High Performance Group Collaboration

Part A-Group Practices

Communication:

Luckily, We quartet four members all come from same class, We have built a good and harmony relationship in group collaboration practice, according to last semester. In semester B MGT6209 we can be team members again, we all feel confidence about further teamwork collaboration.

Communication-Content:

During the group communication, generally our communication content is based on the teamwork's topic, and we also discuss related key points surrounding class materials and lectures. Reflecting the whole teamwork process, we negotiated many times, discuss topics covering all the aspects of teamwork, such as teamwork targets, individual teamwork division, mid-term teamwork project, collaboration, the collaboration project with evening class team Wings, final teamwork project and so on.

Communication-Frequency:

Because we have collaboration experience in last semester, so we are quite familiar with each together within group. We all feel comfortable, free and easy during overall collaboration process. We frequently expending specific teamwork of collaboration,  although there are some arguments and debasements during  negotiation time, well I think all the debasements are possible and reasonable. I really don't think an effective team discussion without arguments.

Communication-Method:

We usually use various communication approaches to achieve group members connection and discussion. there are mainly divided into two ways: on-line communication and off-line communication.

Off-line communication, we mainly through face-to face meeting to communicate with each together within team. the frequency of our face-to-face meeting depends on the team work timetable. We usually held meetings before the class, during class break and after the class. we try to utilize a little time to achieve the effective communication results.  we do not want meaningless things occupy our meeting time, so require all members only discussion the most important thing at the meeting. in addition to, the most basic point is, make sure all members clear understand the meeting central theme, individual teamwork division, and other member’s reflections.

On-line communication, we mainly take advantage of Internet and various social media communication approaches, includes: email, Dropbox, WeChat, QQ, Skype and so on. Most of time we utilized on-line communication technical tools to accomplish virtual communication within our team, and the collaboration team Wings as well.

Collaboration:

Based on the individual ability and personal  advantages, we selected the team leader and  coordinated team members’ work division. According to the respects and trusts within team members, we all deeply believe the team leader’s management and each team members’ ability. At the most time, we well coordinated the relationship between different role of team and individual. Even though exists some conflicts and arguments, all problems have be well resolved finally.

                                 

There are some coordination problems existing when we communication with Wings, because we only can communicate with them through in virtual world via technical approaches without face-to-face meeting. The most big barrier is from technical communication tools. We usually use Skype to connect with Wings, sometimes we have to break off the meeting, because of the Internet connection problem, signal problem, or noise problem. All of these will affect our communication and negotiation efficiency with Wings. another problem is the matched meeting time, team Wings have two part-time students, they are always very busy, so it is difficult to arrange a coordinated time to meeting and discussing collaboration issues. 

Decision-Making:

At the beginning of the class, maybe in class two or three, we formulated a simple teamwork collaboration plan based on the Frank’s teamwork project requirements. this plan includes timeline plan, project implementation plan, and collaboration related details. These series of specific plans can be guides for further overall collaboration processes. According to plans, we will a clear understanding about what we should do, the expected results we want to achieve and the specific action timeline. while, beyond the plans, if we have some specific problems, we will re-discuss within group, and resolve the problems together.

Conflicts:

First, when we discussed the final project topic. At that time, we have different opinions about the topic choice, each one firmly believed the best and the most suitable is theirs.  Before the discuss we have set a microscope topic, while when talk about project details, we can't reach agreement. Finally, through several times meeting, the solution is that team leader collected all the diver gent opinions, and based on the common views made a simple propose, which we all agreed, and finally determined as final project topic. 

Now I reflect that confliction, the problem is we all forget the meaning of listening and collaboration. We only insisted our individual points of view, and forgot to listen and accept other team member’s reflections.

Second, when we held telephone conference with team Wings. Once we cannot got a common view for a long time, we can't come up with a better idea at that time, so the telephone conference was got stuck, we all keep silent and no one knew what should do next at that occasion. The final solution is we have to stop that day’s discussion and let each team goes back to reconsider the theirs topic and try to find the possible collaboration approach within one project.

The reflection of this confliction is maybe we did not do enough preparation in advance, and we did not be aware of opposite  proposal each other, so during the conference we cannot organize and integrate two topics into one project temporarily.

Third, the efficiency problem of team collaboration. Although we have set some collaboration details advance, trying to achieve effective teamwork. While the reality situation is not like our expectation. Sometimes, we talked about other things, which uncorrelated of teamwork topic; sometimes, we can't finish individual division teamwork at the integrated deadline; sometimes, team members do not do well preparation before the team meeting. All of these phenomena will directly influence the whole team’s performance, and the efficiency of teamwork.

the solution is directly point out the problems, and discuss within group, make sure each team members are awarded of the importance the problems, and forbid these happened again.

Communication Tools: (Technology)

During the teamwork, we mainly use Internet and social media to accomplish our whole collaboration processes. Specifically includes, email, Dropbox, WeChat, QQ, Skype and so on. all of these approaches are our basic daily life communication tools, we are all familiar with them, so they really promote and improve the efficiency of connection, communication, and collaboration. While, on the other hand, technical also bring some unexpected problems. For example, we usually used Skype to held telephone conference with team Wings, and we were usually forced to stop during the meeting, because of the technical problems, the speed of Internet, the Skype signal problem or the equipment problem and so on. On the one side, these technical tools improved our collaboration efficiency, on the other hand, sometime these tools can be hampers of team’s work.

Part B-Group Processes

Commitments:

At the beginning of our teamwork, as I mentioned ahead, we made a simple teamwork collaboration plan, it just a simple guide which includes the expected results and basic timeline. we did not make specific promises or commitments in it. so our commitments are team common cognition and from each team members' conscientious.

Commitments & Me: The commitment that I made to the group is positive participation, sharing, collaboration within group and on time finished the individual teamwork. The commitment of group for me is through overall team members’ efforts, we finally reached the expected outcomes, got well collaboration practice and achieved good final results.

Commitments Keeping: All these commitments are each team members’ behaviors guides, we based on the guides take actions. because we all want get a good result at the end of class. in addition to, within the whole semester, there are also some motivations to promote us carry on well practice in teamwork,  such as each class’s groups reflections, presentations, and the mid-term project presentation. through these, we can know other groups’ performance, many of them are very excellent. it further promote our group's performance. In such a competition environment, we can keep clear mind of our commitment of well performance, and improve the team practice efficiency.

Sharing:

At team meeting, I always try to make sure other group members have clear understand what I am thinking about the discussion topic. I am willing to unreserved, directly express my views to team members,  includes some positively argue about the discussion content. I would like to express myself and communicate with my team members. I think that is the real meaning of teamwork and collaboration. Maybe when I think some reflections or opinions which are not suitable for the teamwork overall topic, I will not share them with members. I think they are irrelevant and meaningless for the current teamwork. So before I begin to share, I will consider carefully what I should talk and what I should not talk, what specific content I should share and what I should not share.

Trust:

We four people get together be a team, and pursue the same group goals. We are the actual partnership relationship, each one’s performance will directly affects the overall team's performance. So no matter from individual perspective or the overall team perspective, I deeply believe my team members will make great efforts to participant in the teamwork and improve the collaboration efficiency. What’s more, based on our daily frequent communication and good collaboration, I can see team members’ positive and friendly attitudes.

Vision: 

All of us through a whole semester’s efforts, now I reflect the entire collaboration process, there are so many improvements for our group and me. During the teamwork collaboration process, we have had difficulty, confliction, confusion, misunderstanding, compromise and doubt. While finally, we had overcome all the  difficulties, and successful accomplished the overall teamwork project. I have practiced and exercised the theoretical knowledge  into reality collaboration practice. Through other team members’ reflections, we all expressed that the teamwork practice really has positive effects for us. The whole process is difficult, while we all made great efforts to achieve a high quality group project. We through many times negotiations, group discussions, communication, and team reflection, finally we organized and integrated our thoughts into final group project. We all paid efforts and received the experiences and knowledge, that’s the meaning of studying. We through collaborated, communicated, negotiation  within team, and we achieved the group expected results and goals, that’s the meaning of this course’s collaboration sprite. So we are successful.