URI Cultural Café 22nd Session
Last Saturday, 12 Sept. 2020, URI MENA Cultural Café session was on Teamwork and Building Effective Teams, facilitated by Mamoun Khreisat- Desert Bloom. We discussed the importance of teamwork, advantages and disadvantages of cohesive groups and the stages of team building and the role of team leader in each stage (Bruce Tuckman’s model).
Major takeaways:
1. While the advantages of group cohesiveness generally outweigh its disadvantages, there are some serious disadvantages of group cohesiveness. Disadvantages include blocking the change, reducing creativity, alienation from other groups/ individuals and extreme competitiveness with others outside the group.
2. Leaders should understand the four stages of team development (Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing) and explain them to their teams to move the team through these stages with minimum conflict and stress.
3. Working with difficult people within a team is one of the most wanted skills in our modern world.
4. Conflict within a team is not always bad. It can be extremely positive. It provides chances to learn and open our eyes to new perspectives. Also, it helps us challenge our assumptions and move out of our comfort zone.
5. Conflict exists as a natural and inevitable part of every relationship. Hence, we need to live with it.
6. Acknowledge the conflict before trying to manage it. We should deal with conflict immediately and avoid the temptation to ignore it.
7. Team participation in the decision-making process ensures their buy in to the result of decision.
8. Objectivity and impartiality are keys to solving conflict within a team.
9. We should learn to separate the people from the problem.
