Collaboration Project Proposal

How Different Team Environments Are More Similar then Different

Layna Lupo

The University of Arizona

Dr. Maria L. Nahmias

SERP 497E Consultation and Collaboration for Special Needs Students

April 28, 2016

 Collaboration Project: How Different Team Environments are more similar then different 2

Abstract

This paper will evaluate the similarities and differences within a business and education team

collaborative environment. I conducted this study by asking two business people (one female one

male) and two educators (one female and one male) a series of questions and compared their

answers. Based off the series of questions I delivered I analyzed their answers through a graphic

organizer to find similarities and differences within their team collaboration setting (business and

education).
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Purpose/ Introduction and Rationale

Working in a team environment is a crucial part to many careers. When comparing two

different careers it may be hard to see how they are more similar than different. The two different

collaboration environments this paper will be discussing is a business and education settings. I

interviewed two different people involved in business as well as, two different people involved in

education. After asking a series of questions it was easy to see how these two different

collaboration environments are more similar than different. A team collaborative environment can

become very overwhelming if there is no common ground and/or respect for each member in the

team.

Literature Review

Communicating in a group is essential in order to be successful. It is important to

understand the different types of communication styles to avoid miscommunications. The three

main collaborative communication techniques are linear view, interactional view, and

transactional view (Friend, 2013). According to Friend, linear view is described as one-way

communication and is usually not face-to-face and feedback is delayed (Friend, 2013). This could

be shown through collaborating through email, text, letters, and or notes. Interactional view of

communication is the second type collaborative communication as explained by Friend. With this

communication environment the sender and receiver exchange information and respond with

feedback in a timely matter (Friend, 2013). Interactional view of communication is similar to using

a google doc in which; all team members can see what is being typed and are able to edit the

document and ask for feedback. The last type of collaborative communication for a team is

transactional. Transactional view is explained as simultaneously receiving information and

 Collaboration Project: How Different Team Environments are more similar then different 4

continuously exchanging messages (Friend, 2013). This would be an example of text messaging,

Instant Messaging, and Skyping.

All types of communication are extraordinarily important in business and education. There

will be times where the group may need to have an instant response and on the other hand, there

might be times where it is appropriate to take your time and gather your thoughts before you

respond. As Stumpf explained, it is not only about communication it is about having an effective

leader (Stumpf, 2015). I could sense some were the leader, and some have experienced opposing

views from the leader during my interview process. Paley is described a common phenomenon in

his novel that happens during collaboration within a team environment (Paley, 2015). Thus being,

the team needs to communicate and collaborate effectively or else the project/outcome will not be

up to par.

Methodology for this Project

I interviewed two people whove been involved in Corporate America for various number

of years. Russell Flat has been part of Corporate America for eighteen plus years and has sat on

the board of collaboration meetings. Clair Dumphy has been working in Corporate America for

four years and has been promoted multiple times. Both of my interviewees would like to remain

anonymous so the names in this paper are artificial names.

Russell Flat has been employed with Honeywell for eighteen plus years and has expressed

his level of comfort when it comes to collaboration within a team environment. Russell feels when

collaborating in a business environment it is very beneficial especially when it is this big of a

company (Flat, 2016). As Russell continued to answer the interview questions it was clear he has

been involved in many business collaboration team environments throughout his career. Although,

Russell did express the feeling of having alone time is an important part of a team collaboration
 Collaboration Project: How Different Team Environments are more similar then different 5

because it allows for him to evaluate the project on his own without others perspectives. He went

on to say, When collaborating with a team it is important to set up meeting to check on the

progress of how the project is coming along because at the end of the day there is always a deadline

that needs to be met (Flat, 2016).

Clair Dumphy is a young professional whos been with DHL Supply Chain for four-years

and has been promoted to operation supervisor for a warehouse (Dumphy, 2016). As a young

female Clair has a completely different perspective on collaborating within a team environment

since she has worked at different levels within the company. Clair believes working with others

on a project is vital when they are trying to move through a project (Dumphy, 2016). Due to the

fact, Clair is at a higher level in the company, she holds meetings every month to discuss the

process of the project as well as personally contacting the team members on if there is anything

she can do to support them. Clair believes the key to having a successful team collaboration

environment is to have an open mind, listen to others, and schedule a time where there will be no

distractions (Dumphy, 2016). When I asked Clair if there is anything else I should know she

expressed the need for me to recognize, That ultimately, there is a decision maker in business.

It is not a majority rules it is usually having to convince the decision maker on why you believe

the way you believe. (Dumphy, 2016).

Both business professional brought two completely different thoughts on collaboration

within a team environment. However, it prominent that when working in a team environment there

must be effective communication, periodic meetups to check in, open mind, and alone time can be

helpful.

I interviewed two educators that teach in a middle school setting. Sue Smith is an inclusion

special education math teacher with four years of teaching experience. Mike Mathews is a retired
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physical education teacher with twenty plus years of experience and has taught in different states.

By interviewing two diverse teachers it allowed me to see how collaboration works within a school

setting. Both teachers would like to remain anonymous; for this paper they will have fake names.

Sue Smith is a very hands-on teacher, she is constantly walking around the room and

checking with the students. She believes that collaborating is important in any environment not

just education because you can always accomplish more when in a team environment (Smith,

2016). As an inclusion math teacher she feels that having others to collaborate with makes lesson

planning easier. However, if the lesson planning involves numerus teachers Sue feels there can be

personality confects Sue discussed how she strongly feels collaboration works best when everyone

has a role and are able to embrace the role. She went on to say, in co-teaching there are times

where you may have too much on your plate with IEP however, you still have to find time to

collaborate with your co-teacher (Smith, 2016).

Mike Mathews has taught all over the United States as a physical education teacher. He

does a phenomenal job relating classroom content to his physical education class. Mike expressed

his opinion on how collaboration within a team environment is a must because it brings

consistency for the students (Mathews, 2016). During the interview you can feel Mikes

enthusiasm about working with others yet, he does not like to teach with others. I asked him to

explain and he claims, it is hard to teach P.E. with two teachers! It feels like theres too many

cooks in the kitchen. (Mathew, 2016). Mike has been invited to multiple Individual Education

Program meetings and believes it helps him better support his students in P.E. When collaborating

with educators it involves everyone because there have been times where Mike has come up with

teaching strategies for a student that can also work in the classroom. So, having that open

communication is extremely important within a team collaborative environment.

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Results/Outcomes/Discussion

To my surprise business and education collaborative team environments are very similar.

Some of the key points that were consistent through all the interviews were; collaboration is key,

working alone can help, distraction free meetings, being opened minded, periodic meetups to

check in, and there is always room for improvement. Both education and business do draw

similarities in the fact both are working on a project. In education there must be consistency with

all the teachers. This allows for a teacher to be teaching the same thing the teacher next door is

teaching. This ultimately provides the students with a valuable education despite who is teaching.

On the other hand, in business collaboration key to getting a product or idea moving through the

system. There is always a time limit no matter what collaborative setting you are in thus; it is

crucial to be on the same page as your group so the product/ education can be achieved.

After interviewing Russell Flat, Clair Dumphy, Sue Smith, and Mike Mathews there was

a slight difference between the education and business setting. One of differences that stood out to

me was the idea of a decision maker. Clair Dumphy expressed how if the entire collaborative

team suggests something new the decision maker can veto the idea in a matter of a second. In

education, typically there is not a decision maker because schools are based on a union idea or

the state manages it. Another difference was in education the idea of making sure everyone has an

active role in the collaborative team environment. Sue Smith explained how if not everyone has a

role then there becomes freeloaders. The idea if freeloaders can really effect the collaborative

environment in a negative way (Smith, 2016). In my opinion this is logical because if a person is

not collaborating it causes the collaboration team environment to have a negative and hostile feel.

Conclusion
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After reading through scholarly articles and interviewing professionals it became clear to

me that collaboration within a team environment takes a lot of work and dedication. I feel that the

business articles and education articles paralleled each other in best collaborative practices. For

example, I thought it was interesting how Friend and Cook (2013) discussed different types of

communication methods and Russell Flat (2016) supported the idea of sometimes having to step

away from the project and then get back to it with a new mindset. Overall, in business and in

education there needs to be collaboration in order to have a successful company or classroom.

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References

Dumphy, C. (2016, March 17). Business Collaboration [Telephone interview].

Flat, R. (2016, March 26). Business Collaboration [Personal interview].

Friend, M. P., & Cook, L. (2013). Interactions: Collaboration skills for school professionals.

Boston: Pearson A and B.

Mathews, M. (2016, April 1). Teaching Collaboration [Personal interview].

Paley, N. (2015). Developing a Turnaround Business Plan. Retrieved 2016, from

http://lib.myilibrary.com.ezproxy2.library.arizona.edu/ProductDetail.aspx?id=798018

Smith, S. (2016, March 7). Teaching Collaboration [Personal interview].

Stumpf,K. (2015,January 11). Leading Business Change: A Practical Guide to Transforming

Your Organization. Retrieved April 27, 2016, from

http://www.uaz.eblib.com.ezproxy1.library.arizona.edu/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=2075

869&echo=1&userid=k/vcJz5KICk=&tstamp=1461803905&id=E799720E10A760F8E1

56E63649E03E132CA2CE86
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Appendix

Collaboration Project Interviews

**This is just a summary of what the interview was like

Business interviews:

Russell Flat

How do you feel about collaboration within a team environment?

o Good I feel it is very beneficial especially in the work I do
What do you think is important when collaborating in a team environment?
o I think it is important to listen to other and keep the meeting on task and factual.
Do you feel collaboration with your peers makes your job easier?
o Yes, because every person can bring a different perspective into the meeting. I
also think working with my colleagues is just part of the job.
Do you feel everyone on your team should have an active role within the team
collaboration?
o Yes and no. I think there is a time and place for people to have an active role in
the collaboration environment however, many time I just need to deliver the news
which shouldnt involve any collaboration.
Do you work well with others or do you prefer to work alone?
o It depends on the work that needs to be done. If I am working in a group and we
all have active duties, then yes I like to work with others. On the other hand, if I
need to do work that only involves my job then I need to alone so I am able to
accomplish it.
Anything else I should know about collaboration within a team environment?
o Every job involves working with other so I think having an acceptance yet
focused environment is curial to the business world.

Clair Dumphy (fake name)

How do you feel about collaboration within a team environment?

o Beneficial so you can hear others perspectives
What do you think is important when collaborating in a team environment?
o To be open minded, listen to others ideas, they need to schedule at a time so there
are no distractions
Do you feel collaboration with your peers makes your job easier?
o Most of the time
Do you feel everyone on your team should have an active role within the team
collaboration?
o Not necessarily, not everyone has an option about certain topics
Do you work well with others or do you prefer to work alone?
o Prefers to be alone for her portion of the project but likes to be with other to see
how the progress is going and to get ideas
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Anything else I should know about collaboration within a team environment?

o That ultimately there is a decision maker in business its not a majority rules
its using they have to convince the decision maker

Teacher interviews:

Sue Smith (fake name)

How do you feel about collaboration within a team environment?

o Sue thinks it is important to collaborate in any environment not just education
because you can always accomplish more when in a team environment compared
to individual work
What do you think is important when collaborating in a team environment?
o The right size group with a verity of different personalities
Do you feel collaboration with your peers makes your job easier?
o No because the expectations of working in a team is higher than working on my
own.
Do you feel everyone on your team should have an active role within the team
collaboration?
o Yes, or else there will be freeloader that influence the group negatively
Do you work well with others or do you prefer to work alone?
o Yes, I work well with others
Anything else I should know about collaboration within a team environment?
o Team collaboration works best when everyone has a role and are able to embrace
their role no matter what the roles are.

Mike Mathews (fake name)

How do you feel about collaboration within a team environment?

o I feel it is important so there is consistency in the students education
What do you think is important when collaborating in a team environment?
o Listening to others, and express your concerns with possible solution to better the
students education environment
Do you feel collaboration with your peers makes your job easier?
o Most of the time because I like getting ideas from others on ways to improve my
teacher techniques
Do you feel everyone on your team should have an active role within the team
collaboration?
o IEP meeting: I think everyone should say something even if its just introduction
themselves and their evolvement with the student
o Staff meeting: I dont think it is important to say anything. It is your job to sit
there and listen and take notes
Do you work well with others or do you prefer to work alone?
o Alone
Anything else I should know about collaboration within a team environment?
o Its an evolving process so it is continuously improving and evolving.