Reflective Case Study
Introduction
The group assignment for Protein Fusion, gave me an insight of my performance, my relationship with my group members and the whole concept of what team really means. To evaluate my contribution and experience in this project, I will apply Bain et al. (1999) Reflective (5R) framework coupled with Belbins (2010) Team Role Theory. This reflection will include the aspects of responsibility, cooperation with other team members, and the ways in which the role of the member affected the actions and success of the team.
Reflection
Bain et al. (1999) Reflective Framework contains the following stages Reporting, Responding, Relating, Reasoning and Reconstructing, which will be applied below-
Reporting
My main roles were to coordinate and supervise the team, monitor everyones progress on their tasks, as well as to facilitate the process of discussion and combine all the input into a proper marketing campaign for Protein Fusion Crunch Cereal. I can be best described as a Coordinator in terms of Belbins team role theory. These include such activities that involve defining objectives, assigning responsibilities and encouraging decision making which greatly impacted my involvement and perception through the project.
Responding
Upholding responsibilities
Since I was a Coordinator, I had to use the innate talents of the staff and make sure that everything that we did have a purpose. The first of these was to determine the objectives of the tasks and how the assignment could be subdivided into biologically feasible components. This included making certain that all the project milestones were well defined, establishing accountability for the different subtasks where people had special skills as well as ensuring that there was good communication within the project team (Machost & Stains, 2023). As for the PESTLE analysis management, I engaged the assistance of team members who possessed great research abilities for carrying out the political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental evaluation. To achieve this, I made sure to conduct each section of the analysis properly while being cognizant of our strategic plans. By dividing the entire analysis into segments that different members of the team can work on, I ensured a detailed and systematic approach to understanding external drivers affecting Protein Fusion.
Concerning the marketing strategy, I made arrangements on how to coordinate every team member in order to tap from their different and original ideas. To enable the accomplishment of this, I conducted discussions to fine-tune the following ideas to build and implement the best strategy that would capture the health-conscious 18-35-year population. My task was to integrate these contributions into a comprehensive plan and highlight the distinctive selling point, Protein Fusion Crunch as a perfect breakfast food, heavy on protein.
Collaborative work and delegation
Organization and coordination went hand in hand with partnering work as Coordinator. While completing the course, I interacted with the team members who first and foremost possessed the Belbin role like that of a Plant, as well as Implementer and Monitor Evaluator roles. The Plant also came up with innovative feature recommendations for Products and innovative marketing strategies (Aranzabal, Epelde & Artetxe, 2022). I supported the Plant by encouraging their agreement to enable their imagination as a team, regarding their creations, but with overall business unit consideration. For instance, when the Plant proposed certain unconventional approaches to digital marketing, I was able to incorporate these sorts of strategies to our business plan. The Implementer who was in charge of controlling plans and giving account when tasks are due on played a major role in managing the project time. I assisted the Implementer by establishing specific guidelines, the details of which and the time frames provided for task completion contributed to the efficient going about of the tasks. For example, I followed up the direct schedule of performing the sections of the PESTLE analysis to ensure that each of them was being done effectively and on time.
The Monitor Evaluator gave the necessary insight and was also the source of strategic thinking. I further supported their function through making sure they informed most of the decisions made in the workplace. When coming up with the viability of influencer advertising, I supported the Monitor Evaluator and requested them to present the analysis, contributing to decision making.
Relating
Implementing responsibilities
Looking at the aspect of responsibilities implementation, I have learned that I am capable of implementing most of the duties assigned to me, though I have some weaknesses. Some of my responsibilities as a Coordinator include management skills such as leadership, organization, and communication skills which enabled me to perform the duties satisfactorily (Monsalves, Cornide-Reyes & Riquelme, 2023). To ensure that the team arrived at its objectives, I adapted clarity of direction, assignment of tasks and collaboration to our team. However, managing the conflicting views in a team was sometimes difficult because of the disadvantages that are associated with it (Diab-Bahman, 2021). Clustering individuals with a similar focus into subgroups allowed equal consideration of all suggestions while still keeping the groups focused on the main task.
Personal actions and attributes
As for one of the most important attributes, I tried my best to contribute my efforts in creating a favorable atmosphere in which all employees within the team would appreciate their importance and pursue excellence. I focused on good communication, and used techniques such as paraphrasing and reiteration, thus, making every individual actively participate in the discussion. One benefit released from this approach was the strengthening of the team and the collaboration that ensued (Kazeni, & McNaught, 2020). Even though the balancing of diversity might be an issue I ensured that I came up with constructive ways of dealing with the issue. Conflict solving also becomes an important part of teamwork; in such cases, I took a central role and helped the group resolve key issues. For instance, when we were considering the pricing strategy, I grabbed the corresponding opportunity to explain my position and also to promote further discussion and to come to a conclusion. To ensure that the executive summary is of high quality, I facilitated the reviewing of the document to give each member an opportunity to offer their views. This element of working in teams was very useful to creating a professional and thorough final report.
Reasoning
Performance Summary
My experience as the coordinator helped me manage the team and meet the set project objectives efficiently. I played an active role in the leadership and organization of the project and made sure that all work was done efficiently and effectively. Nevertheless, looking back at the experience, I have identified some aspects that can be developed further.
Future improvements
In future group projects, I would like to improve my conflict management skills as a key area of development. As stated by Tuckman (1965) in his theory on stages of group development, teams must go through forming, storming, norming and performing stages (Nawi et al., 2022). As for the storming stage, conflict may stem from differences in ideas and methods. In our team, one of the main sources of conflict was the presence of different opinions and approaches. In order to avoid this, I would make an effort to encourage more organized conflict solving strategies from the very start. Using techniques like listening to the team, understanding their feelings, and finding solutions together, I can assist in resolving conflicts. For example, the interest bargaining approach may help in ensuring that all the concerns we are holding are given an equal chance and considered when making decisions.
I would emphasize on enhancing interpersonal skills by engaging in even more group work with an aim of honing on teamwork and intergroup understanding. Therefore, in improving team dynamics, the productivity of the team increases because of the created spirit of togetherness and working as a team. This is in concordance with Belbins theory which placed a lot of emphasis on the necessity for differentiation, and the desirability of heterogeneity within a team for high performance. Therefore, Tuckmans model of group development alongside Belbins team roles can offer insight regarding team interaction. The internal changes that occur in a work group are best described by Tuckmans model, where the team has to pass through the following stages before it can perform optimally. Belbin was also of the opinion that every team should consist of different roles and indeed members of the team should understand how the other is a strength to him. With these theories in mind, I can further comprehend the problem areas in teamwork and aim to improve the working dynamics in future teams.
Reconstructing
Implementing changes
To implement these changes in future group projects, I will focus on the following actions-
Enhancing conflict resolution skills- Implement systematic conflict solving strategies, including interest-based negotiation, and ensure that the conflicting parties opinions are taken into consideration when making decisions (Soldat & Gonalves Weyers, 2023).
Fostering team collaboration- Participate in trust-building exercises, respect, and cooperation, thus enhancing the cohesiveness and productivity of the team.
Encouraging open communication- Encourage and model active listening and effective communication, making sure that all team members are engaged and willing to share their input (Harun, 2020).
Conclusion
Based on the group assignment, I gained insights on my strengths and weaknesses as a Coordinator. Improving conflict management skills and promoting cooperation will be beneficial for future team projects and personal development as a team player and leader.
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