APPENDIX
ASSIGNMENT HEADING AND TITLE……………………………………………………….2
PART 1A PAST TEAMWORK AND EXPERIENCES…………………………………….3
PART 1B WORKING WITH YOUR MMM211 TEAM…………………………………4 - 6
TEAM CONTRACT…………………………………………………………………………………..7
TEAM PROCEDURES…………………………………………………………………………………..8-9
TEAM EXPECTATIONS…………………………………………………………………………………..10
TEAM PARTICIPATION …………………………………………………………………………………..10-12
TEAM NORMS…………………………………………………………………………………..14
CONSEQUENCES FOR FAILING TO FOLLOW PROCEDURES AND FUFILL
EXPECTATIONS…………………………………………………………………………………..15
SIGNATURES AND CONTRACT…………………………………………………………………………………..15
REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………………………………………………16
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MMM211 – Team Dynamics Assessment Task 1 – Brandon Moran 21726
2
PART 1A – PAST TEAMWORK AND EXPERIENCES
I have had many times in my life where I have had to work in a team. One of those times
was when I had to work in my part time job as a barista at my local café. There were many
roles to be filled in a café that not only a barista can do, as they are just one of the many
cogs in the machine that makes up a successful café team. The purpose was that a good café
team needs to work together to provide excellent customer service in order for customers
to come back and spread positive word about the establishment in order to have a solid
reputation. As a solid reputation correlates to more sales as the café gets more and more
popular and requires a positive net income in order to stay open and make profit.
I was a member of this team from the year 2020 to 2022 and am still currently present in
the work roster. What makes us a team is that we all had different roles we had to do in the
café so that the operations run smoothly and customers are kept satisfied. This would
include making coffee, taking orders, making iced beverages and waitering tables to provide
a positive dining experience. For example, as a barista of the café, my job was to make
coffee for the customer, but I first have to know what coffee they have ordered to be able
to make it in the first place. This would mean my co-worker who was also a part of my team
had to be able to receive the order when the customer came up to the register. Which they
then would put into the computer system for the docket to print out and for me to receive
it. When the coffee was made, the waiter would then take the coffee to the person who
ordered all in the span of a few minutes. Even though one person could do all of these
processes, a team is needed due to the fact that during busy times when multiple people
want to order food and drinks, one person is not enough to handle the rush of orders, and
so everyone has their own role in order for efficient operation. These roles include barista,
waiter, cleaner, chef, bartender and many more.
What worked well in the team was that we all used various tools and equipment to
communicate with one another, such as computer systems that allowed us to type
messages to the kitchen for the chefs, and dockets that were displayed electronically so that
we didn’t have to move from our stations. We all communicated verbally such as saying,
that coffee is for table 8, or table 10 needs to be cleared and wiped. What didn’t work well
was that if communication was lacking such as the person on the register not telling the
barista the customer wanted the coffee extra hot, and they didn’t put it into the system for
the barista to see. Which would then lead to an unhappy customer as their order wasn’t
made right. As a barista, my own behaviour would be different to my MMM211 team as
inside the café I take a leadership role as my area is an essential and important core of the
team. Whereas in my MMM211 team I would need to take a step back and listen to others
more effectively rather than telling everyone what to do as my team is on an equal
hierarchy with me, and not the management style I am used to in my workplace.
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PART 1B – WORKING WITH YOUR MMM211 TEAM
My current role in my MMM211 team is both similar and different to my role that I have
outlined in part A. Some similarities are that there is a similar amount of people on the
team, as when I am working in the café there would be around 4 to 7 people working as a
team at any given time. For my MMM211 team, there are 5 of us including me so the
contributions are similar in terms of splitting the workload. Our interactions are similar in
the fact that we use online social media such as Facebook messenger to communicate with
each other outside of the work hours whenever we need to relay information. Such as who
is on the roster for tomorrow and what tasks need to be done. In a similar way, using a
calendar with my MMM211 group so that we can organise what tasks need to be done and
when our next team meetings will be. Another way that the interactions are similar is that
we all speak to each other with respect and all listen to one another when we have
something to say that could improve the situation and make our work easier. We are all fair
to one another and another similarity that stems from both groups is that in the roles that
we are assigned, when we are going strong and doing well in our current task, we then are
able to support another team member with their task. This is because a chain is only as
strong as its weakest link. Similarity in the café, if there is a section that is behind and is
unable to keep up as well as the other sections, people would come in to support and back
each other up in order to make the workplace smoother and more efficient.
When we were creating a team contract, the process me and my team went through was a
long and lengthy one. First, we all had to contact each other through our student emails as
that was the only form of communication we had initially. After we had contacted each
other through email, we organised adding each other as friends on Facebook to use the
social media platform messenger as means of communicating as the messages were a faster
way to talk instead of waiting for emails to be delivered and opened, as messenger chats
were instant and more efficient in using it to organise ourselves. Once a messenger group
chat was established, we then added each other on Microsoft teams to be able to share
documents and links and video call for a more organised way of doing our assignment
together and finishing the tasks. We also used to google docs to keep track and make sure
we were editing the same document, as the document was able to be live edited and
changed on a cloud platform. During our team meetings, we talked about what were our
strengths and weaknesses and how we should approach the project as teams are brought
together to perform organizationally relevant tasks (Kozlowski & Bell, 2003) We concluded
that we were all easy-going people and we didn’t mind delegating different parts of the
assignment to be split evenly among us. First we decided to find times every week to have
team meetings where we met each other face to face and communicated with our voices,
and then take on the tasks such as the team contact together. We would then split off to do
our own tasks that we were assigned to do and meet back the week after to discuss and go
over our findings, research, and work.
Drawing on Belbin’s theory of team roles, in Belbin, R. M. (2010). Team Roles at Work. The
roles I identify with are Plant, as I believe I am creative, imaginative, and free thinking. I’m
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able to generate ideas and solve problems. As well as an Implementer as I am practical,
reliable, and efficient, and are able to turn ideas into actions and organise tasks in the team.
These are the roles that I feel like I am the strongest in, because during the team meetings
I’m able to use my head to think of ways we can approach the tasks based off on what other
people are building up to. Also, when we had trouble finding a right time to be able to have
a team meeting, it was my idea to not have a 100% attendance rate through all of the
meetings but do our best, but the next meeting would be that the ones who missed the last
one would have first priority in the time selection for when the next meeting would be so
that they wouldn’t be able miss out on this one. This would consequentially result in a fair
attendance across our group and make sure that everyone stays up to date and on track
with the task. I personally believe in our team that Chaturi makes a strong Monitor
Evaluator, as she is able to see the bigger picture and see all our options by judging
accurately. I also perceive that Joel is a good team worker as he is co-operative, perceptive,
and diplomatic, he always listens to everyone and averts friction, and is happy to go along
with most of the ideas that are being said while contributing his own. Catherine is a
resource investigator as she is enthusiastic, communicative and explores different
opportunities while Thesni is also a good team worker role similar to Joel. For our team to
work to achieve the team outcome, Chaturi is probably our best fit for our team leader as
she is able to really organise us and delegate the tasks effectively, while Catherine is able to
be imaginative and creative with the approaches in a similar fashion to me as a plant.
Together with Joel and Thesni who are easy-going and are happy to get the work done when
things are going in a direction we have a solid team to be able to complete the task as best
as we can efficiently.
Drawing on Tuckman’s stages of team development, we were able to navigate efficiently
through the forming, storming and norming stages. In the forming stage, we were socialising
and getting to know each other. By doing this we familiarised ourselves with one another
and got more comfortable around each other. We also did a lot of questioning with each
other and the task, such as asking each other what we thought of this idea and how abouts
we were going to go in terms of direction and communication with the assignment. Focusing
on our group identity and purpose as well as sticking to safe topics allowed us to navigate
through the forming stage with breeze. As we were all eager to get the formalities out of the
way and start getting work done. Chaturi was forming a good strategy with taking the lead
and providing clear instructions for us, acting as our leader and we were all good at
communicating with our quick response times.
For the storming stage it was a lot easier than I had initially thought, as we didn’t have a lot
of resistance and clash of ideas, we were all happy to listen to each other and provide clear
reasoning for our ideas and actions, and most of us were happy to contribute and go with
the idea that sounded the best. There was not much conflict and competition, nor high
emotions. This was a result of good communication and expectations, as well as respect in
us listening to one another and all participating fairly. This is in line with 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. The only thing that was slightly
on the cards for a lack of participation was when we were trying to find a time to have a
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meeting in the later weeks, and it was difficult to find a time for everyone. However it was
suggested by myself to go ahead with the meeting with the majority, and for the person or
people that couldn’t make it, to have their times as first priority for the subsequent
meetings so that we could all have a fair attendance and not be left out of contribution for
the project. This also worked well with our norming stage as we were developing cohesion
with one another and were all engaged and supportive of each other’s ideas. Such as when
Joel suggested we were to make our decisions based on majority votes, but not before we
heard everyone’s opinion and idea first. This mutual commitment also creates joint
accountability which creates a strong bond and a strong motivation to perform (Sisson,
2013). That way we were all heard while at the same time maintaining harmony. We will
respect each other by speaking politely, withholding judgement, and using clear and
effective communication when conflict arises. We will respect each other’s time by letting
each other know in advance if we cannot make a meeting or complete a task.
We will maximise group efficiency by holding each other accountable. We will rely on others
to complete tasks and will gain an understanding of each other’s strengths to continue to
function well as a team. We will update each other on our progress. We will create a
nourishing team environment by allowing team members flexibility and room to make
mistakes. We will encourage and support each other by offering help when it is needed.
6
TEAM CONTRACT
TEAM NAME: Dynamic Dynamos
Suggestions:
Dream Team, Team Dynamics 23
TEAM NUMBER: 23 (as specified on the unit site, go to Tools then Groups to obtain your
number)
Team Members Details:
Team Member Name Student ID Numbers
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1.Chaturi Tennege
220605976
2.Thesni Silva
221416895
3. Joel Cooper
220332128
4.Catherine Di
222276926
5.Brandon Moran
217268867
TEAM PROCEDURES
1. Day, time, and online location for regular team meetings (such as via Zoom, Skype
etc.)
A. We will meet every Saturday at 8am for our regular meetings. As many team
members have varying schedule and time commitments, in the event of any
conflicts, we will determine a more suitable time via the messenger app. Meetings
will be video calls and held via Microsoft Teams (Team Dynamics Group)
B. We will aim to attend each meeting to the best of our ability. However, in the case of
an unforeseen event, we will let the team know that we are unable to attend at the
earliest convenience. Team members that attended the meeting will fill in the
unavailable team members and support them in understanding their tasks for that
week. The team member will be responsible to take initiative and catch up on work
as each member is required to take initiative.
2. Preferred methods of communication (such as your team’s private discussion forum,
Deakin email, Skype, Facebook) in order to inform each other of team meetings,
announcement, updates, reminders, problems:
A. Meetings will be on video calls that are held via Microsoft Teams (Team Dynamics
Group) because it is easier to discuss with free-flowing communication as though we
are having conversation.
B. Google Docs will be used to work on tasks including the team contract, meeting
notes and files regarding the festival. Google Docs allows team members to edit the
work simultaneously to allow us to reach a high standard of work collaboratively.
Google Docs assists in solving our conflicting schedules.
C. Facebook Messenger will be used to inform each other of meeting times, using
features like polls, announcements, updates and reminders. Messenger will also be
used to let the team know if an individual is unable to make a meeting.
3. Decision-making policy (by consensus? by majority vote?).
A. All members of the team are encouraged to propose their ideas during team
discussions. All prompts are discussed and evaluated to determine the best outcome
for the team. All decisions are decided by a majority vote or discussed until resolved
and a solution has an 100% agreeability rate.
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4. Method for setting and following meeting agendas (Who will set each agenda?
When? How will team members be notified/reminded? Who will be responsible for
the team following the agenda during a team meeting? What will be done to keep
the team on track during a meeting?)
A. Each week we will rotate the designated leader - this individual who will be
responsible for the meeting agenda that week as well as organising meeting times.
This ‘designated’ leader will change from week to week. The leader will be
determined via a process of volunteering. This process will allow an even workload
and avoid overworking one individual. Team leaders will implement the agenda
during the meeting and keep the team on track by allocating time blocks to discuss
major issues to ensure efficiency. Team leaders will follow up with team members
after the meeting to ensure that tasks are completed.
B. Despite the capability of each weekly leader, each team member also has a
responsibility to follow schedules, attend meetings and finish assigned work.
C. Messenger will be used as the main form of communication between meetings.
Scheduling will be completed on this app. Polls can be used as a tool to determine
suitable meeting times.
5. Method of record keeping (Who will be responsible for recording & disseminating
minutes? How & when will the minutes be disseminated? Who will write the
summary of the team meetings and record them in the designated area of
CloudDeakin?)
A. Weekly team leaders are primarily responsible for recording and disseminating
meeting minutes as well as recording the designated area of CloudDeakin. This will
happen within seven days of the meeting. Other members can add or refine notes
taken.
B. The primary place to record notes is Google Docs as it is collaboration friendly and
can be accessed and edited by all members instantaneously.
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TEAM EXPECTATIONS
Work Quality
1. Project standards (What is a realistic level of quality for the written report?)
A. We are aiming for a report that reads well and communicates effectively. We intend
to continuously refer to the marking rubric to align our assignment with the level of
a distinction or high distinction. Tasks will be allocated to certain members within
the group; however all members will be available to provide support and guidance to
each other. All team members will be involved in the editing process and adjust and
improve where needed.
2. Strategies to fulfill these standards (How will we achieve these standards):
To fulfil these standards we will:
A. Refer to the rubric consistently.
B. Take advantage of our different backgrounds, experiences, and strengths. Learn
from each other and work together to achieve our goals.
C. Practise regular and effective communication. Check in with team members. Be
open to share and practice active listening.
TEAM PARTICIPATION
1. Strategies to ensure cooperation and equal distribution of tasks:
To ensure that all tasks are cooperated effectively and distributed in a fair and even process,
we will be allocating tasks among our group to make it easier to comprehend our workload
and work together in a more efficient way. By discussing our strengths and weaknesses and
listening to each other with different opinions and inputs, we will decide as a team to
allocate the said tasks in what we believe is the appropriate direction. Furthermore, a
rotation of leadership will be ensured so that we would all take turns in leading the project
and allowing us to have our own say. By doing this process, everyone is ensured to have
their opinion voiced and the project is done as a team. This will be done by giving a team
leader role each week to a different team member to lead the project and be the head of
discussion and conversation.
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2. Strategies for encouraging/including ideas from all team members (team
maintenance):
For the project to encourage and include ideas from all the team members, we will be
asking each other our opinions during the team meetings and ensuring the project is done
on an online google document. By having the document on a shared spare, we are able to
communicate effectively by seeing each other's work and work together more effectively as
we will be doing it all on the same page. In our meetings, we will go through the rubric,
team assignment and team notes together and encourage one another to speak up on what
we think about the different steps and questions that are provided. We will be asking each
other what we think and get everyone to share their thought process so we have a
document that is of everyone's ideas and opinions. If we don’t understand someone's input,
we will ask them to expand further and aim to understand one another. This will be done in
the meetings most of the time and in our team’s space/messenger chat.
3. Strategies for keeping on task (task maintenance):
Strategies that will be used for keeping on track with the task, will be constantly
communicating with each other and keeping the team up to date with our progress and
completion of tasks that have been done. This will be managed by our discussions during
our meetings when we talk about what has already been completed and what is yet to be
done. We will aim to have clear goals and deadlines by specific dates and hold each other
accountable by asking each other if we have done our part and checking up on each other.
This shall be done online in the meeting or in our team's space discussion or messenger
chat. Moreover, we will be asking each other ahead of time so we can have solid time
management and know what we will be expecting by keeping on track of the tasks. By
checking up on each other on a regular basis, which the frequency will be every few days or
when necessary, we are also able to support one another with obstacles we might be facing
on our own, due to the task being split among all of us, enabling us to work as a team and
support one another. We will have a calendar with important dates such as meetings and
tasks due so we are all able to keep on track and know when we have to do something
specific by that time. Staying on the agenda will be crucial to our efficiency so we will aim to
follow it as best as we can.
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4. Preferences for leadership (informal, formal, individual, shared):
Our preferences for leadership are that not one person will be the decision maker for the
team, but rather a shared opinion group that will make sure we all have our inputs before a
decision is made with the majority. Similar to a democracy where we will take a vote and go
ahead with majority for the decisions being made, that way we are all able to discuss and
hear everyone's side before going ahead with the completion of the tasks. This shared
leadership is what we found to be the fairest, and we are able to hear each other out and
work as a team better because we all feel like we are being heard. Even if one person were
to disagree with the majority, at least their input was heard in the first place and
considered. We will be able to do the assignment with all sides of information and opinion
discussed.
PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY
5. Expected individual attendance, punctuality, and participation at all team
meetings
We intend for all team members to attend meetings. However, as this is not possible in
every scenario we expect that sometimes adjustments will need to be made. To make this
process as efficient as possible we aim to have a regular meeting time (Saturday Mornings)
and to adjust this as required. Members are responsible to follow up with team members in
the case of a missed meeting. Members are responsible to notify other team members of
the inability to attend a meeting via the messenger app at the earliest convenience.
6. Expected level of responsibility for fulfilling team assignments, timelines, and
deadlines:
Each team member is required to have a high level of responsibility towards completion of
tasks related to the assignment. Members are expected to use a calendar to determine
their schedule and ensure that they have allotted time to complete assignment related
tasks.
It is expected that team members will complete a minimum of seven meetings before the
submission of Assessment 2. It is expected that a draft of the assignment is completed well
before the due date to account for any errors, revisions, and editing. To work up to our goal
of a completed assignment, team members will be encouraged to break down work and
begin with smaller components. Team members will be encouraged to work with each other
to brainstorm ideas and complete tasks.
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B. Expected level of communication with other team members:
All team members are expected to attend most if not all team meetings. Casual and
frequent communication via messenger is encouraged. This format allows for ease and
efficiency. Communicating via messenger is less formal and alleviates anxiety. Members are
expected to respond to messages and emails in a timely manner. Team members are
expected to communicate respectfully with each other. Team members are encouraged to
share any queries with relevant members and work together to develop a cohesive report.
C. Expected level of commitment to team decisions and tasks:
Team members are expected to be involved in most if not all team decisions and tasks,
except in instances that don’t involve their input. All team members are encouraged to
share their opinions in the process of decision making. Team members are expected to
prioritise the tasks that are assigned to them and complete them to a good standard and
follow up with relevant team leaders. In the case that team members are unable to
complete tasks due to illness or other factors, they are encouraged to communicate in
advance with team members so other plans or alternatives can be organised. It will be
important that these aspects are discussed in a timely manner to allow for completion of
assignment by the due date. Team members are encouraged to be engaged and responsible
in the completion of their tasks.
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TEAM NORMS
We will respect each other by speaking politely, withholding judgement, and using clear
and effective communication when conflict arises. We will respect each other’s time by
letting each other know in advance if we cannot make a meeting or complete a task.
We will maximise group efficiency by holding each other accountable. We will rely on others
to complete tasks and will gain an understanding of each other’s strengths to continue to
function well as a team. We will update each other on our progress.
We will create a nourishing team environment by allowing team members flexibility and
room to make mistakes. We will encourage and support each other by offering help when it
is needed.
1. What strategies will your team use to ensure that the team norms are
upheld?
To make sure that our team norms are maintained we will practise regular communication.
To ensure that everyone is on the same page we will have regular discussions and all
individuals will be heard and encouraged to use their voice. Team members will be told
things in more than one way over different mediums to ensure that they understand what is
being communicated. Team members will be understanding of each other’s situations and
limitations. Team members will take responsibility of their words and actions and contribute
to a harmonious environment.
2. When will your team review your team norms?
Team norms will be reviewed every week, with special care taken to review the document in
the early stages of team formation. Team contracts can be bought under review by any
team member at any stage of the project. Team members have the autonomy to make
changes to the team contract at any stage of the project, with the changes communicated
and approved by all other members.
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CONSEQUENCES FOR FAILING TO FOLLOW PROCEDURES AND
FUFILL EXPECTATIONS
1. Breaches of any of the obligations of this team contract:
Any breaches of this contract will be handled in a polite and respectful manner. Team
members will be mindful in their interactions with other team members and will ask rather
than assume. Team members will check in with individuals regularly to ensure all team
members have adequate support.
If team members are repeatedly failing to meet expected requirements, they will be
expected to provide a valid reason and a date by which they will complete the required task
or tasks.
2. Describe what your team will do if the infractions continue:
If the team members aren’t able to cordially and effectively resolve any dispute that arises
within the team, team members will directly contact the unit coordinator to receive
suggestions on how to proceed with scenario.
SIGNATURES AND CONTRACT
***************************************************************************
a)
I participated in formulating the standards, roles, and procedures as stated in this
contract.
b)
I understand that I am obligated to abide by these terms and conditions.
c)
I understand that if I do not abide by these terms and conditions, I will experience the
consequences as stated in this contract
1) Chaturi Tennege date 10/08/2022
2) Thesni Silva date 10/08/2022
3) Joel Cooper date 10/08/22
4) Brandon Moran date 12/08/22
5) Catherine Di 13/8/22
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REFERENCES
1. Parker, Glenn M. (2008). Team Players and Teamwork : New Strategies for
Developing Successful Collaboration, John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, ProQuest
Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/deakin/detail.action?docID=331599.
2. Belbin, R. M. (2010). Team Roles at Work (2nd ed.). Chapter 3, Emergence of a Team
Role language, p. 22.
3. 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.
4. Kozlowski, S. W. J., & Ilgen, D. R. (2006). Enhancing the Effectiveness of Work Groups
and Teams. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 7(3), 77–
124. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1529-1006.2006.00030.x
5. 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.
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