After Action Review of Swinburne - Case Study Example

After Action Review Report Professor’s Name University The City and State Date After Action Review Report Introduction Working as a team requires the use of the four management concepts including planning, organising, leading, and controlling. The following report aims at offering an after action review of the group work’s performance. It will encompass, the events that transpired, what was done well, and what could have been improved. The main aim of the group was to examine the organising function of management at the Swinburne University, Department of Associate Director of Operations. What was supposed to happen The group was expected to research and make a presentation on the topic Organisation at Swinburne specifically in the Department of Associate director of Operations. All five group members were expected to develop their own strategy non how to research organisation at Swinburne. After, researching, the group was expected to discuss their research and make a presentation as the whole group. The research involved asking questions to the current associate director of operations as well as conducting additional research from journals and studies. Each group member was expected to contribute to the group discussions and also be able to make the presentations. The group was also expected to function as a team to realize these goals. Likewise, the group was expected to function as a team in terms of implementing the four concepts of management including planning, organising, leading, and controlling in their group work processes. Being a group work, it was expected that trust would be a potential challenge in its processes and effectiveness. According to HHH most teams lack the level of trust needed to ensure effective performance and achievement of goals. What actually happened The task was completed successfully based on how the group handled its processes. The team began by applying the concept of organising where tasks and topics were divided. Organising involves the establishment of an administrative structure and assigning human resources to ensure the achievement of objectives (Schraeder et al. 2015, p. 59). The group assigned a group leader who was charged with overseeing the vision of the group as well as motivating employees. Again, the group also allocated a meeting facilitator, meeting minutes taker, and a time keeper. The group later planned its activities based on the initial purpose of the main topic. A total of four meeting were set up and attended by all members. Tasks were divided and agendas developed where all ideas were discussed openly in group meetings. All the required research and individual tasks were accomplished effectively. The presentation was developed and delivered by each member of the group that received a positive feedback from the tutor. Overall, the group performed substantially well. What we did Well The first area we did well was in terms of planning. Planning involves the establishment of a team’s or organisation’s development of direction in terms of goals and objectives (Schraeder et al. 2015, p. 58). The five group members came on board with varying goals as each member anticipated different marks for the group presentation. However, through planning, the group was able to divide tasks among members making it easier to achieve the overall goal. Besides, the team also developed different agendas. Each group member was involved in the decision making process to determine these tasks and agendas. This is what is known as enhancing employee involvement in decision making when it comes to planning. Allowing employees to be involved in developing goals, objectives, or sharing of tasks enhances the quality of an organizational plan (Schraeder et al. 2015, p. 58). Based on the varying knowledge and skills of each group me member, their involvement offered valuable insights to developing a plan for the group. This follows the explicit decision rules of X-teams that support decision procedures that adjust to new circumstances (Ancona et al. 2002, p. 37). Furthermore, the team did well in organising especially assigning human resources to ensure achievement of the tasks. Organising is simply developing a structure or framework and assigning individuals to direct different tasks needed to achieve organizational goals (Schraeder et al. 2015, p. 58). Still, it involves the development of individual job responsibilities or roles. It also sets to establish a chain of command that ensures the team operates in coordination in terms of seeking to achieve identified objectives (Schraeder et al. 2015, p. 58). The leader was tasked with offering an overall vision for the group as well as communicating the vision to the group. The meeting facilitator was tasked with aiding in setting up meeting, while the minutes taker was charged with recording meeting minutes and the time keeper for keeping track of time. The team also did effectively in terms of communication. Communication is a key element for any team to work effectively. It plays a critical role in the concept of leading in terms of management functions. One of the key elements of good communication is shared tasks and responsibilities. The group shared different tasks especially in terms of decision making. Group shared tasks and responsibilities in group discussion where contentious issues were resolved openly. Again, good communication is also reflected in on-site development where all team members or players are located in one place at the time. The group was always present at all meeting meaning that all group members could interact directly and solve problems more effectively. According to Cusumano (1997, p. 9) the ability of team members being together is a major advantage since no matter what interdependencies exists one can go and see that individual face to face. In addition, the group also managed to set up and attend four meetings. According to Govindarajan & Gupta (2001, p. 70), face-to-face meetings are regarded as one of the richest forms of communication. In fact, the face to face interaction and commitment by all members to attend offered the needed level of trust that enabled members to support each other. In future, these are some of the basics that can be repeated in similar occasions and later in life. They offer an effective background on how to manage and work with and within teams. What we did not do well One of the main challenges faced in the group processes was in terms of leadership. Leadership is a multi-dimensional management and team function that relates to influence and motivations of employees (Schraeder et al. 2015, p. 60). Leaders are required to develop a vision for the company and ensure that employees or followers share in the fulfilment of the vision (DuBois et al. 2015, p. 33). This means that the need for motivation, communication, and change management are paramount for effective leadership. The first step in leading is always developing a shared vision of the overall direction and mission of the organization. Clearly, the team lacked a shared vision, but only objectives to achieve in terms of completing the topic presentation. Therefore, in future, adopting a mutual vision would enhance the level of group identity as well as motivate members to work effectively in realizing the vision. Another area of leadership challenges was in terms of leadership styles. As a group, the team leader applied a rather authoritarian leadership style where decisions were changed without consultation of group members. The use of single or limited leadership styles may reduce trust within the group as well as promote conflict. According to Keyton & Beck (2008, p. 493), conflict in teams arises when two or more individuals have incompatible activities such as in the case of the group processes. Such conflict can be productive as illustrated in the group where collaborating was used to resolve issues and help in motivating group members. In terms of leadership styles, there is no single effective style that can guarantee effective leadership. However, the best approach to leading is by applying situational leadership or using different leadership styles for different circumstances (DuBois et al. 2015, p. 45). Using this type of approach, it is easier to reduce conflict while developing increased trust. Furthermore, still on the issue of leadership, trust was a major challenge as the team lacked a higher level of trust. The team leader often did not trust other group members in terms of group activities. Despite this, the team was able to offer motivation internally. To effectively develop a team, a leader must develop trust within the group. Trust is developed through effective communication that requires recognizing the feelings and nature of other team members (Druskat & Wheeler 2004, p. 67). This means that leaders should develop good relationships with team members that require understanding each team member at a personal level. According to Keyton & Beck (2008, p. 492), communicatively capable leaders have the ability to understand the situation, have both verbal and non-verbal skills, and be thoughtful about other’s feelings to contribute well to the team’s conversation. Trust can also be developed by ensuring delegation and group flexibility. Allowing some level of autonomy to group members is an effective way of cultivating trust among team members. Developing trust within a team is of great advantage in terms of motivation, performance, and value. In addition, another area of improvement is in the controlling function of management. Controlling is defined as the methodical process of comparing tangible performance with plans and standards to guarantee adequate progress (Schraeder et al. 2015, p. 68). The group requires a level of controlling to enable increased collaboration and development of future plans. The group can effectively exercise controlling through making changes and improvements to plans and performance. Controlling could also help to boost trust within the group through increased collaboration. Conclusion In conclusion, the group was set up to develop a presentation on the topic, which was achieved with success. The areas the group excelled is in terms of planning and organising by ensuring that clear objectives and agendas were set as well as the division of tasks and development of a team structure. However, the team did not do so well in terms of leading where there lacked trust. The issue of trust can be improved through the use of multiple leadership styles, the development of good relationships, as well as effective communication. References Keyton, J, & Beck, SJ 2008, 'TEAM ATTRIBUTES, PROCESSES, AND VALUES: A PEDAGOGICAL FRAMEWORK', Business Communication Quarterly, vol. 71, no. 4, pp. 488-504. Govindarajan, V, & Gupta, AK 2001, 'Building an Effective Global Business Team. (cover story)', MIT Sloan Management Review, vol. 42, no. 4, pp. 63-71. Ancona, D, Bresman, H, & Kaeufer, K 2002, 'The Comparative Advantage of X-Teams', MIT Sloan Management Review, vol. 43, no. 3, pp. 33-39. Cusumano, MA 1997, 'How Microsoft Makes Large Teams Work Like Small Teams', Sloan Management Review, vol. 39, no. 1, p. 9. Schraeder, M, Self, DR, Jordan, M, and Portis, R 2015, The Functions of Management as Mechanisms for Fostering Interpersonal Trust. Advances in Business Research, vol. 5 no. 1, pp.50-62. DuBois, M, Koch, J, Hanlon, J, Nyatuga, B, & Kerr, N 2015, 'Leadership Styles of Effective Project Managers: Techniques and Traits to Lead High Performance Teams', Journal of Economic Development, Management, IT, Finance & Marketing, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 30-46. Read More