Reflecting on Group Work to Improve Communication Skills and Performance - Essay Sample

Introduction

A significant number of people assume they understand themselves well in terms of having the correct way of communication, listening and appropriately responding to others; however, it is critical to do a reflection to understand and build on effective communication effectively. Reflection on my experience is a crucial aspect of all academics and professionals to improve communication skills and performance (Troth et al., 2012). I will reflect on group work done during this semester that has allowed students to gain critical skills in the management industry. Primarily, I will focus on the role I took in the group and analyze how I improved my communication process through that activity. Our team performed well; however, there are notable skills that we gained, such as effective delegation, communication and organization skills. The primary focus of this paper is to elaborate my experience on effective communication and the process that I underwent to improve my communication skills using Driscoll's model of reflection.

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The group comprised five members, with each member given different responsibilities within the simulation. I was given the role of a negotiator. However, at that time, I was not comfortable with the role since I felt it does not fit with me. The most challenging part concerning the role was coordinating the team through effective communication in a clearer and more assertive manner (Beauchamp, Maclachlan & Lothian, 2005). Sometimes, it was uneasy negotiating with other team members who did not give utmost cooperation to the assignment as required, and they seemed reluctant to compromise. These were among the biggest challenges I had; however, I significantly gained through the experience in terms of skills and confidence in communicating during the days we were involved in the assignment.

Effective communication in a team dynamic is critical, and reflecting upon it is very important (Goodboy & Kashy, 2017). In a team setup, members are supposed to adopt an open dialogue to stipulate planned agendas. Regarding my role in the simulation, my communication style was often inclined to not compromising myself. During the first instants of the assignment, the group was not doing very well since we were often late with the submission of assignments due to lack of focus, poor coordination and prior communication among members. Often, when members were inconsistent, I was emotionally overwhelmed, and group sessions were often featured with misunderstandings and conflict whenever we submitted late assignments.

For the better part of the group, the group coordination significantly improved. We often achieved the expectations of the course courtesy of effective dialogue, mutual understanding among members and group cohesion. The success of the group was achieved upon me changing my communication style. I became a reasoned thinker, and I could easily recognize when I was becoming stressed. I gradually learned to regulate my feelings and behave appropriately whenever some members were not fully cooperating, and often conversations were getting heated. Yang (2019) highlights that each member of the group should be an agent of change for effective coordination. I became more willing to compromise and tend to realize that a member of the group also cares more concerning an issue than I do, and the future of our association is more important. Ultimately, I can acknowledge that our team had improved in terms of communication throughout the rest of the simulation and reflecting on this assisted us easily improve and attain our goals.

At a point, my input to the team's perception differed significantly since members held a diverse opinion. However, a self-reflection about the issues presented an opportunity to rectify the issues that impede the performance of the group (Gill, 2002). It took courage, persistence and determination to improve on controlling emotions and assertiveness (Dunaway, 2019). I realized that effective delegation and effective communication and coordination prevented the group from attaining its target. Often, it was due to conflicting schedules and other commitments, and to me, it was a significant impediment to the performance of the team. We should have done better in delegating duties effectively and more clearly. Ellis (2012) highlights that the delegation of tasks saves considerable time; however, it was among the challenges that the group encountered since some members showed their strengths and weaknesses. We often experienced disputes whenever members arrived late in a scheduled meeting, resulting in performing simulation activities late and not completing the assigned tasks.

Having experienced the challenges we encountered during the simulation and critically reflecting upon them, I can argue that it was the responsibility of the team leader to ensure effective communication of activities, clear delegation of responsibilities promptly. This experience has been a valuable lesson to me that I utilize in the future and ensure I implement effective communication skills in my academic experiences as well as throughout my career (Kozlowski & Ilgen, 2006). Therefore, I have learnt a great deal from the role I took in the simulation project in terms of team dynamics and the role of effective communication in supporting learning during this semester. I have developed a new understanding and knowledge of how to coordinate a group through effective communication.

Reflection on effective communication that I acquired during the group work task has helped me to identify various areas that will enhance my experience in management practices. The reflection will enable me to develop the knowledge of management practices and subsequently allow personal criticism. One of the skills is to make sure that I improve effective communication with other people. In the group, we shared knowledge that will allow me to acquire the communication skills that help in understanding the requirements of other people in the surrounding.

Also, I have gained knowledge of verbal communication like paraphrasing to make sure that communication is well understood. Group work enabled me to demonstrate the attitudes and values of working in a management career. Additionally, I have learnt that paying attention is vital because it indicates respect and valuing the persons involved in the communication. Apart from developing listening skills, I have learnt that it is vital to establish the capability of reflecting feelings and words and explain that I have a proper understanding of them. I can now reflect on what I understand and communicate the message I intend to pass.

The group work improved my communication skills that promote mutual knowledge and teamwork between participating members. Klonek et al. (2016) asserted that of necessity in a group operation is a healthy climate for strong communication skills. I intend to communicate with other people in a friendly manner, listen to their views and feelings, respect their ideas, and make an effort to make them accept advice towards their creativity. Before making decisions, I start by listening and valuing other people's ideas. This is because, in group work, we created an open communication platform or the members to share their ideas before making decisions. Communication skills have significantly enhanced my listening, writing and speaking. Magni & Maruping (2018) highlights that effective communication within a group of employees a sense of mutual trust and fosters a good working relationship. I have gradually grown as a good communicator, and I can confidently convey information through writing or speaking as well as being an active listener.

References

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Klonek, F. E., Quera, V., Burba, M., & Kauffeld, S. (2016). Group interactions and time: Using sequential analysis to study group dynamics in project meetings. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 20(3), 209. https://doi.org/10.1037/gdn0000052

Magni, M., & Maruping, L. (2018, July). Teamwork Under Stress: The Role of Mobile Affordances and Inspirational Leadership. In Academy of Management Proceedings (Vol. 2018, No. 1, p. 13088). Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510: Academy of Management. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2018

Kozlowski, S. W., & Ilgen, D. R. (2006). Enhancing the effectiveness of workgroups and teams. Psychological science in the public interest, 7(3), 77-124. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1529-1006.2006.00030.x

Ellis, S. 2012, 'Intellectual teamwork: social and technological foundations of cooperation.' Journal of Sociology, vol. 32, no. 6.

Gill, R. (2002). Change management--or change leadership. Journal of change management, 3(4), 307-318. https://doi.org/10.1080/714023845

Dunaway, M. M. (2019). IS learning: The impact of gender and team emotional intelligence. Journal of Information Systems Education, 24(3), 4. https://aisel.aisnet.org/jise/vol24/iss3/4

Goodboy, A. K., & Kashy, D. A. (2017). Interpersonal communication research in instructional contexts: a dyadic approach. Communication Education, 66(1), 113-115. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2016.1221515

Yang, H. (2019). A critical reflection on improving effective team communication. Frontiers of Nursing, 6(1), 13-18. https://doi.org/10.2478/fon-2019-0004