Teamwork Code of Conduct and Terms of Reference

Introduction

The assignment task aims to enhance teamwork skills by producing a presentation on teamwork and writing code of conduct and terms of reference. In this paper, Gibb's reflective cycle will be used. The cycle was created in 1988 by Graham Gibbs to give structure to experience learning. It gives platform for examining experiences, allows an individual to learn and as well plan from experience which went well or did not. The cycle will be used to reflect on a group presentation and allow me to critically analyse the presentation and consider what went well and what did not as well as improvements for further development. In this presentation, my role was the team leader.

Description

The team was put together and requested to write a code of conduct and terms of reference and then make a presentation on teamwork.

Feelings

The members of the team did not know each other, and it was uncomfortable in the beginning, but as we started to work together and talk, we began to feel comfortable and started to share information. In the beginning, there was a lack of trust, though after a short while, trust was created and members started putting efforts and doing their roles in time. I was thrilled and excited about seeing my team accomplish their tasks.

Evaluation

The positive aspect was that we worked well together, and everyone was satisfied with the work produced and by the final presentation. Even though we failed to trust each other in the beginning, we later developed trusts towards each other as that is the infrastructure of sufficient teamwork (West, 2012). The negative aspect is that it took a while to create a group chat to be able to communicate with one another.

Analysis

As the team leader, I guided and led the group well as before the meeting I had created a presentation with some ideas and shared them with the member, and this allowed generation of more ideas as they understood the task better (Weller, Boyd & Cumin, 2014). Then the presentation was divided equally, and I also ensured that the members understood their parts and were able to present. Unexpectedly, we worked effectively together. The team agreed to give feedback on other member’s parts to improve the overall quality of the presentation. For our success, there was a great mutual respect for each other’s opinions which improved the quality of work and prevented conflicts, allowing smooth running of the group to achieve success (Benfield and Utley, 2007; Bonebright, 2010; Tuckman and Jensen, 2010). Tuckman's model of team development was useful in allowing me as the team leader, to determine the level of success (Clements, Dault, & Priest, 2007). Overall, we had a collaborative team which had advanced communication skills and which were applied all though our work. Shared cognition is vital in driving team performance (Salas, Cooke, and Rosen, 2008). For the team to be successful and accomplish tasks, we relied on collective performance where members must integrate, cooperate, and share information (Salas, Cooke and Rosen, 2008). Studies also suggest that trust allow members to show vulnerability, and this creates knowledge on where to assist each other (Boomer, 2003; Brown, Crossley and Robinson, 2014).

The negative aspect is that a group chat was created late. Another aspect that could have affected teamwork is not having specific roles. In the presentation, we did not introduce ourselves individually. Clark (2009), suggest that, before starting a teamwork, it’s crucial to do some preparatory work based on broad objectives for the whole team. The study also suggest that, it’s critical to review the team plan at the first team meeting.

Conclusion

Reflecting on this assignment, I would do a few things differently. I would create a group chat in the first meeting. We should have started working on the code of conduct and terms of reference earlier. We could have had different roles in the group. We could have applied the Belbin team roles theory to learn each other weaknesses and strengths. We should have taken time to reflect on the team to be able to address it better in the presentation. Through this assignment, I was able to learn the importance of team trust and improve my leadership skills.

Action points

For future teamwork projects, I would create a group chat to communicate with other members as this is vital in team development. I would also practice the presentation more and time to make sure that the timing is correct. Setting small objectives for each meeting to make sure that the team has a common aim. I would also keep meeting logs that could be referred to help in team reflection. I would also practice performing the presentation with no notes. The next time, the Belbin cycle will be used as this will result in high performance in the team.

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References

Clark, P.R., 2009. Teamwork: building healthier workplaces and providing safer patient care. Critical care nursing quarterly, 32(3), pp.221-231.

Clements, D., Dault, M. and Priest, A., 2007. Effective teamwork in healthcare: research and reality. Healthcare Papers, 7(I), p.26.

Benfield, M. and Utley, D. (2007) ‘The Team Phase Change Theory - a New Team Development Theory’, IE Annual Conference Proceedings, pp.735-739.

Bonebright, D. (2010) ‘40 YEARS of Storming: A Historical Review of Tuckman's Model of Small Group Development’, Human Resource Development International, 13(1), PP.111-120.

Boomer, L. (2003) ‘Build a winning team and fight firm dysfunction’, Accounting Today, 17(4), pp.20-21.

Brown, G., Crossley, C. and Robinson, S. (2014) ‘Psychological Ownership, Territorial Behavior, and Being Perceived as a Team Contributor: The Critical Role of Trust in the Work Environment’, Personnel Psychology, 67(2), pp.463-485.

Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by doing: a guide to teaching and learning methods. London: Further Education Unit.

Salas, E., Cooke, N. and Rosen, M. (2008) ‘On Teams, Teamwork, and Team Performance: Discoveries and Developments’, Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 50(3), pp.540-547.

West, M.A., 2012. Effective teamwork: Practical lessons from organizational research. John Wiley & Sons.

Weller, J., Boyd, M. and Cumin, D., 2014. Teams, tribes and patient safety: overcoming barriers to effective teamwork in healthcare. Postgraduate medical journal, 90(1061), pp.149-154.

Williams, K., Woolliams, M. and Spiro, J. (2012) Reflective writing. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.