Friday, October 10, 2008

Reflecting on the Research Project Experience

The past couple of weeks, during which I was engaged in the research project for ES2007S, was truly an enriching learning experience. I learnt the many aspects of being a team player by building good interpersonal relationships with my team mates.

We started our project with a clear mind set and from the beginning we made sure that all four of us were on the same platform regarding a particular decision, before proceeding further. Even though we had different opinions on certain issues, the ultimate result was from mutual agreement and understanding. Sometimes there were instances when two of us agreed on one choice while the other two agreed on another. However through discussion we tried to weigh the pros and cons of the two views and come to a conclusion which was agreed by all. This way I learnt to be flexible and open minded in order to accommodate the different views of my team mates.

I believe that the most important aspect of being a team player is being able to help each other. We all tried our best to fulfill the work that was allocated to each of us in time. However, there were times when one of us was tied up with other modules’ work and was struggling hard to cope up with the project’s work load. I am really pleased that in such situations, each of us worked with empathy towards the other, that the project work load never felt a burden. I was able to approach my team mates with my difficulties without hesitation, because I knew that we had built a good mutual understanding. Sometimes we had little communication concerns among us, but we were able to move forward by being considerate and surpassing them through conversation.

All in all I gained an invaluable experience of working in a team, paving our way though different ideas and opinions but ending up at a mutually agreed resolution. Thereby we were ultimately able to produce a fruitful outcome from our project which was truly the team’s achievement.

4 comments:

Brad Blackstone said...

Thank you, Vijani, for this reflection of your work through the research process. I'm glad you found the learning both useful and manageable. I'm especially happy that you and your group could empathize with each other and work so well together. Now I look forward to reading your report!

woensusanto said...

Hi,

From past experiences, i also encountered such a situation many times where two of us had agreed on one option, while another two of us agreed on another but luckily i was spared this time around. I suppose it is a common problem when you are working in a group. The difference would be on how the team reaches on a common stand. I like the way on how your team deal with the situation by weighing out the pros and cons. Being a team player is the utmost importance when you are working in a group.

WS

Zhiyi said...

Hey Vijani, I feel being a team player is vital. Each one of the team members plays a significant role to keep the team going from strength to strength. A team cannot function well if it is just one leader and the rest just following. There may be a final product. However, it may not be a very good one.
I experienced similar difficulties through this project (can read my post to find out more), and I'm really glad that my team's strong mutual understanding pulled us through.

2D 2012 said...

Hello blogging buddy (:

I was nodding my head in agreement as I read your post. Truly, having groupmates who work as a team and who are willing to lend a hand really makes a difference in the project.

I read your preview of your report too and the whole report was very cohesive (: Much effort must have been put in to come up with report with a good flow (: