Team or group work
Management Essay
Instructions:
For this assignment, refer to the “Working in Teams” video media piece.
Before addressing the assignment criteria listed below, view the “Working in Teams” video as many times as necessary to familiarize yourself with the characters and the issues as they relate to the objectives of this topic.
Write a paper (1,500-1,750 words) in which you address the following:
Define the three criteria for evaluating effective team/group work (as stated in the textbook) and analyze whether the “team” in the video is effective or not.
Provide a review of Tuckman’s five stages of group formation and identify what stages are evident in the video. Explain your answer.
Review your textbook on the specific types of task, maintenance, and dysfunctional roles in teams, and identify who is playing what specific role in the video. Explain your answer.
Was the communication among the participants in the video effective or not? Justify your answer (this is not just an opinion). Was the message and meaning conveyed? Was there active listening? What types of noise were evident in the video?
The textbook describes two main types of conflict. Define them and then describe the conflict that is evident in the video. Propose how Joe Tanney should manage the conflict in this video using one direct conflict management and one indirect conflict management approach? Explain your response.
Based on what you saw in the “Working in Teams” video, would you say that the people in the video make up a group or a team? Explain your answer.
Identify the major motivational problems evident in the video and provide a total of four suggestions for motivating the people in the video. Be sure to use one motivational theory from each area (content theories, process theories, reinforcement theories, and job enrichment model), and be sure to apply each theory to at least one of the four people in the video.
Use at least two academic resources as references for this assignment.
Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
Solution.
Management Essay
Introduction
Team or group work is fundamental for a harmonized approach to achieving set goals or targets. Through teamwork, synergy of professions and skills prevails for successful completion of tasks. However, there are different aspects that impede on the functions of a team or group such as ineffective communication. Therefore, this paper will examine team or group functioning as per the case questions.
Three criteria for evaluating effective team/group and analysis as to whether the team in the video is effective or not
The growth in proficiency and output in a team or group is important for successful outcomes. From the analysis of Farrell, et al., (2015) the emergence of inter-professional or employee interaction entails the focus on the need for evaluating the effectiveness of the team. As an effective team, the emphasis on building an effective and efficient team should result in successful outcomes. Hence, from the analysis of Farrell, et al., (2015) the following are the three criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of a team/group:
Leadership
Leadership in a team is important to establish the formality of a team or a group. Heightening the credentials of a team is through the sustenance of a leadership framework. As a leader, there is the development of the vision, mission and direction that the team or group should undertake. In reference to Farrell, et al., (2015) leadership is bound to draw out coupled with conduct interpersonal and employee interaction that is important for group or team dynamics.
Inter-professional or inter-personal communication
Communication is the connecting facet to the success of an effective team or group. For successful outcomes in a team or group, it is important to relay information in a real-time manner. Hence, to comprehend the effectiveness of a team or group, the analysis of the communication process generates a real-time understanding of the team dynamics (Clark, 2014). It is through inter-professional or inter-personal communication that an enabling environment for the growth and sustenance of teamwork prevails.
Role setting
In a team or group, there is need for clearly laid out responsibilities for the members. To ensure there is a structured process in the team or group, establishing an environment whereby there is there are stated responsibilities is fundamental. For an effective team to prevail, the establishment of roles generates a dualistic environment in which there is coordination and collaboration among the team members. An effective team is developed through the development of the different roles that set out the guidelines towards successful outcomes in meeting the targets set (Clark, 2014).
Therefore, from the analysis of the video, there prevails effectiveness in operations. Admittedly, there are laid out roles, leadership and communication. Communication that is in an interpersonal manner entails that there is comprehensive initiatives towards sustenance of effectiveness in the group or team. In accordance to Farrell, et al., (2015) the emphasis on the harmonization of the three facets of effective teams or group is bound to streamline the operations in an effective manner.
Provide a review of Tuckman’s five stages of group formation and identify what stages are evident in the video. Explain your answer
Stage 1: Forming
As the first stage, the prevalent personal relations are characterized by the evident dependence. The different group members are reliant on the notion of safe, patterned behavior and the emphasis on the group leader for guidance coupled with direction. Group members in reference to Farrell, et al., (2015) exude desire for acceptance and the need to experience safety in the group. Main task in the forming process is orientation and the members undertake attempts to be accepted and conversant with the tasks. Discussions prevail to determine the scope of the various tasks issued to the members.
Stage 2: Storming
Farrell, et al., (2015) describes the second process as a combination of competition coupled with conflicts in the personal relation dimension in the task process. Accordingly, the group members undertake distinctive attempts to organize for the different tasks with the conflicts resulting in their distinctive personal relations. Team or group members bend and focus on molding their emotions, attitudes beliefs in order to suit the team organization. There are different questions that emerge on the diverse roles that will be issued to the team members.
Stage 3: Norming
The relations among the team or group members make emphasis on cohesion. Diverse team members participate in active acknowledgement f the diverse stakeholders and undertake problem-solving initiatives. The major function in the stage is the flow of information among the group members.
Stage 4: performing
In the instance that group members manage to reach stage four, their capacity, depth or level of personal interaction expands significantly. In the above stage, there is the prospect of independence of operating among the team members. The fourth stage, in reference to Farrell, et al., (2015) it is characterized by interdependence in the relations of the members with the problem solving process at a heightened level.
Stage five: Adjourning
The final stage, in reference to Farrell, et al., (2015) comprises of the termination of the diverse task behaviors coupled with disengagement from the team relationships. Planning prevails in the conclusion of the interpersonal relationship among the team members. There is the recognition for participation coupled with achievement in the task functions undertaken. The conclusion of a group can generate apprehension and in some instances minor tensions.
From the analysis of the video, it is clear that the team is mainly at stage one, two and three in the development process. Accordingly, in the first stage, the main team functions are the orientation process. The team members are involved in the determination and discussion of the approaches to the team working process. On the other hand, the second stage from the analysis of the video comprises of the process of testing and proving the most effective approach to undertaking the different operational activities in the team. As the third stage that is evident in the video, the process of identification of each other in regards to roles prevails. Among the team members, there is the emphasis on the development of effective conflict management process to catapult the cohesion process. With the team members emphasizing on comprehension of the diverse roles, there is the exploration of the actions to be undertaken to necessitate successful team working.
Review of textbook on specific types of task, maintenance and dysfunctional roles in teams and identify who is playing what specific role in the video. Explain your answer
Functional areas in teams are important to ensure successful outcomes. Without the maintenance of functional teams, there is bound to be ineffective outcomes in accomplishing the roles issued. Therefore, from the analysis of the video, dysfunctional role is evident mainly the team leader Joe Tanney. The form of dysfunctional role that prevails is recognition seeking. Admittedly, trying to call attention to one-self coupled with self-boasting is evident from the leader analysis. On the other hand, there are ripple effects of the dysfunctional role by the leader on the diverse team members as evident from completion, being aggressive coupled with miscommunication that is evident among the team members. The ripple effects are through the characteristic non-response and conflicts of interest among the team members.
Was communication among the participants in the video effective or not? Justify your answer. Was the message and meaning conveyed? Was there active listening? What types of noise were evident in the video?
Ineffective communication is evident from the analysis of the video. Admittedly, there is the distinctive conflicting process in raising ideas and determination of the way forward. Opinions raised from the group perspective are faced by challenges in relay and communication process. Therefore, the message and meaning was not conveyed effectively. Ineffective convey of message coupled with meaning is as a result of the conflicting ides that are impactful on raising the distinctive ideological perspectives among the team members (Clark, 2014). Further, there was no active listening that is imperative for comprehension of the operational dynamics of a group. Without the emphasis on a one person a time environment in the communication of ideas, the development of ineffective listening is bound to prevail. Therefore, the form of psychological noise was evident. Psychological noise denotes an environment whereby external stimulus such as biases and degradation that impedes on the communication process.
Types of conflicts and the conflicts evident in the video, proposition on how Joe Tanney should manage the conflict in the video using one direct conflict management and one indirect conflict management approach. Based on analysis of the video, do they make up a group or team?
Conflicts in teams impede on the successful completion of different tasks. The analysis of the video shows that there are personality and communication conflicts prevails. The personality conflict is based on individual character, belief and attitude. On the other hand, communication conflict denotes the prospect in which in the team there is the prospect of individuals dominating the conversation at the expense of the diverse opinions that can be raised by the silent team members (Clark, 2014). Therefore, from the analysis of the team leader, the indirect and direct conflict management approaches that can be used are imperative for successful outcomes. The use of accommodation as an indirect conflict management approach entails acceptance to the demands or opinions raised by the different team members. Giving in the prospect that there are dominative personalities in the group should necessitate quelling any conflict that may arise. On the other hand collaboration, as a direct approach entails harnessing all the team members in the conflict resolution process. The team leader should emphasize on an open environment in which any issue prevalent is examined comprehensively. Hence, from the analysis of the video, there is the prospect of a team due to the establishment of team roles. The different members understand the role they play and focus towards sustenance of successful outcomes in meeting the targets set.
Major motivational problems evident in the video and total of four suggestions for motivating people Sure to use one motivational area from each area (content theories, process theories, reinforcement theories and job enrichment model
Motivation of individuals is fundamental for successful management of teams. From the analysis of the motivational problems evident in the team such as ineffective response by the members, non-response and reduced levels of input, it is fundamental for harnessing the different motivational theories. Therefore, from the analysis of the case study, the different motivational theories to encompass include:
Content theory: the most effective theory to encompass is the Maslow Hierarchy of needs theory. Through the hierarchy of needs, there is the establishment of the focus on satisfaction of the team members through the use of strategies such as rewards (Clark, 2014). A reward mechanism should necessitate group members who are encouraged to perform effectively.
Process theory: harnessing the equity theory should generate a successful environment in handling group member welfare. The equity theory emphasizes on the need for establishment of an environment based on mutual trust. Development of an environment whereby there is mutual cohesion and trust is bound to develop a successful team.
Reinforcement theory: reinforcement theory is dependent on stimulus, response and consequence. Harnessing the three facets should lead to an environment whereby there is the understanding of the needs at hand, implementation of approaches to handing the issues. After the implementation of approaches to tackling the diverse aspects at hand, effective policy statement is bound to prevail.
Job enrichment model: entails the focus on training coupled with incorporation of high level motivators. Focusing on the two facets is fundamental and dependent on the use of effective motivation, general focus on training and development. The use of high level motivation approaches leads to successful policy implementation among the group members.
Conclusion
Team or group workings are
comprehensive and require in-depth analysis. From the above analysis, it is
evident that there are significant shortcomings in the workings of the team as
per the case study. However, the focus on effective communication and conflict
management policies is advisable to mitigate the prevalent issues. Most
importantly, the focus on motivational theories is bound to heighten the level
of output among the team members.
References
Clark, P. G. (2014). Narrative in inter-professional education and practice: implications for professional identity, provider–patient communication and teamwork. Journal of inter-professional care, 28(1), 34-39.
Farrell, K., Payne, C., & Heye, M. (2015). Integrating inter-professional collaboration skills into the advanced practice registered nurse socialization process. Journal of Professional Nursing, 31(1), 5-10.
