Appropriate team size and positive team member behaviors have shaped our team into a homogeneous team, which helps our team smoothly accomplish forming and storming stages. According to the textbook, it is better to have a smaller team but large enough to accomplish task (McShane 150). As the smallest four-people team, I think our team should be one of the most effective teams in the whole class. For instance, in the Team GPS Adventure activity, MBTI scores have showed that, as judging type, Sam and Ashley are able to analysis how the herculean task could be done I, as a thinker and a perceiver, logically determine the central area of GPS locations, so we do not have to run all over the places being extrovert type, John talks through the puzzles that we have no clue how to solve. Such effective team size has helped our team efficiently complete the task, and gained a clearer vision of individual strengths and weaknesses.
In addition to the appropriate team size, the positive behavior that each team member presents is also essential to the dynamics of the entire team.
We deeply understand that openness is the basic ingredient for team success, so we keep transmitting information freely and efficiently via email and text messages, and we also listen actively to each other when the different opinion arises. In the aspect of supportiveness and action orientation, each team member is willing to pitch in and help out and very easy to work with. We have strong desire to act in order to motivate others. For example, Sam makes notes for each team meeting in order to keep the team on track and helps to integrate the work performed by different team members and Ashley carefully arranges each interview at Boeing for each member. Such positive behaviors that our team has as team composition are critical factors for a successful teamwork.
Our team has successfully rebuilt the team during the norming stage due to another important dimension of team composition diversity. Since Christ has withdrawal from the class, we have to reestablish roles and clarify norms. However, the great diversity allows our team has diverse knowledge, skill, and perspectives so that we are generally more effective in situations involving complex problems requiring innovative solutions (McShane 151). For instance, Sam and Ashley are from America while John is from Turkey and I am from China. Such different backgrounds allow us see an issue or opportunity from different perspectives. A broader knowledge base also allows us have more innovative ideas and thoughtful notions. The film we made for the culture presentation fully represents the strong intelligence that our team possesses.
As our team further develops a sense of cohesion, trust, a sense of group identity, and a sense of group efficacy have helped the team to become a high performance team. Our team is highly cooperative due to our trust in each other. The type of our trust should belong to the identification-based trust, which is based on mutual understanding and an emotional bond among team members (McShane 157). I would say I have benefit from this kind of trust a lot. At the time I had flu, I could not go to class and attend any team meetings. They comforted me by sending emails asking me to take good rest and they promise to take care of the work I am supposed to complete (figure 1). In the mean time they also keep me informed about the team process. This kind of high-level trust really accelerates the development of team cohesion and increases the group identity thus reinforcing the effectiveness of the team.
Short-term virtual team has helped our team keep on track and accomplish the task in the case of emergency. Within the time I had flu, our team operates the team meetings and manages the team process virtually. We use e-mail and other communication media such as online documentation and video conferencing to make work done on time. However, in order to improve virtual team effectiveness, the team competencies described earlier are critical, because a successful virtual team requires the strong self-leadership skills to motivate and guide their behavior without peers and higher emotional intelligence so they can decipher the feelings of teammates from e-mail and other communication media (McShane 160).
The peer feedback exercise was a good way to measure our individual performances within the team because it showed us our teammates opinions. I think that our team handled the feedback session well through constructive conflict (McShane 162). Team members pointed out both the positive and negative aspects of teammates in a very professional manner. The team provided me with some thoughtful insights which allowed me to measure my own progress. For example, they suggested me to voice my opinions more during meetings. The feedback allowed me to realize and improve on my weaknesses while it also showed me the strengths that I have learned from this team experience. In the future, I would recommend my team to use constructive feedback as a tool to enhance team cohesion and a way to let teammates realize the areas of improvement or their strengths and unrealized potential.
Community Service Initiative Analysis
For our community service initiative, our team volunteered to help greater Boston Food
bank with inspection, sorting and repacking of salvaged food. The choice of CSI initiative was the consequence of constructive conflict (McShane 149) and the chosen initiative carried a special meaning for all team members, serving as an incentive for good performance. The common goal our team set out to achieve was efficiency. A discussion with food bank officials regarding performance requirements, shortcomings and timings enabled setting of appropriate benchmarks for measuring goal performance to eliminate vagueness, ambiguity and conflict. The focus was on task accomplishment and our team had entered the performing stage (McShane 139).
A knowledge of concepts of team effectiveness entailed selection of task structure and team norms with higher likelihood of team effectiveness. The established norm in the team is high-quality performance, to give our best to every task, and no sarcasm and criticism. The task at hand was also performed in accordance with this norm. Task structure involved intermediate to high levels of task interdependence (McShane 139). For instance, prior to inspection, food items, sometimes even from the same food package, were arranged in an orderly manner by other team members to facilitate smooth inspection. Additionally, items were doubly checked to improve accuracy and team members worked together to repackage every unit of food after inspection, all reflective of interdependent tasks. Team roles (McShane 141) were clearly known as a consequence of the duration for which the team has been functional. Specific roles for the task and the best ways of achieving our common goal were decided through constructive conflict process but constructive conflict (McShane 149) was restricted to decision-making before starting our task. Team level interaction and feedback was high.
Conflicts are commonplace during actual task performance and though earlier the team sought to eliminate conflict during performance altogether, this task taught us that conflicts cannot be avoided completely. Despite collectively formulating our work strategy, we left some potential sources of conflict open. For instance, occurrence of contradictory figures during inspection and re-inspection by different team members was always a likely source for conflict. Although our team better solved conflicts that arose during the activity, sometimes, team members including me, resorted to avoidance tactics (Robbins and Judge 511) which lower satisfaction, and consequently team effectiveness. This is one area that must be given due attention and our team is still in the process of implementing collaborative conflict management (Robbins and Judge 510). Every task that this team undertakes throws light on some important aspect of improving team effectiveness and our teams community service initiative was no different
In addition to the appropriate team size, the positive behavior that each team member presents is also essential to the dynamics of the entire team.
We deeply understand that openness is the basic ingredient for team success, so we keep transmitting information freely and efficiently via email and text messages, and we also listen actively to each other when the different opinion arises. In the aspect of supportiveness and action orientation, each team member is willing to pitch in and help out and very easy to work with. We have strong desire to act in order to motivate others. For example, Sam makes notes for each team meeting in order to keep the team on track and helps to integrate the work performed by different team members and Ashley carefully arranges each interview at Boeing for each member. Such positive behaviors that our team has as team composition are critical factors for a successful teamwork.
Our team has successfully rebuilt the team during the norming stage due to another important dimension of team composition diversity. Since Christ has withdrawal from the class, we have to reestablish roles and clarify norms. However, the great diversity allows our team has diverse knowledge, skill, and perspectives so that we are generally more effective in situations involving complex problems requiring innovative solutions (McShane 151). For instance, Sam and Ashley are from America while John is from Turkey and I am from China. Such different backgrounds allow us see an issue or opportunity from different perspectives. A broader knowledge base also allows us have more innovative ideas and thoughtful notions. The film we made for the culture presentation fully represents the strong intelligence that our team possesses.
As our team further develops a sense of cohesion, trust, a sense of group identity, and a sense of group efficacy have helped the team to become a high performance team. Our team is highly cooperative due to our trust in each other. The type of our trust should belong to the identification-based trust, which is based on mutual understanding and an emotional bond among team members (McShane 157). I would say I have benefit from this kind of trust a lot. At the time I had flu, I could not go to class and attend any team meetings. They comforted me by sending emails asking me to take good rest and they promise to take care of the work I am supposed to complete (figure 1). In the mean time they also keep me informed about the team process. This kind of high-level trust really accelerates the development of team cohesion and increases the group identity thus reinforcing the effectiveness of the team.
Short-term virtual team has helped our team keep on track and accomplish the task in the case of emergency. Within the time I had flu, our team operates the team meetings and manages the team process virtually. We use e-mail and other communication media such as online documentation and video conferencing to make work done on time. However, in order to improve virtual team effectiveness, the team competencies described earlier are critical, because a successful virtual team requires the strong self-leadership skills to motivate and guide their behavior without peers and higher emotional intelligence so they can decipher the feelings of teammates from e-mail and other communication media (McShane 160).
The peer feedback exercise was a good way to measure our individual performances within the team because it showed us our teammates opinions. I think that our team handled the feedback session well through constructive conflict (McShane 162). Team members pointed out both the positive and negative aspects of teammates in a very professional manner. The team provided me with some thoughtful insights which allowed me to measure my own progress. For example, they suggested me to voice my opinions more during meetings. The feedback allowed me to realize and improve on my weaknesses while it also showed me the strengths that I have learned from this team experience. In the future, I would recommend my team to use constructive feedback as a tool to enhance team cohesion and a way to let teammates realize the areas of improvement or their strengths and unrealized potential.
Community Service Initiative Analysis
For our community service initiative, our team volunteered to help greater Boston Food
bank with inspection, sorting and repacking of salvaged food. The choice of CSI initiative was the consequence of constructive conflict (McShane 149) and the chosen initiative carried a special meaning for all team members, serving as an incentive for good performance. The common goal our team set out to achieve was efficiency. A discussion with food bank officials regarding performance requirements, shortcomings and timings enabled setting of appropriate benchmarks for measuring goal performance to eliminate vagueness, ambiguity and conflict. The focus was on task accomplishment and our team had entered the performing stage (McShane 139).
A knowledge of concepts of team effectiveness entailed selection of task structure and team norms with higher likelihood of team effectiveness. The established norm in the team is high-quality performance, to give our best to every task, and no sarcasm and criticism. The task at hand was also performed in accordance with this norm. Task structure involved intermediate to high levels of task interdependence (McShane 139). For instance, prior to inspection, food items, sometimes even from the same food package, were arranged in an orderly manner by other team members to facilitate smooth inspection. Additionally, items were doubly checked to improve accuracy and team members worked together to repackage every unit of food after inspection, all reflective of interdependent tasks. Team roles (McShane 141) were clearly known as a consequence of the duration for which the team has been functional. Specific roles for the task and the best ways of achieving our common goal were decided through constructive conflict process but constructive conflict (McShane 149) was restricted to decision-making before starting our task. Team level interaction and feedback was high.
Conflicts are commonplace during actual task performance and though earlier the team sought to eliminate conflict during performance altogether, this task taught us that conflicts cannot be avoided completely. Despite collectively formulating our work strategy, we left some potential sources of conflict open. For instance, occurrence of contradictory figures during inspection and re-inspection by different team members was always a likely source for conflict. Although our team better solved conflicts that arose during the activity, sometimes, team members including me, resorted to avoidance tactics (Robbins and Judge 511) which lower satisfaction, and consequently team effectiveness. This is one area that must be given due attention and our team is still in the process of implementing collaborative conflict management (Robbins and Judge 510). Every task that this team undertakes throws light on some important aspect of improving team effectiveness and our teams community service initiative was no different
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