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This is NOT a paper. This is your REPLY to another student's discussion post.
Discussion Reply Guidelines:
- A minimum length of 500 words or more.
- Discussion reply content reflects full understanding of core concepts and applies core concepts accurately.
- Discussion reply displays significant depth of analysis, provides significant insight not otherwise offered and relates to assigned topics
- Discussion reply mostly incorporates specific content and examples from course material to competently substantiate independent points and ideas. Reasoned implications and conclusions are also clearly and accurately identified.
- Discussion reply accurately incorporates three or more external sources which were researched independently related to the module topic.
- Uses APA format and style for references and citations of external sources.
- Language used in discussion post is clear, concise and easy to understand. Content has few to no grammatical or spelling errors.
- “One-liners" and "I agree" statements that aren't supported with an explanation are useless and won’t be accepted.
- Your replies should indicate that you have critically considered the merits of the original post, and offer commentary and critical evaluation of the post in a “substantive” fashion.
- Substantive replies:
- critically evaluate the original post made by a peer and cite alternate examples and information from sources that may contradict OR support a point made in the original post;
- relate aspects of that post to text readings or supplemental readings or videos when relevant and not addressed in the original post;
- add or relate additional information from outside sources to the situation discussed by the peer, and or
- offer and justify additional recommendations.
- It is important that you demonstrate respect for the diverse opinions of others.
Textbook: Osland, J.S., Kolb, D.A., Rubin, I.M., & Turner, M.E (2007). Organizational Behavior: An Experiential Approach (8th Ed.). Prentice Hall.
Student's Original Post:
"Within the pages of chapter 10, Osland discusses the topics of group dynamics and working as a team. There are a number of items that Osland discusses within the chapter that revolve around group dynamics and working as a team, such as how to create the right team, how to be effective as a team and how to be a cohesive unit that develops together. However, unlike many of the other chapters in this book, there is no one subtopic in particular that Osland discusses in this chapter that I have had a personal dealing with, and that is because I have personally been involved with many of the ideas that are discussed in chapter 10. With the jobs that I have held over my career, group dynamics and working as a team are things that I have always been involved in, in someway, and therefore, many of the topics that Osland addresses are experiences that I too have had in the past. Some of the topics that Osland addresses, that I have personal stories involving, are managing team members and team building.
The first real life, work related, experience I have with the material in chapter 10 revolves around the topic of managing team members. At my current job, there are many responsibilities, however, one of the chief responsibilities is being able to work with a team, and in certain situations, managing one. In the context of managing team members, Osland makes a statement that there needs to be the appropriate mixture of skills in the team so that way the team as a whole is able to accomplish the tasks that they set out to complete. This statement could not be truer, from my own experiences. There was a time, over the last year at my current employer, that I was put in charge of a team project. My team was tasked with the responsibility of handling a project that would oversee the transition away from our current program that we use on a daily basis for recording client data, to another program of a similar nature. When the task was handed out, and I was told my team members, the first piece of advice that my manager gave to me was that I needed to figure out what the strengths of each team member is, and then use that for the betterment of the team. Osland states that there are 5 skills that every team needs in order to be successful, and I have found that to be very accurate. With regards to my own experience with my team on this project, I quickly needed to realize that the team would need to have someone in each role that Osland describes (problem solving, conflict resolution, communication, goal setting, and coordination). However, while I grappled with the idea of who could fill what role, it eventually dawned on me that I do not need any one person for the role, but rather, every member of our team needed to be responsible for these actions. While some of the skills did fall on me, more so than the others due to the fact that I was the leader, everyone needed to be responsible for things like communicating ideas, problem solving the issue, actively listening, and monitoring the performance. After reading this portion of the text, I could not believe how Osland came to the same conclusions, as I had, about the necessary skill sets of a team and its members. However, Osland and I were not the only ones to come to these conclusions. If you look at team skills and dynamics, almost universally it is concluded that things like commitment, communication, responsibility, active listening, and problem solving abilities are needed from any team member in order for the team as a whole to be successful (Frierson, 2015). Therefore, that is just one example of how the information that Osland discusses in chapter 10 relates to a real life work experience that I had.
The other example that I wanted to discuss in regards to chapter 10, and managing teams is team building. Osland makes the statement in this portion of the chapter that typical business teams do not spend much time together planning goals, priorities, roles, etc. for the department, and the company as a whole. However, Osland states that this idea of team building is trending up, and now more companies are participation in this sort of action, and Osland is not wrong. Many companies are now participating in a team-building event, whether it is for special performers, or the entire company. In fact, some are even calling team building the most important investment that a company can make because of all the positive outcomes that can come from such an event (Scudamore, 2016). In my own experiences with this, I tend to agree with these statements and that is because my own company participates in a company wide team building every year. The company that I currently work for is located in three states, and has over 100 employees. However, since my company was founded over 25 years ago, the owner and founder has always pledge to have a team building event, every year, for the entire company, regardless of the cost. After participating in a few of these events now, I can say that the team building events are very motivational, and great to be apart of. You get a deeper look into the company, you get to talk with people that you usually do not get a chance to talk to on a daily basis, you get to learn about the direction of the company and where the leadership wants to take it, you get to have some fun, and most importantly, you do this as entire organization. The most meaningful thing for me is that this is not reserved for executives, or higher ups, everyone goes, participates, and is a part in this experience. Therefore, when Osland brought up the topic of team building in chapter 10, I could very much relate to the information that he was discussing in that portion of the chapter.
The other chapter that we were assigned to look at this week was chapter 13, or better known as the chapter that touches on the topics of conflict and negotiation. In this chapter Osland really dives into the aspects of conflict, such as how it can occur, the levels of conflict, and how to handle conflicts. The obvious topic to pair with conflicts would be negotiations, because when there is a conflict, eventually it will need to be settled and there will need to be some sort of negotiation process to get to that point where all parties are happy and calmed down. While there are a few interesting topics in this chapter that Osland touches on, in regards to conflicts and negotiations, there was one sections in particular that truly hit a soft spot for me, because of an experience that I had in the past. The one section was the conflict-handling modes. For me, in the situation that I experienced, these two topics went hand in hand, and that is why when I was reading these sections, it helped me to relate to the material.
There was one point, early on in my career at my current place of business, which I was in a meeting with one of my managers, and an executive on the account, that we were working on. When the three of us were discussing an issue that the client was having, we began to talk about solutions, and issues with the client as well. My manager was, and still is, very attached to the client and was trying to see it from their perspective. The executive on the account, however, was looking at the problem from the other angle, as in it being their fault, how we are always bending over backwards for them, etc. Eventually, after they both tried to assert their side, it came to a head and a screaming match ensued. When the screaming match began to happen, I was very confused an startled because not only was I new, but I also did not understand how everything escalated that quickly. One thing that I had wished Osland touched on more was the type of conflicts that are witnessed in the workplace. However, from my own research, I found that the type of conflict that occurred was that of a values conflict, because they both had different ethical and moral stances on the subject, which is why they approached the conversation the way that they did. The type of argument that did occur was also an assertive one, being that they were both arguing for the satisfaction of themselves, rather than someone else (HR Council). With that being said, when it came to the argument, and from my perspective, I took an avoidance approach to the entire situation. The reason that I took an avoidance approach to this debate was not because of the gains that Osland states, such as no energy wasted, and waiting for a more important battle, but because of the fact that I was new and had zero clue what was going on. Not only that, but I was in no position to argue back with them, and I did not want to take one side over the other, so I thought I best to avoid it all together. Osland also states that there are some losses to a situation when you avoid a conflict, and I can see the reasoning behind it, but there are certain situations that are exceptions to the rules. With regards to the case that I was involved with, I was not less stimulated, or creative with my problem solving. I also did not have an incomplete comprehension of the work environment or have a lesser understanding of the needs of these two individuals. On the contrary, if anything I understood those people and in some respect, the work environment even more than before, and that was because that argument helped to enlighten me to the situation, rather than hamper me. It must be said that once they stopped shouting at one another, a compromise and some conclusions were reached on the subject, and everything was put behind them. As Osland states later on in chapter 13, one of the ways that negotiations can occur, and conflicts can be resolved is through negotiations and managing of emotions. Eventually, they both became aware of the people they were and who they were talking too. They both realized that they were highly emotional people who were looking to force their options on each other, and that was going no where quickly. So, instead of continuing down that path, they both, almost at the same time, broke out of this argument, and took the high road, so to speak. Instead of conflicting with one another, they negotiated and cooperated and came to some reasonable solutions. At the end of all of it they were able to brush it off quickly, as if nothing had happened. Therefore, while there are many subjects that are touched upon in chapter 13 with regards to conflicts and resolutions, due to an experience that I had at the beginning of my career at my current place of employment, the topic of conflict-handling modes sincerely meant something to me in this chapter.
References
Frierson, W. (2015, July 14). 10 Qualities Of An Excellent Team Player At Any Workplace - College Recruiter. Retrieved from https://www.collegerecruiter.com/blog/2015/07/14/10-qualities-of-an-excellent-team-player-at-any-workplace/
HR Council (n.d.) Workplaces that Work. Retrieved from http://hrcouncil.ca/hr-toolkit/workplaces-conflict.cfm#_secA1
Scudamore, B. (2016, March 09). Why Team Building Is The Most Important Investment You'll Make. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianscudamore/2016/03/09/why-team-building-is-the-most-important-investment-youll-make/2/#47926126db2f