Developments of the Team and Team Dynamics - Essay Example

Review of Team Performance Student’s Name Institution Course Date Introduction Working in a team has proven to be quite fascinating. Basically, it is quite unfair to compare the environment of working in a team to that of working as an individual. The diversity of ideas provides a pool of intellectual wealth from which every member is in a position to develop. What an individual is able to learn while working in a group is quite multifaceted in dimension. Individuals are not just limited to the subject of study, but instead are able to come in touch with the experience of dealing with many people. It grooms an individual for leadership roles in the organization and the society in overall. Besides, no one that has ever worked in a group will fail to appraise the synergy created when people are working together (Engleberg & Wynn 2012, p44). It is simply an amazing and incredible experience. My role in the Group The reason I find the team performance excellent is directly attributed to the roles I played in the position I was in the group. It is hard to single out a specific role I played throughout the period. This is based on the fact that every discussion we used to have had unique specifications and experience. Nevertheless, I would have to point some specific roles I played that in one way or another determined the direction of the discussion. One role that I might have undertaken on various occasion was acting as an initiator. Most of the discussions that we used to have during that period were mostly initiated by me. I happened to be good and triggering group members into a certain way of thinking. Though this, I would often find myself defining discussion problems to be tackled in the group. On several occasions, I found myself at the centre of motions being discussed. This on several occasions determined the way the discussion was to be undertaken. Besides being an initiator, I was also engaged in what one would call consensus testing. I used to achieve this through the process of trying to ensure that the solution arrived at is not an imposition by just a clique of people. It was in the bid of ensuring such contributions made in the group were purely resolutions for the whole group (Levi 2010, p92). I later learnt that this was one way of ensuring cohesiveness in the group. We could not allow discussions made by individual members to polarize the whole group. This was one way through which we would put the interests of the group ahead of any other individual demands. How my role influenced group performance All members of the team could bear witness that any time I was absent the group discussion was disoriented in some way. I came to realize that I was adding some flavour to the group that made discussions not only organized, but also lively. It is hard to imagine how a debate will be spurred without a good initiator of such a discussion. I specifically used to influence the direction of the discussion. Skills Learnt It is true that this teamwork would not have been fascinating if by chance there was nothing that I learnt that modelled me in some way. I truly came to learn of very many aspects while in the group. One of the things I learnt was to do with communication. I came to learn how one can disagree with the other without necessarily raising the tempo. I learnt how to disagree with another person politely. It became obvious that disagreements are inevitable whenever people are working in a group (Levi 2010, p118). This is founded on the fact that people hold different ideologies and schools of thought. On this grounds therefore, differing is something that should always be anticipated. The only thing that members of the group can do is to change how we deal with disagreements. I came to realize the use of terminologies like… sorry but I do not agree with you, kindly allow me to differ with you.., allow me to share contrary opinions..., etc. These were some of the phrases I came to learn to use on many occasions I could differ with someone in the group. What I have learnt about myself when working with others As earlier stated, the group engagement challenged me on various bases. This is based on the overwhelming gifts and abilities available in the group. I came to adjust some philosophies I held before. For instance, there are issues over which I used to think I was the smartest only to realize I was not. At the same time, there are those issues which I used think I was not good at; I came to realize I was better than I managed. In other words, I was challenged in that I was not too good as I thought neither was I too bad as I used to imagine. The whole new arena had been opened for me to exploit available opportunities for my own good. I came to realize I do have the required potential to exploit whatever I could for my own growth. The confidence that I gained was what I need in achieving my objectives. At the end of it, I was truly motivated to dream more and continue striving to attain my goals. Developments of the team and team dynamics As individual members in the team grow, the team has benefited greatly. The contributions that members make towards their colleagues not only build these members, but also the whole team. Many goals have been achieved in this particular team. The questionnaires indicated that members are generally happy over a number of issues. One of the objectives that have been achieved is communication in the team. The communication skill has grown ever since the onset of this group work. Members have learnt how to freely express themselves. This has helped in improving the overall output of the group. Besides communication, the team has grown in terms of tolerance, flexibility and appreciation of inherent differences among members of the group. Through this, members in the group are able to freely air out their opinions and contribution. This is what makes successful group discussions (Goldman 1996, p113). When every member makes their contributions from which the best resolutions are implemented, it builds the whole team. Another feature that has been pointed toin-depth development of the team is the ability for members to understand their individual roles (Goldman 1996, p119). This made it possible for the group to be result oriented in every approach. Lastly, the other area in which the team has demonstrated development and dynamism is in relation to conflict resolution. In most cases, the conflicts arising from our day to day interactions have been dealt with in a very mature manner. There has been less quarrels when conflicts emerge in our group instead, tolerance has been key. What I will do differently in future In order to improve my individual and group performance, there is need to fill some of the loopholes noted during the just concluded group. I look forward to being more committed to the activities of the group. I want to be part of every development made at the group level. I would love to ensure that I make contributions towards every critical discussion. This is because I came to realize that being fully involved in such groups is one way through which an individual is able to grow very much. Nevertheless, I will be doing that with a lot of caution. This is because I do not wish to hinder others from contributing in any way. This usually arises when one is too ambitious to respond to every question without giving an opportunity for others also to take part. Therefore, I look forward to ensuring that my freedom of speech and any other opportunity is not a hindrance. Instead, I will be considerate of the needs of other people in the group. The focus therefore will not just be individual advancement, but also development as a team. Usefulness of a team charter Everything that has to be achieved must have a guideline of how to achieve it. The same applies to teamwork. All activities that are to be achieved by the group must be clearly outlined out. The team charter provides details about the mission, the mission statement, vision and the specific objectives to be pursued in the group (Engleberg & Wynn 1998, p48). In other words, the team charter provides a blueprint of how the group ought to be conducted and what is expected of the group. In specifying what has to be achieved, the team charter helps members to avoid irrelevant issues. This will ensure that objectives are achieved within the shortest time possible. At the same time, this will ensure the group attains efficiency (Benson 2009, p155). At the same time, the team charter ensures that roles are assigned to every member accordingly. These roles will also be in line with the scope of the assignment to be undertaken by the group. Moreover, the team charter is useful in assisting the management or the leaders distribute the required resources to the groups accordingly. In relation to this, there are a number of items that I feel ought to be added on the team charter next time. This time round, the charter should be a bit specific in terms of time frame within which the specific activities of the group are to be undertaken. At the same time, I will also include leaders in various units within the group to ensure better coordination of events. References Benson, J 2009, Working More Creatively with Groups, Routlegde, New York, p155. Engleberg, I & Wynn, D 2012, Working in Groups, Pearson, New York, p43-50. Goldman, C 1996, Working with Groups to Overcome Panic, Anxiety & Phobia: Structured Exercise in Healing, Whole Person Associates, Michigan, p110-120. Levi, D 2010, Group Dynamics for Teams, SAGE Publications, California, p90-118. Stewart, G; Manz, C & Sims, H 1998, Team Work and Group Dynamics, Wiley, New Jersey, p167. Read More