Reflection on Survival Activity
Order Instructions:
See the attached files for instructions.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Reflection on Survival Activity
This reflection is based on a Team survival situation where my team went through after having crash landing on a desert. Luckily just before the pilot informed us on the next step to take, the most updated information from the plane indicated that the temperature on the ground level will be 54 degrees. Looking at my team all of us had dressed in light clothing, in fact, the majority of us had short sleeved shirts, socks, pants and streets shoes. Everyone also had handkerchiefs. This meant that we needed to find a way to survive through as we found our way to the rescue destination. The main objective of the team exercise was to learn to how to work as a team and also coordinate with one another so as to reach our destination safely (Boonstra, 2013). This called for embracing proper communication skills and collaborative style of making decisions. Application of the big five personalities aspect would prove to be very crucial.
The Exercise
As part of teamwork, we began by choosing items that were most important to ensure our survival in the next 20-25 hours which was the time estimated for us to reach our destination safely. We all sat down as a team and brainstormed on the choices at hand, all of us had their own time to decide on which item should be priority. It was important to note that we were able to communicate and coordinate with one another very well in comparison to other groups in the class (Murphy, 2011). We came to a consensus early enough because we discouraged arguing and more of active listening (Hackman, 2012). And even though our choice of priority items may not have been correct in the first instance, we all remained positive that the items we chose would help us survive through the desert.
This made the team appreciate that the most effective way to making a decision was through communication and actively listening to the opinion of each member of the team. In addition, by practicing the knowledge we learned in the class also helped each member of the team to remember (L & Laeticia, 2014). This activity allowed each member of the team to choose fifteen helpful tools to use to survive and escape from the crash point to a much safer place in order of priority (Bell, 2010).
As a team leader, I was able to make use of the Big Five personality approach in solving issues that arose from the team (Rubin, 2015). Where as a leader I was able understand the personality of each team member through the five major traits. There were some members of the group who expressed themselves through extroversion; they would stress their points with a lot of energy (Archad, 2012). For these people I would listen to them more as the team leader, there were also those who were agreeable to everything, for this part of the team (Wyatt, 2014). I would ask them questions in order to understand what they felt, another team member was also conscientious, this member of the team would repeatedly ask us to get to the end of the discussion, for this member I would constantly update on what the discussion entailed, there was also one member who expressed neuroticism (Lencioni, 2011), he was always negative in all the choices we made, I would contain this person in order not to allow him influence other member negatively (Bennis & B.Nanus, 2010).
The Big Five personality model allowed each member to feel that his or her contribution was important, forexample, as we made the decision about which tool would be the most important, we had two different opinions (Johnson & Johnson, 2010). I suggested that a bottle of water would be the most important, the reason was that we were facing harsh temperature of about 53%, this means that the most important thing was to keep hydrated so that we could not die or lose time resting due to dehydration (Smith & Lehman, 2010). Another member of the team however, believed that the cosmetic mirror was the most important because it would be used to reflect with the direct sunlight and enable a flying plane to spot us (Johnson M. , 2011). As a result after actively listening to one another, and the reasons for their choice, our group was able to agree on priority items for survival. We ranked the priority items as follows: Cosmetic mirror, Top coat, water, parachute, Jack-Knife, Plastic raincoat, Caliber Pistol, Sunglasses, compress kit with gauze, magnetic compass, sectional air map of the crash area, book, Vodka and lastly the bottle of salt tablets (Nester, 2012).
Conclusion
From the exercise, I learnt a lot about the importance of communication in solving problems in a conflict situation with my team (Jay, 2013). I was also able to learn that the most effective way of making a better decision would only be derived from communicating with one another and actively listening to the needs and opinions of each member of the team.
References
Archad, M. (2012). The Communication Skills Handbook: How To Talk To Anyone & Become A Powerful Leader (Strong & Powerful Communication Skills) . Amazon Digital Service.
Bell, J. (2010). Social Intelligence: A Practical Guide to Social Intelligence: Communication Skills – Social Skills – Communication Theory – Emotional Intelligence. Communication Masters.
Bennis, W., & B.Nanus. (2010). Leaders: Strategies for taking charge. New York: NY: Harper and Row.
Boonstra, J. J. (2013). Cultural Change and Leadership in Organizations: A Practical Guide to Successful Organizational Change. Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition.
Hackman, R. (2012). Leading Teams: Setting the Stage for Great Performances . Harvard Business Review Press; 1 edition.
Jay, D. (2013). Group Dynamics for Teams. SAGE Publications, Inc; Fourth Edition edition.
Johnson, D. H., & Johnson, F. P. (2010). Joining Together: Group Theory and Group Skills (10th Edition). Pearson; 10 edition.
Johnson, M. (2011). The Ultimate Desert Handbook : A Manual for Desert Hikers, Campers and Travelers. International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press; 1 edition.
L, & Laeticia. (2014). Teamwork: Become the Greatest Team member ever: Be a Powerful Link in the Chain of your WorkGroup (performance team, human resources development, communication … management, management, relationship ad). Routledge.
Lencioni, P. (2011). The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable. Jossey-Bass; 1st edition.
Murphy, P. W. (2011). Always Know What To Say – Easy Ways To Approach And Talk To Anyone . Routledge.
Nester, T. (2012). Desert Survival Tips, Tricks, & Skills. Diamond Creek Press; First edition.
Rubin, G. (2015). Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives. Crown.
Smith, D., & Lehman, C. A. (2010). Desert Survival Handbook : How to Prevent and Handle Emergency Situations. Primer Publishers; Revised edition.
Wyatt, W. (2014). Communication Skills: The Ultimate Guide To Improve Your Communication Skills And Get Your Ideas Across. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!
