Kingston University London Faculty of Engineering

______________________________________________________________________________ REFLECTION ON TEAM WORK Module CE3044 You are to fill in this form as evidence of your competence in team work in the context of the above module (after Cottrell, 2003).
1. Characteristics of a team A team is made up of members with different strengths and weaknesses all working to achieve one goal. Even if one person takes on most of the responsibility in the group, everyone is involved in the decision making and the views and opinions of each member are heard. Members are assigned tasks based on their strengths and preferences. Each member clearly knows what tasks they are responsible of and completes their tasks on time and to the best of their ability therefore making equal contribution. A good team is one where all members are always on the same page, everyone knows what everyone else is doing and members encourage and assist each other. Members are satisfied with their own roles and contributions as well as the roles and contributions of others. Although success is based on results, a successful team is also one where people work and communicate well together and manage to overcome any differences for the good of the team. A team is about every person in it and not one individual. 2. Example of an event or activity when I showed good team skills When preparing for the video presentation, I worked with two other members of the group to set up the structure of the presentation by initially writing up what slides we were going to have in the presentation on a white board. This helped us visualise how we were going to set the presentation and helped us allocate reasonable amounts of time to each slide so that in the end our presentation was below the time limit specified for the video presentation. It also allowed each of us to have input into how each part of the presentation should be. Although I was not directly involved in creating this presentation I felt that I still had input in it as a result of good communication and team work with the other members. Towards the end I even ended up writing up a few of the slides of the video presentation which showed how well we worked as a team that even though a few members were creating the presentation it did not mean others could not get involved. 3. Example of leadership in an event or activity (e.g. planning, negotiating) I and one other member of the group were responsible for creating the initial presentation. Our presentation was on sourcing materials for construction. In our planning we decided that the main materials we were going to look at were steel, concrete, glass, timber and masonry. We assigned the other members of the group to research information on these materials and how they could be sourced locally for construction of the train station on the Isle of Wight. I collected and used this information as well as my own research and set about forming the presentation with the other group member who also researched on the topic. I then proposed to the other member that we both speak at the presentation and we agreed on this. I decided that I was going to start off the presentation by introducing the group and our topic. The other member would then speak about three of the five materials and I would take over for the last two materials.

4. Example of ability to work with others in a specific event or activity (e.g. accepting others views, working out a compromise) An example of my ability to work with others in an activity was the final report. There were some disagreements about who should do what part for the report since it was quite a large assignment and everyone was already occupied with what they already had to do for the report. I was initially unwilling to take part in the technical data and calculations section of the report where we had to calculate the design loads that the beams and columns of each station design would experience and use that data to work out which beams and columns should be chosen. This is because I had a lot of write up to do for the report and so I wasnt sure if I would have time to take part in the calculations section. In the end I accepted that calculations were too much work for only one member of the team to carry out and so I made time to help out. We worked out a compromise that I would calculate the design loads for both station designs and the other member would then use that data to work out which beams and columns to choose for each station design. 5. Lessons I have learnt from team working (give examples of good and bad practice). The lessons I have learnt from team working on the group design project are to always complete my tasks before time and to manage my time effectively. In a group everyone depends on each other and if one member of the group is late with their work it affects the other members. For the final report I took too much time to complete my part of the write up and I realise that if I had completed it earlier I would have been able to do it a to a better standard by using the spare time to improve it. This was a result of me not managing my time properly where I wasnt organised in the way that I was working. Another thing I have learnt is to always keep my emotions under control. On one occasion I let my emotions get the better of me when I was frustrated whilst working with other members of the group and this slowed me down. I understand that you should always keep your emotions in check and not let it prevent you from performing to the best of your ability and I will try to improve on this in the future. 6. Am I a successful team player? What would I do differently on another occasion? A successful team player is one who contributes regularly in team tasks and activities, always gives 100 percent, completes tasks on time and to the best of their ability, and makes time to help and encourage other members of the team. I believe I am a good team player. I took part in all team tasks from initial presentation, video presentation to final report. I always gave my best and tried to contribute and bring as many ideas forward as possible. However I do need to improve my time management especially when it comes to completing tasks before time because even though I got work done on time, it was usually just at the deadline and not before. I believe that if I got work done well before deadline I could use the extra time to develop and improve the work which in turn would increase the groups chances of achieving the best possible results. I occasionally tried to help and encourage other members of the team and this is also something I would try to do change in the future by regularly helping other members. This would give me greater satisfaction which for me is very important.

Reference: Cottrell, S. (2003) Skills for success: the Personal Development Planning Handbook. Palgrave Study Guides. Palgrave Macmillan Ltd., Basingstoke