University of Phoenix Material

Team Building Worksheet

Complete the Team Building Worksheet by answering the following questions in 200 to 300 words each.

1. Describe team members’ results on the Discovery Wheel and Develop your multiple intelligences exercises. What similarities and differences exist within the team? 1. Attitude – 35 2. Time – 31 3. Memory – 34 4. Reading – 32 5. Notes – 34 6. Test – 29 7. Thinking – 35 8. Communicating – 36 9. Diversity – 34 10. Money – 35 11. Health – 36 12. Purpose - 35

2. What are the advantages of having diversity on a team? What challenges might the team face because of diversity?
Diversity is very important because with a diverse environment people can benefit and learn from others’ ideas. Other reasons for the importance of diversity are the recognition of differences as prerequisites for high performance and continuous improvement, enhancing the effectiveness and creativity of the team, and valuing conflicts as opportunities for more effective decision-making and problem solving. Diversity has a major impact on our behaviors in everyday life. Diversity calls for the recognition of the contributions that individuals can make as individuals, not just as members of legislatively designated groups. Diversity requires the management of teams to be very inclusive, not just tolerating those who are different but also celebrating those differences. It calls for the opening of non-traditional occupations to men and women of all creeds, colors, religions, races and social groupings and for making reasonable accommodations. Diversity calls for diversity beyond just gender, race, or physical and intellectual abilities to include diversity in opinions, sexual preferences, social customs and mores, and other aspects of the variations in lives and lifestyles. Diversity can help the team identify and capitalize on opportunities. Team members of different ethnic backgrounds possess different attitudes and values. Cultural differences determine the observed differences in work attitudes. Diversity gives the ability of members from other groups to perform well together. The team may face challenges with difference in ability which often creates difficulties in communication and emotional interactions, simple misunderstandings can arise from basic cultural differences and work attitudes. Diversity in teams has benefits and creates challenges. However, by being aware of these challenges and how to address them, the team can overcome them and reach success.

3. How might factors such as diversity, attitude, learning, and work styles affect team building?

Diversity amongst team members means that we will have different viewpoints that come from different backgrounds, ages, learning styles and environments. Open mindedness is crucial because it allows us to learn from each other. Again, diversity promotes learning; learning about each other, learning different ways of doing things and getting differing perspectives on life and the task at hand than your own. While this can be very helpful in a team, it can also hinder a team. It is possible that personal prejudices and fear of change can keep someone from opening up or trusting other team members because of their race, creed or place of origin. Personally, I feel that those differences should be embraced because it is these differences that will be able to broaden your sphere of knowledge. However, if you keep an open mind, you might be able to see a different side of the argument and maybe, it will be a side that you might even agree with. Depending on how the team is set up then diversity and attitude can work with or against the team. If a person’s attitude is more negative or not caring then it can have an impact on the team by making it so that the rest of the team needs to pick up the slack and work harder to achieve the goal. On the other hand a member of the team with a positive drive can effect collaboration in a way that is more understanding.

4. Describe team members’ results on the Career Interest Profiler, and the Career Plan Building Activity-Competencies. What similarities and differences exist within the team?

Based on my Career Interest Profiler I am:

Conventional
Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Social
Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Investigative
Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Based on my Competencies my Strengths are:

1. Following Instructions - 4

2. Delivering Results - 3

3. Adapting to Change - 3

4. Coping with Pressure - 3

5. Adhering to Values - 3

5. How can you use the knowledge gained in the Career Interest Profiler, and the Career Plan Building Activity-Competencies to improve the performance of the Learning Team?

By applying my skills, knowledge and maintaining open lines of communication with team members by freely sharing information, Contribute to team decisions by stating my ideas and points of view, make decisions co-operatively within the team, Contribute to the team by completing the tasks assigned to me on time. Get acquainted with team members by introducing myself and sharing an interesting topics related to tasks or assignments. Build a good rapport with my team by participating in team activities. Acknowledge and understand my own strengths and weaknesses. Acknowledge and use the skill strengths, ideas, and opinions of other team members, Encourage team members to share ideas by asking questions and listening attentively, Always considering the feedback and advice given by other team members, respecting the feelings, views and values of other team members. Support and encourage fellow team members by helping those who need assistance. Address issues or problems when they happen, Working Independently and setting realistic daily and weekly goals and evaluate my success at the end of the week. Create a daily or weekly to-do list to help prioritize and organize my tasks. Minimize interruptions by scheduling a specific time to work on an assignment. Manage my time carefully so that I have time to respond to unexpected situations. Regularly review the progress you I’ve made in my work. Make adjustments to my to-do list or schedule if necessary. Establish team goals that are clear, understood, and accepted by everyone. Help others by sharing my experiences and offering guidance or advice, giving constructive feedback to help team members improve their work. Support others by listening to their concerns and feelings; include everyone in team discussions by encouraging others to share their idea. Encourage team interactions and maintain a positive atmosphere.

6. What obstacles might arise from different ethical perspectives among team members?

Low or moral perception, some people fail to see the moral dimensions of given situations. Others have distorted moral vision that results largely from rationalization or from an unwillingness to focus on the problem so that it is seen clearly. Moral disengagement while the situation in question normally elicits a particular moral response from other team members, in this case, the team lacks such a response. Self-serving bias, some team members may tend to look for information that will confirm their pre-existing views, to interpret information in ways that support their own view, and to selectively remember the information that supports their view. Poor moral awareness can either result in a failure to perceive the problem as being an ethical problem at all (in which cases one does not go through the steps of good ethical decision making), or can present the team with a distorted or insufficient picture of the problem to be resolved. Failure to gather relevant facts, good practical decisions require that the team knows important facts relevant to the decision, such as those that help us determine the likely impact of the action on the situation at hand. Insufficient attention or time given to ethical decision-making causes the situation to have low moral intensity. Rationalizing ourselves out of good moral decision-making, it’s easy to convince ourselves that we can do what we’d like.

7. How might these factors, diversity, attitude, learning and work styles, and ethical perspective be used to resolve conflicts?

Place yourself in the position of the person(s) likely to be harmed by the event and remind yourself of the golden rule, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. As members of a team we can consciously strive to improve the content and practical applicability within the group. Try to find alternate ways of dealing with conflicts, identify persuasive arguments, and soften the ground for efforts to consider a different, perhaps less self-serving decision. Be alert to the impact of your actions on situations and increase your awareness by taking on their perspectives of the situation. Make sure to take the time to gather whatever facts you need to come to a good decision. Don’t rush to judgment before all the facts are in. Since in many cases different members have interests that would be best served by different actions, it is important to carefully review the facts one gathers to ensure that they represent as unbiased a representation of the situation as possible. Precisely thinking about what facts or types of facts are necessary for a good judgment on the issue may not be clear at the beginning of the process. When team members consider the situation from the perspectives of different facts, the need for additional facts or clarification of already attained facts will probably arise.