Teamwork Reflection Questions
Every group can become a team if its members are committed to a common purpose, set specific performance goals and hold themselves mutually accountably for the team’s performance which can increase the chance of success of a project. I have had only one positive experience in teams; it was in my middle school math project where we were put into groups of 5. We could fully depend on each other. Although we didn’t know much about each other’s personal lives, we understood each other and were flexible at times. No situation was forced on the team by a group member. This is when I noticed if the team members respect and honor each other while being dedication to the project, it would be completed in time and everyone would learn something as a result. In this team, we experienced all 5 of the stages of team development: forming, storming, norming , performing and adjourning (cite). We all wanted the full grade so we motivated each other and kept track of everyone’s development.
In contrast, my group in high school which had been segmented into groups of 8 that had to produce a business plan was not successful. In the first meeting, my group discussed the overall idea and what we were aiming for. We decided to be a laundry outlet named “Saafa”.Then, each individual chose a different aspect of the business to research on. We divided the work according to interest and ability. Surprisingly, we didn’t encounter conflict in choosing the department which
Katzenbach and Smith (1993a) recognise teams as the basic units of performance in organisations and identify a team as '...a small number of people with complimentary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.'
Creating Effective Teams: a Guide for Members and Leaders is a book by Wheelan (2013) designed to do as the title states; guiding members and leaders to create effective teams. Wheelan (2013) begins the book by highlighting the reasons that groups are important. Wheelan (2013) states that throughout history, “Groups have played a major role in both the survival of human beings and the development of human culture” (p. 1). The majority of the book is based on 4 stages that create a group of individuals into an effective team. The first stage is called dependency and inclusion. According to Wheelan (2013), the first stage of the group is
Team members must also be respectful of one another, welcome diversity, and establish both trust and accountability within the team. All team members must be willing to decide how they will work together by jointly developing a code of conduct, ground rules, or team principles. These should support the team mission and drive the team toward accomplishing its goal. Banutu-Gomez (2011) indicated, “Also, all the members of an effective group need to be committed to the group’s ideas, goals, and decisions or the team will be unable to get any work done” (p. 60).
Teams have become very common and effective since they have proven to be effective in areas as cost reduction, developing new and innovative products, and improving quality (Effective Human relation, 2008). Team development is supported, in fact, required by almost all managements today, but still it may take quite a long time for the members to learn the task and activities and to fit themselves in the particular environment. Team work may vary as the organization or company varies. Team work involves a lot of important aspects such as relationships, cooperation, learning, leadership etc. since a team works together in
The major benefit of working in a team for me is that it facilitated and provide a great exercise to develop a teamwork skill. As I work in a team, I learned not only to confidently tell my ideas to the whole group member, but also to listen to their ideas and feedbacks. A leader was not elected for the group. In return, each group member with different background take turns to talk about their ideas. We discussed problems and ideas of how the presentation is going to go with an open-mind and understanding. Our group has a total of two meetings in Monash University and went through each process together to make sure that we all had an agreement.Working together from the very first start is very important as it improved outcomes (SOURCE). My team members and I felt free to share our ideas and
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.
The features of effective team performance are set out in Brian Tuckman’s phases of team development theory, ‘Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing.’ This outlines the phases that a team will go through in order to become effective and reach maturity. At the ‘Forming’ stage of team development individual roles and responsibilities are unclear and each member of the team is concerned to avoid conflict with each other. From this point the team will go through the ‘Storming’ phase which is when they start to conflict as individuals put forward ideas which will be challenged by others in a bid to gain power and position over others. After this the ‘Norming’ phase follows and it is at this point that individual roles are defined and accepted
We are a small team with huge responsibilities. We can neither operate as individuals nor can we wear one hat. Everyone on the team has a huge task and purpose and the team requires every member to successfully perform our mission. Teamwork is the key to our success. If we operate as a team there is nothing we cannot accomplish or conquer.
Teams are more than just groups of people assembled in the same area, they are a collection of individuals dedicated to a common purpose and with a series of detailed performance targets, working together with complementary skills. Teams of people are encountered in various scenarios, not just in the workplace, but also throughout life, such as sports, associations, charities and voluntary services.
When I have to work in a team, I try to reach success with others participants in assigned activities. I do not take the role of leader or follower. I consider myself just another participator, but always thinking about doing everything right and clean. I have always had in mind that teamwork are all those actions and activities that are carried out collectively. In order for there to be an excellent group work, I think is necessary is that the actions are developed collectively. This means that to carry out group work, the existence of an entertainer or coordination is not necessary. The collective performance of an action is sufficient, within the framework of mutual interaction.
Teamwork is the backbone of effective communication and the crucial cog that keeps the wheel of successful project management turning. The role of teamwork in enhancing problem solving skills, cohesion, learning, and productivity can no longer be ignored. Proper teamwork plays an integral role in promoting the effective implementation and fulfillment of shared goals in a team project in a manner that is better and quicker. Team work also provides a solid platform on which team members can take on different responsibilities and contribute in ways that together makes the entire team an effective unit.
In many aspects of our life, it is pervasive to work in a team. No matter in company, school, or another type of team it is necessary to be a part of a team and to achieve a team goal by corporations. People join a team with different personalities, goals, values, beliefs and needs. On the one hand, these differences can be a valuable quality of teams. On the other hand, these same differences inevitably lead to different levels of conflicts as well.
The science of team building is an art. The uncontrollable variables are people. Just putting a group of talented individuals together for the sole purpose of goal achievement can be met with disastrous results. It can leave individuals left feeling unfulfilled and lead to costly mistakes in the long run. While team building can be considered an art, there are some methods and approaches that can assist with successful builds. While no approach is full proof, taking time to acclimate oneself with human
A team is a group of people working together to achieve the same objectives. Katzenbach and Smith state in their report The Discipline of Teams (1993) that ‘the essence of a team is common commitment. Without it, groups perform as individuals; with it, they become a powerful unit of collective performance.’ Throughout this study, I will analyse the many different advantages and disadvantages of working in teams and its effects on team members and their performance and commitment within the team. I will consider many different aspects of team work and refer to certain established theories in
Humans have been forming groups since the beginning of humanity. We are constantly categorized as a group at the basic level as a species, as an ethnicity, and as a society. It is speculated that our success and evolution as a species is based on our ability to work with each other in collaboration on many levels to ensure our survival. Groups have enabled us to get things done efficiently, whether by combined physical effort, mental effort of generating ideas, or support of others. At its most effective, a group is considered a team. Teams are formed when