“None of us is as smart as all of us.” 

– Ken Blanchard 

Image retrieved from http://www.dwppc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Puzzle-Pieces

 

Happy October and welcome back to our VFAM blog!

This week, we would like to take a moment to share our community project progress and reflect on the significances we encountered so far. Feel free to check out our _LFS 350-13 Project Proposal  for more information on the VFAM project.  

Our past objectives and achievements

	Objectives	Achievements
Week 2 (Sept. 11-17)	Develop term of reference for group work through team charter Prepare to engage with community partner in a professional manner Group blog set up	Team charter developed, define individual strengths and common goals Made appointment with our community partner, Kathy, for the first briefing session VFAM 2017 blog created
Week 3 (Sept. 18-24)	Followed up communication with Kathy Learn about the VFAM project Understand our roles in the project and the outcomes that we are expected to produce	Attended briefing session held by Kathy at Raven Song Community Health Center Decided on which aspects/components of the VFAM we are expected to contribute towards Draft Blog post #1 submitted on September 22nd
Week 4 (Sept. 25- Oct.1)	Learn how food insecurity can be related to the house income and class Discuss what our group want to achieve from doing VFAM project Draft for project proposal	Reflected and discussed the lecture materials within our group and how it affected our perspectives. Talked about what our goals are for this project Set up a google doc for the proposal and figured out which section the individual team member is in charge of. Finished the first draft of the project proposal
Week 5 (Oct. 2- 8)	To present our community project proposal to the class To identify areas of improvement for our proposal Edit and finalize our proposal Contact Kathy to set up a day to meet up	Received feedback from our classmates and TA about our proposal and finalized it Submitted final project proposal Learned about gender issues in food systems Sent an e-mail to community partner discussing when to meet up for debriefing Finalized blog post #1 resubmitted on Friday, October 5th
Week 6 (Oct. 9- 15)	To begin drafting for blog post #2 To finalize blog post #2 and publicize it by the end of the week	Blog post #2 uploaded on Friday, October 13th Arranged meeting date with Kathy

Upcoming objectives & strategies

Objectives:

• Start collecting informations for the food asset map and get familiar with data input
• Conduct interviews with community organizations that have been using the VFAM and gain feedback
• Meet with Kathy to report project process, collect feedback, and seek improvement
• Hold a feedback session with Vancouver Coastal Health staff
• Create infographic based on project documents, evaluation forms and our project experiences
• To present our project poster
• Hand in Excel retail store & City of Van documents, hard copies of evaluation forms, collated results for evaluation forms, final report, feedback

 Strategies:

• Keep in contact with Kathy and keep her up to date or to discuss any concerns regarding the project
• Contact convenience stores and gather as much information as possible through phone, email, or interviews
• Update VFAM database with the information collected
• Arrange interviews with community organizations regarding the perks and drawbacks of VFAM
• Discuss the details of the project within the group and decide the ways we can create the project poster
• Prepare for and practice on the project poster presentation

 

Image retrieved from: http://writeonline.ca/reflective-essay.php?content=section2

Moment of Significance

What?

The very first obstacle our group faced was following our submission of blog post 1. Each member of the group was assigned a specific role in completing the assignment. However, after receiving constructive feedback, it was evident that our combined efforts lacked cohesion. We did not have enough time to proofread and edit our writing which resulted in a submission that is criticized as a fragmented and uncoordinated piece. In conclusion, the main challenge we faced as a group was the lack of communications amongst members during our first blog post and the proposal. It was difficult for everyone to make equal contributions since we all have different schedules and expectations were not clearly stated for each assignments. Due to the shortage of connections within the group, some members were being forced to take over the responsibilities for others which resulted in completion of the assignment near the end of the deadline.

So what?

As a result of what happened, some members faced a lot of internalized frustration and were at a loss as of what to do next. We could have done better if we were more organized and if our group was more transparent in our communication in terms of what was working and what was not within our group.This experience matters because we were able to encounter this issue early on so that we can bring our group back together for future group work. Especially since we value this opportunity to work with Kathy on this community project, it is important for us to work together as a team to maximize our experience and offer the best help possible.

Communication is a significant aspect when working in a group since it allows all of us to be informed of each other’s progress and intentions, this results in work being done on time and the end product being consistent in terms of content and quality. We also get to seek solutions and give critical analysis in multi-perspectives by sharing ideas among one another. Moreover, when communication is present, groups tend to be better at decision making (Roch, 2005). 

Alongside communication, work division is also a crucial element that affects group performances. Studies have found that when work is divided appropriately according to each other’s strengths, group performance is enhanced. (Littlepage et.al., 2008) When the work is divided appropriately, we are each in charge of things that we are confident on and we are sharing the workload as a group.

Now what?

In sight of this realization, a way to achieve equal work distribution and clear work division is by assigning roles within the group. In addition to ensure that the work is done punctually, we need to make sure each member complete the assigned section before the group deadline, which is critical for maintaining the integrity and cohesion of the final piece. We agreed that each group member should complete their tasks at least one day before the due date to avoid last minute complications. Most importantly, we want each member to be accountable and regularly communicate to the group in advance regarding their progress. We hope to use this experience to help our group to reach higher achievements in the future.

 

 

References:

Littlepage, G. E., Hollingshead, A. B., Drake, L. R., & Littlepage, A. M. (2008). Transactive memory and performance in work groups: Specificity, communication, ability differences, and work allocation. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 12(3), 223-241.

Lincoln, J. (2017). 17 Quotes to Instantly Inspire Teamwork When Unity Is Lost. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/269941

Roch, S. G., & Ayman, R. (2005). Group Decision Making and Perceived Decision Success: The Role of Communication Medium. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 9(1), 15-31.