Reflective Essay on Teamwork and Self-Management

Running head: REFLECTIVE ESSAY
Reflective Essay
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1REFLECTIVE ESSAY
Learning Outcome 6: Lead or participate collaboratively in teams:
Team work is one of the most essential criteria for success in the present day scenario. In
case of team activities people are able to put forward their best capabilities and bring out
outcomes which are desirable. It is not humanly possible for someone to possess all the required
capabilities and talents for success, it is at that time the importance of team work is properly
understood. Proper collaboration is possible when two or more individuals or a group of people
work towards the achievement of a common goal by means of sharing their values ideals and
skill set. It is possible in case of traditional as well as in virtual teams. The advancements and the
growth of technology has made the concepts of team work change with the passage of time but
the main idea of working together has remained the same (Patel, Pettitt and Wilson 2012).
One of most important factors which contribute towards the success of a specific business
is whether the employees have been able to perform together as a team or not. Increase in the
amount of competition has led to the increase in the need for creativity and creative thinking at
the place of work. Working in teams help the employees to be quicker and more effective in their
respective areas of work compared to people who work single-handedly. Collaboration makes
employees accountable for their work and this helps in the overall increase in the levels of
motivation at all times (Cheruvelil et al. 2014).
Leading teams is equally important. An effective leader has to encourage his or her team
to perform effectively and enjoy the specific time frames in order to make sure that the team
celebrates the positives and learns from the negatives. Others need to be allowed to act to the
best of their potential which will help a team grow in the long run and succeed. A leader is
considered to be someone who emulates the path for his or her followers to earn from. Therefore

2REFLECTIVE ESSAY
an ideal leader needs to model the way and show others the way difficult things are done to help
them follow his or her footsteps. A great leader should keep a certain level of transparency
within the team and never hide important information from the followers. There should always
be a shared aim and vision among the members (Bennett and Gadlin 2012).
Be it sports, social activities or business development projects every person either
knowingly or unknowingly becomes part of a team or a group. This is what helps teams to
operate in a proper manner and thereby lead to the success desired. There are different stages of
effective teamwork which have been divided into four major stages. The first stage is that of
forming relationships in connection to orientation, socialising and development of relationships.
The second stage is that of confrontation and conflict accompanied by the struggle for power, the
third stage is norming and having a cohesive approach and the final stage of group development
is where teams can perform as a cohesive unit (Dyer and Dyer 2013).