Discussion: Challenge the Process

Leadership is inextricably connected to the collaborative process. Leadership relies upon relationships between and among people to achieve organizational goals. While collaboration or teamwork can lead to better solutions and creative ideas, collaboration can also lead to conflict, groupthink, and indecision. If leaders want to avoid such negatives in teamwork, leaders must exercise patience, good communication skills, and trust when trying to create a successful collaborative environment. To build such trust and to have a truly functioning team, leaders must often take risks and encourage team members to take risks - to think outside the box, to challenge the status quo, to encourage change.

In this forum, we will examine team dynamics and the challenges of working in a team. Consider a situation in an organization where you are or were part of a team. This organization can be your workplace or any organization where you are a member.

Describe the organization. Identify the stakeholders and the leaders in this organization.

Describe your role in this organization.

Describe the function and goals of the team in this organization.

What is one challenge or obstacle that this team faced? (Please feel free to describe more than one challenge or obstacle.) What processes were established to overcome these obstacles? Were these processes successful? Why or why not?

Does your leader take risks? Give one example of how your leader took a risk or perhaps did not. What were the outcomes?

Do you consider yourself a risk taker in your organization? Why or why not? How can you build upon your strengths to better handle challenges and take risks?