SET 2

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY (FB025)

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT

SECTION A

1.
(a) Explain three (3) issues below that affect individual behaviour and performance at
work together with the relevant examples.

(i) Personality

Personality is a set of individual traits, behaviours and characteristics that

describe individual's thoughts and feelings relating to the environment.
Personality is also the total pattern of individual's ways of thinking, feeling
behaving that distinguish one person from another. The mix of
personality types impacts individual behaviour and performance in many
ways like an individual or a team with too many of the same
personality may create a high barrier for everyone to get along. As example,
a team with too much passive personality means nobody dare to object or
deny bad ideas or impossible tasks.

(ii) Perception

Perception refers to the way individual's brain organise and operate data
in order to make sense of it. The process involves interpreting and giving
meaning to sensory inputs such as sight, sound, taste, smell and touch and
these are influenced by past experiences, cultural background, expectations
and emotions. Perception strongly influences individual's behaviour and
interprets a stimulus in the environment will have an impact on how the
person will react. As example, an individual may have a negative perception
towards a new manager in their department based on how their look
and physical appearance.

(iii) Attitudes

Attitudes are our general standpoint on things, a person's predisposition

or mental state towards a particular person, object, situation or event. It
encompasses a combination of beliefs, feelings, values and behavioural
tendencies that shape how individuals perceive and interact with their
surroundings. People who have a positive attitude tend to be more
motivated, focused and engaged in their work. Attitude can affect
individual performance because as example individuals with negative
attitude are more likely to cause conflict, stress and unsafe behaviours
that could cause incident or harm towards others.

(6 marks)

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 (b) The following statements relate to either personality, perception or attitude.
Identify the correct term for each of the statement.
(i) Joanna is against racism in the workplace. She would not compromise
any issues or problems brought up by her staffs due to different race
and she would confront anyone she notices upholding the actions
related to this.

= Attitude

(ii) The staffs of a company become anxious when they hear that they are
about to have a female supervisor who is normally too strict, irrational
and inconsistent in decision making and less collaborative.

= Perception

(2 marks)

2. (a) Define a team

A team is a group of individuals who come together to achieve a common goal or

objective. Each individuals typically possess complementary skills, expertise,
and accountability that contribute to the overall success of the team.

(1 mark)

(b) Describe four (4) differences between group and team.

First and foremost, a team is formed with a specific purpose or goal and work
together towards achieving a common objective or completing a shared task while
on the other hand, a group may not necessarily have a shared purpose or goal. The
individuals may come together for various reasons, but they might not be working
towards a common objective. Secondly, team members are interdependent,
meaning their success is tied to the success of team as a whole while members of
a group work independently or have minimal interdependence as they may
pursue their own agenda without relying on others. Next, teams typically have more
structured framework with clearly defined roles, responsibilities and leadership
while groups may have loose or informal structures with minimal organisation or
leadership. Last but not least, team members share accountability for the team's
performance and outcomes as each member is responsible for their contributions
to team's success while individual accountability may vary within a group as
individual members may not feel responsible for the group's outcomes.

(4 marks)

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3. There are two (2) basic approaches to the organisation of teamwork.
Explain the two approaches.

First approach is multidisciplinary teams which consist of individuals from

different departments or fields of expertise who collaborate to achieve a shared goal
The second approach is multiskilled teams which comprise members who possess a
variety of skills and competencies, allowing them to perform multiple tasks or roles
in the team a create a greater flexibility.

(2 marks)

4. Describe Tuckman’s stages of group development.

The first stage of Tuckman's model is "forming", where group members come
together and familiarise themselves with each other. Individuals are trying to find
out about each other may be hesitant ti express their opinions. This stage is
characterised by focus in establishing ground rules and goals. The next stage is
"storming" where tensions and conflicts has arise This phase is marked by
changes agreed on objectives, procedures and norms established in aspects of
leadership, differences in opinions and challenges to authority. After that, the next
stage is "norming" where the group starts to resolve conflicts and develop cohesion.
Trust and collaboration increase as individuals start to agree with work sharing,
and recognise each other's strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, the
"performing" stage represents the peak of group productivity and effectiveness.
With clear goals, established norms and strong interpersonal relationships to achieve
the objectives. As the group has executed its task or project it enters the "adjourning"
stage, also known "mourning". Members may experience a mix of emotions, sadness
and confusion as the group breaks up. The last stage is "dorming" where the team
has been performing well for some time, it may fall back into self-maintenance
functions and lose its focus on the task.

(6 marks)

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5. The 9 Belbin Team Roles model provides a framework for managing people in
organizations. According to the model, each role has a specific task to complete to
support the team's goal and can help to achieve success.
Explain each of the following roles by highlighting the strengths and the weaknesses.

(i) Shaper

Shaper's strength is highly focused on achieving objectives and driving

outcomes. They are often motivated by challenges and thrive in high-pressure
situations but on the other hand shaper may come across as aggressive in their
approach which can lead to conflict within the team and only prioritise their
own perspective.

(ii) Resource-investigator

Resource-investigators are adept at establishing and maintaining external

contacts and networks. They excel in gathering information and resources
from many sources but their weakness is their enthusiasm and optimism
may sometimes lead them to overestimate the feasibility or potential of ideas
that can result in in unrealistic expectations or disappointment.

(iii) Plant

Plants are known for their ability to ability to generate unique and
unconventional ideas as they often offer creative solutions on difficult
problems and challenges but plants may overlook details or practical
considerations in their pursuit of big ideas.

(iv) Monitor-evaluator

Monitor-evaluator possesses strong analytical skills to evaluate all options

available by considering all relevant factors before reaching conclusions but
monitor-evaluator may struggle to prioritise tasks as they see value in
thoroughly examining all possibilities which will result in delays and
inefficiencies.

(4 marks)

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6. (a) Describe all three (3) main issues to be considered when building a team.

Team identity - Team identity encompasses the shared values, goals, norms and beliefs
that united individuals within a team. It provides a sense of belonging, collaboration,
trust, and mutual respect among members to get them to see themselves as part of the
team.

Team solidarity - Building team solidarity is the presence of conflicting personalities

and interpersonal dynamics among team members. Members need to have the same
common in communication styles, work preferences and goals to encourage
strong bonds among each other and loyalty to the team.

Shared objectives - Establishing shared objectives is crucial for aligning individual

efforts towards a common purpose and achieving collective goals. The objectives
must be clear to the members where they are heading and what is to achieve.

(3 marks)

(b) Define four (4) limitations of working as a team.

Conflict and disagreement - Teamwork involves individuals with diverse

backgrounds, perspectives and personalities which can lead to conflict due
to differences in opinions, communication styles and approaches to
problems-solving.

Coordination and communication - Coordinating task, sharing information

and ensuring everyone is on the same page can be challenging especially
in larger teams where the members are geographically dispersed.

Individual Accountability - Teamwork may lead to a diffusion of

responsibility where individual accountability is diminished within the team
as it can be challenging to hold individual accountable for their contributions
when tasks are assigned to the team

Social Loafing - Social loafing occurs when individuals exert less effort in a
group setting compared to when working alone because some members may
rely on others to carry the workload leading to uneven distribution of effort.

(4 marks)

(Total: 32 marks)

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SECTION B

Answer is based on the given scenario.

Aldwin is in charge of a group of 12 people involved in complex work. This is of an ongoing

nature. The group has been working together amicably and successfully for a considerable
time. Its members value Aldwin’s leadership and the back-up given by Darlene. She
elaborates on Aldwin’s instructions and deals on his behalf with group members’ queries,
especially when he is absent on the group’s business.

Much of the success of the group has been due to Hansel, who is creative at problem solving,
and Ronda, who has an encyclopedic knowledge of sources of supply and information.
Walker is an expert on charting and records, and Gabriela is invaluable at sorting out
disagreements and keeping everyone cheerful. The remaining members of the group also
have roles, which are acceptable to themselves and to the others.

Required:

1. Identify the six (6) individual members and their respective role according to Belbin’s
role classifications and its description from the scenario above.

- Aldwin is the coordinator because he is valued by his members of his leadership skills

- Darlene is an implementer because she elaborates Aldwin's instructions into actions

- Hansel is a plant as he is creative at problem solving

- Ronda is a resource investigator because she is knowledgeable of sources of supply

and information

- Walker is a completer-finisher as he is good at charting and records

- Gabriela is a teamworker because of the traits of keep everyone cheerful and good
at sorting out disagreements

(6 marks)

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2. Following on from the above scenario, suppose the following changes have occurred:
 Recently, Darlene resigned for family reasons.
 Because the workload has been increasing, Aldwin recruited four new people to
the group.
 Aldwin now finds that various members of the group complain to him about
what they are expected to do and about other people’s failings.
 Hansel and Ronda have been unusually helpful to Aldwin, but have had several
serious arguments between themselves and with others.

Based on Tuckman’s stages of group development, identify the stage where this group
is before and after the above changes. Explain your answer with supporting details.

Before Darlene resigned from work, the group was at "performing" stage as it was
mentioned above, the group has been working together amicably and successfully for
a considerable time.

After that changes, Aldwin starts to recruit new people and this is where "forming"
stage is about to happen. The recruitment of new members will be the fresh mark
for the team to coming together. This is where the new members will be trying to
find out about the team members and about the aims and the norms.

But, after Aldwin found that various members of the group complain to him about
what they are expected to do and about other people’s failings, this is when the team
is entering the early "storming" stage. There may be changes agreed in the objectives,
procedures or norms established. Small conflict between the team members frequently
happens.

Lastly, when Hansel and Ronda have been unusually helpful and had several
arguments with others, it shows that the team is in a completely "storming"
stage because of the serious argument and conflict that happened between them.

(Total: 4 marks)

(Total mark: 10 marks)

Full mark: 42 marks