Reflective Paper
To reflect on the action of my experience of being in an agency profile group, I am going to discuss my personal learning in the context of Kolb’s (1998) ‘experiential learning cycle’.
The 4 stages of Kolb’s cycle are:
1. Experience-What happened and what I observed.
2. Reflection-What I feel about what happened.
3. Conceptualisation-What I think about what happened.
4. Active experimentation-What I would do differently and what I would do the same.
My overall experience in the group was very positive. I learned how to manage my time correctly in order to meet deadlines and also that I have a voice to so use it! Looking back on the group I was with, I would quite happily work with any of them on another project. I think the project went very smoothly. We gathered the relevant information and put the project together in the time we were given. If I was to do this project again I think the only thing I would change is that I would have liked to voice my opinion a bit more as I feel I was a bit too shy at times.
Stages of group development:
My agency profile report was on The Irish Wheelchair Association. According to Tuckman and Jensen’s theory (1977) while working in my group for this report we went through the different stages that develop within. These stages are 1) Forming 2) Storming 3) Norming 4) Performing and 5) Adjourning. Not every group completes the five stages as it all depends on the characteristics of the people within the group.
Forming begins when the group is put together and the initial conversation begins. It involves gathering information on the group such as the attitudes, motivations, personalities of people and hoping to get positive responses. Some groups do not get past this stage ...
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...ferent types of roles are as follows:
Chairperson Resource Investigator
Team Worker
Shaper
Company Worker/ Implementer
Completer finisher
Plant Monitor/Evaluator
Specialist
Belbin (1981)
When it came to getting the work done we all had a deadline to stick to. These deadlines were generally met as we set realistic time frames. There was an evident chairperson in the group as we would seek confirmation from them to make sure what we had done was correct. The “plant” within the group was helpful. They helped by piecing the final project together and making sure it was correct.
Conflict resolution:
If there was any conflict within the group it was resolved quickly. If anyone had a problem then they would say what the problem was and it would be discussed between the members in the group. We would then come to an agreement and the issue would be resolved.
I believe our group effectively achieved the overall goal by successfully completing the assignment by the deadline. Although we didn’t encounter any conflicts due to different personality, culture or background, they all aroused from different matters. For instance as this was the second time we were all working together as a group with a new member. We had t...
According to Halter (2014), all groups go through three phases of development which includes the orientation (introductory) phase, working phase and termination phase. As facilitators, we used motivational interviewing skills such as open-ended questions so that participants could engage in the discussion and share their experiences. Reflective listening and summary were used to recap some of the points discussed by the participants after each question. The group plan was very helpful in helping us keep up with the time.
In the forming stage, group members at ECI are polite and enthusiastic to be involved with a potential new business opportunity. The forming stage is relatively short, mainly due to the fact that most personnel on the team have known each other for many years.
Bruce Tuckman maintains that there are four stages of group development, forming, storming, norming, and performing. These stages are all essential and unavoidable in order for a group to mature, overcome challenges, find solutions, plan work, and produce effective results. (University of Washington, 2013)
We always backed each other on doing a task, in addition I found respectable friends. What was the most difficult aspect of being in your group? The most difficult aspect of being in my group was being creative our members were very creative, and representing them with creative ideas was very difficult for me, because almost all off my ideas were dropped, but at the end it just made me more creative.
I was very happy working with the people that I worked with and enjoyed my group very much. Everyone always seemed to get along well with one another and the only argument that took place was choosing a topic we were all comfortable with.
In order to evaluate my role within the group, it is important to identify what makes a group. A group must firstly consist of more than three members, “Two members have personal relationships; with three or more there is a change in quality” of the personal relationship. (Bion 1961, p26) The group must have a common purpose or a goal in order to succeed. Having now completed my group work task, I can look back and reflect upon the process that my group went through to get to the presentation end point.
...rking together. Although conflicts slowed our work we managed to resolve them and move forward to our goal. I would really like to work together again but there are some aspects I would like to be changed which will improve to make our group even more successful. First, making plan of actions and creating deadlines, so everyone will be a little bit more responsible. Second, change cultural issue to being late to every meeting, as waiting to others can be disturbing and irritating. The last thing is suggestion to be more open and not being shy to display thoughts and opinions openly, which might make solutions proposed more creative. Every group member had her/his own place, duty and ready to display help if something was wrong or misunderstood. Supportive climate lead to initiation of friendship among members and that is in my opinion how group should look and act.
Engleberg, Isa N. and Dianna R. Wynn. Working in Groups. 6th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2012. Print.
I felt collected and enthused to start. However, it did take me some time to display my confidence within the group and encourage discussion. This can be explained by 'Bruce Tuckman 's ' model (1965) , which consists of five components: forming, storming, norming,
When forming a group it is important to include everyone right off the bat. Receiving good input from everyone is key to group development. Everyone in the group must respect and get along with the other members in order to provide substantial progress.
When working on a group project, there are certain skills that are required to make sure that the tasks are being carried out smoothly. With that in mind, it is critical to keep an open line of communication as well as an understanding of the other individuals in the group. The following scenario is of a group project I was a part of that had a breakdown in the two points expressed above.
Principals of Group Dynamics With Thomason Health System establishing an on-boarding team to facilitate the implementation of an electronic medical record system, it is important to take into consideration group dynamics. Groups can be made up of different individuals that are coming together to accomplish a specific goal. " Group dynamics" refers to the attitudinal and behavioral characteristics of a group. Group dynamics concern how groups form, their structure and process, and how they function" (Advameg, n.d.) In developing teams it is a good idea to have a basic sense of the various stages that occur when establishing a team and having awareness throughout the stages helps leadership understand the reasons for team members behaviors that occurred throughout each stage and helps guide these members to moving onto the next stage.
Formation of groups or teams is not something that occurs overnight. Because it involves human beings that come from various backgrounds with different sets of values, forming a group and anticipating them to integrate and function dynamically cannot be expected to
In conclusion, I really did enjoy the this group project. We had great group chemistry, an interesting topic, an effective and consistent preparation period. That sounds like a formula to a successful group project to me. This is probably the most enjoyable group work experience for me at Augustana so far. If I could, I would do it