Undoubtedly, my expectations of this unit were met in a number of ways. Specifically, my knowledge of teamwork dynamics has greatly improved within the course of the semester, and I will endeavor to utilize the skills and knowledge gained from this experience in other teams that I may work with in the future. The teamwork has also improved my capacities to be an effective team player, and in working with the rest of the group members towards a common goal. Moreover, the experience has also sharpened my ability to communicate articulately when expressing my points, and I believe that I am a better communicator now than I was before.
As expected, conflicts are bound to arise within a group, but the difference comes in how the members handle the conflicts within the group. One thing the group members allowed is divergent viewpoints. However, in order to resolve conflicts within the team, the rest of the team would listen in to understand the issues laid out on the table, and brainstorm on additional solutions, instead of simply defending or supporting individual positions. This is in line with emergent model of group dynamics which envisions that the more the members within a group have freedom to disagree with each other, the more cohesive the group would be .
Focusing on my personal contribution to the group, the analysis and interpretation I provided to the group could be rated at more than 75 %. This is because I often initiated discussions meant to evaluate ideas and suggestions emanating from other group members instead of just settling for one idea. Concerning communication, I would always try to articulate my arguments well – even if they conflicted with other members ideas. Nonetheless, I learnt to listen to other people’s ideas as well, and this is something which is consistent with Tuckman’s theory on group formation and development which asserts that some groups develop through interdependence, and respecting other people’s conflicting ideas is an accepted norm.
Another positive habit developed from the group work is attention to meeting deadlines and punctuality. All the group members observed this very well and this is something which is coherent with the emergent model of group dynamics which states that there are some group norms which emerge as the members lay the ground rules . It is also worth mentioning that I was able to learn about facilitating decision-making in the group by advocating for the six logical decision making steps instead of using rational decision making process which is susceptible to erroneous conclusions. Lastly, I leant a lot about team dynamics especially with regards to setting out clear goals and appreciating the fact that each of the team members has something to bring to the table. As Levi (2010, p. 45) puts it, “it all boils down to the goals of the team. If the team doesn’t get this right, the group is doomed.”
Given the chance to participate in another team and do it all over again, I would be interested in getting to help the group to excel more because this was one of my weakest areas. I would specifically be interested in getting more involved in evaluating ideas and suggesting other possible alternatives instead on settling for the ideas presented before the team. As the pragmatic model of team dynamics argues, it is important to look for several ways of expressing the same message, and members should not shy away from this. Nonetheless, the teamwork experience was fulfilling and I look forward to similar assignments in future.
References
Cole, M. B. (2011). Group Dynamics in Occupational Therapy: The Theoretical Basis and
Practice Application of Group Intervention. Thorofare, NJ: Slack Incorporated.
Forsyth, D. R. (2009). Group Dynamics. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.
Levi, D. (2010). Group Dynamics for Teams. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Tallant, J. (2011). Successful Team Dynamics: A Leader's Contributions and Responsibilities.
Munich : GRIN Verlag.
