Some things I know about myself and
others I don’t really understand. One
thing I am certain about however is that when I am involved in a team I tend to
lean towards a task-oriented person.
Regardless of whether it is an effective team or a high performance team
from the discussion board, or even a sports team, I tend to find myself
performing more in the manner of a task person vice relationship person. From table 9.5 in the text, a
task-facilitating role person would be someone who tends to give direction,
seeks and gives information, elaborates, urges, monitors, analyzes processes,
reality checks things, enforces standards, and summarizes events (Whetten &Cameron
2011). I have no kidding used several of
the lines from the table, including some just last week during our weekly unit
staff brief. I have always been task
oriented in my life, so it is no surprise that I would be classified as such since
I carry that orientation into much of my life.
I am not one to like wasting time at work (although I love wasting it at
home), so I always ensure that meetings are driving towards the goal for the
meeting. I learned early on that you
never want to be the guy with the secret so I am quick to give out any information
that might be useful to the group. I
think this probably is the result of my INTJ personality type where I am a user
of intuition and thinking. Essentially what
I am trying to say is it just suits my personality more than being a
relationship builder (especially since the I stands for introvert).
All of that being said, I find that
I have performed some relationship-building roles in addition to the
task-oriented ones. Table 9.6 discusses
some of the relationship building roles such as supporting, harmonizing,
tension relief, confronting, energizing, developing, consensus building, and
empathizing (Whetten & Cameron 2011).
As I discussed in the meeting discussion question, I am definitely not
afraid to insert some comedy if it is needed/warranted. I also don’t let arguments get out of hand
when they are moving in that direction by using the exact harmonizing examples
provided in the text. I’ve always been a
motivator (even if I use it in a sarcastic manner for humor sake), and often am
one of the first people to acknowledge when a group is in consensus.
The bottom line is while I tend to
associate myself with a task vice relationship kind of person, in practice I
tend to fit the role of whatever is needed.
If a task-oriented person is required to get the facts out and the
project moving, I will do so. On the
other hand, if the meeting needs some levity, some situation diffusing, or
whatever else, I will do that also. I
can’t necessarily say that I have done it on purpose in the past; I guess I just
tend to be able to sense what is needed and do it.
Whetten,
D., & Cameron, K. (2011). Developing management skills. (Eighth
ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education Inc.
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