Leadership Essay 2

193 ​Chapter 8 Establishing a Constructive Climate

8.4 R​EFLECTION AND ​A​CTION ​W​ORKSHEET

Establishing a Constructive Climate

Reflection

1. ​Based on the scores you received on the Organizational Climate Questionnaire, what are your strengths and weaknesses regarding establishing a constructive climate for a group or an organization? Discuss. - Strengths: ​Building cohesiveness and promoting standards of success. I am an individual who values working as part of a team and leading by example. And Weakness: Providing structure and clarifying norms. I can still work on becoming better at being more precise in my speech so others will understand the norms and structure.

2. ​How did you react to the example in this chapter (pp. 179–180) of the service-learning group that developed cohesiveness? In what way do you think cohesiveness plays an important role in groups? Have you ever experienced cohesiveness in a group yourself? Discuss. ​“Keep the quality up” by making this the organization trademark they urge representatives to keep on making progress toward this standard, I think it is a valuable strategy the length of the top administrators convey through. Cohesiveness is the thing that unit is a bunch when significant trouble becomes unavoidable.

3. ​In this chapter, group rules and norms are stressed as being very important to effective teams. Do you agree with this? Explain your answer. Briefly comment on your own desire and ability to adapt to the rules of a group. ​To me, rules and norms are very important because they create a foundation for everyone to rely on. For example, people will know what to expect from each meeting as well as what is expected of them. Personally, I like rules because they help keep me on track. I am te type of person who likes to have a clear out sense of direction and a path to follow. I think that without any rules or sense of direction, I may find myself getting of task and possibly not get things done.

4. ​An important aspect of establishing a constructive climate is giving recognition to others. Is rewarding or praising others something that would come easily for you as a leader? Discuss. ​For me, praising would come easier, I like to make sure that people are recognized for the things they do well even if o one else notices.

Action

1. ​Imagine that you have been chosen to lead a group project for your class and are preparing for the first meet- ing. Based on what you have read in this chapter, identify five important actions you could take to help estab- lish a constructive climate for the group. ​For our first group meeting I would definitely discuss our end goal for our project, this way everyone knows what we are trying to accomplish. Next I would lay out what I expect from each person and the “rules” I have for the group. These will include their individual tasks and ways I want to communicate, deadlines, and group work. I would then start breaking down the project in to individual tasks and assigning each person with a duty. I would remind them that we are working as a group and the project needs to get done efficiently.

2. ​This chapter argues that establishing a constructive climate demands that the leader be a role model for how group members should act. What three values are important to you in a group? How would you demonstrate these values to group members? ​Three values that are important to me is communication, trust, and honesty. I continue to remind my group how much these mean to me and how they help a group be successful

3. ​High-performing teams have strong standards of excellence. Discuss your level of comfort with encouraging others to “keep the quality up.” What leadership behaviors could you strengthen to encourage others to work to the best of their ability? I make an e ort to tell my group when the work they are doing is great, but I could work on telling them the work they are doing isn’t cutting it. During the time working with our smaller groups, I had a hard time telling people their part of the project was lacking. Instead I would just go in and xtheir PowerPoint slide(s) to avoid confrontation.