Individual self-reflection (CHAU Hiu-tung, JOE 52923375)
It is a fresh experience to organize a group project with another group who are in different class. The difficulty is thus unexpected.
Welcome CHRIS!! Our 90 days Tour in constructing Blog!!
Internally, I need to communicate with teammate Chris. He is a busy businessman who usually need to attend different workshops and meeting with his business partners. For me, I need to work in shift, sometimes working overnights due to the unique business characteristics of my organization - The Hong Kong Jockey Club. But we do frequently communicate on the project, as we both know the difficulty of this project mentioned before. To illustrate, we would discuss during the break of or after the lecture every Tuesday. It takes a least one-hour to review the progress and share some new ideas.
Besides, we would discuss about the content generated from the morning team. It is to ensure both team are in a connected way. The above discussion will perform through telephone and email. It is to ensure the communication limited in one way. For telephone, it is about two to three days, mostly at weekends. It is one of the most efficient ways of communication.
Once problem or clarification is needed, we would contact each other to derive the answer. Email used is in a seldom way due to its inefficiency due to infrequent checking of personal email. If I send the email to Chris, I need to wait for his reply and sometimes takes a few days to get one answer. Thus, I prefer to use phone or whatapps.
Besides, we would discuss about the content generated from the morning team. It is to ensure both team are in a connected way. The above discussion will perform through telephone and email. It is to ensure the communication limited in one way. For telephone, it is about two to three days, mostly at weekends. It is one of the most efficient ways of communication.
Once problem or clarification is needed, we would contact each other to derive the answer. Email used is in a seldom way due to its inefficiency due to infrequent checking of personal email. If I send the email to Chris, I need to wait for his reply and sometimes takes a few days to get one answer. Thus, I prefer to use phone or whatapps.
For morning team, we would use email and Skype to communicate. As the former mention that they would usually use bring computer during their full time study, there are many opportunities using email communication. We communicate around twice a week.
The content is about the sharing of some ideas or asking for clarification on some points. For instance, I would ask the ground the morning team chooses AIDS caring and which organization is the beneficial one receives the donation. Besides, we would use Skype to communicate and take about one week. It is more interactive because many feedback and suggestions can quickly be obtained.
Over the last 10 years, technology advancement created a profound difference in the way taught graduate students communicate
Actually, the technology has improved our communication between two teams. To illustrate, I believe using chat room as Whatapps is one of the most convenient ways to obtain timely feedback and clarification. All teammates can get the instant information in the same media. The innovation of Skype greatly improves our communication. It offers voice with video that constantly detects the bandwidth. Thus, it can determine how it shall handle the line of communication. Actually, I think Skype offers the real discussion place, exactly like a meeting in a conference room. Besides, the calls are clear and equipped with cameras that facilitate video conferencing. Actually, the video would not hinder the connection as well as the speed too much. It is so much more valuable to see both teammates on the other side when performing business.
As mentioned before, this project is not an easy one. Our team should get well prepare internally and then cooperate with the morning team to achieve results. Thus, both Chris and I would allocate suitable job to follow up. For instance, I am responsible to generate one idea, e.g. Video for Charity. Besides, I am delegated to build up and maintain the blog. For Chris, he would be responsible for another creative idea, e.g., Charity Dollars, and the idea of six factors that enhance creative potential. We would set a clear deadline to ensure the smoothness.
During the process, we would seek the advice and comment from the other. If there is adverse comment, we shall use the interest based negotiation approach. It means would collaborate to find the possible solution to make the goal achieved.
Team Conflict is inevitable because all teammates are from different background
The first conflict we encountered with morning team is about task conflict. It implies the unclear content and goal of the work. To illustrate, the purpose for this group project is that each team should represent a company from a different industry to creatively combine resources through building a VirtualXXX.com. Our team chose the Community Chest while the morning team selected a hotel. However, the latter did throw the idea of creating an “Exhibition” about caring children with AIDS. There is no connection of using VirtualXXX.com for both companies. Please refer to the attached email communication.Extracted from email communication on 13 Mar 2013
Dear Joe & Chris:
This is our group's idea.
Our hotel want to arrange some charity activities with your community chest.
It contains holding an exhibition about caring children with AIDS, a charity party to collect donate from society, and showing the products in our hotel's web. (this topic can
be discussed ) Can you show your idea to us?
be discussed ) Can you show your idea to us?
Extracted from email communication on 15 Mar 2013
Dear Joe & Chris,
Actually we purpose a project which could collaborate with your sides as below.
It contains holding an exhibition about caring children with AIDS, a charity party to collect donate from society, and showing the products in our hotel's web.
Obviously, the morning team has overlooked the goal of using two separate companies. It is not simply to create a physical event as an exhibition, but to practically use VirtualXXX.com to bring benefit to both companies in virtual expansion. As the goal is starting to deviate from the original one, we voiced out in the email after discussion with teammate Chris.
The second conflict is the process conflict. Recently, our team has found the inefficiency to get the work done with the morning team. To illustrate, I have proposed the creative event “Video for charity” for comment from morning team. However, they have never provided any comment or suggestion. During our discussion through Skype in later stage, they ask for the detail of the event, e.g., how does it operate, the tangible returns to their Group and the Community Chest. As the answer is easily found in the description from my email, time is wasted on unnecessary areas.
Another conflict is the difficulty to compromise a time to have a meeting. As both Chris and I have full time work, even I have to work in shift including overnight, it is not easily to compromise a time with morning team to have a Skype meeting together. To morning team, they are full time students who have relatively more free time; the time availability is more flexible than our team. I believe regular meeting, say once a week, can greatly strengthen the communication and progress review on our project. The consequence of lacking regular meeting is that the project quality cannot be guaranteed. Initially, both teams have chosen to ignore the existing problem, however, we compromise to have a regular meeting on Thursdays.
Attached is the email communication for reference.
1. 我們是通過skype進行網絡會議，時間爲每週週四。(OK)
Once I joined the group, I have the chance to work with Chris who is in partnership in previous subjects. We have synergy effect, as we both know the strength and weakness of each other. There is no communication barrier between us.
For our project, there are two challenges. First, it is to coordinate with the other team of other class. You may say it is often to cooperate with others in any group project. However, we started our project with group who is not at the same class. The communication cannot be available during the class. Much more time is spent to understand the background and the characteristics of the teammates.
Blog presentation should be widely spread as a medium of course assignments
The second challenge is the blog presentation. To be honest, I have no experience in creating blog. I should keep consulting different friends or classmates. Per experience, we need to submit homework either by written assignment or PowerPoint, but never using blog. Another unique difference is both written assignment or PowerPoint does have their privacy. It means I submit my assignment to Professor. Other classmates would not know the content. However, the blog is open to the public. The ease of accessibility made the content more transparent. I should take extra care on what I have written. It seems like public monitoring and no mistakes are allowed. I have shared this concern to Chris but I promise to accept this challenge, i.e., to be responsible for blog creation and maintenance. Chris encourages me to try the best to make it fruitful. Even it is not the best among teams, it is above our pre-set standard.
There is one thing I have not shared with the group. It is the burden of workload.
To illustrate, I am the one who pursue the tidiness and visual effect. Thus, I would try to prepare well before each presentation, e.g., spending a lot of time on beautifying the PowerPoint, making some colorful posters for class presentation, searching different sources of idea to make the blog a fruitful one. Obviously, apart from the above, I should prepare my own content. Even I have allocated efficient time for myself, I could not control the external factors. For instance, I may receive the part from other in late night for my consolidation on the PowerPoint.
As pursuit of consistent satisfaction is one of my personal traits, I would not share to teammates, even Chris. I mean I would not tell him I have put many effort on building blog and PowerPoint.
Understand my strengths and weaknesses through 90-days tour of Virtual project
To conclude, I believe each teammate get strengths and weaknesses. For instance, I am capable on brainstorming idea and creating technical tools, e.g., PowerPoint. But I am relatively weak in analysis. The situation of Chris is opposite to me. Thus, we can connect together to supplement each one to perform a high quality project. During the process, we have several arguments but it comes a positive outcome after collaboration.
Does the learning experience practically apply to my work?
I have shared my interesting experience in studying at this class to my superior in the Hong Kong Jockey Club (The Club). They wonder the excellent implementation of interactive mode of study. As in the Club, we would educate the part time staff by spoon-feeding. The latter would receive the job knowledge through different handouts and have a paper examination only. Although staff finally gets the job knowledge, they easily forget because they may not have chance to face different real time scenario.
I suggest to my superior, the Club can use more time to have a role-play to the newly joined staff. Same as class presentation, we can be trained up through facing the public to speak. The staff can get more confidence after several role-plays. Equipped with substantial job knowledge, the staff can handle the customers in an efficient way.
Finally, my superior promised me to voice out in the Management Meeting. I told him I volunteer to be the in-charge if it comes true.
This project gives me a lot of valuable experience and I would further share it to my colleagues and friends.
Thank you very much!
