Reflection on Glo-bus Business Simulation - Essay Example

? Self reflection report Introduction It is important for people reflect on past experiences particularly concepts. This practice helps us to developgreater insight about a particular concept and it also allows us to take a more holistic approach in order to improve the areas that are characterised by weaknesses. As a point of departure, it is important to highlight the meaning of reflection in order gain a full understanding of the whole concept. A reflection can be described as an active, persistent and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it and the further conclusion to which it tends (Dewey, 1933). Reid (1993) posits to the effect that a reflection is a process of reviewing an experience of practice in order to describe, analyse, evaluate and so inform learning about practice. Having undertaken the Glo-bus business simulation in a team from early October 2012 up to the end of January 2013, the aim of this report is to carry a reflective analysis of the experience I gained from working in this team. This simulation game was supposed to put us in a realistic and competitive market setting as well as to try to manage the company’s operations. The decisions made were supposed to be evaluated against the decisions made by other competitors comprised of other class members. In order to win the simulation, teamwork is a virtue. From the Glo-bus business simulation, I can safely say that we attained something positive though we also encountered negative aspects in our team. Therefore, I would like to start by reflecting on the things we have done well and I will also reflect on the areas that were badly done. The main part of the paper will focus on the theoretical framework of the concept of teamwork as well as to reflect the measures that can be taken to improve the success of teams in organizations. Summary of the simulation game My team was comprised of Anyta Burton, Vira Yurcheto, Muntazer Mohammad, Agil Mohastov and myself. In this team, we were supposed to log on to Glo-bus and familiarise ourselves with the system. We were also supposed to work on the weaknesses identified as a team in order to improve the performance of Glo-bus. We were also supposed to have periodic group meetings that were designed to reflect on the progress made as well as to highlight the areas that needed some sort of improvement. The major strength in our team is that our communication system was clear and open and there was mutual understanding among all members. The team leader played an active role in coordinating as well as controlling all communication processes in the group. All decisions made in the group were reached through consensus and consultations among all members of the team were held prior to the implementation of the decision agreed. We realised that this strategy was very effective in dealing with aspects related to conflicts among the members of the team. The other strength is that we managed to influence all the members of the group to have a positive sense towards the simulation process that we carried out. Indeed, we encountered some challenges in carrying out this exercise but to a certain extent, it can be noted that the combined efforts of the group members played a significant role in carrying out the simulation exercise. The main weakness we encountered in our team is that some of the members were not very confident in what they were doing. This certainly impacted the overall performance of the team. We identified seven weaknesses that were supposed to be dealt with. Only two of them were solved while the remaining five required solutions from us as a team. The problem here is that team members like Agile lacked confidence in themselves and they did not effectively play their role. For instance, Mo was backing Agile Mohastov after realising that he was slack in his performance. We also had little confidence in him that he would perform to a high level of performance and requirement. This certainly impacts the performance of the team as a whole since all members should meaningfully contributed towards the attainment of the stated goals. The essence of teamwork is synergy hence if some of the team members are not meaningfully contributing towards the cause of the group, the desired objectives may not be achieved. Essence of teamwork From the experience gained working in a group in the Glo-Bus simulation, I have realised that it is essential to have knowledge about theories of groups and teams since they impact on the behaviour of the members involved. Schultz (2003) posits to the effect that the behaviour of team members has a bearing on the on the outcome of the work or activity being undertaken. For instance, in the first week of November, we decided to make significant changes to areas that presented weaknesses such as price in order to be competitive. Liz, Anyta and Vira worked on all weaknesses. However, Anyta significantly contributed in making changes to multi feature price and warranty periods for all models. Somewhat, Liz’s behaviour has been low due to the zero grade she had recently got. To a certain extent, I can say this negatively impacted on her behaviour hence the overall performance of the group since we were scoring low on the table in terms of the weaknesses. Anyta pointed out in her e-mail of 01 December 2012 to other colleagues that not having a strategy has detrimental effects on group performance. Moe instead is asking to be updated with information about what is happening which is contrary to the essence of group. The goal of the team should be synergy where the total of the individual efforts in the team should be greater than the sum of the individual inputs (Schultz, 2003). Thus, the notion of behaviour is mainly concerned with the aspect of how people in the group conduct or relate themselves with other members in the team. I realised that it is crucial to have knowledge about group dynamics in order to be in a better position to deal with problems that may be encountered during the process of carrying out a particular activity like in this case where we can see that some individual members provided more input than the others. As aptly put by Anyta, the group lacked a strategy since the simulation game is not all about changing numbers. To a large extent, it can be noted that behaviour theories posit to the effect that human beings ought to be persuaded so that they can be cooperative in terms of goal attainment in as far as teamwork is concerned. In practice, team members can be motivated to work towards the attainment of the envisaged goal when a particular activity is being undertaken. I gained a lot of knowledge with regards to the element of group dynamics. Theoretically, team members should behave in a positive manner towards the work being carried out by a group and they should avoid displaying selfish attitude where they put their personal needs ahead of the needs of the group or team as a whole. Essentially, members in a team should share their ideas so as to be in a position to generate the much needed knowledge to achieve their desired goals. Group cohesion can positively contribute to the performance of team members. Though we encountered some challenges in the Glo-Bus simulation game, it can be said that our group was built on the basis of theoretical knowledge we possessed about group dynamics and teams. Being a small group comprising of only five members, we assigned tasks on the basis of Belbin team role theory. Dr Belbin suggests that people respond differently when they are working in a group (Grobbler, 2006). We tried to assign each member a particular task to work on though we later discovered that some of the members lacked confidence and commitment to fully execute their duties. Our efforts were driven towards the attainment of the desired goal, that is to emerge the winners at the end of the game. In order to avoid a similar situation in future, it is my strong conviction that teamwork should be given priority. It is imperative for the members of the team to collectively work together so that the goals and objectives of the group can be achieved. Robbins (2001) suggests that all members of the team should be in a position to share their ideas which can be used in formulation of meaningful decisions. In a team, learning is promoted and this enables the other team members to gain knowledge from other people. This knowledge can meaningfully contribute towards the attainment of desired goals where people can learn from their own mistakes. Knowledge creation is a virtue in as far as the success of a group towards the attainment of goals is concerned. People who share ideas and are willing to learn stand better chances of achieving their desired goals than those who work independently. The behaviour of the team members can be positively shaped by the theoretical knowledge about teamwork they possess whenever they are engaged in group work. It is easy to transform the theoretical knowledge about teams into practice when people are carrying out a certain activity in the real life situation. The other thing that I learned from the theoretical framework of groups is that members of the team should constantly communicate so as to be in a better position to keep pace with activities taking place in the group. People stand better chances of acquiring new knowledge if they constantly interact as well as to share their ideas. Mutual understanding is also likely to be promoted if people share their knowledge. Another important aspect about group cohesion is that the relationship of the members involved is likely to be improved. This reduces the chances of self alienation by some members from the entire group. People gain confidence if they positively interact in a group. Decisions that are made by people who share the same vision towards a particular activity are likely to be effective. Conclusion From the experience I have gained from the Glo-Bus simulation game, I can safely say that teamwork is very important if a group is to obtain its desired goals. Personal interests should be avoided if people are working in a group since this is counterproductive. In fact, people should meaningfully share their ideas so that they can come up with a strategy that can be used towards the achievement of the desired objectives. Without a meaningful strategy, it may be difficult to achieve the intended goals since people may lack the direction to follow. Collective action is very important if the group is concerned about realising the goals set. The other important aspect in group work is that the other members should not rely too much on the ideas of an individual person. In actual fact, they should share their opinions and try to come up with the best ideas that can be used to formulate strategies needed in carrying out different activities in a group. This also helps the members of the group to have a common understanding towards a certain goal. In future, I think it is wise for people to try to recount their past experiences when they are dealing with a similar subject so as to avoid the same pitfalls. Essentially, reflective practice is meant to give people insight into new knowledge they generate when they carry out a particular activity. Likewise, people often learn from their mistakes and this is enhanced if they are in a position to reflect about the past experience when carrying out a similar task. Over and above, it can be concluded that knowledge about theories of groups and teams is very important when people are working in a team towards the attainment of a certain goal. The behaviour of people in a team is significantly influenced by the notion of teamwork. People often use the theoretical knowledge that exists in their minds to carry out certain activities. References Dewey, J 1933. How we think. Henrey Regney, Chicago. Grobler, P Et al 2006 Human Resource Management. 3rd Edition. Thompson Learning. London. Kahn, BA & Miesing, P ND. “GLO-BUS” BADM 510-70 Strategic Management MCLA / UAlbany. Viewed 02 February 2013 from: . Louden, W 1991. Understanding Teaching. Cassell, London. Reid, B (1993) “But we’re doing it already” Exploring a response to the concept of reflective practice in order to improve its facilitation. Nurse Ed Today 13: 305-309 Robins, SP 2001. Organisational Behaviour, Pearson Education. NJ . Schon, D 1987. Educating the Reflective Practitioner. Josey Bass, San Francisco. Schultz, H 2003. Organisational behaviour. Van Schaik Publishers. Pretoria. Read More