Solved by verified expert:PART ONEPersonal Work Group EvaluationPrepare an investigative paper that applies group related communication theory to a workgroup in which you are currently involved. If possible, choose a group that may be experiencing communication difficulties. Include detailed information about:Group type.Group members—formal roles and group communication roles (use the “Identification of Group Communication Roles” worksheet on page 213 in the text). ( SEE ATTACHMENT)Group stages experienced (refer to the “Team Effectiveness” article).(SEE ATTACHMENT)Group norms.Positive and negative participation behaviors.Rate this group on their level of communication competencies in regard to:Engaging diversity.Stimulating creativity.Collaboration.Responding to the virtual environment.Submit your completed this assignment as an attachment to this assignment.PART TWO:( RESPONSE ONLY HAS TO BE 200 CHARACTERS, NOT FORMAL)Emotional Intelligence and QEMSAs our world constantly experiences change, our communication-related theories continue to evolve to meet our new realities. Review Colin’s 2006 article, “Leadership Energy,” and Taylor’s 2009 article, “Emotional Intelligence at Work,” to explore the current theories on quantum energy management system (QEMS) and emotional intelligence, respectively. Let us share our thoughts and discuss the validity and possible applications of these two theories in supporting effective organizational communication. ( SEE ARTICLES ATTACHED)
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Team Effectiveness
Capella University 2001
Greg Backlund, Program Director
People working in teams can accomplish great things, sometimes much more that the sum of the
individual efforts of the same people working independently. But that is not guaranteed, and some
team experiences are very frustrating and non- or even counter-productive. Fortunately, these issues
have been extensively studied, and there are some basic concepts we can learn and use as the basis
for concrete steps to promote team performance and member satisfaction. We will briefly review both
in this paper.
CONTENT vs. PROCESS
A fundamental and very helpful distinction can be made between the content of a team activity and
the process in which it is created. The “content” includes the specific items being discussed or
produced – the task assignments, the documents, the written decisions, the words spoken, etc. These
are created through some interpersonal process that occurs between the individual team members
(and other players impacting the team,) that includes:
• The steps taken to create and operate the team
• The emotional and interpersonal dynamics between members, and
• The visible or hidden messages and agendas that may play out over the course of the team’s
existence
The process is often invisible and not actively managed by team leaders or members, but becoming
aware of process and taking explicit team control over it is a major factor in increasing the likelihood
of positive team performance and member satisfaction.
TEAM LIFE CYCLE STAGES
Teams have been shown to pass through a very consistent pattern of stages over the time of their
existence. (1) The stages of Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and Transforming can be
observed, but more importantly, actively guided by the team. In Forming, the group is somehow
created, and initial purposes, membership, and procedures are set up. Like the dividing up of a group
of children into softball teams, unresolved issues of why are we doing this, who is included, who
does the selecting, and do the members like each other can all create immediate frustrations. Teams
often then descend into the Storming stage, where leadership, control, and other emotional struggles
occur, sometimes including major rebellions. All of these can cripple its subsequent actions or even
prematurely end the team’s existence. In Norming, the group works through the Storm conflicts by
establishing more effective group roles and behavioral ground rules (“norms.”) The team may then
progress to the Performing stage, where the team meshes well, gets to work, and produces most of its
useful output. Eventually the team will end its work and transform out of existence or to some
significantly different form.
GETTING EFFECTIVE
Those sponsoring and participating can use the knowledge of these stages to consciously and
deliberately undertake an approach to team effectiveness. Here are a few specific approaches:
1. Openly discuss “process,” as well as “content” issues from the very beginning. Process is very
legitimate and necessary, and should be established immediately as everyone’s right and even
Greg Backlund
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2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
obligation to address. Everyone should raise appropriate process questions and make helpful
suggestions throughout the team’s existence.
Ensure that the team’s overall purpose is clear and accepted. Negotiate the required outcome
or impact of the team’s work. Identify what will be “in it for me” to benefit the members, as
well as the sponsoring organization.
Define the end product in terms of tangible “deliverable items” – like “a 5+ page report
covering these topic areas…,” “the publication of a final, VP-approved product design
specification,” “the implementation of an improvement approach for problem ‘X’ and the
results tracking measurements,” etc. Also define the criteria that will define the desired level
quality and final acceptance or evaluation of the deliverables.
Openly discuss the criteria used for team member selection, and adjust the member roster to
ensure that the needed range of skills are present.
Discuss team roles, including leadership, to get sufficient agreement that the “right people are
in the right jobs.” List out different responsibility and decision areas, and decide who will take
the primary responsibility to make them happen, and who else must support that action. This
can be very effective in minimizing “Storm” difficulties.
Draft a list of team behavioral ground rules, such as when meetings are held or assignments
are due, requiring respectful language even during disagreements, how decisions will be
made, etc. This is another very powerful “Storm”-avoiding approach.
Explicitly ask members occasionally for a “process check:”
a. Is the group being effective?
b. Are process concerns getting raised and properly dealt with?
c. Are assigned roles being fulfilled?
d. What steps can be taken to resolve any open issues?
Plan for the final transition: Celebrate accomplishments. Provide recognition. Decide on
transitional activities. Decide on post-transition activities and role assignments.
Achieving team effectiveness can and should be an explicit effort by everyone involved. While there
are many more elements than those discussed here, using these basic concepts and approaches can
help a team improve their individual and organizational performance and satisfaction.
(1) Weber, R.C. (1982). The group: A cycle from birth to death. NTL Reading book for human
relations training. NTL Institute, pp. 68-71.
Greg Backlund
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Leadership Energy
Tipping, Colin
Leadership Excellence; Oct 2006; 23, 10; ProQuest Central
pg. 19
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
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Emotional
intelligence
at
work
How to apply your EI
with colleagues, clients
and suppliers
by Peter Taylor
As recently as April 2009, at one of our You Asked for It workshops, Summit readers
experienced a hands on demonstration of emotional intelligence (EI) at work. In a session
led by Linda Pickard, workshop attendees figured out whether they were left or right brain
dominant, or somewhere in between, and then learned how that characteristic played out
in communications and negotiations with co-workers, clients and suppliers. Understanding your emotions and those of the people you are dealing with improves communication
and, consequently, the outcome of the situation. I suspect that to many of you it sounds a
bit “touchy feely” for a procurement magazine, but I also suspect that understanding and
practicing your EI will go a long way to making work more productive, procurements more
successful and contract management easier.
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE is the ability to
perceive one’s emotions and to effectively
manage one’s behaviours in emotionally
charged situations. It is also the ability to
factor in the emotions of others as one
interacts with them.
Summer 2009
Summit magazine introduced readers to the
field of emotional intelligence in the September and October 2006 issues. In this
article I will provide tips and techniques for
applying emotional intelligence to various
scenarios.
www.summitconnects.com
Emotional self management steps
People with emotional intelligence realize
that while they judge themselves by their
intentions , others will always judge them by
their impact.
A brief introduction to the science behind
emotional intelligence explains a number of
important things. The human brain’s first
role was to protect us from external threats.
The ‘flight or fight’ response prompted us to
react quickly to sounds and sights around us.
There was no time for rational thought and
the weighing of options. As the brain
developed further, the neo-cortex, or front of
the brain, became the site of the thinking
mind. The sequence of development is
significant.
The “Law of Hardwiring” states that humans
feel before they think. This expla ins why
when people feel threatened they experience
a flood of emotions and literally lose the
capacity to think complex thoughts. Strong
emotional responses, or hijacks, increase the
likelihood of errors in judgement and often
result in behaviours that, unless managed
effectively, can damage relationships.
Self-awareness is being aware of our
emotions. We must be attuned to how we
feel before others remark that we look upset
or suggest that we calm down. We must also
learn to respond to the early warning signals
provided by our bodies. For example, for
one individual it may be an increased heart
rate while for another it may be a tightening
of the chest. Research confirms that the
human body reacts to external stimuli in .85
milliseconds. To be effective, we must heed
that almost instant warning signal even in
the absence of concrete evidence of a threat.
We must also pay attention to the internal
conditions under which we are more likely
to feel vulnerable and thus be more likely to
experience strong emotional reactions.
Infants react powerfully when they feel
hungry, angry, lonely or tired. As adults, we
Summer 2009
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
Stop and remain silent
Breathe deeply
Strive for perspective
Gather information and engage thinking
process
must identify under which of these
conditions a stronger reaction be triggered.
Another important strategy is to step back
and identify external conditions under
which we react strongly. For some people, it
is being blamed. For others, it is the sense
that they are being manipulated. Others react
strongly when someone has not followed
through on their commitments. Identifying
such conditions allows us to develop
strategies for coping should they occur.
The second component of emotional
intelligence is self-management. Building
successful relationships requires that we
behave in ways that do not create fear or
uncertainty in others. Individuals who react
loudly and/or unpredictably to events often
find that people avoid them and withhold
information that might trigger a strong
reaction.
Emotional self-management requires using a
simple technique when the early warning
system goes off. The first and most
important step is to stop and remain silent!
The second step involves taking several
deep breathes. In addition to consuming
time, this puts more oxygen into our blood
stream thus calming us physically and
fuelling the brain. Strong reactions tend to
distort one’s view of reality and, in most
cases, make things appear worse than they
really are so, the third step is to put what is
happening into perspective. By stopping
briefly, one can establish a clearer picture of
the real situation.
The final step is to gather more information
about the situation and attempt to engage the
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rational thinking mind that essentially shut
down when the hijack began.
Successful professionals in public sector
procurement behave in an emotionally
intelligent manner. In addition to being selfaware and managing their reactions to strong
emotions, they demonstrate empathy to
those they encounter, express appreciation
for jobs well done and only engage in
courageous conversations when they are
prepared. The balance of this article will
provide techniques for these three activities.
Building productive and lasting relationships
requires empathy. The 3Ls approach is an
effective means of demonstrating empathy.
The first L involves Listening to the
concerns of the person experiencing strong
emotions. The active listening technique of
expressing in one’s own words what one
believes the other person has said gives
evidence of understanding his/her point or
highlights the need for clarification.
In times of pressure or stress, one’s
inclination is often to quickly provide a
solution to the matter at hand. Thus the third
L is to Look for solutions. Unfortunately,
this action although taken with good
intentions, results in the recipient feeling
dismissed. It is also prescriptive, as the
listener offers the solution.
A demonstration of empathy requires the
second L, Labelling. This involves
verbalizing one’s impression of the person’s
emotional state through a comment such as
“you sound upset” or “my impression is that
you are angry about this.” The intent of such
labelling is to let the person know that you
are aware of his/her feelings at that moment.
Having expressed one’s observation, silence
is the best strategy until the other person
acknowledges your observation. The la belling is what makes the human connection
that results in the building of a solid
relationship.
Summer 2009
Leadership guru Ken Blanchard has long
advocated ‘catching people doing things
right.’ The expression of genuine
appreciation will have an effect on the other
person because what emanates from the
heart really does penetrate the heart of the
other person. People remember appreciation
and tend to be more open to those who
practice it. This is critical if one wants to
build long term relationships.
The final technique is being willing to
engage in courageous conversations. These
are the conversations that are often avoided
in the hope that the other person will self
correct or for fear that the other person will
www.summitconnects.com
get upset or because s/he thinks and/or
speaks more skillfully.
The DESC Formula involves developing a
carefully thought out plan to capture the
other person’s attention, clarify the concern,
outline the remedial action required and
highlight the consequences of supporting or
ignoring the request.
The first step involves gathering facts to
clearly Describe the concern to the other
person. This requires preparing sentences
which begin with such phrases as When you
… When I … When … In this manner you
will be able to quickly describe the situation
that you wish to address with the person. It
is important to avoid sentences that blame or
attack the other person. The intent is to
create an environment in which the other
person pays attention and becomes open to
hearing your concern.
The second step involves Explaining why
this matter is important. Too often, other
people, preoccupied with their own
situations, fail to recognize how important
certain things are to others. In this step,
create sentences that begin with I feel … I
feel as if … I get the impression that … This
is not a time to hold back. If you are feeling
hurt, say so. If you are disappointed, say so.
If you are annoyed or angry, describe those
feelings. The objective here is to stress the
seriousness of your concern. A courageous
conversation requires honesty about your
feelings.
In the third step, Specify what behaviours
you would like the other person to
demonstrate in the future. In this step,
prepare sentences such as I would prefer …
In the future, I would like … In the future, I
do not want …
manner in meetings with suppliers you will
feel that your contribution is valued. If s/he
does not act that way, you are prepared to
leave the negotiation. Prepare sentences
beginning with such phrases as If you do …I
will … or If you do not …I will … The intent
of this step is to point out the consequences
of his/her action or inaction.
The DESC Formula will equip you to enter
courageous conversations feeling confident
of your ability to get your point across
clearly. In addition, you will find that your
request is more likely to be taken seriously.
The final step will help you manage your
emotions should your worst case scenario
occur. Focus your thoughts on how you
think the other person might react to your
points. Will she/he be receptive to your
concern? Will she/he be open to discussing
it? Will she/he be annoyed? Angry? Sad?
Will she/he try to ignore you? Will she/he
endeavour to brush you off?
For each of your anticipated reactions,
decide how you will react. What will you do
if the other person loses his/her composure?
Will you leave the meeting? What will you
do if she/he yells? Cries? Stops talking? Is
not listening? By preparing yourself for
possible disruptive behaviours by the other
person, you will significantly reduce the
likelihood of your experiencing an emotional hijack.
DESC Formula
Ø
Ø
Ø
In the fourth step, clarify the Consequences
if the requested changes take place or if they
fail to occur. For example, state that if the
other person treats you in a respectful
Summer 2009
Ø
Describe – gather facts and use words that
do not blame or attack the other person
Explain – show the importance of the issue
to you
Specify – be clear on what you would like to
see demonstrated in the future
Consequences – clearly outline what will
happen if the requested actions do not occur
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By planning for courageous conversations,
you will enter them feeling more confident.
Take your notes to the meeting. In addition
to helping you control your actions, they
will increase your chances of being taken
seriously. By stating that you have made
notes in preparation for the meeting, you
may catch the other person’s attention and
lead to your concern being taken more
seriously.
By planning for courageous conversations,
you will enter them feeling more
confident. …All of these techniques have
application in negotiations and supplier
development.
Your preparation for the courageous
conversation will help you make your
points more emphatically. You will also
find that the examination of possible
worst case scenarios will result in the
actual meeting being almost
anticlimactic. You will have already
been there mentally.
All of these techniques have application in
negotiations and supplier development.
They are also essential in leadership and
coaching. People respond much better to
those who treat them with honesty, respect
and civility.
Peter Taylor is the principal of Peter Taylor & Associates Inc., based in Oshawa, Ontario. www.pstaylor.com
Summer 2009
www.summitconnects.com
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