Sharing the Writing in Teams

Progressive organizations employ teams to achieve their objectives. Because much team-based work involves writing, professionals need to be aware of the potentials and pitfalls associated with writing in teams.

Read the scenarios, and then answer the questions that follow.

You work for an IT company that specializes in Internet security. You lead a team of six employees who recently conducted an IT security audit of a client’s entire enterprise, including three large manufacturing plants in China, one in Mexico, and many executive offices throughout Europe, Asia, and North America. Now you need to present your findings to the client.

Who should write and prepare the presentation?

Two team members

You and your team

You

You work in HR. You are leading a cross-functional team that is preparing recommendations on how to improve the company’s recruiting process. Your team has completed its initial investigation and completed the prewriting process. The team is ready to begin Phase 2 of the writing process, drafting the report.

During this phase of the writing process, what would be the best strategy for your team?

Your team members should work separately to draft the report sections.

Your team members should work together closely to write each section of the report.

You should draft the report on your own and then share it with the team.

Your team consists of three people who are collaborating on a short quarterly report. You are putting the final touches on your completed report, and each member simply needs to review the document one more time before it is submitted.

Which collaboration tools would be best for this situation? Check all that apply.

E-mail

Wiki

Instant messaging