Question

Feedback on team dynamics:

 1. How effectively did your group work?

 2. Were the behaviors of any of your team members particularly valuable or detrimental to the team? Explain.

 3. What did you learn about working in a group from this project that you will carry into your next group experience? 

Adapted from a peer evaluation form developed at Johns Hopkins University (October, 2006)

Answer 1

1. The group worked effectively as the goals and responsibilities were made clear for the given tasks. Individual participation from each team member was encouraged. There were regular meetings and discussions so that each member is able to contribute with information sharing and communication of ideas. Effective collaboration and communication tools were used and feedback was shared regularly with team members. Recognition of team member and appreciation of team members motivate them to work better and improve the performance collectively.

2. The team members behaviour particularly valuable to the team members were their willingness to cooperate and share their learning and knowledge. The good behaviour of team members was valuable as it helped in maintaining positive work culture. The behaviour detrimental to the team members are prioritizing their own interests over team goals and lack of commitment to the goals. Team conflicts and bias of opinions are also detrimental to team work.

3. The learning from working in the group from this project to be carried into the next group experience is the importance of initiatives and communication with the team members to build understanding. Regular information sharing, listening to the problems of the group members, cooperating for effective solutions are some of the learnings from the project. The importance of feedback and recognition of the efforts of team members for contribution to the goals is essential for team motivation and morale.

Answer 2

Group work is an evidence for the successful companies nowadays. In the digitalized and innovative world, working in a group to achieve the company's goals becomes a mandate one.

As the given question is general, would like to mention the below for your better understanding towards the topic.

1. Group work becomes effective when it comes to the following:

Cohesiveness: It is important for the group members to be supportive in order to achieve the organization's goals which is common for all the group members.

Communication: Sharing the knowledge and thought process towards the objectives is very much important. This also enhances the group thinking and to know what other people wants to interpret.

Homegenity: When it comes to attain the common goal, the way of accomplishing the work will be the same in all members.

Problem solving: It is easier to solve the problems and come to a conclusion for any sort of issues faced in the organization.

Participation: Working in a group enhances more participation towards the work as each employee is assigned with a certain work to complete.

Time Management: it is obvious that the work gets completed faster by a group of people than working alone. Here, division of work is allocated to the members based on their capability.

2. There are certain behaviours which is actually enhances the team work which is considered to be valuable and few behaviours are rather be avoided in a group which is detrimental. Let's go in detail.

Determination: if the work is allocated to a set of people, there will be stable mindset for the team to achieve the target within a span of time. Commitment towards the work is a valuable factor and there will not be a deviation in achieving the target.

Delegation: Basis the individual's capabilities, the job needs to be assigned. With this, the team can share the knowledge and ideas to accomplish the goals.

Co-operation: one must support each other in a group when it comes to achieve the target of same. Groupthink and sharing ideas will increase the cohesiveness among the group.

Behaviours that are considered to be detrimental:

Wrong interpretation: If the process is misinterpreted, then the output becomes vague. Such behaviour will have a negative effect towards group work.

Lack of managerial involvement: Even a set of people working under the same platform, there should be a lead to monitor and guide the entire team. In case of issues within a team, the lead will have to take a responsibility to sort it out. This will impact in the overall objective.

Perception: Group work will be ineffective if the perception of team members varies. This may create the argument which leads to deviation in work process.

3. The below points are certain to be taken to the next level of group work.

- Openness to work in a team as various thought process flows in achieving the target leads to development of an individual as well as the company.

- Favouritism should not be taken in a group when it has the common goal.

- Conflict in a group will not be taken as the same will affect interpersonal relationship.

- Language and cultural bias will definitely be avoided when comes to work in a group.

- Group agenda needs to be considered to work in a group rather having individual agenda.

Answer 3

1.

We first analyzed and mutually discussed each member's different talents and capabilities to create mutual respect and team confidence. Knowing the specialization of each member helped in the proper distribution of work and delegation of work. The following necessary action was making the whole team aware of the goals and objectives of the group. Though specific rules and guidelines for the teamwork were devised, there was scope for adaptation and flexibility if the situation demanded. Besides, other instructions related to fair practice and managing in case of a crisis were clarified, such as not pointing fingers at anyone, admitting failure, and maintaining calm or patience. The team members were also announced the best performing member reward schemes to encourage positive competition. All these were discussed in the initial meetings, and subsequent assessments and revisions were done in periodic meetings. Every member of the group participated and adhered to these, and whenever there were any doubts or crises, the members open-heartedly discussed and found novel ways to sort things out. These critical team management practices contributed to the effective functioning of our team.

2.
Our team had the system of periodic evaluation of the teamwork and the contribution or role of individual members using peer evaluation forms. Specific functioning was observed like whether the member attended group meetings regularly and punctually, whether contributed meaningfully to the forum, completion of tasks assigned by the team on time, preparation of work as per set quality, demonstration of cooperative and supportive attitude, and whether the team member contributed significantly to the success of the project. We found most of the members scoring well above the standard score set by the team. Though we tried to create the ideal unit for our assignment, there were a few challenges due to a team member's weaknesses in performing in a team. His score was below the standard set by our team as his assessment showed negative team behavior that created friction, like not showing respect, taking all credit for work that was done by multiple team members, adopting 'it's not my job' mentality to the creation of other team members, routinely pointing fingers at others to lay blame, etc. But thanks to the evaluation system and the periodic meetings, the damage to teamwork was confined to the minimum.

3.
Overall the team worked nearly perfectly except for a few challenges due to one or two team members being negligent and disregarding team rules. I learned from working in the group in this project that leadership is a challenge that, if appropriately dealt with, makes you a great leader, as you know with your lacking and your team's mistake. There are always simple issues in the group that can be solved if nipped at the bud. Staying connected with the team, encouraging them, reminding them of team goals, and being readily available to help whenever they need are the things that keep the team motivated and the project going smoothly. Giving time to the team, knowing the team members well, maintaining regular communication going, enjoying the teamwork while rewarding the good performers, and learning from the bad are specific takeaways that I would use for the next team project.