Organisational Behaviour Reflective Ess Essay Example

at least two people but can have an unlimited maximum number; however, larger groups may face challenges due to complexity and communication levels needed for effective group dynamics. Members should interact face-to-face, be aware of their individual roles, feel a sense of belonging and work towards common goals (Buchanan, 2004). On average, people belong to five or six groups with 92% being part of groups consisting of five people or less. The structure of each group varies greatly based on given tasks.When participating in a team, the required level of interdependency varies depending on the task. For instance, completing a relay race requires high interdependence among team members for success, while working on a group presentation is an additive task where individual efforts are combined to produce the final outcome. In my personal experience, I have observed that conjunctive tasks often cause conflicts and lower team morale. Shoehorning Jar (1998) suggests that if all members contribute equally, better results can be achieved than when working alone. However, in my case, I ended up doing most of the work to ensure high quality standards were met which resulted in disjointed presentation since our grade relied only on capable member's work. The problem was not my ability but different priorities among other members leading to conflict despite having good social relations. Our group formed informally through mutual needs satisfaction and lacked organization or task-orientation like formal groups as stated by Rollins (2008).In order to successfully complete our presentation, we had to temporarily function as a formal group and focus on finishing our assigned task. The behavior of individuals within a group and their relationships with other groups

in the organization are influenced by the specific characteristics that the group displays. Our entire tutor group formed cliques, with some members preferring socializing while others were more reserved. This phenomenon is known as Group self-organ action, which results in groups developing interests, autonomy, and identities (Buchanan, 2004). Informal leaders emerged within these groups, where leadership is defined as the process through which an individual influences a team to achieve a common goal (Morehouse, 2010). The effectiveness of any team is determined by leadership; however, the lack of structure in our group initially led to difficulties in identifying a leader. Although everyone wanted to take charge and there was no power struggle involved due to previous sports and college experiences. The trait theory suggests that good leaders possess personality traits such as intelligence, self-confidence, and sociability (Grant1997), promoting the belief that people are born with inherent leadership qualities that cannot be changed. This philosophy resulted in low productivity and high tension within our group since nobody was willing to follow each other's lead.

Realizing the need to modify my leadership approach for better outcomes, I gained insight into group formation and improved my skills through studying Business. This knowledge helped our presentation group achieve success by working with unfamiliar individuals, generating ideas, and taking the lead in drafting the presentation. We were able to link leadership theories to sports while exhibiting impressive presentation skills resulting in high productivity and a good grade. Our experience taught us a valuable lesson on efficient conflict resolution using Tussocks' stages of group development. The "Forming" stage involved getting acquainted with each other as we did when assigned groups at

the start of university where leaders such as Tutor Mark offered instructions and guidelines. In the next stage called "Storming," issues such as disagreements, varying work ethic or goals arose which our early academic year presentation group encountered but could have resolved more efficiently had we known about this model.Our group unfortunately received poor grades as we did not progress beyond the storming stage. However, had we surpassed this stage, we could have advanced to "Norming" where closer relationships and effective working methods would have led to higher group efficacy. The most desired stage is "Performing" where the group functions productively to accomplish the task at hand. In future presentations, I aim to work in a performing group that can achieve success. When a task is completed or when members move on to new projects, the group may disband - this is known as adjourning. Buchanan (2004) suggests that groups move through these stages quickly and our group could have been more effective if we persisted in raising ourselves from the storming stage despite being stuck there for some time.

One potential solution would have been allocating specific slides to members who then worked on them individually before gathering information for presentation; however, this approach may impact style and professionalism of presentation. An alternative option was electing a leader who adapted their leadership style according to situational theory proposed by Blanchard (1985) model in Morehouse (2010). A leader should be directive, supportive, a good coach and should delegate tasks depending on follower competence and commitment levels.A leader with a supportive style would have been more appropriate than one person delegating tasks to prevent conflict within the

group, as everyone was competent but not very motivated. Speaking with the lecturer, Lima, to address the issue of group members failing to listen to one another could ensure everyone has equal input and penalize those who do not contribute. The Hawthorne effect illustrates how people behave differently when being observed, which can improve performance in a group setting. Changing groups to work with individuals who have similar work ethics may result in a better grade. Communication with the manager or waiting until the storming phase passes is necessary in a work environment for improving effectiveness of the group. Learning about group formation and leadership skills during university prepares us for working in different situations throughout life. Understanding psychological groups is crucial because its members share the same goal and work towards achieving it together, as seen in sports teams where high interdependence among members is often required for certain tasks.During my academic year, I discovered that the transition from informal and social groups to formal, efficient, and task-oriented ones can often be difficult. The formation of a group is closely linked to leadership since every group requires a leader. Nevertheless, choosing a leader can pose difficulties unless someone with higher authority designates one.