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Group Task Experience
Working in groups can be an exciting experience but it can also get troublesome sometimes. This paper seeks to share my experience of working in a group presentation task.
Group dynamics are quite complex to understand. The positive dynamics that were observed in the group include that everyone in the group was participating equally in the tasks. The group leader gave an equal opportunity to everyone to take part in the group work and learn. In addition, the person who was quite good at doing something volunteered to do that task himself. One of the members who was having good writing mechanics offered to proofread the final presentation file to pinpoint and rectify any writing errors if found.
However, one of the negative dynamics noticed in the group was that one of the group members was not happy with the group leader and wanted to take charge of presentation himself. He had issues with any decision and disrupted the overall goal of the group project. Besides, one of the groups remembers did not carry his weight and expected others to do his task as well. He had issues in doing whatever task was assigned to him. He never explained the apparent reason for not doing his task on time. His attitude caused resentment in the whole group as everyone was expected to participate equally in the group chores.
I was given equal right to participate in the group presentation, and I accomplished whatever was assigned to me. In fact, I was given more importance because I played a considerable role in the presentation. Being a Chinese, I was asked more about Chinese culture and thoughts and viewpoints. Chinese people hold regarding Americans. I was taking a lot of interest in the presentation as it allowed me to have knowledge about the factors that I was not familiar with earlier. I knew that the project is going to help me further in my life and hence I participated equally.
Apart from what was assigned to me, I volunteered to do comprehensive research on the Chinese aspects and the section of the project which dealt with research on aspects from China. I tried to increase the knowledge of others regarding Chinese culture and Chinese people's perceptions and expectations of Americans. The group leader and the members trusted my words, knowledge, and capabilities. I was also very keen on the success of group presentations.
No, I did not feel limited by the group leader. I was given equal importance, and my opinions and words were given importance. I did not feel neglected and ignored in any of the stages of the group work. Every time we were having a group discussion, I was invited. I was given equal right to participate and in the group. The group leader was instrumental, and he listened to everyone in the group including one. His leadership skills were evident from this fact that he gave importance to each other’s words and this is why he earned a lot of respect from me and other group members as well. In addition, as the group task began he assigned tasks to each of the members as per the expertise and interests of every person. However, not all the members were equally participative and he also faced criticism by some of them, but he was able to manage criticism in a proficient manner. Without any doubt, he was a good leader and deserved this position.
Conflicts in a group is an inevitable factor. However, effective teams and groups strive to eliminate the destructive conflicts and develop constructive conflicts CITATION Guf10 \l 1033 (Guffey). The team leader was very effective in solving conflicts in an effective manner. He resolved conflicts so as to avoid the dysfunctional behavior. One of the reasons for team conflict was due to the person who was not ready to do his work on time and made other group members complain about his attitude. The group leader listened to his opinions and reasons, and he was less burdened as compared to the other members and he asked other members to stay more focused on the group objective. Some of the group members were having conflicts about who will play the role of the presentation opener. The point of conflict regarded capabilities of two members, some wanted one to initiate, and a few wanted others. The leader appreciated skills of both, and he let both of them decide who can play a role in its best possible way and in this way the conflict was solved.
The only point of presentation with which I disagreed was the timing of the presentation. Some aspects of the presentation required more time than what was allocated to them. The group leader and other members were focused more on the exact time division on each subject. I gave my opinion but agreed to others viewpoint. I am not so unhappy about it. Overall working in a group was an exciting experience, and it was a great source of learning for me. I learned to work effectively in a team and the benefits of active listening and respecting each other's opinions in the team. The success of the group is by resolving any conflicts and just focusing on the group objective rather than the individual objectives. Understanding and appreciating other viewpoint is also essential for group success and it must not be ignored. I am looking forward to other group tasks and projects as they are an ample source of learning and education.
Works Cited
BIBLIOGRAPHY Guffey, Mary Ellen, and Dana Loewy. Business communication: Process and product. Cengage Learning, 2010.
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