Effective Business Communication: Reflective Practice Essay

This reflective essay evaluates group development stages and the significance of effective communication in contemporary organisations. The essay critically analyses different models of group development and discusses the role of groups and teams in a workplace. The author reflects on personal experiences and future career aspirations as a human resource manager.

EFFECTIVE BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
Reflective Practice Essay
[DATE]
STUDENT NAME
INSTITUTIONAL AFFILIATION(S)

EFFECTIVE BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
Reflective Practice Essay
This reflective essay has been prepared to reflect my understanding on my course unit
concepts where I have chosen to evaluate group development stages more critically. In contemporary
organisations, understanding one’s position along with core responsibilities while working in groups
as well as alone becomes very significant. While going through the literature, I found that making
reflective writing is an integral part of professional practice through which we examine ourselves for
developing skills and enhanced practices. Therefore, I have decided to reflect my own experiences
gained through the group development stages related concept as well as stating the reasons behind
selecting this topic at the end of the essay. Groups in organisations according to Kozlowski & Ilgen
(2006), refers to number of chosen individuals who are united together to undertake responsibility for
completing a specific task. To form an effective group, number of stages are undertaken where
selected individuals are developed into a team who eventually carries their responsibilities.
Groups not only help us in understanding co-worker’s idea and knowledge, but also forms a
mutual bonding that is required to complete a specific task efficiently. In future, I aspire to become
human resource manager in an international firm, therefore, value behind group development along
with reasons behind developing effective communication among group members becomes significant
for me to understand. According to Zoltan & Vancea (2016), “Regardless of the method of work
group formation, the group is not fully functional in terms of its primary task from the moment it is
constituted” (p. 241). Teams are those form of groups where individuals form a general unit to
accomplish a common goal. I can still recall my experience when I was assigned for a group
assignment where all my group members belonged to different backgrounds. We all had few issues
related to communication and also, we were unaware of group development stages thereby neglecting
few initial stages while we formed our own group.
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Through my entire ten weeks journey, I realised that developed groups have positive effects
on individuals as well as organisations. According to Sinha (2017), group building provides
motivational factor to individuals that enhances self-control when they exploit their inner strengths.
Similar statement was given by Tohidi (2011) where the author state that teams and groups create
healthy environment that can lead organisations towards better opportunities, enhanced networking
and adequate learning experience that are related to current traits within individual group members
through shared learning. Kumar, Deshmukh & Adish (2014) further elaborates the above saying and
adds that while comparing groups who does not comprehend the significance of common goal, groups
who produces responsive efforts and share each other’s ideas while moving towards a specific goal
proves more advantageous for organisations. They not only generate enhanced learning experience,
but also adapts to necessary changes along with noticing problem solving measurements through
improved efficiency in work production.
A comprehensive group development stages was established by Bruce Tuckman in the year
1965 where the author analysed 50 articles related to group development stages. According to the
author, all the articles represented three common groups i.e. training, therapy and laboratory groups.
Tuckman realised the importance of group development stages in organisational level and hence
developed five stages that we currently know as Tuckman’s group development model. His theory
determines stages of group development until the task is deemed completed. Initially, Tuckman’s
model consisted of four stages only and the fifth one was included later in the year 1977 with the help
of Mary Ann Jensen. The first stage of group development in Tuckman’s model include forming stage
where each group member or individuals selected are provided with an initial task to determine their
capability. Here, the group members usually unite to formulate the requirements and procedures
necessary to accomplish a common task for which they introduce themselves considering their core
capabilities and knowledge. The second stage or the storming stage is the most critical stage
according to Tuckman and thus he has given a special name to this stage, intragroup conflict stage
since group members in this stage shows tendency to become unreceptive towards one another
(Hingst, 2006).
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Third stage or the norming stage develops cohesion among group members in which group
members start responding to each other’s situation while inviting to share group members beliefs and
ideas. According to Sinha (2017), shared idea and responding to each other’s shows that the groups
have agreed to follow a common norm for accomplishing the undertaken task. Therefore, fourth stage
is initiated which is commonly called as performing stage. After resolving initial conflicts and
differences, groups start contributing their responsibility as individual role has been defined.
According to Tuckman, when individual members observe that they are equally responsible for task
fulfilment and have to work unitedly, they agreeably move towards next step where problem solving
and emergence of solutions take place. Fifth and final stage that was added later in Tuckman’s group
development model is called adjourning stage. In this stage, groups are terminated when the task is
completed or goals are accomplished by group members (Ravi & Sumanthi, 2016).
Fisher’s theory of decision emergence necessitated four stages through which decision among
group members can be made effectively. According to Fisher’s theory, the task distribution and
decision-making stages requires critical management and effective communication so that a stronger
team is developed (Adnan, Akram, & Akram, 2013). In decision emergence theory, the first stage is
orientation phase where group members establish relationship among each other’s along with giving
rise to tensions among them. Here, effective communication plays a significant role as each member
might not be aware of others beliefs and knowledge thereby lacking trust among them. Second stage
is conflict phase in which new ideas are discussed that may potentially lead to tensions again as few
members might bring forward alternative approach that might not get acknowledged by others.
However, according to Frances (2008), in some groups, conflict adds to bring competition within
group members where they compete to perform better than the others. Third stage is called as
emergence where the outcome of conflicts takes practical form. In this stage, few members may
soften their views while others may show interest in other group members beliefs and decisions.
Lastly, reinforcement stage takes place where every group member commits to follow common
objective and procedure either through mutual understanding or by force. Although this theory
showed practicality in all of its stages, weakness seen is that any significant disagreement during any
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of the four stages might bring a halt to that stage. Nevertheless, like Tuckman’s model, Fisher’s
theory also covers significant group development stages and both the theories helps in deciding and
forming group of individuals to a developed team (Adnan, Akram, & Akram, 2013).
While discussing group development stages, Tubbs model is also discussed immensely in
literature as his model shows simplicity as compared to the above two models. However, Tubbs
model does not utilise much of extra factors related to individual personality like seen in Tuckman’s
forming stage. Researchers argue that Tubb’s has utilised the systems theory concept to apply it on
group development stages. In Tubb’s model, three general categories can be seen: relevant
background factors that summarises individual members reasons behind group formation, internal
influences where behaviour of individual member parades within the group and finally the
consequences phase where ultimate output of group formation is realised. Hurt and Trombley (2007)
suggests that in Tubb’s theory, group members move in updated and linear fashion where individuals
understand the behaviour according to the situations raised during group formation.
Other than group development stages, I realised that understanding the role of groups and
teams in a workplace along with understanding the significance of effective organisational
communication will further help me in my future career where I aspire to become a HR manager.
“Teamwork must now look for new ways to adapt quickly, operate more efficiently and better prepare
themselves for future” (Tohidi, 2011). Hence, I will utilise my course learning as well as literature
reviews made on role of teams and group members by making further evaluation regarding the
concept for my future career. Organisational communication is another concept that are extensively
used by HR managers and as said by Sadia, et al. (2016) organisations can perform successfully in
this competitive business environment only if effective communication is enabled within its
organisational culture. Indeed, managements without effective external and internal communication
cannot establish employee’s participation to align them strategically for achieving organisational
goals. Since, I personally lack effective communicational skills, I will consider making critical study
further on this concept so that organisational communication concept is effectively utilised by me in
my future career.
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Groups and teams’ formations requires critical structure following which effective groups can
be developed. In my ninth week study, group development concept proved important for me for my
future career and therefore the above essay reflected my personal view points along with literature
review made on group development stages concept. While evaluating the group development stages, I
critically analysed different models of group development among which three of them have been
discussed in the above essay. Earlier I had faced issue in group formation phases during one of my
experience when I was assigned to a group work. But, things have changed critically for me where
now I find myself as a knowledgeable person who is capable enough to develop a group with
individuals who seeks attaining a common goal.
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References
Adnan, A., Akram, A., & Akram, F. (2013). Group Development: Theory and Practice. Middle-East
Journal of Scientific Research, 16(10), 1428-1435.
Frances, M. (2008). Stages of Group Development - A PCP Approach. Personal Construct Theory &
Practice, 5, 10-18.
Hingst, R. (2006). Tuckman’s theory of group development in a call centre context: does it still work?
. 5th Global Conference on Business & Economics. Cambridge.
Hurt, A. C., & Trombley, S. M. (2007). The Punctuated-Tuckman: Towards a New Group
Development Model. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED504567.pdf
Kozlowski, S. W., & Ilgen, D. R. (2006). Enhancing the Effectiveness of Work Groups and Teams.
Association for Psychological Science, 07(03), 77-124.
Kumar, S., Deshmukh, V., & Adish, V. S. (2014). Building and Leading Teams. Indian Journal of
Community Medicine, 39(04), 208-213.
Prabhakar, G. P. (2008). Teams and Projects: A Literature Review . International Journal of Business
and Management, 03(10), 3-7.
Ravi, B. S., & Sumanthi, G. (2016). Study on Theory of Group Development; Groups and Teams.
IOSR Journal of Business and Management, 18(02), 58-61.
Sadia, A., Mohd , B. S., Kadir, Z. A., & Sanif , S. (2016). The Relationship between Organizational
Communication and Employees Productivity with New Dimensions of Effective
Communication Flow. Journal of Business and Social Review in Emerging Economies,
02(02), 34-39.
Sinha, A. (2017). The Role of Team Effectiveness in Quality of Health Care. Integrative Journal of
Global Health, 1(1:2), 1-4.
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Tohidi, H. (2011). Teamwork productivity & effectiveness in an organization base on rewards,
leadership, training, goals, wage, size, motivation, measurement and information technology.
Procedia Computer Science, 3, 1137-1146.
Zoltan, R., & Vancea, R. (2016). Work group development models - the evolution from simple group
to effective team. Ecoforum, 05(01), 241-246.
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