Secondly, I also plan to initiate clearer communication during our group calls in the future. Due to the limitation of virtual teams, we could not always see each other during video calls; sometimes we had to do voice calls only due to the connection limitation. Because of the lack of visual aid and the inability to read my colleagues’ facial expression, there were times I did not fully understand our discussion point. Out of respect of the scheduled call time and my own value of efficiency, I chose to not to my team members to repeat themselves too much. Alternatively, I have emailed the group my follow-up question. The same principle applies to myself when I explain my expectations to the team. As Erica Dhawan and Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic (2018) put “In our efforts to be efficient, we sometimes use fewer words to communicate” (p.4). As part of the team, I bear the responsibility to seek clarity with my understanding of the project and my part in it.
Another action step to bring into the next semester is the practice of reflection, critical thinking, and Q-storming (Adams, 2009). I commit to incorporate reflective moments not only during my weekly study but also in my teamwork. I challenge myself to ask “why” and all the other questions before I jump into actions. This program has already stretched my mindset on my view of workplace culture, leadership, and more. I plan to exercise my ability further to identify my thought patterns and my assumptions, especially when my study challenges my cultural perspective.
In the Work Place
With the help of the OLL program, I tried to bring change slowly to my workplace. Last month, I proposed a new method to request our fall quarter budget that allows us to explore our cultural enrichment programs for American scholars in China in a new way. During our meeting, I facilitated some reflection time by guiding the team through our past budget plans. Instead of budget per headcount as before, I suggested we budget per region and resource for collaborative events between the Consulates. My Chinese supervisor was skeptical, but the American team leader showed interest and support, she even invited me to share more at our section staff meeting. I plan to learn more about the role of facilitative leaders and lead future discussions with compassion (Schwarz, 2002). Though this will be a prolonged process, I will take this as a small victory on the long road to bring change to the workplace.
Furthermore, I plan to demonstrate better active listening skills with my work team during our daily interaction. Active listening has never been a struggle for me at social settings since I have a quiet temperament, I sometimes naturally take on the “listener” hat. However, when I am in the task-oriented mode at work, I could be too focused on getting things done then listen to my colleagues’ feedbacks. Levi (2016) suggest paraphrasing what one heard and asked the speaker for feedback can be a great way to practice the art of active listening. This approach also shows the listeners’ care and attention lie in the speaker (Levi, 2016). I have tried that a couple of times already at work – through the first time took some self-control to focus and repeat what I have heard. By taking baby steps, I believe this practice will not only help me to gain more understanding of my colleagues work and my tasks, but also promote more bond between us.
Conclusion
As an old Chinese proverb says, “To learn is to know one’s ignorance.” This course showed me how much more I need to learn about workgroups and teams. From exercise critical thinking and reflection daily to bring public reflection to the workplace. The last thirteen weeks also showed me the complexity and beautify of cultural dimensions and group dynamics. With the first semester of the OLL pro
