Whetten and Cameron (2011) talked
about the two main roles that enhance team performance: task-facilitation and
relationship-building. They go on to
explain how most people focus on one or the other not equally. They define task-facilitation role as those
that help the team accomplish its outcomes, for example giving directions,
elaborating and summarizing.
Relationship-building roles on the other hand are defined as those that
emphasize the interpersonal aspects of the team, for example supporting,
developing and empathizing. Both of
these roles are important for all teams to become effective.
I would say I identify more with
the task-facilitation role. Looking back
on my Diagnostic Surveys for Self-Awareness on the Cognitive Style Indicator I scored above the mean on both
knowing and planning, which lends itself nicely to the task-facilitation
role. I am very outcome oriented and
tend to focus on the path to get there, whether it be by gathering information,
giving directions to the group or analyzing the group process. I have always stepped into the role of
facilitator in the teams I have participated in, I like to monitor progress and
make suggestions to try and work more effectively. I also enjoy gather information and passing
it along to others. In other words, I
tend to do a lot of legwork but would rather let others find a way to use the
information to solve the task at hand.
When I was teaching I found that I was very good at researching and
creating lesson plans but I would not have the follow through to bring them to
fruition. In fact I had even thought of
studying to become a curriculum coordinator, that way I could use my research
skills to create a curriculum that the teachers could carry out. I enjoyed watching other teachers teach the
lessons I created, as I liked seeing their personal spin on them.
The part of teams I
struggle with are the relationship roles, while I believe it is important for
teams to have a good working relationship I don’t always know how to foster
that. I guess you could say that I don’t
excel at the “touchy feely” part of groups.
I could sit here and blame this on my childhood and lack of connection
from a young age, and I feel this does play a part, however I think the real
reason I struggle is my black and white thinking style. I become so focused on the process and the
outcome that I forget how others are feeling.
I know this is something I need to work on. I think sometimes I need to take a step back
and look at the team as individuals and watch how they interact with the other
members and not worry about the goal for a few minutes. This would give me a better perspective on
the interworking’s of the team, and give me the opportunity to step in and help
the team through any conflicts that may stand in the way of them solving the
problem.
I recognize my
strength within a team; I am the organizer, researcher and monitor. I need to step outside that comfort zone and
become the leader that can also foster the relationship part of the team. This is especially important if the team is
going to be together for a long period of time.
The way members relate to each other can be as important as the task
they are trying to solve. This chapter
has opened my eyes to my weaknesses and how I need to improve on them in order
to become a better leader.
Whetten, D. A., & Cameron, K. S.
(2011). Developing Management Skills (E. Svendsen
Ed. 8th ed.). Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
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