Insight Into Different Working Styles - Essay Example

Name: Class: Unit: Introduction Escape rooms are based on collaborative experience where players engage in team building, coordination and enhancing communication (Cipher Room). This is a practical assignment where we participated based on our (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, Conscientiousness) DISC profiles (Personalitystyle). Students were allocated into teams of 8 members while ensuring that there was a mix of the DISC profiles in every group. Then, time limit was set to solve puzzle room activities. This was a team based activity which made it possible to enhance collaboration and challenge the mind of the participants. This reflective activity analysis teamwork, conflict resolution and values to building a team based on the escape room. It will also provide insights on the various working styles and impact on team and problem solving. Teamwork, Conflict resolution and values to building a team Before this event, I thought that being an extrovert based on Myer Briggs test and Influence based on the DISC personality temperament, I would easily work in a team. I expected that It would be easier to collaborate with the rest of the team members in solving the puzzles. I was not prepared for any conflict to arise during team work. This is due to fact that I expected that the tasks would be easily solved and the team comprised of a small number of people. It appears that I underestimated the fact that we were from different backgrounds and experiences hence probability of conflict was high. The team work started well since we all aimed at accomplishing a common goal before the time ran out. Conflict arose when we were stuck in a logic puzzle. It appeared to be insurmountable wall and no one had the right idea to solve. With everyone giving their opinions, conflict arose. Personality differences at this point were the primary triggers of conflict. This conflict can be associated with personality crash (Bono et al., 323-4). It occurs when personality differences among the team members lead to anxiety during team work. The matter was made worse by lack of positive feedback from the team leadership. Conflicts were managed before they could escalate and compromise the team chances of attaining the goal at the right time. This was through focusing on our strengths, avoiding crashing with those who were personally sensitive and understanding that we had varying personalities (Bono 336). Insight into different working styles and impact it has on a team With different personalities, working styles differs and this has a great impact on the team performance. In the team, we were having different personalities. This is due to fact that the group was based on members with a mix of DISC profiles. The team was able to use team diversity in working styles to achieve their goals. The logical and analytics team members helped a lot in processing data and solving puzzles. They would focus on the puzzle or task at hand and come up with methods to solve. Those who were organised and detail oriented helped a lot in establishing order in the team. This is especially in structuring the puzzles and helping accomplish the tasks in an accurate manner. The supportive and expressive team members were vital in relationship building. They helped a lot in facilitating the team interactions and selling of the ideas. Through these team members, it was possible to have everyone updated and made sure that communication was smooth (Bradley and Frederic 339-43). Moreover, the integrative members acted as the catalyst for change in the team. I found them particularly useful in problem solving and disparate thinking. Through them, it was possible for the team to innovate on the solutions especially execution. This helped a lot in accomplishing the difficult tasks and puzzles in time and move forward. Due to the varying impacts of the working styles by different members, the team leveraged on the diversity (Driskell et al., 253-61). This was through understanding the value that each of the team members had and assigning them puzzles which they could accomplish. It involved taking advantage of the various working styles and using them to impact the team in a positive manner (Tasa et al., 81). The impacts of different working styles led to the team looking for ways in which each of the individual can enhance their productivity. I am an extrovert hence I preferred focusing on the outer world during the experience. As an ESFP based on Myer Briggs Test, I enjoyed working with people to attain the common goals. I found the tasks highly enjoyable. Moreover, I was able to fit seamlessly into the team and adjust to the environment. Based on the DISC profile, I scored high on influence. Thus, I was able to thrive and excel in interacting with the other team members during work (Personalitystyle). The energy and enthusiasm helped a lot during the tasks and puzzles. Lessons learned and improvements in future Since participating in the event, I have learnt a lot on the impacts of personality styles on team work. I have been able to learn that having varying personalities in a team can be utilised for a competitive advantage. This is through gaining adequate information on the types of personalities in a team and assigning them tasks based on their styles. I have learnt that it is possible to build a strong team using the personality traits. In future, it would be important to pair team members who are compatible based on their personality. This would eliminate the personality crash that was witnessed during the start of the Escape Room. Conflicts can be eliminated in a team if the personality traits are matched appropriately. This is due to fact that personality traits determine the working styles. Moreover, when team members do not know each other well, there are more conflicts and contempt. Thus, it would be better in future to ensure that teams members selected know each other. This can help a lot in enhancing the collaborative bond and create a better social relationship (Bono 331-40). On the other hand, it is possible to have an escape room design which can help in relationship building for those who don’t know each other. This is through designing the room in such a way that the team members have less reliance on each other. These are escape rooms which has multiple escape paths which reduces the tension among the participants (Nicholson). I have learnt that individual team members’ impacts the outcome based on their personalities. In future, there is need for the team to be more effective through use of personalities to ensure a continuous functioning as a unit. Moreover, when engaging in the escape room, there is need for provision of positive feedback for the team members. It is a frustrating experience when a team member is criticised for being slow in a puzzle since they become discouraged. Positive feedback leads to better initiative among the team members as they look forward in working together (Driskell 263). This should be encouraged in future Escape Room experiences. Problem solving At the end of the experience, it was possible to solve the problems in the escape room based on the time limit. The solving of the puzzles was very effective due to various contributions by the team members. I was a team player and helped a lot in accomplishing the final goal. I was able to use my thinking capacity to solve puzzles and also relate with other team members. I used the experience as a challenge to achieve a common goal with other team members on a limited time. This was a memorable event which will have a long impact on me. It was a unique opportunity to use my personality traits and contribute to the team. I was able to contribute to building rapport among team members, problem solving, conflicts resolution and helping others uncover their talents. Thus, I feel that I contributed to the challenge immensely and helped everyone involved towards common goal. Conclusion The experience at the escape room was a success. This is due to fact that the team was able to leverage on the personality differences and come up with a collaborative team. It was possible to accomplish the tasks in time trough contributions made by the team members. Despite this, there were conflicts in the team. By understanding that the personality differences were triggering the conflicts, it was possible to address them in time to avoid failure in attaining the goal. Different working styles were combined together to focus on a single goal. The event has given me several lessons on team work. This is especially on conflict resolution in a team, impact of personality traits on the working styles and how to achieve a common goal with a diverse team. In future, it is vital to have team members with complementary personalities and also use an escape room that is designed to nourish relationships for those who don’t know each other. It is through individual members’ contributions that we were able to accomplish the puzzles at the right time. References Bono, Joyce E., Terry L. Boles, Timothy A. Judge, and Kristy J. Lauver. "The Role of Personality in Task and Relationship Conflict." Journal of Personality 70.3 (2002): 311-44. Web. Bradley, John H., and Frederic J. Hebert. "The Effect of Personality Type on Team Performance." Journal of Management Development 16.5 (1997): 337-53. Web. Cipher Room."Home." The Cipher Room. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2017. Driskell, James E., Gerald F. Goodwin, Eduardo Salas, and Patrick Gavan O'shea. "What Makes a Good Team Player? Personality and Team Effectiveness." Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice 10.4 (2006): 249-71. Web. Nicholson, S. (2015). Peeking behind the locked door: A survey of escape room facilities. White Paper available at http://scottnicholson. com/pubs/erfacwhite. pdf. Personalitystyle. "Why Should I Take the DISC Personality Test?" Personality Testing - Free DISC Test Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2017. Tasa, Kevin, Greg J. Sears, and Aaron C. H. Schat. "Personality and Teamwork Behavior in Context: The Cross-level Moderating Role of Collective Efficacy." Journal of Organizational Behavior 32.1 (2010): 65-85. Web. Read More