Reflective Essay on Team Building and Communication Skills

This reflective essay delves into the student's learning experience during a business communication module, focusing on team building, group development, and effective communication strategies. The essay begins by reflecting on the importance of critical self-reflection and the distinctions between groups and teams, emphasizing the significance of understanding team development for future leadership roles. The student draws upon journal articles and credible sources to support the concepts learned, highlighting the benefits of teamwork, collaboration, and the identification of individual roles. The essay discusses team cohesion, communication, and the challenges faced during team development, such as differing schedules. The student then explores Tuckman's model of team development, including the forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning stages, and relates these stages to personal experiences, such as writing an analysis paper. The essay concludes by discussing the role of groups and teams in the workplace, emphasizing the importance of understanding organizational structure and the application of team-building concepts for achieving career goals. The essay underscores the significance of effective team leadership and the application of these concepts in the workplace.

INSTITUTIONAL AFFILIATION(S)
EFFECTIVE BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
[Document subtitle]
STUDENT NAME
[Date]

REFLECTIVE ESSAY
This essay will reflect upon my learning experience gained during week nine of the semester
i.e. team building process and group development related concepts. Shum, et al. (2017) asserts the
necessity for individuals to reflect critically so that awareness is raised and changes can be made
wherever needed in ourselves. Whereas Prabhakar (2008) distinguishes teams and groups along with
discussing how groups develop to form teams and engages themselves in group decision making.
Since I aspire to became an efficient team leader in future, it becomes significant for me to understand
the process of team development and ways through which team building process can be held
efficiently. To understand the concept more precisely, I have used journal articles and credible
sources to support literature related to week nine’s concept that I present in this report.
It has been very well documented in literature that working in teams is conductive as well as
effective that involves learning through shared information’s and collaboration among team members.
My own team activities worked both co-operatively and collaboratively that facilitated readiness to
identify individual roles within the team along with maintaining regular meetings, communication
links and sharing information and idea with each other’s. The viewpoint offered by Ramaraju (2012)
is that team cohesion along with peers helping each other’s are majorly due to the reason they strive to
succeed in future career. This, idea is applicable for my future career also as our team work activities
was assessed as combined effort. Kumar, Deshmukh & Adish (2014) states that strong group
cohesiveness enhances cooperation and personal support for team development that was again evident
in our weekly activities. However, Klug & Bagrow (2016) acknowledges the constraints realised by
team members while going through the development process as each team member may have limited
exposure to other members knowledge. Since our group had dissimilar timetables, we experienced
few difficulties at the times meetings were called, nevertheless, we manged this issue by maintaining
contacts via digital communications and emails. Prabhakar (2008) also acknowledges that
complications raised in teams need stability when team members aspire to produce optimum
performance. The author also adopts effectivity stance by signifying the application of team activities

and cooperative learning through reinforcement amongst group members and discussions made of
peer review. This collaborative team work concept has proved significant in my work activities also
as it constructed knowledge within me and etiquette in assuming the negotiation of team members
diversified perspectives.
There are many formal and informal roles played by team members while creating successful
projects and even a single person in a team can play more than others significantly for which each
team members are bound to work in collaborative manner (Fapohunda, 2013). Putting succinctly,
every team member in projects carry their own responsibility that relates to formal and informal tasks
for which they facilitate critical arrangements for formal and informal meetings. However, to manage
small or big projects, understanding the team development stages proves significant for me as I lack
in depth knowledge about it. Besides for managing a team as a team leader, it is necessary to hold,
inspire and motivate all the project team members to achieve success. As stated by Fapohunda (2013),
successful team leaders recognise individual importance as they know that project without them
would not deem accomplished. I will therefore, release my idea as well as present literature
concerning team development stages as mentioned in peer reviewed article.
Most of the contemporary workplaces group development theories focus on identification of
series of evolutionary steps that teams have to go through from the moment they form a group until
their dissolution. For explaining the theory of team development stages, most of the researchers and
practitioners rely on Bruce W Tuckman model (Hingst, 2006). This theory has been developed and
taken over the years into several concepts in theory of organisational behaviour and management
theory that includes five critical stages for developing a team. According to Zoltan & Vancea (2016),
“A true team does not appear overnight but must complete several steps to overcome the initial stage
of its existence as a group” (p. 241). This widely accepted theory has served framework to many
group development practices experienced by students like me. I can still remember the experience
when I was told to write an analysis paper of a chosen article. While completing the paper, I
composed, revised and published different successful stages for critical writing in terms of topic and
contents. I can now realise how my initial process of writing and reviewing article were divided

between negative and positive elements. Few of my writing stages included sequencing, organising,
positioning and classifying the topic from the beginning. Like Tuckman’s model, I involved different
stages to accomplish my critical writing assessment. Moreover, communicational methods were also
utilised by me with my group members that tested my inner knowledge and made the work easier for
me by getting difficult areas sorted through team support.
Coming back to the literature review of team development stages, as I was going through one
of the articles “Stages of Small-Group Development Revisited” by Tuckman & Jensen (2010), I found
that Tuckman provided an enhanced developmental model for group development stages by
conceptualizing and organising theoretical precepts and research data rather than presenting empirical
information to provide backup to any particular model. However, the author himself suggested further
testing due to ever-changing business environment. This notion is supported by Edson (n.d) where the
author pinpoints that team development theories arises questions like whether or not team behaviour
reflects on normal team development. Nevertheless, I admire Tuckman’s work and have gained quite
knowledge regarding team development stages which had been discussed in below.
The first stage in team development is forming that involves introduction of team members
thereby exploring acceptable team behaviour while evolving individual towards team status. Team
members often experiences several emotional stages during team formation that includes pride for
chosen team, anxiety about allocated task, anticipation, and how tasks can be accomplished
successfully (Frances, 2008). Second stage in team development process is storming that proves
toughest stage among all. Team individuals often have strong sentiments about how teams must
function or bringing up personal agendas to the community. They are confronted with the
actualisation that tasks allocated are dissimilar and sometimes proves tougher than anticipated. In
storming stage, group members often rely on their personal and professional experiences instead of
collaborative efforts of team. Resistance among them can also be envisaged at this stage results in
conflicts and anxiety (Sinha, 2017). Furthermore, the tendency to involve in arguments and
competition in teams gives way to productive behaviour in third stage that is norming. The teams in
this stage becomes cohesive and recognises that they need to adhere to team development regulations

and rules while assuming their responsibilities and role as needed for team development (Hingst,
2006). Team members experience enhancement in collegial relationship and hence decreases conflicts
and resistance. Next come performing stage that is characterized by team’s capacity for problem-
solving along with implementing changes that can accomplish the given task successfully. The
performing stage also develops within emotions within team members where they start understanding
and accepting weaknesses and strengths of other members (Sinha, 2017). Adjourning is the last stage
that brings closure of the team development process or the task. In reflection, the teams are able to
envisage what they have found and what they have lost during experiencing their team development
journey (Hingst, 2006).
Understanding the role of groups and teams within the workplace and organisational structure
are two of the concepts that will help me in my future career where I aspire to become manager or a
team leader in corporate organisation. Organisational structure concept will provide much needed
guidance to me while laying out official reports related to employee relationship and in governing the
workflow within my workplace. As stated by Tran & Tian (2013), formal outline structure of
organisations makes easier to add or dismiss employees’ position in companies along with providing
flexible and means for growth. Since, workplace groups and teams are becoming more common these
days, organisations seek synergies that can develop teams when individuals come together to
accomplish common project. Being a team leader, I will utilise the concept related to the role of
groups and teams within workplace by leading teams to various departments and work according to
clients demands as well as implement programs wherever needed. As Klug & Bagrow (2016) says,
teams help in solving operational issues like customer service and quality and they remain as a team
until the issue is solved. Therefore, to achieve my goal of establishing enhanced relationship with my
team members and in understanding what is desired from team formations, this concept will prove
significant for me in my professional career.
Team is highly important to run any project successfully. Without an effective team, it
becomes difficult to achieve project objectives. The above essay shows my critical learning journey
that has considerably enhanced my viewpoint towards team management and development that I

lacked earlier. Especially team development stages and team building concepts developed qualities
within me that are required to be present in an effective team leader. The above essay has reviewed
team development stages where I made a research on series of journal articles that even helped me
understand the concept more precisely. Now my future aspiration to become a team leader and
manager in a workplace has become more prominent since now I feel enriched with core concepts and
theories that requires to be adapted by a well-organized leader.

References
Edson, M. C. (n.d.). Group Development: A Complex Adaptive Systems Perspective. Retrieved from
http://www.adaptivecycle.nl/images/Complex_Adaptive_Systems_perspective.pdf
Fapohunda, T. M. (2013). Towards Effective Team Building in the Workplace. International Journal
of Education and Research , 1-12.
Frances, M. (2008). Stages of Group Development - A PCP Approach. Personal Construct Theory &
Practice, 5, 10-18.
Fulk, H. K., Bell , R. L., & Bodie , N. (2011). Team Management by Objectives: Enhancing
Developing Teams’ Performance. Journal of Management Policy and Practice, 12(03), 17-
26.
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.
Klug, M., & Bagrow, J. P. (2016). Understanding the group dynamics and success of teams. Royal
Society Open Science, 03(04).
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.
S.Ramaraju. (2012). Psychological Perspectives on Interpersonal Communication. Journal of Arts,
Science & Commerce , 68-73.
Shum, S. B., Sándor, Á., Goldsmith, R., & McWilliams, R. B. (2017). Towards Reflective Writing
Analytics: Rationale, Methodology and Preliminary Results. Journal of Learning Analytics,
04(01), 58-54.

Sinha, A. (2017). The Role of Team Effectiveness in Quality of Health Care. Integrative Journal of
Global Health, 1(1:2), 1-4.
Tran, Q., & Tian, Y. (2013). Organizational Structure: Influencing Factors and Impact on a Firm.
American Journal of Industrial and Business Management, 229-236.
Tuckman, B. W., & Jensen, M. A. (2010). Stages of Small-Group Development Revisited. A
Research and Applications Journal , 43-48.
Zoltan, R., & Vancea, R. (2016). Work group development models - the evolution from simple group
to effective team. Ecoforum, 05(01), 241-246.