Reflective Report on Group Project:
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The group project entitled “Logistics and Supply Chain Management” was successfully completed through the collaborative efforts of six (6) members. Initially, the members went through the stages of group development, as conceptualized by Tuckman . During the forming stage, all issues and concerns pertinent to orienting ourselves with the goal of the project, the tasks that need to be undertaken, the roles and responsibilities of each member, as well as the schedules for complying with the delegated tasks were effectively resolved. Since we were six (6) members, three (3) members were tasks to undertake the needed research, writing, and documentation of findings for Argos; while the other three (3) members took similar tasks and responsibilities for Ikea. The general information that members were required to research on included the description and overview of the organizations, the analyses of the respective supply chains, SWOT of the supply chains, a comparative analysis of the strengths, and recommendations.
In retrospect, one realized that the group also underwent the storming stage in terms of encountering some forms of conflict in addressing concerns relating to compliance with tasks. For one, there was the issue of communication. Since this is a group project, we agreed to exchange contact numbers (mobile phone numbers, social networking accounts, email addresses). Likewise, there are face-to-face meetings set at least once a week on a time when all members are free. These group meetings are crucial avenues for resolving conflicts, points of concern or confusion, as well as checking on the progress of each member in compliance with the delegated tasks. Secondly, during the storming stage, we realized that although the tasks could be divided equally, there is still a need to appoint a leader in the group who would oversee the progress and who would ensure that all the required areas to be researched and documented have been appropriately addressed. This was also taken cared of accordingly.
Concurrently, we also acknowledged going through the norming stage, where “group members are engaged in active acknowledgment of all members’ contributions, community building and maintenance, and solving of group issues” (5 Stages of Group Development, n.d., 1). As a result, we have completed the written report containing 24 pages. The completion of the report could also be categorized as evidencing going through the performing stage where the objective of the group has been effectively achieved. As such, except for the last stage, adjourning stage, all stages in the group development has been gone through in this group project.
In sum, we realized that the ability to achieve the goals set by the group at the onset of the project depends on the collaborative efforts of all members. The crucial elements in group efforts include effective communication among members, clear delegation and delineation of tasks, effective delegation of roles and responsibilities, as well as monitoring of progress through setting and attending scheduled meetings on a regular basis. Likewise, any potential conflicts or confusion and miscommunication should be resolved immediately through communicating directly with the person concerned. In addition, providing and offering assistance to members in need to ensure that other parts of the project would be duly complied with also assisted in the successful completion. The outcome was really a collaborative effort of all members which confirmed its success.
Reference List
"5 Stages of Group Development." med.fsu.edu. n.d. [Available at] http://med.fsu.edu/uploads/files/FacultyDevelopment_GroupDevelopment.pdf [Accessed November 26, 2014].
