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building_101.docxBuilding 101
I find a fun team building activity is two truths and a lie. Each person writes three things about themselves and one is a lie. After this is done you allow an open mingle where everyone gets to talk and find as much about each other as they can. For larger groups you can divide and rotate to make things more efficient. After the mingling is done, each person stands up individually and states their three “facts”. The group then votes on what they think the lie is. This is a great activity because it allows everyone to share something about themselves. A team that knowns more about each other’s personalities, I believe can communicate more effectively.
One day at my work two individuals had a disagreement about how to handle a task and it escalated to shouting. Another crew member and I had to intervene and mediate. We compromised and handled the problem with elements of both plans. Sometimes all it takes to solve a problem is a simple compromise. However you have to make sure that you have a responsible team that will regulate themselves at times.
This is a somewhat subjective question so I can only answer for how I prefer bad news. At my work our pay was going to be cut due to low oil prices so the higher ups told our crew leader first who then told us. Since it was coming from our leader’s mouth and not from some piece of paper in the mail, it was much easier to handle. I think that bad news is better communicated first to the leader of various groups instead of being sent out all at once from someone nobody has ever met.
I will do a simple, yet I think very important example. Sometimes we get so caught up in the rush that we begin to tell people to do things instead of asking nicely. One time at work another member told his counterpart to go get a tool for him, and the way he asked him somewhat irritated the other man. We often forget how powerful a simple “please” can be for keeping order in a work place, even if it is just tacked on, the other person can usually appreciate the effort.
Building 102
One of the best team building activities I have been a part of is known as organization day in the Army. This is a day where all work related activities are shut down and everyone competes in games or sports. The activities range from tug-o-war to basketball. It gives everyone an opportunity to relax while at work and also helps build trust camaraderie with your coworkers. These are usually conducted on a Friday and families are invited to attend as well which helps promote a family atmosphere within the organization.
The most recent team conflict I dealt with was a conflict between a few of my subordinates. These personnel were government civilians who are authorized two 15 minute breaks a day plus an hour lunch. The conflict occurred between smokers and non-smokers. The non-smokers accused the smokers of taking more breaks than they were authorized which caused resentment for both parties. To resolve the situation I reiterated the policy on breaks and placed a whiteboard in the office where employees had to log their lunch hour and breaks. Additionally, a coworker had to witness the times of departure and return. This conflict occurred about a year ago and there have been no issues since. I think this would fall under the informal approach as explained by Schwalbe on page 410. I did not single any individual out but instead addressed the entire workforce.
Contractors who perform a service for the government are often treated more like an asset than a person. Every year contract companies compete for expiring contracts. Sometimes those that previously held the contract lose it to a lower bidder meaning people lose their jobs. Soldiers and government employees are not allowed to communicate this to the individual contractors according regulation. That information must come from the contractor companies. Unfortunately this information is not conveyed to the contractor until a few days prior to the contract expiring. The contract companies show little regard for the person and instead treat them like a piece of equipment.
The communication between the individual contractor and their companies needs to improve greatly. Individuals hate being treated like this and jump ship for another job at the first opportunity. This high rate of turnover leads to poor morale, poor performance and employees that just do not care. I believe if the contracting companies were more upfront and honest with their employees it could greatly improve morale and performance.
Building 103
Team-building activities include using physical challenges and psychological preference indicator tools (Schwalbe, 2015, p386). Where I worked, every year, there would be a Spartan Race (http://www.spartan.com/en) in which we would put together a team or two to join the race. It is over a 2 mile race with about 23 obstacles that was challenging both physically and mentally. We joined with the mindset that we start as a team and we finish as a team. Throughout the obstacles, some would be better at some obstacles while others better at other obstacles. Throughout the race we would mentor and coach each other over the various obstacles and provide moral support to each other as we would traverse the course. In the end, we were a better team and had greater camaraderie between us.
When you’re in a team environment that has worked together for a while, the introduction of a new team member can usually cause conflicts in the beginning. When that happens, there are several approaches that the supervisor can use. According to Blake and Mouton (1964), there are five basic modes or strategies for handling conflicts (Schwalbe, 2015, p391). The five modes are: Confrontation, Compromise, Smoothing, Forcing, and Withdrawal (least favorable). It is up to the supervisor to understand which mode is best to use in the situation that is causing the conflict.
