MMM211 Assignment Three – Team Dynamics
Brandon Moran – 217268867
Part A – Giving Feedback / Feedback Forms
Questions
Team Member 1
Team Member 2
Team Member 3
Team Member
4
Joel Cooper
Chaturi Tennege
Thesni Silva
Catherine Di
Brandon was
always sharing his
ideas. His second
strength was how
he managed his
time as he
completed his
parts ahead of
schedule.
Brandon was able
to take feedback
really well and
incorporate
suggestions into
his work. He was
also able to
approach
decision making
in a balanced way
and provided
good and
nuanced
solutions to
problems.
Brandon was an
integral member of
the team; he
provided creative
solutions to our
assignment
problems and was
an easy person to
get along with.
Brandon is able
to understand
the task well and
sees through
things in a logical
way that allows
for faults to be
corrected.
Another one of
his strengths are
that his
communication is
solid and allows
for the rest of the
group to
understand
where he is at in
regard to
workload.
Brandon was easy
to talk to you and
everyone felt
comfortable
sharing their
ideas with him.
The same traits
could make a
team worker too.
I enjoyed work
with Brandon as
he was friendly,
respectful, and
easy to get along
with.
I enjoyed the fact
that he had a
personable
demeanour and
spoke confidently
about his
initiatives for the
assignment.
It was enjoyable
working with
Brandon as he
was easy to work
with and
communicated
well. Brandon
also asked
questions that
required us to
think things
through
differently.
Question 1:
Team Member’s First and
Last Name:
(compulsory question)
Question 2:
What are two of Brandon’s
strengths in relation to
teamwork?
(compulsory question)
Question 3:
What did you enjoy about
working with Brandon?
(compulsory question)
Question 4:
According to Belbin’s theory
of team roles, which role/s
do you think suited
Brandon and why?
Brandon was
definitely a
implementer due
to his discipline
and reliability.
I believe that
'Monitor
Evaluator' suits
Brandon best
because he was
able to look at
the decisions that
we were
struggling to
make and see the
most balanced
and suitable way
to move through
that problem.
Teamworker and
implementer is
what I think suited
Brandon the most
because he
collaborated with
everyone with
ease and
cooperation and
he was a reliable
and practical team
member.
Brandon would
play either the
resource
investigator or
the teamworker.
Brandon always
gives ideas for
the team to work
off. Brandon also
works well in a
way which allows
for the team
altogether to
flow smoothly.
Brandon could
make sure to
question others
sometimes it
seemed he may
have had great
ideas but wanted
to avoid
confrontation.
In the future
Brandon can
share more of his
opinion with his
team and take on
more leadership
opportunities.
Brandon could
work on
developing his
leadership skills
with confidence
and creative
problem solving
My advice for
Brandon when
next working in a
team is to try and
take leadership
more often as
you definitely
have the
capabilities for it.
Brandon
managed his time
greatly in regard
to teamwork and
always did his
best to make
every meeting.
I think Brandon
managed his
teamwork on
time, and
completely all
tasks in a timely
fashion.
Brandon was quite
efficient in
managing his
responsibilities and
time with the
assignment, he
collaborated with
everyone making
sure we were all
on the same page
working
successfully
towards our goal.
Brandon
managed his time
well as he gave
frequent updates
and completed
his tasks in a
timely manner.
Brandon's ability
to communicate
in a team as
mentioned
previously was
very proficient,
however
sometimes he
could've said
more
Brandon was able
to communicate
well in a team
setting, although
could share him
opinions more.
He had great
communication
skills, expressing his
ideas on the
assignment themes,
and offering
constructive
opinions team
members collective
work
Brandon
communicates
really well with
the team, no
faults.
(compulsory question)
Question 5:
What advice can you
provide to Brandon around
what they could improve
on, when they next work in
a team?
(compulsory question)
Question 6:
Your choice
How do you think
Brandon managed their
time in regard to the
teamwork?
Question 7:
Your choice
What are your thoughts
on Brandon's ability to
communicate in a team?
Part B – Written Reflection
1.How do you feel after receiving the feedback from your team members? This may
relate to feedback you received informally during the trimester as well as feedback
you have received formally now as part of the feedback process in Part A. Does
anything surprise you? What does the feedback tell you about your role in your
team? What can you work on for future teamwork opportunities? (Approx. 400
words)
After receiving feedback from my team members, I felt like I am satisfied with the
responses that I was given. A lot of the questions were answered in the way that I
was expecting, and there weren’t any surprises to me at all. A lot of them spoke on
the creative talent that I had such as when Joel mentioned I was always sharing my
ideas, and when Chaturi and Thesni mentioned I provided creative ways to our
assignment as well as finding ways to work around problems, creating nuanced
solutions. From what I gathered in the feedback, my role in the team was that I was
able to make a solid contribution to the decision making that went behind a lot of
the work in the assignment, as well as being a very communicative member of the
team that was able to always keep the others up to date as well as see things in a
logical way that allowed faults such as our problems to be corrected, something
that Catherine mentioned.
A lot of my team mentioned that I was easy to talk to and I was friendly, something
I would pride myself on. I find it very easy to talk to people and I’m not hindered by
any social nervousness or anxiety, I just came in the group meetings to get the work
done and be straightforward, so having that feedback made me really appreciate
that I was easily approachable and respectful, and that I was easy to get a long
with, something that I really value and look for in my own group members
whenever I work on a group assignment or task together. Chris Argyris (2008) who
argued that was a function of the interpersonal competence of team members and
the extent to which the organization supported positive norms. I was able to speak
confidently such as Thesni mentioned and all 4 of members said they enjoyed
working with me, which makes me happy.
What I can work on for future teamwork opportunities based on the feedback my
team gave me was that I could take on a more leadership role, this is because I
have great confidence and problem-solving skills. My capabilities allow me to reach
further heights within a leadership role so if there were an opportunity to be a
leader in another group assignment I would take a more heads on approach and be
more of a leader there. This is because I want to avoid confrontation and I’m
generally happy going along with the flow and doing my best to work with others
which hinder me from bringing up more of my creative ideas, something that Joel
mentioned.
2.How effective were the ‘your choice’ questions (6 and 7) you developed in
seeking to obtain specific feedback from your team members? Did you receive the
responses you were expecting? Would you change the question/s and if so, how?
(Approx. 200 words)
I feel like my ‘your choice’ questions were effective in obtaining specific feedback
from my team. I had a general idea on what I could have done better on my own,
but from the responses that I received I was able to shape more of an
understanding of my own strengths and weaknesses in the group assignment.
In the first question, I asked if I was able to manage my time efficiently, because I
believed that I did all my tasks way before the deadline and I was able to keep on
top of things quite easily without asking for any sort of assistance. This in turn
allowed me to get feedback early and improve on my own work, such as when
Chaturi was going through some of my delegated part in the assignment and gave
me feedback that I should pick a more realistic celebrity and one that’s more
relatable to the community at Deakin. This allowed me in turn to improve my work
and make it better, as well as improve the group assignment as a whole. As I was
able to keep on time with my tasks, it allowed me to be a better team member for
the group as I was able to listen to feedback with open ears and take it on in a
positive way, strengthening us as a team and being a team player. This mutual
commitment also creates joint accountability which creates a strong bond and a
strong motivation to perform (Sisson, 2013).
In the second question, I asked about my communication because while I did feel I
communicated respectfully and contributed a good amount, I still feel like I could
have improved in other areas. This was confirmed when some of the group, in
particular Joel and Chaturi, mentioned I could have shared more opinions and
ideas. I didn’t share more than I wanted to because I didn’t want to take up a lot of
the talking and was afraid I would be pushing others out of the way and taking
unfair control of the work, but now I understand I could have shared it in a way that
allowed me to do so without being a hinderance as my team members asked me to.
3.Reflect on the process of providing feedback to your team members. What did
you find difficult, easy, surprising, or challenging? What will you take away from
this process for future opportunities when you might need to give feedback to
others? (Approx. 400 words)
The process of providing feedback to my team members was smooth and efficient.
While reflecting on my experiences with them, I was able to reflect and really seek
out their strengths and weaknesses which enabled me to provide more
constructive feedback that would allow them to take on their future roles more
efficiently and with confidence. The feedback which they gave me was the
feedback I was expecting and the same level to which I believe I gave to them. I
found that a lot of their questions, especially the ones they chose themselves were
simple but effective in their prompt.
To be honest, what I found the most difficult was finding more clear feedback for
my members Thesni and Catherine, while I did provide feedback to them in their
forms, I had slightly more trouble remembering their actions and their
contributions to the project. This is due to me missing a meeting or two with them,
and as a consequence I spent a slight amount of time less as opposed to my other 2
members Joel and Chaturi. Nevertheless, in my team meetings I was able to
pinpoint their strengths and contributions more accurately while in discussion with
Chaturi and Joel as they were able to provide insight and evidence of their
contributions and information on their behaviour such as communication and
workload. This allowed me to complete their feedback forms with much ease as my
memory was clearer once I had discussed with my other members as a team on
what we did well for the group assignment.
What I did find extremely easy was giving my feedback to my team members Joel
and Chaturi. This is because during the assignment I felt like those two were very
prominent in the decision making and were very involved in the methodical
processes on the assignment. This in turn made me remember them very well and
felt like they were an important integral part of the team that had very clear
strengths that I could give them feedback about. They utilised their strengths very
well in the assignment and I felt very secure and reassured during the group work
that we were in good hands. I speak fondly of them due to their initiative and
leadership skills as I was also able to spend more time with them compared to the
others during the meetings.
Something that I could takeaway during this process for the future when I give
feedback to my team members would be to spend more time with the people that I
know less about and find out their strengths and weaknesses more clearly on my
own. This would enable me to give better feedback based on my own experiences
rather than that of a group as a whole and become less reliant on others for their
opinions.
4.In Assessment 1, you were asked to provide a reflection on a past teamwork
experience. How has this experience in MMM211 compared to your past teamwork
experience? Was your contribution to the team interactions and outcome similar
or different? (Approx. 400 words)
My experience in MMM211 compared to my past teamwork experience is similar
but at the same time different in some areas. As there were many different roles to
be filled in a café, there were also different roles each of us had to play in the group
assignment. In order for us to be successful, we had to work as a team and use our
strengths as individuals to work together and create something much bigger than
what we could do on our own. Just like a successful café team that provides quality
services and goods to customers who visit and providing them a quality hospitality
experience.
Similarities between my past teamwork experience and this MMM211 group
assignment were that everyone was assigned and delegated tasks to do. In the
café, the many different roles we had such as barista, till service, waitering and
cleaning were all delegated to whoever was on the team during the day. This is
similar to us taking on different parts of the assignment such as me doing the
celebrity endorsement section of the report. In order for my section to work well
though, I had to ask Catherine for assistance as she was doing the budget, and I had
to know what I was working with the provide a rough estimate on the money I
could spend. As I had to be able to get a celebrity who was both realistic and
affordable. Communicating was a big part of this. Just like how I communicate in a
café with my team, such as telling them this table needs to be cleaned, or this
person would like to order, I also had to communicate with my group members in
order for the work to flow and be efficient. Without proper communicate the work
falls apart and everyone ends up doing their own thing and there is no synergy and
cohesion.
The differences between the café and the MMM211 work were that in the café I
took more of a leadership role as a supervisor or manager. This would mean I
delegate roles to others and generally tell people what to do and guide them with
their tasks, as well as provide assistance. I oversee the whole operation to see that
it’s running smoothly. I look at the whole premises as opposed to just focusing on
my own role that has been delegated. Instead of just doing one role and focusing
on that, my own role is to focus on other people’s roles to make sure they are
doing it properly and working together as a team. Whereas in the group
assignment, I took a step back and less of a leadership role, which is where people
like Joel and Chaturi took over, and I was happy to do the work I was given and
delegated, a big difference between the assignment and my workplace.
5.In Assessment 1, you considered Belbin’s theory of team roles and considered the
characteristics of the roles you most identified with. Based on the feedback
provided by your peers and your own personal learning through this trimester,
indicate which of the roles apply to you as an individual. Reflect on what this means
to you in terms of being a member of a team. (Approx. 600 words)
In assessment one the team roles I drew from Belbin were Plant, as I believed I was
creative, imaginative, and free thinking. As well as being able to generate ideas and
solve problems. I also did believe I was an implementer, as I thought I was reliable
and efficient, as well as being able to turn ideas into actions and organise tasks in
the team. Those were the roles that I felt like I was the strongest in.
Based on the feedback I was given by my team members, both Joel and Thesni said
that I was an implementer, as I was able to showcase a lot of discipline and
reliability during the assignment. As our plans were turned into procedures,
methods, and working practices so that they may become routines.” (Belbin, 2010).
Here Implementers such as myself are in their element. I believe this is true
because most of my work I got done a lot earlier than the due date, and I managed
to stay on top of my tasks so I was reliable in meeting deadlines a lot earlier than
they were due. This enabled me to have a lot more breathing room and take on
feedback in the extra time that I had. I was a very practical team member and I felt
like this was very true as I felt the need to get the work done as soon as possible
and out of the way. This was a weakness though as maybe I was not as thoughtful
and evaluative as my other team members.
Chaturi mentioned that she saw me as a Monitor Evaluator because I was able to
look at the decisions that the group was struggling to make and see the most
balanced and suitable way to move through that problem. An example of this is
when we were trying to make a time to have our 3rd meeting, but we couldn’t find a
time where all 5 of us could make it. When we were stuck, I suggested that we
should just pick the date where the majority of us could make it and the ones who
were not attending to get first priority on their preferred availability just in case
next week the same thing happens again. In a way, it was sort of a rotational
attendance that way it’s fair to everyone getting the same amount of time in the
meetings and not relying on the same people each time. In a way, this is similar to
the team role of the plant that I suggested earlier, as I was able to generate ideas
and solve problems. Similar to the monitor evaluator role that Chaturi mentioned.
Both Thesni and Catherine mentioned in their feedback that my role was a team
worker, and after the assignment was submitted and I had time to reflect, I believe
that is highly accurate and agree 100%. This is because during our meetings, I
would always listen along to the others and be complicit with whatever the
decision making happened to be. This is because “everyone who is part of a group
can positively influence the team’s effectiveness through how they handle their
participation in the group” (Goodman, 2018). I suggested a few of my own but was
never really at the front leading the way. This caused a lot of their feedback to say
that I could have spoken up a bit more and implemented more ideas as I had great
leadership capacity that I could have utilised a lot better. But in the end I believe I
chose to be a team worker instead because I was more than happy to work
together and avoid a clashing of ideas or confrontation as I wanted the assignment
to flow and be efficient. I would rather do the work and get it done than push
forward my own agenda and be difficult when things are not going my way. This
allowed for the team altogether to flow more smoothly and I can concur that my
behaviour in this group played a small part in that.
References
Belbin, R. M. (2010). Team Roles at Work (2nd ed.). Chapter 3, Emergence of a Team Role
language, p. 22.
Elisabeth Goodman’s Blog. (2018). Defining team norms for high performance teams.
[online] Available at: https://elisabethgoodman.wordpress.com/2018/06/03/defining-teamnorms-for-high-performance-teams/.
Sisson, J. (2013). The difference between a group and a team. The Business Journals.
Retrieved March 16, 2012 from http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/howto/growthstrategies/2013/06/the-difference-between-a-group-and-a.html.
Argyris, C. (1964). Integrating the Individual and the Organization. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley,
Parker, Glenn M.. Team Players and Teamwork : New Strategies for Developing Successful
Collaboration, John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2008. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/deakin/detail.action?docID=331599.