A team was assigned a project. Halfway through the project, however, it became obvious that the team was failing to meet expectations. Management had…

The scenario describes a team with strong task-related skills (technical, problem-solving, decision-making) but poor performance, indicating a deficiency in teamwork. Interpersonal skills, which include communication, conflict management, and listening, are crucial for team members to collaborate effectively and leverage their technical abilities. The failure to meet expectations despite having the right technical expertise points directly to a lack of these "soft skills" that enable people to work well together. Overlooking these skills is a common reason for team failure.

A. Propensity for social loafing is a negative tendency to be avoided, not a necessary ability for team members.

B. An authoritarian personality is a trait that can hinder collaborative teamwork, not a skill that was overlooked.

D. Intellectual coherence is not a standard term for a team skill; it is vague and less relevant than interpersonal skills.

1. Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2018). Organizational Behavior (18th ed.). Pearson. In Chapter 10, "Understanding Work Teams," the section on Team Composition discusses the importance of member abilities, specifically highlighting technical expertise, problem-solving skills, and interpersonal skills as crucial for high performance.

2. Salas, E., Sims, D. E., & Burke, C. S. (2005). Is there a "Big Five" in teamwork? Small Group Research, 36(5), 555-599. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496405277134. This article identifies key components of teamwork, with interpersonal skills (e.g., conflict management, communication) being a central dimension.

3. MIT OpenCourseWare. (2004). 15.311 Organizational Processes. Fall 2004. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Lecture Notes, "Session 11: Groups and Teams," emphasizes that effective teams require a balance of technical and interpersonal skills.