GOTTA STICK TOGETHER

EDUC 6165

 

HOW MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SUPPORTED ME

1) Emotional support

          My colleagues have shown offerings, acceptance, encouragement, and trust that has helped me grow more confident as I journey through my EC Master's Program.

2)  Cognitive Support

            My colleagues have given me new insights, strategies, and clear thinking that I find works for me both professionally and personally. Through group discussions and BLOGGING it is a good network of cognitive support and a good partnership to the art of effective communication with others.

HOW I SUPPORT MY COLLEAGUES

1) I remain positive, open to ideas and stories. I always love a good story to relate to, to empathize over, or make a friendly suggestion. I hope this feeds effective communication and offers future interconnections with my colleagues.

2) Remain available so if the support -any type of support- is needed I am able to help, suggest, guide, or just be present. As a student and/or a professional having a team, a confidant, or a friend makes a world of difference and makes any challenge, project, or issue less troublesome. So, I want to be available to show ALL my support.

MY CONTACT

Cassandra.lynn630@gmail.com

713-876-9770

“Tuckman’s Stages” to Team Work

EDUC 6165

According to Bruce Wayne Tuckman, former theorist and researcher of group dynamics, believed that in order to achieve effective communication in the context of team work it takes 5 stages. These stages consist of:

1) forming- group selection and introductions

2) storming- shared visions and goals

3) norming- agreement and accepting visions and goals

4) performing- progression

5) adjourning- completing goals.

                                     (Abudi, 2010)

Each stage shows audience that positive motivation, feedback, support, and active listening can in fact transit effective communication. Not one stage is more important than another because without forming there is no storming and without norming there is no adjourning (for example). It is a structure that needs all its parts.

Tuckman suggested in his research that as team work kicks off, orchestrates, and ends members of the team begin to feel a closeness to each other which makes adjourning possibly the most difficult stage since emotions become involved and take control. As Dr. Randi Wolfe states team work is relational therefore, yes, emotions are involved and can empower effective communication as visions, goals, and completion avail (Laureate Education, 2011).

I remember crying my last day of 3^rd grade, excited to leave Jr High, and scared to graduate high school. I cried happy tears when I was accepted into my first college, excited I made Dean’s List, and scared to begin online classes for my Master's…. Because I believe I had or have a team behind me as I have journeyed through education I feel now that Bruce Wayne Tuckman’s ideal stage of adjourning is the hardest only because there is a comforting sense of self and inclining rewards as team support and build progress with relationships, visions, and common goals in mind. Ending a relationship- a journey- is difficult.

Emotions have carried me thus this far and as I am nearing my Master’s Program this year I can admit I feel just as sad and excited as I felt when I was younger. My friends, family, and colleagues have showed team work and value of team work to me. I have learned that in anything we do personally and/or professionally we are part of a group- a team- whether we realize it or not no matter context. My educational experiences have involved tremendous amounts of team work and I thank all those involved.

Works Cited

Abudi, G. (2010). The Five Stages of Team Development: A Case Study. Retrieved from http://projects-mart.co.uk/the-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html

Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Team Building Strategies [Video File]. Retrieved from http://class.waldenu.edu

THE THREE LITTLE PIGS AND THE BIG BAD WOLF:

CONFLICT & COMMUNICATION

EDUC 6165

The Three Little Pigs is a childhood story that has stuck with me for years. When I think of communication I think of measures each pig took to settle conflict taking action and how they show both unproductive and productive communication with the big bad wolf. One pig uses straw on his home to shield from the huffs and puffs of the big bad wolf as the second pig uses sticks to try and  protect him and his brother. Both pigs lost their homes to the wolf... However, the third little pig was able to defeat the huffs and puffs using sturdy brick to protect himself and his brothers after the wolf lost his breath and determination to take over the pigs' home. Eventually the pigs and the big bad wolf were able to find some sort of communication to resolve conflict of safety and security… and power.

   

Considering conflict and communication, this childhood story reminds me of daily struggles individuals’ encounter that involve fighting for what is theirs or fighting to hold down their own post (or position). Though the concept of The Three Little Pigs is figuratively used in this blog I would like to share a personal conflict I have been experiencing which involves higher power, work ethics, and different perspectives of management. All in all, a “brick home” and sense of self security due to cruel treatment by a particular coworker who, to me, acts as the big bad wolf huffing and puffing as if it were a hobby of hers shows conflict within communication -unproductively .

According to authors O’Hair and colleagues (2015), I see there are types of conflict individuals face that involve bad “characters” who appear or make a poor impression to others. Unproductive conflict (O’Hair, et al., 2015) is conflict that has no open window for positive resolutions or relationship. Like the first two pigs who made their homes of straw and sticks the big bad wolf was able to destroy what they built with no mean of good communication or any hopes of relationship –obviously.

Like the pigs, unproductive conflict has also left a rift in my communication efforts and any potential work relationship with my coworker who plays the role of the big bad wolf brilliantly. But, like every story, there is always room for reconciliation mentioned by O’Hair and colleagues (2015) that suggests apology, forgiveness, collaboration, and mutual friendship that stems from productive conflict. 

Productive conflict is when different sides, like the pigs and the wolf or my coworker and I, find compromise such as respecting space, work ethics, and accepting exchanged feelings toward management that benefits each other’s outlooks (O'Hair, et al., 2015). This is a great strategy to help resolve ongoing conflict in the work place or even in society. The Three Little Pigs and the big bad wolf is a childhood story that I find relevant to communication and conflict and the idea that conflict can have successful endings. This applies to real life situations as I am concluding. Therefore, another strategy I find helpful toward conflict resolutions is finding a common agreement that both sides cannot be right all the time. Having strong work abilities and knowledge I would like my coworker to walk in my shoes as I am trying to walk in hers. If this is not plausible, walls will come down and a vicious cycle of unproductive conflict will harvest bad communicative behaviors in the work place. 

So, being an active listener, finding agreement and or compromise influences nonviolent communication. This helps my goals as an aspiring educator to recognize different roles, ethics, and different behaviors that can induce conflict which is no good for anyone. We all look for that happy ending as I see in the story The Three Little Pigs who lived happily ever after once the big bad wolf found that conflict was useless and relationship was more appropriate in effective communication.

Works Cited

O'Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, D. I., & Teven, J. (2015). Real communication (3rd. Ed). New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.