Week 3 Team A Reflection

Maria Parrish
Week three covered the appropriate use of the terms group and team and conflict resolution. Even though those two terms have a common goal, the way they go by accomplishing those goals is what sets them apart. When working as part of a team you have the opportunity to share experiences and learn from each other to achieve a common goal. A group can develop into a team if it has a coordinated effort to reach a common goal, but in a group setting each member works independently to reach that goal. Deciding to put together a team or group depends on the assignment at hand. I really enjoyed discussing conflict resolution with the class. I believe that conflict can’t be avoided, when people interact there is always going to be a little friction. Every day we deal with different types of people, different character traits, upbringings, cultures, and different backgrounds. It is almost impossible for people with such a diverse background, professional skill levels and work ethics not to bump heads at some point. Encouraging open communication and constructive criticism, but still respect others opinions, ideas, and views can support a healthy balance. I was amazed how different and how similar most of the responses were. The class continuously shares experiences, ideas, views and suggestions respectfully and with an open mind. The team assignment simulation was another eye opener; it surprised me how easy it was to take the wrong course of action and how easy we can resolve conflict if we just take the time and listen to each other. I discovered that by allowing open communication all misunderstandings and conflict were resolved almost immediately. Just like the week prior, the assignment instructions are still confusing and require clarification before they can be successfully navigated, but all in all I enjoyed week three.
Kelly Coleman
During week 3, we learned about the difference between groups and teams, conflict resolution among the groups and/or teams, and how the characteristics and traits of each individual can impact the team and/or group. As an individual working towards a goal, there will be very little concern for the quality of work because there is no dependency on another individual. But when you work within a team or group, the dynamics are much different because now each individual has to rely on its team members to include their piece of the puzzle. And on top of just doing their piece of the puzzle, it needs to be done accurately. Conflict will arise in most groups or teams and most will say conflict can be a negative but we learned this week that speaking out and encouraging conflict could lead to more knowledge. I like how we learned that it is okay to speak out when you do not agree and that there should be a discussion among the group members when there is a disagreement because most of the time, each individual will walk away with more knowledge. Just like Maria, I too agree that the assignments can get very confusing at times and what is to be expected of us. This is the first class in which the assignments were confusing and not cut and dry. The syllabus in previous classes had all the assignments listed clearly and there were not threads in our discussion trail with updates.

Fred Flinstone
Week three was pretty interesting. We learned that though they are sometimes considered synonymous the terms team and group are actually very different. Teams usually consist of 3 or more people assigned to work on short term tasks. They also will usually have different or specialized skill sets. Groups on the other hand usually have a broader range of knowledge and perform similar functions. We also discussed conflict in an organization. We learned conflict is sometimes necessary in an organization as it encourages change and innovation. We also learned about and discussed some techniques to generate healthy conflict within a group. Many of which I use with my own teams. All in all it was a good week and things went much smoother as far as assignments are concerned.