Small Team and Group

It is essential to have teamwork within a company. Companies who have embraced the concept of teamwork have reported increased performance in work production, problem solving and it has stimulated new growth. This group project approach has improved employee morale and increased input when managed correctly. The benefits of teamwork can make a positive effect in the company that incorporates this type of teamwork approach.

Teams are an integral component of organizational success. They take on many forms and functions and can have various structures. Teams also conduct a wide variety of projects with goals of innovation or mitigation. An example, from my experience, of a project that required the execution from a team was the establishment of a finished goods inventory program within a paper manufacturing company. A project of this magnitude required that a diverse and multifaceted team be assembled.

In order to obtain a more rounded response, I interviewed my 16-year-old daughter Sarah, and a long-time friend Stephanie, who is 45 years old. The different perspective of the two interviews was impressive.

In the essays, “Committees, Juries, and Teams: The Columbia Disaster and How Small Groups Can Be Made to Work,” and “The Hive” shows the ways to properly run a small group and how to get the correct and best results. The two essays also say what to avoid when working in a small group; for example how to avoid group polarization and why that is detrimental to small groups. The essay by James Surowiecki also explains to avoid a type of dictator in the small group, someone who is the main mouthpiece to the group and why that is a negative aspect to have in a small group. The two essays show the pros and cons of working in small groups, both authors show that if the people with in the group do not work properly together the outcome the

When I first find out that there’s a group project, I wanted to work with people that I know are responsible, capable of doing the assignments, respectful, and don’t procrastinate. I did not want to work with negative people at all I’ve learned from past group presentation experience, so I quickly ask Carolyn, Britney and Adina if they want to work together, they agreed and that’s how we formed our group but, we still needed to add one additional person for our group. The second time we meet up in class the other group members had already ask two of our classmates to join our group so Alexia and Wendy came along. I was excited about everyone that’s in our group because, I know that they’re all are capable of getting the assignments and project done on time and they are very respectful. We were assigned by the professor to come up with a group contract, I have never done any group contract before so I was happy with the assignment. We all decide that in order for us to have a positive group experience we would have to follow the contract we’ll of course follow the contract and we came up with things that we all agreed on. We add on the contract that “everyone will keep their feelings in check and keep group members informed of how things are going. No one is expected to give full disclosure of their situation but a general advising that something is going on is expected. Respect each other and don 't be afraid to ask for help. On the second meeting we also came up with a

“Together Everyone Achieves More… That’s what TEAM means, so let’s work it out together!” These were my words to my first successful venture into the network marketing and direct sales arena and although I did not have a clue about how I or my team would become a success in this business, we sat down in my overpriced apartment and decided that failure was no longer an option.

In this age, for the vast majority of us, collaboration is a piece of our regular daily existence. Regardless of whether it is at home, in the group, or at work, we are frequently anticipated that would be a useful piece of a performing group. Having a solid group benefits any association and prompts a larger number of victories than disappointment. Each group experiences the five phases of group improvement. Initially, some foundation on group improvement.

The second “best practice” for group work is to look for the best in people. Refrain from going into the project with negative expectations of the assignment or members of the group. In addition, bar yourself from masking your own insecurities by pointing out faults in others. Look for and expect the best from every member of the group, including yourself. Ask yourself how what each person’s strengths are and what makes them a valuable contribution to the group (Hunter,

A needs assessment was conducted to ensure students, parents, and faculty/staff voiced their opinions of the needs identified during the school year (see Appendix A). Through the outcome of the needs assessments, it was determined that female students in the freshman and sophomore grade level would benefit from a self-esteem group. Recommendations of potential participants were provided by faculty and staff. A meeting with the school administration was held to present the idea of the small group action plan (see Appendix B). Once approved, the school administration provided potential dates, times, and locations for the group counseling session to be held. Conversations

Professionally I believe this was a very good self-directed group and personally I believe a lot of growth occurred. Overall I enjoyed this experience of being the observer and seeing how a group happens naturally. I believe that the group did most of the work and that you did a great job as a non-directive facilitator. I liked how this last session was a great way to see how to establish proper closure for a group. It seemed as if they were all very sad to end, but knew deep down that they have all learned quite a bit in this short amount of time. They will be able to use this experience within their everyday lives from this point forward. I enjoyed this type of interaction within larger group versus the small group experience that other teachers have followed in the past. This helped me professionally by getting to see a brief model to follow for my next semester when I will be a cofacilator of a group myself. It helped me to prepare myself and I hope that I can remember some of the techniques you used within these sessions if I get stuck in my own facilitation of a group.

In the movie The Dream Team, Henry, Billy, Albert, and Jack showed many characteristics of small groups while they were together in New York City. One major characteristic they exhibited was cohesiveness. After Dr. Weitzman got knocked unconscious and taken to the hospital, the group had a common goal of finding the doctor and preventing his murder by the crooked cops. This brought the group together and made them depend on each other to reach this common goal. Interdependence was another characteristic the group exhibited.

I believe that in any professional setting teambuilding and communication skills are critical to one's performance. Having worked in a hospital before, I've seen the difference having a bedside mannerism can make but I've also seen the communication required between doctors, assistants, and nurses to ensure that they can provide the care the patient needs. Being able to work with people is something I find joy in and being able to do so will maintaining a level of professionalism is a skill I am able to bring to the workplace.

Great Post! What I like about our small group is that when we get together we share information, and work towards a common goal. And we all educate each member on our strong points, and thus learn from each other.When we need to solve a problem, we define exactly what the problem is,then we all get together and evaluate possible solutions,and then we select the best solutions for our fund raising. In working in small groups, we use communication to solve any problems or just come up with ideas for our Christmas project in bringing gifts for the homeless children in our crisis center.As we communicate in the small group it benefit our group members by allowing them to express their ideas freely.

Throughout the semester, working in groups for different projects and in class work has been a good experience. Group projects can either have a positive or negative impact on work ethic depending on a person's work drive. Group projects are beneficial because they put thoughts and ideas of different people together and thus help students to learn more about both their group members and the topic of assignment for the group.

To fully discuss this topic, we must start with a simple definition of a team. Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith define a team in their best-selling book The Wisdom of Teams (Harper Business Essentials 1994), as