Interdepartmental teamwork in the event management process at University of Wisconsin-River Falls University Center

Abstract

The University Center at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls is the central hub of campus, hosting most campus events and by housing campus dining. 12 fulltime staff members, one graduate student intern and approximately 70 undergraduate student employees are employed in the University Center Operations Department making up seven individual work groups. Supervisors in the University Center have observed that student employees in the event related work groups do not understand the entire event process, how the players interact and how they affect the customers. This lack of understanding creates missed opportunities for collaboration and lost efficiencies as well as negatively affecting the customer's experience. To analyze if and how the student employees are being trained about the roles in the event process, supervisors were interviewed and training agendas were evaluated. The results indicate that all work groups learn about their own role in the event process but not all learn about the other work groups' roles. Opportunities to improve student employee success and customer experiences were also uncovered. Recommendations include exploring ways to facilitate collaboration between work groups as well as future research examining the effectiveness of the training that is already in place.