What Has Been Learned
The course “effective teams” is aimed at introducing students to the principal concepts of teaming that represent the core basis of any organization in the modern world. In the course of learning, the students receive valuable knowledge and gain practical skills that can assist them in making effective leaders and creative team members.
The course offers a large scope of the relevant material. First and foremost, the students get acquainted with the key challenges that a team is about to meet at an early stage of its formation. They learn about the nature of a potential resistance of group members and analyze its determining factors.
Another critical aspect that the course covers is the quality of group performance. In the relevant framework, a particular focus is put on the high performance and the criteria that might be applied to assess it. Thus, the students get to know about such critical elements of a group activity as targeting, decision making and communicating. Moreover, one is welcomed to speculate upon the roles that team members might potentially play and the importance of the stress-free and trust-based environment within the group.
Further on, the course passes to specific subjects such as leadership. There are a series of classes devoted to the examination of various leadership strategies, strengths, and weaknesses. A special focus is laid on the team dynamics that play a significant role in determining the quality of group performance. Hence, the students are introduced to the efficient strategies and approaches that can help to maintain a positive team dynamics and avoid dysfunctional performance.
One of the most significant questions that the course brings up is the team diversity. Therefore, one has an opportunity to study various types of teams and, most importantly, different practices aimed at managing diverse teams. It is essential to note that the course provides a detailed guideline for leaders to rely on while acting in a particular team.
Moreover, a considerable part of the studies is devoted to the analysis of the negative team dynamics. In other words, the students learn to indicate the signs of a potential team failure which is likely to help them carry out the timely measures and prevent the collapse of the group. Therefore, the course provides a large scope of information on executive management and its practical application.
Finally, the students are encouraged to narrow the subject to more personal issues and try to generate ways of making an effective leader. It is offered to get acquainted with various approaches to leadership and teaming interpretation and adopt the one that coincides best with the inner perception of these concepts.
How It Was Learned
The course offers a variety of forms of work so that it is aimed at maximizing the efficiency of studying. The first form of work that the students are engaged in is a personal assessment and a short survey. Further on, the students are also welcomed to take part in the common discussion. The implementation of a discussion activity at an early stage helps the students get to know each other better and creates a tense-free atmosphere in the class.
The two principal forms of work, which dominate all the other activities during the course, are a team challenge and a team meeting. Both activities assist students in an immediate application of theoretical knowledge into practice. Therefore, the course is organized in such a way that the major part of the time the students are offered to act within a lifelike environment.
Another critical form of work that the course offers is a group project. In the framework of the relevant task, the students are asked to choose and read one of the books on the offered list. The assignment of a team resides in composing a report that should include particular sections, such as the summary, the analysis, the weaknesses’ indication, and the conclusion. This activity helps the students accomplish two aims: gain valuable experience in teaming and receive profound theoretical knowledge of a selected subject.
Lastly, it is essential to note that the course implies a lot of reading. Thus, before coming to class, every student is supposed to study the relevant reading material. Such a course structure allows focusing on practical knowledge without neglecting the theoretical background.
How It Will Be Applied in the Future
In the course of studying, I received a large amount of useful knowledge and practical skills that can be applied in my future career. First of all, as long as I am currently acquainted with the process of a group formation I will essentially see to the fact that my team undergoes all the stages timely and successfully in case I am its leader.
Moreover, I learned about the importance of consistent communication among group members. Therefore, being a group member, I will now try to discuss all the flaws of the performance and encourage my teammates to come up with possible solutions. Also, I will put a particular emphasis on concise targeting that I now consider being the critical determinant of the outcomes’ character. Therefore, I will do my best to assure that all the team members have a profound understanding and a common interpretation of the set aims.
Besides, it is due to the course that I realized the significance of finding an individual approach to the group members. I will use this insight to select the best motivating and awarding practices.
Finally, the course has changed my vision of the accomplished tasks. Whereas I would previously treat them as final milestones overcoming which a group can speed down for a while, I now think of the accomplishments as of the beginning of a new stage. I firmly believe that the knowledge I received during the course will help me find my managerial style and make an effective leader capable of performing consistent decision making and foreseeing potential challenges.