Virtual Environments: Is one life enough?

For this class we will look at the formation, development and maintenance of a team. Throughout this module you will have the opportunity to test the theory in practice as you design and develop your Team Project. It is important that each team member understands their role so that the team can deliver. Each of you will be assigned to your Project Team for the main project. The basic principles of teamwork apply whether working in the physical world or virtually so you will also be able to use what you learn here in other projects.

Preparation for this class

Please read the text and view the video (approx 13 minutes).
This must be completed before class where we will be discussing the following questions:

1. What are the things to be aware of when joining a team to deliver a project?
2. Why do teams so often fail?
3. How will you ensure your team delivers successfully?

Essential Reading

• Costa, D. (2016, February 5). 5 Steps to Build a Productive and Tight-Knit Remote Team. [Blog post.]
  This is a useful guide and though aimed primarily at team leaders the information is relevant to all team roles and is presented clearly and simply.
  (Reading time 6 minutes).
  
• Wujec, T. (2010). Build a Tower, Build a Team. [Video file].
  Wuject presents the marshmallow problem – a simple team-building exercise that produces some surprising results.
  (Viewing time 7 minutes).

Additional Reading

• Madonna, S. (2017, October 27). Team Operations Tips. [SlideShare slides].
  Here is a link to the slides from Sitearm Madonna’s presentation in class.

Conclusion

Working on a team is an important skill in the contemporary professional world. To be an effective team member you need to understand the range of individual roles that you may be required to play for a team to function. It is also necessary to be aware of team dynamics – to know when your team needs to diverge and converge and to understand the iterative nature of teamwork.

Guest Speaker – Sitearm Madonna

Sitearm Madonna (James Neville in the natural world) is owner and practitioner in applied online collaboration. His specialties include systems analysis, social media, team operation, and multimedia composition. His research focus is the nature of virtual environments in human expression.

Sitearm’s company, Development One LLC (Texas), is an independent consultancy specializing in online presence, which he defines as ‘the state of being instantly, digitally, synchronously, available’. He maintains multiple relationships with technology providers and users, focusing on hybrid use of VR/AR/MR/XR virtual environments, gear, applications, and practices. He is a member of professional groups regularly visiting and assessing multiple virtual environment platforms for applications in business and education.

In his pre-Metaverse career, James Neville was Information Management Senior Analyst for Exxon, Exxon Chemical, and ExxonMobil Chemical. In his Metaverse career, as an independent entrepreneur, he co-developed and operated Dublin in Second Life and Sister Cities in SL. He planned and produced the Second Life Developers Conference and others on behalf of Linden Lab, MacArthur Foundation, Creative Commons, and University of Southern California.