Management Accounting: Reflection on Group Project Experience

This paper reflects on the experience of a group project in management accounting, discussing the role of the coordinator, communication, team development, personal observations, and lessons learned.

Running head: MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING
Management accounting
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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After the completion of any project, it is imperative for all those involved to reflect on the
entire process and evaluate it for improvement in the future. Group projects usually demand a
degree of collaboration and coordination between the various members of the team (Cheruvelil et
al. 2014). I too was part of a group project, where we were asked to make a presentation based
on a topic that had been provided to us. The group project turned out to be an enriching
experience for us because we acquired a number of skills in the due course of the process. I will
be discussing that in details in the following sections. The paper will focus on the role I played in
the team project,, my personal observations and a critical evaluation of our performance.
Our team comprised of five members and each member was assigned a different
role that would help us in developing our presentation and conducting research for the
same. I was entrusted with the role of the coordinator. This meant that I had to coordinate with
all five members of the team and ensure that they were all pulling their individual weights in the
assignment. I was expected to maintain a record of the work completed and the work still
remaining so that we could finish the project within the given deadline. Fir and Pinnington
(2014) had opined that the role of the coordinator is of supreme importance within a team
because it would determine the performance levels of the group and eventually lead to project
success. I believe that I was perfectly suited to the role of a coordinator. From a very young age,
I had always been a perfectionist and believed in accomplishing tasks in a certain way. In all my
endeavors, I strive to have a specific plan in mind which would help the project proceed towards
success. However, there were quite a few challenges I had to face during my tenure as the
coordinator. For instance, there were occasions when my team members seemed to work
according to their own plans, which often resulted in conflicts. I found it challenging to

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coordinate five people simultaneously, especially when people preferred to work according to
their own schedules.
As such, it is important to stress on the concepts of leadership and communication
when it comes to team work. According to Kyllonen (2013), soft skills, which include effective
communication skills, are of the utmost importance in group projects. Without proper
communication between each member of the team, the group project is bound to fall apart.
Moreover, since all our roles are interconnected, it was important to stay up to date on the
individual progress of each member. In order to maintain team dynamic, it is important to
maintain open lines of communication. I believe that the role of dialogue is essential in team
work. I encouraged all my team members to voice their opinions and express their own ideas. I
did not follow a bureaucratic style of leadership and communication because I believed that such
styles would inhibit the flow of creativity. I ensured that each team member took part in the
project in a proactive manner and was able to communicate effectively. We met up more than
thrice every week to update the other members about the work that had been accomplished and
strategies for finishing the remaining work. I also tried to incorporate a transformational style
while coordinating my team members. Avolio and Yammarino (2013) believe that such a
leadership style would be most suited to group projects because it encourages participation from
all team members and makes sure that no single team leader has supreme authority. I must admit
that such a policy certainly helped us finish our project within the deadline.
I used the Tuckman’s model to understand the concept of team development and team
building. This model can be used to study the cohesiveness of a team (Humphrey and Aime
2014). According to this model, there are four stages in team work, namely forming, storming,
norming and performing (Raes et al. 2015). Another stage has been added which may be called

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the adjourning phase. In the first forming phase, the group was formed and each member of the
group got together to discuss the topic and voice their own opinions about it. In the next phase,
we began brainstorming about the various approaches we could use to address the topic. This
was a challenging phase for me because at this stage of team development, the team members
still considered them to be individuals and not part of a team. In the next phase, people in the
team were finally beginning to realize the importance of a team spirit. It was easier for me to
coordinate with the team members during this phase. In the next phase, a more trusting and warm
ambience was created within the team where each member felt free and comfortable with each
other. I believe that it was during this phase that we achieved the maximum in terms of group
performance. Reflecting back on our team performance, I can say that the process of team
development was a gradual one. We came together as individuals, with ideas and opinions of our
own; yet, by the end of the project, we were able to effectively function as a team and that is
what helped us succeed.
On reflection, here are my personal observations about our team effort. I believe that
it was challenging for all of us at the beginning to get accustomed to the idea of us working
together, with me as the coordinator. It was unusual for me too, for I had not worked in such a
role before. Similarly, I assume that it must have been difficult for my team mates to follow my
directions. However, we all got past our differences and eventually learnt to work together as
part of a team. One of the major challenges that we faced was communication. Each member of
the team had a different role to play. For instance, there was one person in charge of procurement
of data and another in charge of analysis. As such, it was important for the concerned individuals
to work together so as to present accurate research. There were also a few lessons I learnt as part
of the process. I realized that team cohesiveness or the cohesive nature of a group played a key

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role in determining the overall performance of the group. According to Thompson et al. (2015), a
feeling of team spirit or a sense of belonging to a group would help in developing emotional
bonds between the various members of a specific group. The grounds for such emotional bond
would essentially be the common goal that all team members share (Daspit et al. 2013). For
instance, as part of the team, we all shared one common vision – to put up the best possible
presentation, supported by thorough research and finish the assignment within the given
timeframe. This goal bound us together as a team. This emotional bond is extremely important
for group success (Castano, Watts and Tekleab 2013). In the forming process as mentioned
above, we all consulted with each other and set benchmarks or standards of behavior which were
to be adhered to during the course of the project. This helped us organize our work and complete
our task without too much hassle. I also learnt that working in a team has its own advantages and
benefits. Since a large number of people get together to work on the same project, there is a
diversity of ideas and knowledge. Camaraderie amongst the workers is beneficial to the team
dynamic. As such, team cohesion may be used as a measurement of the performance and success
of the group. It can also be said that a team that shows high levels of cohesion would be more
effective and cooperative in nature. Conflict resolution is another important lesson I learnt.
Projects like these often result in high tension situations and stress (Halperin 2014). This might
lead to conflicts, as it did in our case. This was mainly evident in the first stages of team
development. Most of the team members had their own ideas and were unwilling to
accommodate ideas and inputs from others. This led to conflicts between two of our team
members. As the team coordinator, it was my responsibility to ensure that these conflicts were
resolved peacefully. I would also like to highlight room for improvement for similar tasks in the
future. I would like to work on my communication skills because I struggled to effectively

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communicate my viewpoints to my peers in the initial stages. I also made a major error in
maintaining records of tasks completed when we were nearing the deadline of our assignment.
This was my first attempt in a coordinating role, and despite my structured plan for the project,
there were a few unexpected obstacles which could easily have been avoided.
Thus, in conclusion, it can be said that our group effort was a success, despite the myriad
hindrances we had to face. I have come to the conclusion that a team is build in different stages,
as shown by Tuckman’s model of group development. I observed the various stages of group
development within our team as well. On reflecting on our performance, there were quite a few
things that I learnt as part of the process, as mentioned earlier.

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