The Climate of Teamwork - Essay Example

Reflective Essay on Teamwork University of Westminster Module code and title…………………….. Student Name……………………………… ID number……………………………………………… Word count……………………………………………………..1522 Submission date…………………………………………… Introduction The paper purpose is to learn from the learning theories particularly in the climate of teamwork. “Team refers to a group of two or more individuals engaged in some joint action with a specific mission or goal” (Eckes, 2003.p.3). Based on this definition, it can be deduced that team members must have some sort of goals and objectives which must be achieved through vision and mission along with taking collective action for obtaining the purpose of their mission (Eckes, 2003). Similarly, teamwork has been defined as those activities in which team members coordinate for obtaining team’s goals and objectives (Salmon et al., 2009). Based on both definitions and their practical implementation, I decided to ensure the integrity of both team and teamwork as well by applying the learning theories and approaches. In the following parts, first, some background information has been provided. It is followed by the segment elaborating the teamwork in the presentation. Subsequently, definition and application of Honey and Mumford learning style part has been included. Before conclusion, preferred learning style has been detailed. Background My team was consisted of five members. After a careful deliberation, it was decided that each team member will have individual tasks and subsequently they will be required to give a presentation on the given topic. For our team, the topic was “Analysis on the Market Position and Financial Performance of Orange.” For this task, I assigned different activities/tasks to the team members in which literature research and company research, Harvard citation style and writing the assignment were the main areas given to the team members. After completing this part, it was time to give presentation on the topic. For the presentation, we sat together and chalked out the presentation strategy. Teamwork in the Presentation Belbin has identified 9 team roles: plant, shaper, resource investigator, co-coordinator, implementer, evaluator/monitor, team worker, and finisher/completer and specialist (Belbin, 2014). Each role requires different expertise, potential and skill and capable enough to handle a particular situation within team. Belbin describes that the role of shaper is identified as having dynamic behaviour, outgoing besides challenging ineffectiveness and complacency (Prichard and Stanton, 1999). However, Belbin also points out that the team of shaper demonstrates higher work rates and capable enough to search out different possible ways to get things sorted out (Prichard and Stanton, 1999). Keeping in view the requirements and work of the task I had, I performed the role of shaper. For example, I asked my team members not to undermine the significance of the assigned work but put your maximum effort and energy to complete the task requirements. In order to complete the task requirements pertaining to search out the relevant material, the team member who was given the responsibility of collecting the data was finding it difficult to accumulate the relevant literature data from books and other resources. As a result, this situation necessitated that the all team members should play their role by primarily focusing on gathering the relevant data. Within one day, we were able to find out the relevant data. For this purpose, we used a variety of sources for collecting the relevant data. For example, we sat together and discussed the various ways to collect the relevant and required data. Some members suggested that the online methods should be used while others focused on the use of books, news papers and other journal articles. Finally, we decided that the best option would be to use all the available resources and obtain the relevant information from them. Honey and Mumford’s Learning cycle Honey and Mumford’s learning cycle is based on four steps: experience, review, conclude and plan (Mumford, 1997). These are the fundamental aspects in the prescribed learning theory of Honey and Mumford and this cycle has also been defined as experience (activist), review (reflector), conclude (theorist) and plan (pragmatist) (Mumford, 1997). Each stage has its own learning aspects. For example, activist is a person who learns from activities or from doing things and reflectors are those think about things and issues they try to see things from different perspectives and besides preferring to collect first hand data and they mostly rely on the thought or contemplation process; on the other hand, theorists prefer to amalgamate complex observations and they prefer to remain very logical about things and outcomes as well; the pragmatists do not rely on the provided thoughts or observations rather they try to create new ideas and techniques from their work and their overall attitude towards challenge as ‘challenge’ and experiment new things (Psych Press, 1999). The learning cycle was also applied to the given topic. For example, first we experienced the activity in which we collected the market position and financial performance of Orange company data. In this situation, we were playing the role of activist. During this step, we learned from activity of gathering information about the company. Subsequently, we reviewed the collected information. In this stage, we performed the role of reflector. For example, in the team, I was given an opportunity to decide whether the collected company information would be relevant and useful for satisfying the objectives. In this stage, I did not see the company performance from the perspective of management but from the perspective of shareholders, regulators and potential buyer of shares as well. By contemplating the company performance from the different perspective, I was able to understand its actual market position and financial performance over the period of last five years. In the third stage, the team and I used the collected information and tried to join the different pieces of market information and financial performance information of the company so that we come to reasonable estimations and conclusions. By merging together the different pieces of information, we performed the role of theorists because we were able to deduce some conclusions from the collected information and this information enabled us to propose certain theories based on the evidence collected from this entire team work. Finally, it was the stage of pragmatist where the future planning was to be determined. For example, before giving presentation on the topic, we again sat together and started to ponder over the presentation method. Some suggested that the conventional method of presentation should be used in which all one person, through using the projector, give presentation about the topic. However, I did not agree with this conventional method but emphasized to adopt new method in which a comprehensive and satisfactory delivery of presentation should be made. For this purpose, I decided for each part of the presentation would be given to each member. For example, first team member will give introduction in which he would define purposes and some background information about Orange Company. Second member would highlight the market position of the company in which he would describe charts and graphs that would be used in the presentation and third member would detail about the financial performance and so on. In this regard, it is important to highlight that the purpose of adopting this pragmatic presentation method was that each team member should have accept the challenge by playing his/her part in the new presentation method. Learning style: Pragmatist The role of pragmatist is balanced and preferable. For example, this role does not allow using the traditional and conventional ways for doing new things instead it encourages experimenting with new methods and approaches and seeing their practical implementation and ramifications for the future. In addition, this learning style has inbuilt confidence and encourages the pragmatist to avoid thinking anything else but purely focus on doing things with new methods. For example, assigning separate presentation parts to different team members was something new for me and for the team members as well because this step requires a considerable amount of planning and coordination in the team. In other words, this step required that each member not only work for the team success but also ensure that he or she should be able to perform their individual role with confidence as well. Additionally, the main advantage of adopting this role was that it tried to create a balance between team members in which each was fully aware of the assignment part requirements and remained in active collaboration with other team members. As a result, this method provided and retained balance in the team work. At the team level, learning through the role of pragmatist was preferred. This preference was mainly supported by the fact that all team members were given an opportunity to work not only for the team success but also for the individual role success as well. Conclusion Shaper and Pragmatist were two main roles that were used to learn from Belbin’s 9 role theory and from Honey and Mumford’s learning cycle. In the role of shaper, I and my team aggressively worked to collect information about the market position and financial performance of Orange company. For this purpose, various collection methods were used. Similarly, the role of pragmatist helped us to use new method for giving presentation on the topic in which each team member was assigned to deliver information on the specific part of presentation. References Belbin (2014), Belbin Team Roles, Available: http://www.belbin.com/rte.asp?id=8 Accessed: 18 June, 2014 Eckes, G (2003), Six Sigma Team Dynamics: The Elusive Key to Project Success, New Jersey: Wiley Mumford, A (ed.) (1997). Action Learning at Work, Hampshire: Gower Publishing Prichard, JS, & Stanton, NA (1999), Testing Belbin’s team role theory of effective groups, The Journal of Management Development, 18 (8), 652-665 Psych Press (1999), Learning Styles Questionnaire, Available: http://www.psychpress.com.au/psychometric/products/others/LSQ%20Report%20%28Sample%29.pdf Accessed: 18 June, 2015 Salmon, PM, Stanton, NA, Walker, GH, & Jenkins, DP (2009), Distributed Situation Awareness: Theory, Measurement and Application to Teamwork, Surrey: Ashgate Publishing Read More