Individual Skills and Personality Types - Assignment Example

Individual Skills Portfolio Teacher’s ID Johari Quadrant Open/ Free Area’ Johari Quadrants is a tool used for increasing awareness about one’s qualities and capabilities. It has appeared to be highly significant for enhancing groups’ efficiency and effectiveness. The first quadrant of this tool is known as free area where information about one’s personality and general behaviour is known by individuals as well as those working with them (BusienssBalls, 2010). Hence, there is a consensus among members of the group about their position in the group, role played by them, their strengths and weaknesses, communication styles, level of trust etc. The idea of Johari quadrants is to expand this area in order to ensure that maximum information is shared for general cohesiveness and trust among group members and all the barriers to group functioning are removed. This quadrant is usually smaller in the forming stage of group formation and then expands after storming and norming (BusinessBalls, 2001). If analysed in the light of Belbin’s team roles, I generally consider myself to be a shaper in a group; somebody who likes challenges and also pushes others to strive for improvement (Mind Tools, 2013). I have been often told by my group members that they like my dynamic approach and my extroverted nature also assists in enhancing communication among group members (Sharp, 1987). A colleague of mine once said, “I like the way you are always shaking things up and questioning them. It makes us look at all the possibilities that are there.” Now, that I think about it, I tend to consider it as my strength however I would like to think of myself as somebody who is not a perfectionist. I would like my approach to have a holistic outlook instead of appearing as somebody who can never be satisfied with quality of work. I also discussed the same with my group members time and again and they have agreed to it that when I find an amicable and reasonable solution, I stop looking for other options. If I further explore Belbin’s team roles, I would think of myself as a resource investigator (Mind Tools, 2013). There have been various instances when my group members could not come up with resources to source fresh produce that was major part of group activity and I gave them an idea of exploring farmer markets, general food growers, commercial food suppliers and their wastage disposal patterns about ugly fresh produce which is perfectly useable. Being a resource investigator is further supported by my extroverted nature which allows me to share my ideas with my team members effectively. I was told by one of my colleagues that I know how to dig my way out however it is important for me to tame down my optimism and I know that his suggestions make sense for me. In terms of thought-oriented roles, I find myself to be closer to monitor-evaluator. I like to investigate if my and other members’ approach is right and fits the purpose before making final adjustments in group work. My colleagues although appreciate me double checking what they have done however consider me to be insensitive and I could not agree more with them. Johari Quadrant 2- ‘Blind Area’ This quadrant is concerned with the information about one’s personality that is not known to the person himself but others are well aware of it (BusinessBalls, 2010). The Blind Area entails feedback shared by group members and acts as the instigator of personal and teams’ development. This feedback allows individuals to become aware of their strengths and areas requiring improvement which helps them in making necessary behavioural changes. It is important to note that identification of blind spots can be related to technical incompetence as well as behavioural issues. Irrespective of the type of information, it indicates areas needing person’s attention which further expands first quadrant in turn. When receiving feedback about my personal traits from the group members, I was told that I am an effective team player that was rather unexpected for me (Mind Tools, 2013). I have always considered myself to be a lone player who thrives on risks and rewards associated to him only as risks related to others tend to restrict me from being creative. However, both of my colleagues appreciated the fact that I often provide support to them and also help them in making better decisions regarding their work. As far as my personal view is concerned, I believe that it is important to help others in order to let the group succeed. If I view my reward in this scenario, the group’s success is my success ultimately. Therefore, the outcomes of effective group work can be better than a work of a single individual. Another unexpected revelation during group discussions was my team’s perception of me being a jack of all who does not have any specific specialization. This revelation was made evident by one of colleagues by stating, “You tend to know little about everything”. When asked about what she really meant, she told that I tend to share my views based on incomplete information. There were instances (and there will be many in future) when others will know more than me. But my urge of being a shaper forces me to share the information without doing proper homework. I consider it to be an area requiring specific improvement. Since I like to present many alternatives before finding final solution, it is important that I explore as much information as possible before sharing my views. I am well aware of the fact that incomplete information can lead to faulty decisions. Since the stakes are higher in group activities, it is important to have a better command on the subject matter before I speak. Although it is not possible for a person to know everything at all times; perhaps acknowledging this fact and letting them know that I will get them proper details later may do the needful. I was further told by my team members that I lose my optimism if things do not go my way. Based on this finding, I plan to accept others feedback and work hard to maintain my focus on enhancing quality in group work despite the fact that my idea was not accepted for I cannot always be right (Covey, 2004). Johari Quadrant 3- ‘Hidden Self/ Facade’ This third quadrant refers to information that we wish to keep hidden about ourselves i.e. known to us but not others. There can be several reasons for not sharing such information such as general introvert nature, absence of trust, secrecy, privileged information etc. Hence, there can be personally sensitive issues as well as lack of safety in sharing that information. Presence of hidden areas hinders overall efficiency and effectiveness of the team and also enhances effects of communication barriers. In order to be move into open area, it is important that necessary and relevant information is shared well with other team members which increase overall trust and cooperation among team members. Also, areas like conflicts and misunderstanding can be addressed and their effects can be mitigated by reducing content of this quadrant. Although I like to share my views rather openly about progress of my work and also my team members, I am susceptible of having terrible mood swings. Although I try hard to keep my negativity restricted to myself however some of my colleagues consider bad moods to be an outcome of criticism. Although these mood swings are my own problem and must not affect my group’s productivity however I am not ready to share this information with my team members. I would rather seek some professional help to reduce these negative thoughts or identify and curtail triggers of mood changes but this is rather personal to be shared with others. While analysing my personality in the light of Belbin’s team roles, I found that some of the traits of completer-finisher are present in me (Mind Tools, 2013). It highly frustrates me when my colleagues miss deadlines or do things that do not make sense. I also find it hard to delegate work to others as I am concerned about the level of quality concerning the final product especially my part. This approach is more suitable when I am operating alone however being a team member; one has to display patience and tolerance towards others. Therefore, I try really hard to curb my agitation and anxiety. Another important aspect of my personality is facing difficulty to trust others. Where I am perfectly comfortable with meeting new people, hanging out and going out on parties, I find it hard to have personal discussions with other people especially those with whom I share a bond of respect but not trust. This is precisely the reason why I have many acquaintances but fewer friends and most of them are from my childhood. I have often told by my team members that there is so much about me they do not know other than whom I am in academic settings. I believe that I should tell them about this philosophy of mine. Furthermore, I would like to communicate that I do respect them a lot and will definitely make attempts to develop long-lasting friendships with them. Doing so may increase our mutual understanding in first quadrant and will help them understand basis of conflicts between us and differences in our approaches during work. I also wish to lead groups but having responsibility of group’s success and failure on my shoulders tend to hinder my creativity and overall productivity however I would like to work on this area and develop necessary leadership qualities in me (Yukl, 2003). References BusinessBalls., 2010. Johari Window. [online] Available at: http://www.businessballs.com/johariwindowmodel.htm [Accessed 15 February, 2014]. BusinessBalls., 2001. Tuckman Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing Model. [online] Available at: http://www.businessballs.com/tuckmanformingstormingnormingperforming.htm [Accessed 15 February, 2014]. Mind Tools., 2013. Belbin Team Roles. [online] Available at: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_83.htm [Accessed 15 February, 2014]. Covey, S.R., 2004. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. Free Press. Yukl, G., 2003. Leadership in organizations. 4thed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Sharp, D., 1987. Personality Types: Jung’s Model of Typology. Inner City Books. Read More