Communication_and_Collaboration_Strategy

Travis Tenor University of Phoenix GEN/200 FOUNDATIONS FOR GENERAL EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS Phyllis Garden 7/16/10 Communication and Collaboration Strategy Each member in a team is a unique individual with their own set of intelligences and personalities. Each person is as diverse as the role the play as part of the team. Each person has their own strengths and weaknesses that must be accounted for. For a team to work together a strategy should be considered for communication and collaborative purposes. I will look at three types of intelligences and three types of personalities, and how these three would relate in a group via communications and collaboration. Intelligence Based on the Learning Theory by Howard Gardner, there are at least eight intelligences in which people have developed differently throughout their life (Carter, Bishop, & Kravits, 2007). Different learning styles have been associated with the different intelligence types. Of these intelligences I have selected three: Verbal/Linguistic, Visual/Spatial, and Interpersonal. With the different range, a special plan should be aimed to work off the strengths so communication and collaboration is successful. Communication For a communication strategy, each team will have a way they are better suited to learn and share information with one another. The verbal/linguistic person will do best as the instructor of terms and directions. The Visual/Spatial person will do better at graphic representations of information. So color coded outlines, graphs and other illustrations will work for communication. The interpersonal will work with all the different types of verbal and non-verbal communication and keep everyone in the loop. They can also facilitate any conflict resolutions. Collaboration Each team member will have specific areas they do well, and other areas that they do not, as a result of the different intelligence styles. This will give each a position on the team, and a strategy to allow the different functions to operate smoothly, a strategy for collaboration should be used. The strategy will use the strength and weaknesses of each intelligence type for the advantage of the team. The tasks that involve specific skills a certain team member possesses, they will do most of that work. Similarly, if a member is underdeveloped in an area, they will have less of their work focus on those weaker areas. The verbal/linguistic intelligence type will be the person responsible for getting information. The artwork will be left to the visual intelligence type. The interpersonal person will be the go between; keeping all involved and related to the group. Also, the interpersonal would be best at the contact person for the team and other outside people. Personalities People have different temperaments, which mean they will react to the world differently. The personality spectrum of Dr. Joyce Bishop identifies interactions that are most and least comfortable based the type of personality (Carter, Bishop, & Kravits, 2007). I will explore how three of the types on the spectrum can maximize the potential of their communication and collaborative effort by using the findings of the personality assessments. The three I will discuss are: Thinker, Giver, and Organizer. I’ll demonstrate how each type on the personality spectrum can use their characteristics and traits. Communication The thinker will do the problem solving, and communicate the material into visuals and designs. A giver will be open for communication and available to help the group. The giver will aide in negotiations with honest opinions. The organizer will keep track and collect all the information and compile it. The Organizer will be responsible for maintaining schedule. Collaboration The team will have technical expertise covered by the thinker. The giver will be in charge of interpersonal relations and support. The organizer will keep the plan, the methods in check and will be in charge of scheduling. Conclusion The personality’s types of the team members along with their abilities and skills make for a dynamic team that should understand their respected role. A good team can thrive by allowing the specific strengths in styles and types shine through their designated position that accents their traits. This way a team does not compete with one another, but compliments one another. Reference List Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: becoming an active thinker, 2e.