Reflection 1
REFLECTION PAPER
by Student’s Name
Code + Course Name
Professor’s Name
University Name
City, State
Date
Reflection 2
1.0 Introduction
Individual reflection is a way to think about your work, experiences and the study if it is the true
or false answer. Thus, it can be denoted as a process of thinking question in regards to learning
as denoted by (Yanow & Tsoukas, 2009). My reflection on this report will focus on my group
working environment and how I approached teamwork with the utilization of theories.
2.0 Introduction of theories
To be effective in the group work, I utilized three theories to help me solve problems arising,
namely; Johari window model, the Thomas Kilmannn conflict mode and the Belbin team-role
contributions.
2.1 Johari Window Model
The Johari window model works in two ways. First, how do you learn about yourself and what
do your teammates know about you. Four areas are applicable in this model, namely; open area,
blind area, hidden area, and unknown area. In my case, this model played a critical role as it
helped me improve on self-awareness and I realized that communication is critical during
teamwork.
2.2 Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode
In this mode, Thomas Kilmann argues that people manage conflicts in five ways. They include;
avoiding, accommodation, compromising, competing and collaboration. The flexibility in the
model allows one to apply it to different situations. Thus, based on the model I was able to
understand that conflicts cannot be avoided in teamwork, but there are better ways of resolving
conflicts and it’s crucial for the success of teamwork.
2.3 The Belbin’s Team-role Contribution
Reflection 3
The Belbin team-role contribution theory entails nine roles of a team working, namely; plants,
resource investigators, monitor evaluators, coordinators, shapers, implementers, team workers,
completer-finished and specialist. In our team, the theory proved helpful as it enables us to
divide ourselves into different units with different roles providing efficient work levels. Besides,
the theory also helped distinguish between my strengths and weaknesses, this allowed one to
clarify his position before the preparation.
3.0 Reflection on Teamwork and how I Helped my Team
In this presentation, our group was made up of five members coming from different regions and
possessing different cultures. Cultural differences sometimes can be a problem in a group.
Therefore, it was difficult at first to understand each as I was also not open which led to less
communication between me and my teammates. Even in the middle of preparation, I still hide
which sometimes brought trust issues between team members.
After realizing that my failure of not being open might result in negative effects on my
contribution to teamwork. I realized that such a situation matches the Johari Window model,
whereby by hiding myself, your unknown side won’t be known and it may become a challenge
to the team progress. Therefore, I tried communicating with my team members and also created a
‘WhatsApp’ group to try and introduce myself. This was a big step for me and in the same group,
we were able to organize a meeting in the library where we had the chance of sharing our ideas
that each one had gathered.
During preparation, each one of us came up with ideas on how we should tackle the presentation
and when presenting points each one had different ideas. A conflict almost emerged between us
because of our differences in opinion, and we thought of how we could accommodate then
accept each one's ideas before an agreement was made. Despite, accommodation using Thomas
Reflection 4
Kilmann mode, the idea of cooperation played a critical role in our group, and finally concession
which is crucial to reach a consensus enables us to attain efficiency in our team.
Since our group was diverse in terms of personality, it enabled us to play different roles in our
groups. Despite being not able to sufficiently socialize with my team members, I also played a
critical role in the group by providing ideas that were beneficial to the group. This is exactly
what a coordinator should do in a group (Belbin).
4.0 Conclusion
In conclusion, my experience in teamwork enabled me to identify my strengths and weaknesses.
On the other hand, I always conceded to my teammates whenever a conflict tried to emerge.
However, I was able to identify that my communication skills are poor which led to serious
communication issues with my team members. Furthermore, I lack self-confidence and short of
activity.
The reasons behind the obstacles that I faced came from my low level of English literacy since I
wasn’t able to clearly express my opinions affecting my conversation with my team members.
Another reason is that I’m not comfortable when working with strangers. This greatly affected
my effort towards teamwork, and perhaps it may continue being a weakness in the future.
Therefore, before engaging in the next group work, I will try and communicate with my fellow
international students in English to improve my English communication skills. Hopefully, with
sufficient practice, my confidence in a future presentation using English will improve.
Reflection 5
References
https://student.unsw.edu.au/reflective-writing
https://challengingcoaching.co.uk/conflict-and-challenge/
https://www.communicationtheory.org/the-johari-window-model/
https://www.hubgets.com/blog/team-dynamics-belbin-team-roles/
Yanow, D. and Tsoukas, H., 2009. What is reflection‐in‐action? A phenomenological
account. Journal of management studies, 46(8), pp.1339-1364.
