POST#4: Reflection on meeting 1

Meet my two new team mates, Ngo Quoc Phong (Phong as we all refer to him as) and Jiang Kuo (Jackie). Although I’m still unsure as to how to pronounce their names correctly =), yet I can assure you, we know each other well enough and have become quite well versed with each other.

We had our first project meeting on 12th Feb 2010 at Prince George’s Park Residence at 7:30pm. At first, each of us was quite reserved and slightly hesitant. We were polite and respectful and made an effort to get well acquainted with each other. But once the meeting took off, it was as if we’d known each other for donkey’s years!

We had a task at hand, and were determined to do our best. The meeting began with us discussing all aspects of the problem, resolving each other’s doubts and making sure that each of us was on the same page. In retrospect, I’d say, this was really useful, because each of us was then clear about what we were supposed to do. Then we took off on how we were going to tackle the question. We discussed the pros and cons of the possible methods and together came up with a good programming method for the CEG Hypermarket inventory system. All in all, the meeting was quite useful. All of us were able to present our ideas, pose interjections, resolve our queries, and keep ourselves abreast of the lab requirements:). Thus, it reduced our work tremendously and also, through group effort we were able to come up with a good solution, which would not have been possible individually.

I’ve always enjoy working in a group. Why? Well because of several reasons:-
• You always tend to learn more when you work in a group, and faster.

• The work gets reduced to such an extent, that each person can give enough time to the part he or she has to cover, and thus on the whole, a better job will be done

• Working in a group can also be very enjoyable, as opposed to working individually which may seem quite monotonous!

Thus to sum up, I quote:

"Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.”

POST # 3: RESOLVING INTER-PERSONAL CONFLICT

Wouldn’t life be just a drab if everyone turned out to be a yes-man! Don’t you think the best part of a debate is, not when the speakers go on ranting for or against the motion, but when the open house session begins, and everyone gets to participate and throw in his or her interjections and view-point? Basically, the point I’m trying to convey here is that every person is entitled to an opinion of their own and one must not be afraid to express it. Constantly going by what others say is not what we’d call “changing your mind, but not having a mind of your own”!

As I have mentioned in my previous posts, while working in a group environment, differences in opinion and ideas are bound to arise, leading to minor misunderstandings and eventually resulting in conflicts. But the fact that conflict exists, however, is not necessarily a bad thing: As long as it is resolved effectively, it can lead to personal and professional growth.

Thus I’d say, having conflicts and arguments is in fact good for the team because at least it will lead to an open discussion, if not an argument. As I have aforementioned, what is essential for a team to bring out its best, is that every member should contribute his or her bit to it, which is only possible if each idea is looked into and worked upon. Thus the possibility of a conflict or argument arising should not stop you from putting your point across.

And in the event of a conflict, some points that I found could prove useful are:

• Set your goal as your first priority and remember that each of you represent the team
• Get individual ego out of it
• Plan for and communicate frequently
• Be honest about concerns
• Discuss differences in values openly

However, if conflict is not handled effectively, the results could be damaging, quickly turning into personal dislike thus affecting the team’s group effort. Thus, it is not the conflict that one should be worried about, but how we approach it and what we learn at the end of it, that should be of importance .

Here’s a short amusing clip from the movie “The Little Rascals”, of how a simple apology can make amends and how little changes often lead to positive results!