Benefits and Strengths of Team Work - Example

Team Work in Fulfilling Case Study Assignment Name Course Name and Code Instructor’s Name Date Abstract The paper has addressed benefits and strengths of team work and what has been gained through team work. In addition, the paper addresses the challenges that are faced by the team members while fulfilling tasks assigned. The paper also addresses measures in which it can be employed towards ensuring effectiveness of team work especially when addressing learning and development of the team members. Introduction Working together and participating in term work is inherent in daily life of an individual. Team work is evident in organisations and also it is an important component that drives success in learning activity. Such a team work is evident in how we completed a case study among students. My team members are Billy, Siqi and Shengqian who we worked together on a case study. The following report analyses the influence and outcome of the team working in developing the team and also guiding self towards achieving aimed goals. From personal perspective: worked well Team work and collaborative learning produces numerous personal benefits (Biggs, 1978). Teachers who encourage team work cultivate improvement of communication skills and also provide a sharper focus towards completion of given task. Moreover, team work enhances self esteem and also increases confidence while learning and answering questions (Nijhuis, Segers, and Gijselaers, 2005). In addition, team members can air their views easily whereby immediate feedback and different perspective can be factored into learning. The major outcomes of the team work while working on the case study is the speed of completion through exposure to different perspectives through activities such as brain storming (Watty, Jackson, and Yu, 2010). Moreover, the team members utilised evaluation skills and critical thinking towards fulfilling the requirements of learning. From team perspective: What thing occurred well? In accomplishing the requirements assigned to the team, the team members played an important role in ensuring the task is accomplished effectively. Some of the activities and things that occurred well in the team include: Problem solving and reasoning skills – the team members have different backgrounds and they have different capacities and capabilities towards solving problems through effective reasoning. The team members were able to analyse the assigned task and were able to utilise numerous techniques in solving the issue (Nijhuis, Segers, and Gijselaers, 2005). For example, brainstorming allowed collecting different views and approaches resulting in choosing the most appropriate means to answer the question. Therefore, problem solving and reasoning skills occurred well in the team since the assigned task was completed successful and effectively (Struyven, Dochy, and Janssens, 2005). In addition, the team members can utilise the learned strategies from the team members in fulfilling their learning requirements. This means acquiring knowledge is enhanced in team work compared to individual work. Listening skills and note taking – in fulfilling the requirements of the assigned task and role of the team members, listening skills and note taking strategy is important in collecting information that will allow writing of the final paper. Since each team member is supposed to contribute towards answering the questions and discussing the case study, listening skills and note taking became an important requirement (Nijhuis, Segers, and Gijselaers, 2005). Note taking allowed the team members to write the most important aspects of the case study and were able to utilise the written notes in contributing in the discussions (Struyven, Dochy, and Janssens, 2005). This means that listening skills and note taking is an aspect that the team appreciated since it contributed towards fulfilling the requirements of the tasks. Professionalism (development if appropriate and relevant attitudes) – Team work creates an environment in which attitudes are shaped towards fulfilling in a given task (Veenman, Prins, and Verheij, 2003). This approach creates professionalism in the way the team members relate with and to each other and how the team members address the issue at hand (Nijhuis, Segers, and Gijselaers, 2005). Professionalism is not only important to school based activities but also in post schooling (e.g. employment) since it defines the success of an individual. Therefore, cultivation of positive team work attitudes was an important aspect, which was evident in the way the team members contributed towards fulfilling the requirements of assigned tasks (Struyven, Dochy, and Janssens, 2005). Leadership – Leadership is an important requirement in fulfilling the team activities (Veenman, Prins, and Verheij, 2003). There should be a person who acts as a moderator who guides the team towards fulfilling tasks assigned to the team. Therefore, one of the team members was chosen to lead the team towards addressing the case study (Ellis and Bell, 2005). Effective leadership that brings into consideration situations and changes in requirements (transformative) is important in ensuring all the members come together to fulfil a specific task (Nijhuis, Segers, and Gijselaers, 2005). Moreover, a leader should understand the strengths and weaknesses of each of the team member and employ a strategy that ensures the team members work effectively without or with minimal conflicts (Watty, Jackson, and Yu, 2010). Cooperation – An important aspect with the team work is the aspect of cooperation among the team members. Each team member contributes positively towards fulfilling the given requirements (Struyven, Dochy, and Janssens, 2005). Moreover, other team members provide constructive criticism that played an important role in understanding better the requirements of the case study and how better the tasks associated with the case study could be addressed (Ellis and Bell, 2005). Therefore, the aspect of cooperation become an important aspect that guided the team members towards ensuring the assigned task is completed based on guidelines provided (Veenman, Prins, and Verheij, 2003). Generally, cooperation is both beneficial to learning process and also in later life of a student. What did not work well/ineffective? Even though the team members fulfilled the requirements assigned to them, there were numerous challenges that the team members had to address. These challenges ranges from personal factors to team work factors. Lateness – An effective team should ensure all the members arrive to the meeting within the specified time and also the proceedings of the team should have a definite timeline. One of the major challenges witnessed in the team is lateness whereby the team members did not keep team (Nijhuis, Segers, and Gijselaers, 2005). An effective team should manage time effectively but the current team was prone to lateness. Even self was late twice and it affected the team immensely because the team members who had arrived on time were angry (Ellis and Bell, 2005). The aspect of lateness was also evident in the other team members and it affected the speed in which the activity was completed (Veenman, Prins, and Verheij, 2003). Therefore, lateness was a major concern in fulfilling the requirements of the given task. Lack of motivation – motivation is an important aspect for an individual and a team in operating effectively. Motivation is associated with numerous factors and is grouped as intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors are internal to an individual or team while extrinsic factors are external to an individual or team (Struyven, Dochy, and Janssens, 2005). Examples of intrinsic factors in learning and acquiring knowledge while extrinsic factors are getting better marks (Nijhuis, Segers, and Gijselaers, 2005). Even though these factors were important for the team, the team members lacked motivation. For example, lateness is usually associated with motivation and also the team dynamics can contribute to lack of motivation (Veenman, Prins, and Verheij, 2003). Therefore, lack of motivation affected the way the team members related to each other and also completion of the task. Uneven communication – Communication is also imperative in an effective team (Struyven, Dochy, and Janssens, 2005). Communication brings into consideration numerous factors and may include moods and attitudes of the respondents, attitudes and the way the message is received. Uneven communication is whereby challenges are evident in the way messages are exchanged (Watty, Jackson, and Yu, 2010). An aspect that contributed to uneven communication includes lateness and lack of motivation (Ellis and Bell, 2005). Moreover, uneven communication resulted in poor quality of the completed task even though it was completed successfully. Interpersonal differences contribute towards misunderstandings (Veenman, Prins, and Verheij, 2003). Interpersonal differences can associated with attitudes, previous association with a team member, previous conflicts and whether these conflicts were solved successful and satisfactory, and diversity and orientation of a team member (Nijhuis, Segers, and Gijselaers, 2005). These interpersonal differences affected completion and speed of completion of the assigned tasks. Generally, interpersonal differences usually play an important role in inhibiting the success of a team project. Lack of enough resources and complimentary skills also played an important role in ineffective in completion of the task. Completion of a given task can be viewed from tow different perspectives: one perspective is completion of the task effectively while the other perspective is completion of the task ineffectively (Ellis and Bell, 2005). The task required utilisation of numerous resources beyond what were available and therefore acquiring additional resources was an issue. The team members were not ready to source for additional resources in teams of materials (references) and also increasing the time required to allow for completion of the assigned tasks (Veenman, Prins, and Verheij, 2003). What should have been done better to improve performance of the team? Challenges are inherent in any setting that involves people from different backgrounds and situation. Some of the factors that could have allowed the team to perform better include: Team work collaboration – An effective team should understand the requirements of a given task and how the task can be completed effectively. The team should work collaboratively and ensure fulfilment of the assigned tasks (Nijhuis, Segers, and Gijselaers, 2005). Therefore, if the team would have worked collaboratively and in a manner that allows understanding of weaknesses and strengths of each individual would have ensured the team operated effectively (Ellis and Bell, 2005). This means that it is imperative to develop and sustaining a team that operates collaboratively with the aim of achieving predetermined aims and goals (Watty, Jackson, and Yu, 2010). Communication – Effective communication is important in ensuring the team members operate effectively and can air easily their views and perspectives (Struyven, Dochy, and Janssens, 2005). Effective communication also allows understanding of each of the team member and it is easier to pinpoint whereby challenges may occur. Therefore, effective communication should have been encouraged from the beginning (Veenman, Prins, and Verheij, 2003). For example, factors associated with lack of motivation and lateness may have been addressed through communicating (Struyven, Dochy, and Janssens, 2005). As an example, a team member may not be comfortable with the time in which the discussion proceeds and effective communication could have allowed the team to operate seamlessly. Assembling and allocation of resources – resources are important in ensuring the task assigned is completed effectively and successful. The entire tasks should be divided into parts and each team member is requested to collect resources that are applicable to their part (Nijhuis, Segers, and Gijselaers, 2005). This could allow collection of resources and each team member could be liable for their role and responsibilities. Moreover, the team members should communicate with each other and also determine the appropriate time and place whereby the discussion should be carried out (Ellis and Bell, 2005). This could ensure the team members come into understanding and hence fulfil the requirements of the assigned tasks (Veenman, Prins, and Verheij, 2003). Conclusion Team work is important in fulfilling the requirements of a team project. Individually, the contribution of different views helped self to understand better the requirements of the assigned tasks plus the contribution of the team members. Some of the things that occurred well include problem solving and reasoning skills, listening skills and note taking, professionalism, leadership and cooperation. However, some of the challenges faced by the team include lack of motivation, lateness, uneven communication, lack of resources and interpersonal differences. Nevertheless, some factors that could be utilised to address the issue include assembling and allocation of resources, effective communication and team work collaboration. Generally, the team work has played an important role in development of self and improving my knowledge. References Biggs, J. B., 1978, Individual and Group Differences in Study Processes, British Journal of Educational Psychology, vol. 48, pp. 266-279. Ellis, A., and B. Bell, 2005, An Evaluation of Generic Teamwork Skills Training with Action Teams: Effects on Cognitive and Skill-Based Outcomes, Personnel Psychology, vol. 58, pp. 641-672. Nijhuis, J. F. H., M. S. R. Segers, and W. H. Gijselaers, 2005, Influence of Redesigning a Learning Environment on Student Perceptions and Learning Strategies, Learning Environments Research, vol. 8, pp. 67-93. Struyven, K., F. Dochy, and S. Janssens, 2005, Students' Perceptions about Evaluation and Assessment in Higher Education: A Review, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, vol. 30, pp. 331-347. Veenman, M. V. J., F. J. Prins, and J. Verheij, 2003, Learning styles: Self reports versus thinking-aloud measures, British Journal of Educational Psychology, vol. 73, pp. 357-372. Watty, K., M. Jackson, and X. Yu, 2010, Students' Approaches to Assessment in Accounting Education: The Unique Student Perspective, Accounting Education, vol. 19, pp. 219-234. Read More