Teamwork: Personal Reflection

Teamwork: Personal Reflection

I believe that our team effectiveness can be measured by looking at how we approached assignments and course objectives. Our effectiveness as a team can be broken down into the following: Unity, being self-conscience, being goal oriented, having a positive atmosphere, having frequent discussions, freedom to express opinions, having few disagreements, quick decision making, being well balanced, having constructive criticism, and shifting leadership roles.

One of the first principles that made our team effective was a clear unity of purpose. Each objective presented to us was broken down and discussed freely and openly within the group, until each team member had a clear commitment for a component of the objective. As an effective team we also were able to be self-conscience about our work. Being self-conscience allowed us to be aware of any mistakes fellow team members were making when completing an objective. We also were able to see future issues when working a problem, this allowed us to re-strategize when needed.

Everyone in the team had clear and demanding performance goals. This was key when doing our final project due to it having such a large impact on our final grade. I believe everyone in my group is a successful student, which allowed them to focus on the performance of each group member.

We also encouraged a very relaxed, comfortable, and informal atmosphere on our team. There was no unnecessary stress placed on anyone, which promoted everyone being interested and involved. We often held open discussions on any topic brought up in the classroom. Everyone listened and did not interrupt when another group member was presenting his or her idea. This promoted creative ideas, and allowed everyone to participate in all projects and assignments.

Our group did have occasional disagreements. However, disagreements were not seen as a negative thing when discussing with the group. We carefully analyzed the person's disagreement and then "went around the room" to see if anyone else agreed with the disagreeing member. The disagreements we faced in class usually were taken into consideration, resolved, and actually improved our performance. All of our decisions were based on group agreement majority, nonetheless if anyone had objected strongly to our ideas we would have taken their concerns under advisement.

One critical component that we found was vital for team efficiency was each individual