250 word response
nyrema1
dqi4.docxTeam Dynamics
“Team members must resolve several issues and pass through several stages of development before emerging as an effective work unit” (McShane & Von Glinow, 2013, p. 235). Considering the brief amount of time that we have to work with our groups before we must submit finished projects, quickly developing team cohesiveness is very important to our success. Developing a team contract could be instrumental in aiding the acceleration of the team development process.
Cohesion among team members refers to the level at which members socially identify themselves with the team, feel a commitment toward the team, and want to remain a part of that team (McShane & Von Glinow, 2013, p. 239). Cohesiveness has been shown to improve interpersonal communication and the potential for learning (Williams & Duray, 2006). In this class, we do not have a lot of time to develop team cohesion, but efforts to get to know our teammates should benefit our success and make it easier to work with one another.
One way we might do that would be to go back and reread discussion posts from our assigned team members. This will help remind us of their writing and communication styles. It will also give us a chance to reevaluate any personal experiences team members may have shared. Some of the most valuable posts from our team members that we can reread are the introductions we all wrote about ourselves. Reminding ourselves of details and strengths about one another will help us discern who might be best in certain roles and help us feel more comfortable trusting one another to carry out separate parts of the project.
A team contract would be helpful in defining team goals, establishing roles and expectations of team members, and reinforcing commitment to the team and the learning process. There are normally three stages of the team development process before the performing stage: forming, storming and norming (McShane & Von Glinow, 2013, p. 237). In light of the very brief timeframe of this project, developing a team contract will help to accelerate this process.
A contract would help reinforce expectations of each member of the group and stand as a reminder of our commitment to learning and succeeding together. Reinforcement of desired actions from each member will help to increase the effectiveness of the team and its ability to work together (Williams & Castro, 2010). It should emphasize the value of everyone contributing and working together to accomplish our goal so that every member of the team has an equally rich learning experience (Williams & Castro, 2010).
A team contract should include a clear outline of what steps must be accomplished to achieve team objectives. It should assign roles and show a clear division of labor among team members according to their strengths. The amount of work per person should be divided as equally as possible. A contract should also include a commitment statement that holds each member accountable and reinforces commitment to team goals.
The amount of time we have to work together as teams may be short, but that does not mean we cannot perform well and succeed in achieving team objectives. Since we do not know one another well and have never met in person, it may be more challenging to develop effective teamwork strategies, but that is all the more reason to commit ourselves to working as a team. Developing team contracts will be instrumental in helping us complete our projects successfully.
References
McShane, S. L., and Von Glinow, M. A. (2013). Organizational behavior: Emerging knowledge, global reality (6th ed.). New York,
NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
Williams, E. A., and Castro, S. L. (2010). The effects of teamwork on individual learning and perceptions of team performance.
Team Performance Management, 16(3), 124-147. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13527591011053232
Williams, E. A., and Duray, R. (2006). TEAMWORK ORIENTATION, GROUP COHESIVENESS, AND STUDENT LEARNING: A STUDY OF
THE USE OF TEAMS IN ONLINE DISTANCE EDUCATION. Journal of Management Education, 30(4), 592-616. Retrieved
from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.davenport.edu/docview/195716751?accountid=40195
