The following report is a reflective view on students within a team’s experience for a twelve-year business simulation for a whisky company. Various items will be drawn upon, such as the different elements of the course, using relevant concepts of entrepreneurship where appropriate. The report will reflect on the team, its effectiveness, team roles, group dynamics, the decision making processes, communication skills, time management, different management styles and my own attitudes and behavior within the simulation.
2.0 The Team 2.1 Effectiveness The team worked very effectively once their roles were designated. Every meeting held was planned and mapped out to allow each member of the team to have an understanding of what needed to be done. At the end of each meeting everyone understood what had been covered and was happy knowing what was still to be done to achieve the team’s goals. At some points there was some confusion, as specific tasks were not handed out. This was mainly due to there not being a strong leader figure in the team and also certain members absents.
2.2 Team Roles EXTROVERT ROLES – Outward looking people whose main orientation is to the world outside the group, and beyond the task(s) in hand. Plant PL The Innovator. Unorthodox, knowledgeable and imaginative, turning out loads of radical ideas. The creative engine-room that needs careful handling to be effective. Individualistic, disregarding practical details or protocol – can become an unguided missile. Resource Investigator RI The extrovert, enthusiastic communicator, with good connections outside the team. Enjoys exploring new ideas, responds well to challenges, and creates this attitude amongst others. Noisy and energetic, quickly loses interest, and can be lazy unless under pressure.
Chairman CH Calm, self-confident and decisive when necessary. The social leader of the group, ensuring individuals contribute fully, and guiding the team to success. Unlikely to bring great intellect or creativity. Shaper SH Energetic, highly-strung, with a drive to get things done. They challenge inertia, ineffectiveness and complacency in the team, but can be abrasive, impatient and easily provoked. Good leaders of start-up or rapid-response teams. INTROVERT ROLES – Inward-looking people principally concerned with relations and tasks within the group.
Monitor Evaluator ME Unemotional, hard-headed and prudent. Good at assessing proposals, monitoring progress and preventing mistakes. Dispassionate, clever and discrete. Unlikely to motivate others, takes time to consider, may appear cold and uncommitted. Rarely wrong. Team Worker TW Socially oriented and sensitive to others. Provides an informal network of communication and support that spreads beyond the formal activities of the team. Often the unofficial or deputy leader, preventing feuding and fragmentation. Concern for team spirit may divert from getting the job done.
Company Worker CW The Organiser who turns plans into tasks. Conservative, hard working, full of common sense, conscientious and methodical. Orthodox thinking who keeps the team focussed on the tasks in hand. Lacks flexibility, and unresponsive to new ideas Completer Finisher CF Makes sure the team delivers. An orderly, anxious perfectionist who worries about everything. Maintains a permanent sense of urgency that can sometimes help and sometimes hinder the team. Good at follow-up and meeting deadlines.
Different roles are important at different times, and the effective team will be aware of who should be ‘centre stage’ at a given time. You can of course link Belbin roles to personality types, where you’ll find common words like ‘Extrovert’ and ‘Analytical’, but Belbin roles can be are less definitive. The following report is a reflective view on students within a team’s experience for a twelve-year business simulation for a whisky company. Various items will be drawn upon, such as the different elements of the course, using relevant concepts of entrepreneurship where appropriate. The report will reflect on the team, its effectiveness, team roles, group dynamics, the decision making processes, communication skills, time management, different management styles and my own attitudes and behavior within the simulation.
2.0 The Team 2.1 Effectiveness The team worked very effectively once their roles were designated. Every meeting held was planned and mapped out to allow each member of the team to have an understanding of what needed to be done. At the end of each meeting everyone understood what had been covered and was happy knowing what was still to be done to achieve the team’s goals. At some points there was some confusion, as specific tasks were not handed out. This was mainly due to there not being a strong leader figure in the team and also certain members absents.
2.2 Team Roles EXTROVERT ROLES – Outward looking people whose main orientation is to the world outside the group, and beyond the task(s) in hand.Plant PL The Innovator. Unorthodox, knowledgeable and imaginative, turning out loads of radical ideas. The creative engine-room that needs careful handling to be effective. Individualistic, disregarding practical details or protocol – can become an unguided missile. Resource Investigator RI The extrovert, enthusiastic communicator, with good connections outside the team. Enjoys exploring new ideas, responds well to challenges, and creates this attitude amongst others. Noisy and energetic, quickly loses interest, and can be lazy unless under pressure.
Chairman CH Calm, self-confident and decisive when necessary. The social leader of the group, ensuring individuals contribute fully, and guiding the team to success. Unlikely to bring great intellect or creativity. Shaper SH Energetic, highly-strung, with a drive to get things done. They challenge inertia, ineffectiveness and complacency in the team, but can be abrasive, impatient and easily provoked. Good leaders of start-up or rapid-response teams. INTROVERT ROLES – Inward-looking people principally concerned with relations and tasks within the group. Monitor Evaluator MEUnemotional, hard-headed and prudent. Good at assessing proposals, monitoring progress and preventing mistakes. Dispassionate, clever and discrete. Unlikely to motivate others, takes time to consider, may appear cold and uncommitted. Rarely wrong.
Team Worker TW Socially oriented and sensitive to others. Provides an informal network of communication and support that spreads beyond the formal activities of the team. Often the unofficial or deputy leader, preventing feuding and fragmentation. Concern for team spirit may divert from getting the job done. Company Worker CW The Organiser who turns plans into tasks. Conservative, hard working, full of common sense, conscientious and methodical. Orthodox thinking who keeps the team focussed on the tasks in hand. Lacks flexibility, and unresponsive to new ideas Completer Finisher CF Makes sure the team delivers. An orderly, anxious perfectionist who worries about everything. Maintains a permanent sense of urgency that can sometimes help and sometimes hinder the team. Good at follow-up and meeting deadlines.
Different roles are important at different times, and the effective team will be aware of who should be ‘centre stage’ at a given time. You can of course link Belbin roles to personality types, where you’ll find common words like ‘Extrovert’ and ‘Analytical’, but Belbin roles can be are less definitive. Overall the simulation provided the team and myself with a great insight into what it is like to work in a group situation. To begin with, things did not run too smoothly, this was mainly caused by confusion as to the team members not thinking their belbin profiles suited them. This caused the team to work ineffectively. Towards the end of the simulation however, everyone realised that the profiles given to him or her were accurate and they can now see that.
I was a Team worker in the group and this suited my characteristics well. I believe I worked to the best of my abilities for the group and helped them achieve a certifiable grade for the presentation. At some points through the simulation, I believe I brought stability and calmness to the group. This project has given me a great insight as to what it will be like in the future if I am to work in a project-orientated atmosphere.
