This essay offers a reflective insight of a group that I worked with in the past in some class assignments. It is worth to mention that the formation of the group was triggered by various issues. In any case, the set goals were attained by the end of the group work.
This essay has highlighted both the leadership experiences and the performance of the group. In addition, the manner in which the group was organized, operations as well as weaknesses and strengths have been reflected in the essay.
At the beginning of the session, I was assigned the duty of co-leading a team of ten members. We were to undertake some capacity building and training on how to execute social services within a community. At first, the task did not seem to be challenging at all. All the members of the team were made up of both males and females who had volunteered to participate in a community outreach program.
Although nobody was forced into this outreach program, we started realizing that the team required individuals who were at least trained in that area. Hence, some members were to be taught how to carry out community services including ethical considerations.
The group mainly aimed at equipping members with adequate skills and competences needed for the program. Moreover, team building among members was also given priority. Needless to say, reaching out for the community required a collective effort and therefore, no single team member would have achieved it (Barczak, Lassk & Mulki 2010, p.335).
All the volunteering members of the team availed themselves punctually whenever there was a training and capacity building session to attend. Indeed, the size of a group matters a lot when it comes to performance. When a group is exceedingly large, it becomes more challenging to manage. Hence group efficacy is highly compromised since some members might feel that their tasks can be performed by others.
I was able to foster cohesiveness among the team members. The group aimed at being proficient in offering social services after the training. Some of the functions which members of the team were supposed to accomplish included creating awareness on community hygiene and improving standards of education.
In order to choose a useful program activity for the team of ten members, various areas of concern within the community were assessed in terms of need (Kotlyar, Karakowsky & Ng 2011, p.667). From the survey, we came to realize that community health and environmental hygiene were two most critical areas that needed urgent attention. However, some members noted that they had little interest in these two areas.
For example, some of them suggested that they were more interested in entertainment matters. Cases whereby group conflicts emerge are common especially when making specific decisions (Schein 2004, p.87). In spite of such differences, groups are supposed to remain cohesive and pursue a common agenda as set out in the initial objectives of the team.
After reaching a consensus, we all agreed that the team would embark on sensitizing the community on environmental health and hygiene. We had to meet specific objectives during the outreach program and therefore, the team members agreed on some common and achievable goals.
Some selected members were promptly trained after forming the team. In most of the training sessions, discussion groups were used to pass the message. This approach was adopted since it enabled members to actively participate in the capacity building and training program. It was also a strategy of enabling all members being trained to take part in decision making process.
Although this approach was lauded to be good by most members, I realized that taking into consideration the opinion of every team member was hectic and time consuming. At the same time, members could differ greatly in terms of ideas. This only worsened the situation. However, I had to exercise patience and also allow members to cooperate throughout the training session.
Group dynamics sometimes require deeper understanding of the uniqueness of each member of a team. Moreover, personal interdependence is exercised among group members whenever there is a collective approach towards issues within a group. In any case, higher achievement within a team can be attained whenever there is a cooperative learning experience (Kotlyar, Karakowsky & Ng 2011, p.667).
Notwithstanding all the opinion differences among team members during the training period, I was surprised to note that the success of the program was overwhelming by the end of the outreach week. We highly demonstrated transformational leadership skills throughout the session.
For example, we did not supervise members too closely while performing various tasks. We allowed them to work in small harmonious teams. Our greatest task as the two leaders of the team was to ensure that team members were operating within the set goals and objectives.
It is worth to mention that one of the major strengths that I identified in the group was the ability of team members to cooperate and also stick to the broader mission of community outreach. Nonetheless, decision making was a major source of discomfort in the team.
References
Barczak, G, Lassk, F & Mulki, J 2010, ‘Antecedents of team creativity: an examination of team emotional intelligence, team trust and collaborative culture.’ Creativity and Innovation Management, vol. 19 no. 4, pp. 332-345.
Kotlyar, I., Karakowsky, L. & Ng, P 2011, ‘Leader behaviors, conflict and member commitment to team-generated decisions.’ Leadership Quarterly, vol. 22 no. 4, pp. 666-668.
Schein, E.H 2004, Organizational Culture and Leadership, San Francisco CA, Jossey-Bass.