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Team Dynamics Analysis

Duong N. Vu

Trinity Western University

LDRS 502 RC: Team Leadership & Conflict Resolution

Dr. Matthew Simonis

April 21, 2024

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Team Dynamics Analysis

Working alongside my teammates for the past few weeks has helped me to learn that to

become a great leader, first, I must learn to become a great team player. In this paper, I’ll delve into the

analysis of my team, what makes it a great team, and identify areas for improvement. By attentively

listening to my teammates’ thoughts and concerns, watching their body language, and how they react to

conflicts, I understand that teamwork is a harmony of agreements and disagreements. Knowing how to

navigate through these conflicts with as little compromise as possible is the key to successful teamwork.

Team’s communication and coordination

Despite being a newly formed team, communication and task coordination within our team are

exceptionally strong. Each member feels comfortable sharing thoughts and ideas openly, fostering a

culture of high transparency. To some members, English poses a barrier that hinders their ability to fully

articulate their knowledge regarding a subject. Nonetheless, we have made our commitment to listen to

everyone’s opinions thoroughly with respect.

On the first day of the team formation, we discussed and agreed upon our means of

communication and effective task coordination, both in-person and virtually, ensuring that goals and

expectations are understood. We all agreed to use WhatsApp as our virtual communication tool to

discuss, provide updates, and share documents for our group projects. As I have more technical

experience in using Microsoft Word and Google Drive, I was appointed as the organizer for our

documents. As a result of our transparent and timely communication, the team has been able to

navigate challenges and work toward success with cohesion and mutual trust.

Team’s strengths

To be honest, I am proud to be part of this team with all the great and very talented individuals.

Each member brings to the table unique skillsets along with their positive attitudes despite the huge
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change in team assembling apart from our old teams. We benefit from the diversity within our team

regarding personalities, cultures, and professional backgrounds.

Prianka has been a great contributor to the team with her exceptional knowledge of the English

language, especially academic vocabulary. She often articulates words that precisely describe what we

really want to say when we find ourselves struggling to express it accurately. In fact, the name of our

team stemmed from her suggestion which was so good that everyone agreed the first time she

mentioned it.

Susan on the other hand is very practical and active. There has never been a dull moment with

Susan as if she can hardly remain still or silent for an extended period. Her positive energy is a push for

our team to move forward and trigger engagement among team members. Being competitive is also her

strength which encourages progress and improvements, leading to our team's productivity and project

success.

Sylvia is seemingly a quiet person in overall team interactions. However, when it comes to

performing tasks for the group project, she always goes the extra mile for her work. It shows her being a

great team player with lots of potential if she can overcome her struggles with the language barrier.

Overall, I believe our team is great at team communication. We can discuss our ideas and

concerns openly and respectfully. We admit our mistakes and show the willingness to learn and to grow,

led by the fostered trust among our team members.

Team’s weaknesses

Even though we do not have any members in our team who pose direct destructive threats to

our productivity and performance. However, the lack of engagement and responses promptly from a

member put us in a difficult position where we could potentially miss our deadline. To be specific, Zahra

was late on her due date to send in her parts of writing for the team to review. We had our concerns

that we might have to cover her parts as a result.

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As a team, I feel we failed to communicate fully the expectations and motivate our team

members enough to understand the importance of following the timeline. In the end, Zahra was able to

complete and provide all her writing parts for the team to review just in time.

Future improvements and growth

Firstly, our team agreed to meet after classes and during breaks for 10 to 15 minutes to discuss

our group project. However, we could have done better with more offline meetings to build stronger

relationships and to address issues quicker as they arise. Alternatively, we could also set up virtual

meetings which serve as checkpoints to provide regular feedback and evaluation of our project progress

to ensure that we are on track to successful outcomes.

Secondly, defining clear goals and expectations followed with a strict timetable to ensure that

team members have an opportunity to contribute, collaborate, and align their efforts towards common

goals.

Finally, establishing a reward system with clear criteria for earning rewards, can incentivize

collaboration and drive motivation. For example, upon reaching a milestone, we could have a small treat

to celebrate the achievement. Those who fulfill their responsibilities on time get to choose their favorite

food and drinks as a reward.

Recommendations for future students

For future students, I recommend having an open mindset going through the process of

embarking on these skills because we live in a very diverse and exciting environment. Having self-

confidence and respecting others helps build good relationships with teammates. Also, by attentively

listening to others and watching others’ body language, we can learn a lot about their concerns thus

knowing how to best mitigate the conflicts.

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Leading by example is also another great tool to gain respect from your teammates and

motivate others to do the same. Proactively take on tasks, take responsibility for your actions, admit

mistakes, and learn from them.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the lessons I have learned over the past few weeks are that effective teamwork

starts with building trust among team members, collaboration, open communication, conflict resolution,

and empowering your team members. It can feel overwhelming at times to master all these skills at

once, especially when we still have barriers in thoroughly understanding each other. However, it is a

rewarding journey that enriches my leadership style with valuable lessons along the way.