platform to display  strengths

platform to display  strengths

Question 1

In essence, an organization can mean one of two things. A first part is a group of people organized for efficient work- an arrangement of elements, somewhat similar to the mechanisms of a timepiece which congregate to produce more than a random collection of outcomes. The secondly follows implicitly- the process of arranging, structuring of activities. Nonetheless, while looking at my team and how we worked, it does not fall short of any of the two delineations.

The primary purpose of our team was to give everyone a platform to display their strengths. We firmly believed that the assigned tasks would not have been completed effectively and efficiently devoid of a team. We all had our strengths and weaknesses; thus, it was only through coming together that we could collectively use our powers in a better way. Therefore, one of the critical elements in our agreement was writing down our strengths counter to our weaknesses. It was only through a thorough assessment of such, that our group leader allocated to us tasks.

I must mention that the allocation was not solely based on the strengths; we discussed with the leader, which tasks we were comfortable with- an aspect that underscored the importance of open communication in teams. We were all presented with the platform of airing our concerns and either reassigning on taking the tasks.

Question 2

According to… people come together to perform specialized work efficiently- as aforementioned, the outputs of such work are more valuable than the outcomes of individual practice. I perceived the latter concept in this assignment. By focusing on my strengths, I must say, the team leader created a flexible, vivid context- one that allowed my skills and talents to come on top. These include my ability to make thorough inquiries. I comfortably researched through literature going back to 7 years ago. Also, I used different sources to back my claims and to establish trends somehow.

Nonetheless, I felt like I limited to my work to only a few sources- financial statements in the present regard. I partly attribute this to the lack of accessible, comprehensive data of the organization in context or the lack of adequate time and resources to delve thoroughly into the assignment. In future, I’ll be sure to take my time and conduct thorough research. I also intend to use other sources, including primary sources, to back my work.

Question 3

Even though we were encouraged to have some sense of ownership to our final assignments, looking at the final work made me realize how everyone’s input was valuable.. mentions that it is normal for team members to want to stay ahead or to be competitive. Accordingly, leaders should continuously remind them how their inputs are not standalone- we all need each other’s information to complete the whole.

We divided the tasks equally among ourselves — the division based on the technicality of the work and the number of words. For instance, while some people tackled two questions simultaneously, others just tackled one. Also, we were provided with particular deadlines which changed along the way. Another essential thing to mention is that we changed our research topic to suit the needs of every group member. The first topic focused on a subject that had minimal literature. Hence while others were able to complete their part, some of us got stuck. We brainstormed together the best topic- one that had accessible content- and changed accordingly.

If we were to work again together, we could try to improve on our group processes. This includes making early contact with other members as regards the topic and determining whether the direction in which we are headed is appropriate for all of us.

Question 4

I believe the system theory that evolved to emphasize the constructive power of the observer who controls/constructs models of the system with which the observer interacts is the most applicable in this case. A method is composed of a group of parts that interact to form a coherent whole. I can liken our team to a system because it based on needs, rewards, expectations and attributes of people within that system. Focusing on every person’s strength, weaknesses, expectations, and traits enabled us to function normally- had any of these factors changed, then we wouldn’t have been able to complete the work.

As a social worker, I intend to perceive teams as a collective of individual attributes of the persons therein. Even though I know that it is composed of different persons, handling it as a single unit would be the best approach to dealing with it and its related issues. Of course, there are other theories, including the Maslow theory, that emphasizes the individual needs of the team members. However, it is wise to see a team as a system.