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Write a blog entry on task-facilitating and relationship-building roles. In your blog, reflect upon your understanding of how these roles enhance team performance.

• Consider how you generally relate as a team-member.
• Do you actively engage your team to accomplish its mission?
• Do you work to improve the team cohesion and collaboration?

Work in teams can be improved or worsened by the role that each team member plays.  “Most teams face two main challenges: (1) accomplishing the task that has been assigned and (2) building unity and collaboration among team members” (Whetten & Cameron, 2016).  The roles that individual team members play either help or prevent the accomplishment of these two objectives.  Whetten and Cameron (2016) have indicated that there are two advantageous roles that have a great potential to enhance the performance of work teams: task-facilitator, and relationship builder.  

Team members that are more focused on the task or objective of the team tend to play the task-facilitator role.  A few of the most common task-facilitator roles are: direction giving, urging, process analyzing, and enforcing.  “When you perform task-facilitating roles, you help the team work more efficiently and effectively in achieving its objectives” (Whetten & Cameron, 2016).  Task-facilitators keep the team focused on progressing toward the desired objective.  Without task-facilitators a team can struggle to work together on unified goals.  The team may never be able to really collaborate.  A task-facilitator acts like the captain of the basketball team, ensuring that no player is being overly selfish with the ball, that the team has a positive attitude, and that team members are working together to win the game.

Team members that are more focused on team cohesion and positive relationships are said to play a relationship-building role.  Relationship-builders are needed in team work to ensure that team members feel good about each other and that the team maintains an environment free of unnecessary stress caused by interpersonal conflict.  Some of the most common relationship-building roles include tension relieving, energizing, consensus building, and supporting (Whetten & Cameron, 2016). Relationship-building team members “assist the team in working more effectively together (Whetten & Cameron, 2016). 

Although I believe that I typically play more of the role of task-facilitator, I regularly play both roles. In one of my leadership roles I frequently interact with a team that is responsible for executing the mission of the organization.  Each team member is a leader of a group, so this team has a great potential to profoundly impact the organization as a whole.  As I interact with team members collectively and individually I regularly remind them of the objectives of the organization and encourage them to set individual goals for their group that will accomplish the organizational objectives.  I frequently act as a direction giver; the team looks to me as the leader, and so I have the opportunity to influence the work that is accomplished by ensuring that we are focused as a team on the objectives.  I act as a cheerleader and encourager by providing positive feedback to team members as they work together to accomplish tasks and overcome challenges.  I frequently find myself being a process analyzer and an enforcer; I attempt to ensure that we are doing our tasks in accordance with established policies and procedures, and in the most effective and efficient ways possible.  I also act as a supporter, offering expressions of gratitude and praise for the work accomplished.

One study indicated that “The most productive, innovative teams were led by people who were both task- and relationship-oriented. What’s more, these leaders changed their style during the project” (Gratton & Erickson, 2007).  The study suggested that the most effective team leaders act as task-facilitators near the beginning of the team’s formation to help clarify assignments, roles, and objectives.  The leader than changes style and becomes more focused on relationship-building throughout the duration of the project, ensuring that team members are working well together and helping to smooth out stressful situations.  It is important for me as a leader to continue to develop my abilities in both the task-facilitator and the relationship builder roles.

References

Gratton, L,. & Erickson, E. (2007). Eight ways to build collaborative teams. Harvard Business Review Online. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2007/11/eight-ways-to-build-collaborative-teams

Whetton, D. A. & Cameron, K. S. (2016). Developing management skills, 9th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson.

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Describe a time when you have been empowered to accomplish something. Reflect on how others supported you and how the endeavor was accomplished. How can you apply those lessons to your own followers?

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For the last 11 years I have been employed by one of the largest offshore helicopter service providers in the world.  It has been a wonderful place to work and has provided my family and I with a comfortable living. However, throughout the years I have never felt like I have had a good relationship with management.  It is not that I have had a bad relationship with management, I simply have not had one.  For years I felt that I was better off if they did not know my name.  I used to get very nervous anytime I had to go see management for any reason.  A few years ago I received a message that I had to go visit the chief pilot after I returned from a flight.  I started to panic!  I racked my brain trying to remember what I had done wrong and what I was going to get in trouble for! When I walked into his office, on the verge of a nervous breakdown, he asked me to take a seat.  He pulled a small box out of his desk and congratulated me for my five-year anniversary with the company! That was the relationship I had with management.

A couple years ago the director of operations was replaced.  Instead of promoting from within, he was hired from the outside.  Nobody knew him or what he was like.  It turned out to be a great move for the company.  He is unlike other management personnel we have had over the years.  He is very personable, humble, and willing to listen.  Instead of handing out mandates he is interested in the opinion of others and their suggestions.  Because of his management style I have felt empowered as an employee.  I have felt that my opinion matters, that my concerns are valid, and that I will be heard.

Just a few months ago a pilot that worked under me was terminated because of unsatisfactory performance on a check ride.  I was concerned because the reasons that were given for his termination seemed biased and unfair.  I felt so empowered by this director of operations that I was comfortable enough to ask him for an appointment.  When I met with him in his office I was able to voice my concerns, and the concerns of other pilots that work for me.  By the end of our conversation he had not only settled my concerns, but helped me to see that terminating the pilot was the only choice he had.

The empowerment that I experienced was psychological.  It came little by little; not the result of a position, an email, or a specific authority that was delegated.  It seems that what I experienced is exactly what Saray, Patache, and Ceran (2017) described: “Empowerment is also a psychological process, which occurs when one has a sense of motivation in relation to the workplace environment.”

As I have worked closely with the director of operations I have tried to adopt some of his attributes in my own leadership activities.  I feel that this has been a natural process due to the fact that we have similar personalities.  Whetten and Cameron indicated (2016) that empowerment happens as others feel “that they are accepted, that they are a valued asset, that you care about them, and that they are an integral part of the overall organizational mission or objective.”  I can empower those that I oversee as I follow the example of the director of operations and provide support and create confidence in others (Whetten & Cameron, 2016).

References

Saray, H., Patache, L., & Ceran, M. B. (2017). Effects of employee empowerment as a part of innovation management. Economics, Management and Financial Markets, 12(2), 88.

Whetten, D. A. & Cameron, K. S. (2016). Developing management skills 9th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson.

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Use your blog to describe an example of a successful conflict resolution that you have either witnessed or participated in. 

What was the conflict?

What role did you play?

Who were the other participants in the negotiation?

Knowing what you know now, how might you have changed your actions or improved the solution?

A year or two ago I experienced a conflict with an associate that I oversee.  She had come to me with an issue, and she wanted me to resolve it.  She felt that one of the members of the group that she was tasked to oversee, whom I will call Bob, was not performing up to the standard, and she demanded that he be replaced.  I did not feel that replacing him was the best option.  I felt that we could work with him, express our concerns, coach him, and help him to improve.  I was in the position to make the decision, so I told her that we would not replace Bob, but that we would try to help him to grow into the position.  That is how we handled the situation for a time.  

This associate continued to bring up the concern about Bob’s underperformance.  She was essentially demanding that I do something to resolve the issue.  At one point I finally realized that I needed to step back and get a view “from the balcony” (Ury, 2013).  As I stepped back and took a different view of the conflict, I realized that there was something at stake that was much more important than Bob’s position in this group.  I realized that the relationship between this associate and I was being stressed by my unwillingness to see things from her side.  She was losing confidence in my abilities to lead, and even questioning her own abilities to lead her group.  At one point she said that the worst part of her assignment was dealing with me. 

I had been using a forcing response to resolve the conflict.  A forcing response to conflict is one in which one’s own needs are satisfied at the expense of the other individual through formal authority or position (Whetten & Cameron, 2016).  I was using my position and higher authority to ensure that Bob maintain his position in the group.  One of the reasons that I hesitated to remove Bob from the group was that we simply did not have enough people to staff all the necessary positions.  This associate was asking that high performing members of other groups be reassigned to her group, and asking that we reassign a low performing member of her group elsewhere.  Once I was finally able to “go to the balcony” we began to brainstorm the situation, and came up with a reasonable solution that was satisfactory to both of us.  We determined that the best solution was to reassign Bob to another group, to reassign one of her highly capable assistants to Bob’s position, and assign a lower performing individual with potential as one of her assistants.  We were able to use a collaborating approach to resolve the issue by addressing the concerns of both parties (Whetten & Cameron, 2016).

One of the biggest mistakes that I made throughout the conflict was that I began to focus on what I perceived as personality flaws in my associate; that she was being unreasonable, not respecting my authority, and I even thought “maybe she just doesn’t like me.”  I struggled to keep focus “on the real issue: solving the problem (as opposed to ‘fixing’ the other person)” (Whetten & Cameron, 2016).  I harmed our relationship by attempting to point out that one of her responsibilities was to help the members of her group be successful.  In doing this I was insinuating that she was not performing her job.  I struggled to be empathetic and see things from her point of view.  I could have avoided all of these issues by defining and maintaining focus on the real problem, and not getting distracted by the symptoms (Whetten & Cameron, 2016).

Ury (2013) discussed the importance of identifying a “3rd side” in every conflict.  He suggested that we, the community, are the 3rd side of most conflicts.  By identifying the 3rd side, and determining what is at stake, resolution can be accomplished.  As I was able to refocus on the organization as a whole (the community) and consider different aspects of the real problem, I was able to see what was really at stake, and what was best for the organization.

Intent on preventing this situation from reoccuring I decided to begin meeting with each group leader monthly to offer support and motivation, and to ensure that lines of communication always stay open.

References

Ury, W. (2013, August 18). The walk from "no" to "yes" [Video file]. Retrieved from https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-walk-from-no-to-yes-william-ury

Whetten, D. A. & Cameron, K. S. (2016). Developing management skills 9th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson.

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Dan Ariely outlined what motivates us to work is a sense of purpose. Reflect on what motivates you at work and what gives you a sense of purpose. Why do you do what you do? What do you hope to achieve through your work? In considering how you are motivated, how can you discover not only your own personal fulfillment but that of your followers?



Dan Ariely (2013) indicated that in many jobs that become Sisyphean through repetition, it can be difficult to maintain focus on meaning.  Sisyphus was condemned by the gods to endlessly roll a large stone up to the top of hill, which would then roll back down to the bottom.  The idea was that there is no punishment worse than futile and meaningless labor (Homer & Mitchell, 2011).

Viktor Frankl (2006) said “Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how.’”  This is just as true regarding our work as it is in other important areas of life.  When we understand the meaning behind what we do, it gives our work a greater purpose.

When people ask what I do for a living they are normally taken aback when I say that I am a helicopter pilot.  I commonly hear replies like “that is a cool job.”  However, my work can feel Sisyphean at times.  My job is to fly government inspectors out to oil platforms and rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.  Every day for me is the same; I get to work, check the weather, do a preflight inspection on my assigned helicopter, and then wait for the passengers to arrive.  When they arrive we load up and take off for a flight that lasts anywhere from 20 to 90 minutes.  I stay with the inspectors on the rig or platform while they are doing the inspection, and when they are done we fly back.  Although I really do enjoy flying, after doing the same thing year after year, it has become routine and monotonous.  I oftentimes struggle to identify the meaning.  In fact, that is one reason I decided to pursue a master’s degree; to give the time that I spend on the platforms waiting for my passengers more meaning.

Frankl identified three sources of authentic meaning: “creative values (i.e., ‘by doing or creating something’), experiential values (i.e., ‘by experiencing something or encountering someone’), and attitudinal values (i.e., ‘by choosing one’s attitude toward suffering’)” (as cited in Pattakos & Dundon, 2017).  I believe that I can find a deeper meaning to the work that I do in all three categories.  I derive great satisfaction through education and improving my abilities.  I have always placed high value on learning new things and continually refining my skills (last year my wife and I learned to scuba dive!).  As I make strides to improve my knowledge and ability as it applies to my work I can find authentic value in the creative realm.  As I experience the wonder of flight, the joy of soaring over the clouds, and the freedom it brings, it adds joy to my life and meaning to my work.  Interaction with my passengers, coworkers, and others is enjoyable and enriches my life.  Helping them become their best selves helps me to be better.  One area in which I can improve is in finding authentic meaning by choosing to always have a positive attitude despite repetition, monotony, the stress of the daily grind.  I have noticed at times that I have started to get negative about my work, dreading the beginning of the work week, and slogging through to the weekend.  As I have recognized this negativity and decided to take control of my attitude, and have consciously made an effort to improve, I have noticed greater satisfaction and enjoyment in my work.  In a way this is like the muscles that Sisyphus developed by constantly pushing on the rock.  I have become more aware of my attitude and developed an ability to control it.  A big part of maintaining a positive attitude is simply reminding myself that I have a great job that provides my family and I the things that we need.

As I recognize the meaning in the work that I do I am in a better position to help others recognize meaning for themselves.  In my position I am not able to influence the compensation or rewards that are given.  What I can do is help my coworkers and those I oversee recognize the intrinsic value and rewards of the job.  Intrinsic outcomes are those that are derived from successful job completion.  Some examples of intrinsic rewards are “sense of purpose, feelings of accomplishment, self-esteem, and the development of new skills” (Whetten & Cameron, 2016).  Helping those I oversee to feel satisfied in another safe flight, another mission accomplished, and another happy customer will help them have greater meaning in their work.
In my line of work I believe that the key is in attitude.  I believe that a negative attitude is very contagious.  It is very easy to adopt a negative attitude and allow minor annoyances to become major complaints.  Those major complaints become our focal point, and we lose sight of the good that comes with the job.  Helping my coworkers maintain focus on the positive aspects of our employment is essential to helping them find meaning in their work.

References

Ariely, D. (2013, April 10). What makes us feel good about our work? [Video file] https://youtu.be/5aH2Ppjpcho

Frankl, V. E. (2006). Man's search for meaning. Boston: Beacon Press.

Homer., & Mitchell, S. (2011). The Iliad (1st Free Press hardcover ed.). New York: Free Press.

Pattakos, A., & Dundon, E. (2017). Discovering meaning through the lens of work. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 30(1), 42-49. 10.1080/10720537.2015.1119084

Whetten, D. A. & Cameron, K. S. (2016). Developing management skills, 9th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson.