University Management Module: Teamwork Experience Reflection Report

This report presents a student's reflection on their experiences within a diverse team, focusing on challenges encountered, communication issues, and self-performance. The student discusses how they navigated differing opinions and language barriers, highlighting the impact of supervisors' encouragement on their confidence. The report analyzes specific incidents, such as the elevator pitch presentation, and explores the student's feelings and reactions. It emphasizes the importance of negotiation, emotional intelligence, and the development of skills like conflict management and decision-making. The student reflects on the execution of suggestions and the science of teamwork, including progress, reflection, and visualization. The report also references key literature on teamwork, emotional intelligence, and leadership, offering insights into the student's growth and development within a team setting.

Running head: MANAGEMENT
Reflection on experiences within a team
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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Table of contents
Challenges encountered.............................................................................................................2
How others reacted?...............................................................................................................2
Communication issues...........................................................................................................2
Self-performance review............................................................................................................2
Experience of working in a new team....................................................................................2
Execution of the suggestions..................................................................................................3
Feelings while presenting the elevator in class......................................................................3
References..................................................................................................................................5
Bibliography...............................................................................................................................6

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Challenges encountered
How others reacted?
At some points, the other students took my suggestions and at other times, the
students acted according to their individual opinions. At times, when my suggestions were
not accepted, I felt embarrassed. I think this is natural and obvious in terms of penetrating an
unknown environment and acting accordingly. In the perspectives of other students, I think
they were wrong to humiliate me in front of the others.
Communication issues
In the initial stages, I was very shy and lacked confidence to speak with the team
members. Most of the students hailed from India and Pakistan, therefore language barrier was
a major issue. Considering the opinions of Gibert, Tozer and Westoby (2017, p.82), I felt that
I spoke very fast, which the other students might not have understood. Here, I need to point
out that English is my second language. In the beginning of the communication, I was very
nervous while communicating with the other students. However, the supervisors and trainers
provided adequate motivation and encouragement, which helped me to restore confidence.
Self-performance review
Experience of working in a new team
The team, in which I was placed, was diversified. According to Hallowell (1999, p.5),
the managers need to have sound knowledge of the team, before the initiation of the division
of labour. With the guidance and support of the trainers, I gained confidence to reflect on my
teamwork. The nature of the teamwork was diversified, which indicated obviousness of
conflicts, arising due to differentiation of opinions. However, at the end of the teamwork, I
learned about the importance of negotiation. In this context, I can point out about four
approaches, which I think is appropriate for exposing an appropriate attitude towards
negotiating on an issue. I think that the transformative approach is apt for negotiation, as it
alters the scenario of partnerships in the teams. According to the propositions of Holbrook

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(2010, p.359), I can say that this approach has enhanced the parameter of emotional
intelligence in my characteristic traits, driving me towards the path of leadership.
I think my performance in the team proved to be beneficial in terms of developing
new skills of conflict management, creative thinking, decision making, problem-solving,
self-organization skills, chairing meetings and others. In this context, plans for using the
problem-solving cycle and design thinking would be effective for me in terms of achieving
personal development. I think creating action plans would be a planned and reasoned
approach. Apart from this, I can highlight the assumptions of Katzenbach and Smith (1993,
p.78) regarding taking self-assessment personality tests would be effective for me to measure
the extent to which I have excelled in accomplishing my duties. Evaluation of the exposed
performance would help me to detect the areas in which I need to improve.
Execution of the suggestions
When my opinions were not considered, I felt like my ‘human moment to be
disappearing’. On the contrary, when my suggestions were considered by the students, I felt
on a ‘high tech and high touch’. I felt that with the assistance and coordination of the other
students, I could visualize my future performance based on long term goals. Here, I can relate
the science of teamwork, which proceeds on the integrated structure of progress, reflection,
and visualization of the road ahead. Affirming with the opinions of Lohuis et al. (2016,
p.410), I felt that this approach seemed to be effective for me in terms of progressing on the
path of leadership.
Feelings while presenting the elevator in class
Once I was ill and cannot attend the lecture and seminars on the ways to prepare an
elevator pitch. I decided to hand over the elevator pitch, which I prepared, to one of my
teammates at his office. When I was asked to make the presentation on the elevator pitch, I
was nervous and lacked self-confidence. I told the supervisors that I am afraid.

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Bibliography
Gibert, A., Tozer, W.C. & Westoby, M., 2017, Teamwork, soft skills, and research training.
Trends in ecology & evolution, 32(2), pp.81-84. Available at DOI:
10.1016/j.tree.2016.11.004
Hallowell, E.M., 1999, The human moment at work (pp. 1-8). Harvard Business Review.
Available at http://plantsolutions.com/documents/HumanMoment.pdf
Holbrook, J.R., 2010, Using Performative, Distributive, Integrative, and Transformative
Principles in Negotiation. LoY. L. REv., 56, p.359. Available at
http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/loyolr56&div=15&id=&page=
Katzenbach, J.R. & Smith, D.K., 1993, The discipline of teams. Harvard Business Press.
Available at https://hbr.org/1993/03/the-discipline-of-teams-2
Lohuis, A.M., Sools, A., van Vuuren, M. & Bohlmeijer, E.T., 2016, Narrative reflection as a
means to explore team effectiveness. Small group research, 47(4), pp.406-437. Available at
DOI: 10.1177/1046496416656464
Losko, J.M. & Cekada, T.L., 2015, Key Competencies: Preparing graduates for the global
workplace. Professional Safety, 60(12), pp.45-49. Available at
https://www.onepetro.org/journal-paper/ASSE-15-12-45
Manspeaker, S.A., Donoso Brown, E.V., Wallace, S.E., DiBartola, L. & Morgan, A., 2017,
Examining the perceived impact of an ethics workshop on interprofessional values and
teamwork. Journal of interprofessional care, 31(5), pp.628-637. Available at DOI:
10.1080/13561820.2017.1336992
Planas-Lladó, A., Feliu, L., Castro, F., Fraguell, R.M., Arbat, G., Pujol, J., Suñol, J.J. &
Daunis-i-Estadella, P., 2018, Using peer assessment to evaluate teamwork from a

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multidisciplinary perspective. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 43(1), pp.14-
30. Available at DOI: 10.1080/02602938.2016.1274369
Salas, E., Reyes, D.L. & McDaniel, S.H., 2018, The science of teamwork: Progress,
reflections, and the road ahead. American Psychologist, 73(4), p.593. Available at DOI:
10.1037/amp0000334
Ugoani, J. & Amu, C., 2015, Dimensions of emotional intelligence and transformational
leadership: A correlation analysis. Independent Journal Of Management & Production
(IJM&P) v, 6. Available at DOI: 10.14807/ijmp.v6i2.278
Watzek, V., Anselmann, V. & Mulder, R.H., 2019, Team learning and emotions during
teamwork: a qualitative study. Research Papers in Education, pp.1-21. Available at DOI:
10.1080/02671522.2019.1568525