeholders, yourselves, and the cultural and political landscape during exploration? How has your product idea shifted as a result of exploration? What is your current thinking about what your “product” will be? How well have you worked as an X-team? What did your self-report data say? What have you learned about X-teams? What can be done to improve team functioning? What is your plan for exploitation? Each team will present an interim report. You will have ten minutes, but please leave a couple of minutes for questions. Grades are based on content, presentation, use of readings, and how well you worked at following the X-team framework. In addition, each team should write up a brief (5-page limit) summary of its answers to the questions listed above to be handed in to Professor Ancona. The written report should include a section on how well the course is going and how it can be improved.
8	Exploitation	Teams will work on exploitation activities.
9	Outside speaker: Joan Wood, Senior Vice President, Leadership and Organization Development, Genzyme Corporation	Teams will continue their exploitation work.
10	Moving into exportation	How can you best create enthusiasm and use of your new leadership tool? Create a presentation and implementation plan. Who will you need to contact? How will you make sure that the work you have done will be continued?
11	Final presentations	Teams will present their final results. Please let the TA or the Professor know if you would like to invite anyone else from Sloan to this event. The presentations should include: What is your product idea? How did the X-team process get you to this idea? Why should this idea be implemented? Who will make this happen and how will the transfer process take place? How have you worked together as an X-team? What have you learned about X-teams and product development? Final reflections on the class and leadership development tools. A final summary report should be handed in using the same format as the interim reports.