The last few weeks have been the most exciting in my career thus far due to the immense experience I have gained. I have been able to apply theoretical aspects of medical practice in the field, and this has been massively fulfilling. The highlight of this period was the chance I got to assess my first patient. My preceptor, a Pediatric Medical Doctor, prepared me for the experience beforehand. The preparation involved a brief overview of the patients details in a separate room and a revision of the procedures I was required to undertake. This preparation helped me conquer the anxiety that has been a block in realizing successful patient interactions. My presence at the healthcare facility was termed life-saving by my colleagues as it helped reduce the bulk they encountered beforehand. Lin et al. (2021) note this as a highlight of why the position of the Nurse Practitioner was developed, to help smoothen healthcare operations.
Change in Definition of Family
My perception of family and its composition has been impacted in the last few weeks due to the number of people I interacted with. I now comprehend that a family is not necessarily composed of people related by blood due to the rise in adoptions in recent years. Some families showed up with their children for pediatric care while both parents were separated. The parents lived in separate homes but both made efforts to ensure that the healthcare of their child was guaranteed. The increase in the number of same-sex couples bringing their children to be cared for was also instrumental in influencing my views. These parents adopted a child and ensured its best interests were met to ensure healthy growth and development. Charlton et al. (2018) highlight that the recent decrease in stigma and increased acceptance of such arrangements by society are responsible for the increased emergence of such families.
How Understanding of Family Influenced Assessment
The differences in various families and the existence of conflicts due to disagreements are responsible for the difficulties that arise during treatment. Different parents feel that they have the best interests of their children compared to the others, and this was a massive complication during clinical rotations. This required me to practice restraint, wisdom, and efficient communication skills to ensure an understanding. It was crucial that both parents and other family members felt that their opinions were given sufficient consideration before I advised on a course of action. Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (PNP) must ensure an adequate understanding of various family arrangements that guarantee all families are treated well (Manzer et al., 2018). This entails reading widely on changes within the practice and reflecting on the developments to guarantee effective evidence-based practice.
Change in Understanding of Culture
Diverse cultures are the phenomena of everyday life and were the component displayed in the healthcare clinic during my rotations. The various beliefs various communities have about the practice of medicine, especially whenever children are concerned, were interesting. I interacted with families of African ancestry and others of Latino-American heritage, and they all had different beliefs on pediatric care. This interaction helped me realize that there is no universal manner of treating all communities. This calls for a keen investigation of various cultures and beliefs to ensure that families seeking medical care do not leave feeling discriminated against (Alenezi et al., 2019). An act as simple as asking the families whether they were opposed to any medical practice and agreeing with them was vital. PNPs must abandon any prejudice towards a certain culture and sideline their own culture when taking care of patients.
Assessment of Goals and Objectives
The experience was essential in enabling me to achieve some of the objectives I had set at the start of my practicum. I was able to put my theoretical understanding of various concepts into practice, hence better understanding. I was also able to attend to many patients and therefore gained immense experience in the field. The practicum ensured better interest in childrens and adolescent comfort, a goal I had set for myself at the start of the experience. I had also set a goal to interact with at least five different cultures and ensure comprehension of their views towards healthcare. I have been able to interact with more cultures than I anticipated, and better understood that there is a need to ensure better education of the public on pediatric healthcare. The prevailing beliefs and laxity towards seeking scientific-based healthcare are responsible for the complications witnessed later in life due to late diagnosis.
Refining of Goals and Objectives
The practicum experience has enabled me to realize that I can set more ambitious objectives in my career to ensure satisfaction. I realized that I need to develop better communication skills with children to ensure they are jovial when in my care. This will ensure happiness and openness when explaining their needs as they will view me as a friend. I intend to attend newborn care sessions as much as possible in the foreseeable future to ensure I better learn how to meet their healthcare needs. I have realized the importance of Roys adaptation model in the PNP practice and intend to read more about it. This model views people as an adaptable system that advances behavioral modifications in reaction to environmental influences (Saini, 2017). In practice, the emphasis is on enhancing healthcare outcomes for patients to ensure recovery and comfort in the process.
Population families with chronically ill children;
Rationale for selecting this population:
They face numerous emotional and behavioral issues;
Desire to point to effective intervention;
Strive for helping overcome faced challenges;
Looking for addressing related social issues.
This research aims at addressing main challenges faced by families with children with chronic illnesses. They make up the population under consideration. The rationale for selecting this group among the others it the desire to address significant social issues related to treating kids suffering from chronic health conditions. The need for social change can be explained by the fact that families with chronically ill children commonly experience numerous behavioral and emotional issues. Therefore, it is critical to identify and describe the most effective family therapy interventions in order to help them.
Common Chronic Illnesses among Children
The concept of chronic illnesses:
Any condition preventing from regular activities
Activities: attending school regularly, common childhood activities
Any condition demanding regular medication intake
Features: prolonged duration, no complete cure or spontaneous resolution (Compas, Jaser, Dunn, & Rodriguez, 2012)
Before reviewing efficient intervention practices and family therapy, it is essential to become familiar with the concept of chronic illnesses among children in order to apprehend what is being addressed. In general terms, chronic illness stands for any condition either physical or mental that affects regular childhood activities or precludes from attending school regularly and demand regular intake of medication and special treatment. They have several main features, such as prolonged duration and no complete cure or spontaneous resolution. Some of the examples include (but are not limited to) diabetes, asthma, cancer, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and mental illnesses.
Issues Facing Families
Common for both mental and physical conditions;
Caused by need to address treatment needs;
Related to challenges with integrating treatment needs;
Associated with failing to manage treatment;
Immediate issues follow diagnosis stage;
Become more aggravated over treatment period (Smith, Cheater, & Bekker, 2013).
Regardless of physical or mental chronic condition of a child, most families face the same challenges. They are commonly associated with the need to address specific treatment needs of a kid. However, what is even more critical, they are caused by failing to integrate them properly into family life, thus making it impossible to manage home treatment accurately. In this way, usual challenges follow diagnosis stage immediately and become more aggravated over the treatment period, especially if it is prolonged.
Several main groups of common challenges:
Economic (increased expenditures due to illness);
Social (limited social activities and isolation);
Lack of social support and caring task burden;
Emotional (sadness and inner pain);
Psychological (disorders such as depression);
Communication, especially with a child.
Families with chronically ill kids commonly face several groups of challenges: economic (connected to poverty and increased costs due to the necessity to finance treatment and cover other illness-related expenses), social (isolation and limited social activities because of the need for constant care, lack of social support due to being unaware of chronic diseases, and significant burden of caring task), emotional and psychological (sadness and inner pain as well as more severe conditions, such as depressions), and communication.
Emotional and Behavioral Issues
Except for sadness and depression, involve:
Impaired coping with stress caused by treatment;
Ambiguous character of adjustment of treatment;
Acceptance of a childs chronic illness;
Common disturbing thoughts and overall avoidance (Compas et al., 2012);
Differing satisfaction with outcomes of treatment (Smith et al., 2013).
Except for sadness and increased depression risks mentioned above, there are several other significant emotional and behavioral issues commonly faced by families with chronically ill children. They involve impaired coping with stress and distressing situations associated with prolonged treatment, ambiguous character of adjustment of and to treatment (both improvements and aggravations witnessed), finding it impossible to accept a childs condition and the need to treat the kid, common disturbing thoughts related to the worrying about the childs future health and wellbeing as well as overall avoidance when it comes to the necessity to discuss the subject of chronic condition, and differing levels of satisfaction with treatment and its outcomes.
Impact of Emotional and Behavioral Issues
Most significant impact compared to other issues;
Associated with emotional burden of care;
Commonly affect adherence to treatment plans;
Impact on adjustment of treatment plans;
Self-isolation of both parents and children;
Leads to functional disability and impaired outcomes (Compas et al., 2012).
To begin with, it is critical to point to the fact that emotional and behavioral issues are more influential compared to other groups of issues identified because they are associated with the emotional burden of care. Therefore, the common impacts of these issues are the following: changes in adherence to treatment plans and their adjustment, self-isolation, and functional disability that affects treatment and health outcomes.
Emotional and Behavioral Impact of Issues
Overall impact of issues on emotions/behaviors:
Ignoring childs needs when adhering to plans;
Affecting childs emotional wellbeing by parents grief;
Excessive tensions and changes in family atmosphere;
Possible aggravations in childs chronic condition;
Reliving the past and ignoring the present (Smith et al., 2013).
Still, all of the challenges mentioned above have a significant impact of emotions and behaviors of both parents and chronically ill children. In particular, they directly influence the overall atmosphere in a family due to increased tensions between parents and kids and economic and social burden of care. More than that, emotional burden (specifically, feeling guilty for becoming ill) may affect childs health and entail aggravations in their condition. All in all, parents tend to relive their past and ignore the present thinking what might have been changed and losing precious moments with their kids.
Essence of Family Therapy
Specific form of psychotherapy within a family;
Aims at reducing overall level of distress;
Offers potential strengthening of family ties;
Commonly used for addressing stressful situations;
Focuses on all members affected by a problem;
Foundation counseling everyone covered by a session.
There are different techniques aimed at addressing chronic illnesses of a child. One of them is family therapy. It is a specific form of psychotherapy that covers all family members that are affected by a problem or stressful situation a child and those caring for it. The initial objective of family therapy is strengthening family ties, so it is easier to cope with the problem. The foundation of the approach is counseling.
Role of Family Therapy
Enhances collaboration within a family;
Focus on unique context one family;
Reviews parental and couple interaction;
Addresses family strengths and weaknesses;
Improves knowledge and skills necessary for treatment;
Lays stress on family and social roles (Pate, 2016).
Family therapy is of significant importance for addressing issues related to treating and living with a chronically ill child. It can be explained by several specific features of family therapy. Firstly, it enhances collaboration between family members, thus potentially improving the effectiveness of treatment. Secondly, it focuses on a unique context one family with its strengths and weaknesses, particular problems, parental and couple interactions, and family roles. Therefore, it contributes to improving knowledge about the disease and skills necessary for fostering treatment.
Helpful for enhancing necessary social interactions;
Valuable for gaining social support;
Beneficial for balancing emotional burden of care;
Addressing guilt, sadness, anger, grief, and misunderstanding;
Essential for relevant management of treatment plans;
Critical for regulating emotions and feelings.
In addition to factors mentioned above, there are other areas of family therapy criticality. For instance, it is essential for enhancing social interactions and gaining the lacking social support because family members are taught how to increase social awareness about the problems they face. Furthermore, it is valuable for balancing emotional burden of care and generally controlling negative emotions, such as misunderstanding, grief, sadness, and anger. As a result, it contributes to relevant and efficient management of treatment plans and enhances not only child and parents emotional wellbeing but also future health outcomes.
Family Therapy for Families with Chronically Ill Children
May be an effective option due to:
Increased commonality of distress in families;
Constant challenges connected to ineffective communication;
Usual inability to seek for necessary social support;
Failing to manage treatment plans properly;
Lacking knowledge for treatment management and adjustment.
In case of living with chronically ill children, family therapy may be an efficient choice. This recommendation is connected no only to the overall effectiveness of the method but also its advantages for families facing this problem. In particular, it is associated with the significant opportunities for addressing such issues, as increased commonalities of stressful situations, ineffective communication, failing to receive necessary social support and the lack of knowledge for managing and adjusting treatment plans properly.
Treatment Modalities for Chronically Ill Children
Treatment modality stands for treatment options.
In case of chronically ill children, involves:
The presence of parents emotional connection (Classen, 2012)
Therapeutic interventions involving medications and tests
Psychological interventions, including therapies:
Therapies may be collective and single-focused.
In general terms, the concept of treatment modalities involves different options that are selected based on patients condition and needs. In case of chronically ill children, there are several types of efficient treatment modalities. For instance, emotional connection established by parents presence is commonly perceived as a modality. More than that, there are therapeutic interventions, such ass regular laboratory tests and continuous medication intake. Finally, there are different family therapies that may focus either on one or several or family members. The choice depends on specific features of a particular family.
Family Therapy as Treatment Modality
One of the most effective modalities;
Focus on either all or one family member;
Different types of family therapies:
Play therapy mainly for ill children;
Conjoint therapies for children and parents;
Couple therapies for parents only.
Family therapy is usually perceived as the most effective treatment modality in case of families with chronically ill children. It is generally associated with an opportunity for selecting the focus of the therapy either one family member or several people. Based on it, there are different types of family therapies. Some examples include play therapy for chronically ill children, couple therapies for parents only, and conjoint therapies for both children and parents.
Objectives of differing family therapies:
Play therapy improves childrens understanding of their condition:
Enhances communication skills for sharing needs.
Conjoint therapy fosters family roles:
Improves the overall atmosphere in the family.
Couple therapy betters social and parents interactions:
Helpful for learning to address childs needs.
Based on the type of family therapy, there are as well different desirable outcomes of each of them. For instance, play therapy is valuable for enhancing childs understanding of their condition so that they do not feel guilty or depressed for being ill as well as improving communication skills in order to share their needs relevantly so that treatment plans are accurately adjusted and managed. Conjoint therapy is critical for bettering the overall atmosphere in the family and reducing the level of stress as well as enhancing the performance of family roles necessary for adhering to treatment plans. Finally, couple therapy is essential for reducing distress between parents and, as a result, helping them improve social interactions to obtain necessary support and learn to address childs needs.
Selecting Family Theorist
Selected theorist is Betty Neuman;
Approach under consideration health care systems model;
Relevance for family therapy:
Viewing a family as a system;
Perceiving parents as a system;
Understanding a patient as a system.
For the purposes of this research, Betty Neuman was selected as a theorist of particular interest. Even though she was not a family theorist, but was a nursing researcher, her approach heath care systems model is still appropriate in case of treating families with chronically ill children. The rationale for this assumption is the belief that all a family as a whole, an individual patient, and both parents can be viewed as systems. As a result, the approach may be helpful for identifying system malfunctions and addressing them properly.
Techniques Offered by the Theorist
In the theory, Neuman offers following techniques:
Estimate a patients internal and external environment;
Neumans theory centers on several major techniques. All of them are related to the environment of separately taken systems families, patients or parents. The first technique is the assessment of an internal (emotional) and external (economic, physical, and social) environment with the aim of identifying stressors. Stressors can be either physical (heat, light, air, etc.) or emotional (communication, feelings, etc.). Another technique is the stress on controlling them. In this case, both emotional and physical stressors should be considered. Finally, it is advisable to locate and incorporate relevant environmental stimuli, such as holiday, music or entertainment necessary for reducing the impact of stressors.
Techniques Offered by the Theorist: Case of Families
Initial stage a comprehensive family evaluation;
Objective to identify values and communication patterns;
Next phase identify significant stressors (physical/emotional);
Determine malfunctioning domain and address it;
Work with a family identify stimuli;
Stimuli designed as family-based interventions (Khatiban et al., 2016).
Neumans system model can be applied to a particular family with chronically ill children. The set of techniques is very close to that identified in the previous slide. Still, some specifications are necessary. The initial stage of working with family is assessment of the overall environment in a family and family as a whole in order to identify values, communication patterns, and its functioning. Subsequent one is locating the major physical and emotional stressors, such as depression, the lack of support, inadequate living conditions, etc., that affect the quality of treatment. Another technique is the determination of existing malfunction area of the most significant impact of stressors and designing intervention environmental stimuli for decreasing their impact.
Effective Family Therapy Interventions
Common choice for these families psychological interventions;
Developed for both parents and children;
Directed at three different targets:
Parents only;
Parents and children;
Children only (Ecclesto, Fisher, Law, Barlett, & Palermo, 2012).
There are numerous therapy interventions. However, psychological family interventions are considered to be the most effective ones. The y are developed based on the individual specificities of both parents and children and as a result of a comprehensive family assessment. Therefore, just like all family therapies, they are focused on three different targets: parents only, children only, and both parents and children.
Objectives of psychological family therapy interventions:
Enhance behavioral patterns of parents;
Improve behavioral patterns of ill children;
Avoid the risks of mental disorders;
Contribute to mental wellbeing of parents and children;
Better the overall functioning of the family (Eccleston et al., 2012).
Regardless of the focus of a family therapy intervention and its design, all of them are developed in order to achieve several critical objectives. These aims center on behavioral and emotional changes in the family under consideration. That being said, the main goals include (but are no limited to) the overall enhancement of parents and childrens behavioral patterns, especially eliminating behaviors that are related to impaired treatment outcomes and stimulating those connected to improved outcomes. Another common objective is avoiding the risks of mental disorder that, in most cases, are significant. All in all, these interventions aim at bettering the overall functioning of the family and making a contribution to the mental wellbeing of parents and children.
Except for psychological interventions, there are:
Knowledge-based interventions for enhancing knowledge;
Communication-based interventions for improving communication skills;
Ecological for bettering family environment (Anderson & Davis, 2011; Tuerk, McCart, & Henggeler, 2015).
In addition to objectives mentioned above:
Decrease risks of undesirable outcomes.
In addition to psychological family therapy interventions, there are several other types of family therapies commonly deployed for when working with families with chronically ill children. Some of them are educations those aimed at improving the overall level of knowledge connected to chronic illnesses and treating them effectively. Other interventions center of communication, so their goal is to help develop effective communication skills and help share needs and well as explain specificities of treatment plans to children. Finally, there are the so-called ecological interventions that aim at enhancing the general family atmosphere and do not deal with other issues. Still, the objective of all of these interventions is to decrease risks of undesirable outcomes in addition to supplementing those mentioned before.
Results of Web Search
Selected website IG Living!
Website of a patient care magazine;
Offers numerous valuable sources for enhancing knowledge;
Valuable for developing family practices;
Reviews impact of chronic health conditions;
Useful for improving family life and bonds.
As a result of Web search, the website of a patient care journal was selected for analysis. Initially, it is valuable because of the narrow focus on patient care. In this way, the website is beneficial for enhancing parents care for children with chronic illnesses. More that that, it is a source of knowledge regarding chronic diseases, their impact on family life and bonds, and ways to address them without asking for outside help psychological or other interventions.
Special attention paid to coping strategies:
Those focused on relationships (couple and parents-children)
Some examples:
Open communication between parents and children;
Offering support to each other;
Seeking for external social support;
Share responsibilities and integrate treatment (Lawrence, 2012).
Still, the website is valuable due to the special focus on coping strategies. Because the main challenge is stress, coping is essential for making treatment more effective and addressing other issues. Some of the effective coping strategies include working on making communication open either between parents or between parents and children, offering support to each other or seeking for additional external social support, and sharing responsibilities, so it is possible to integrate treatment plan requirements into familys common everyday activities (Lawrence, 2012).
SAMHSA-HRSA Center to Integrated Health Solutions
Focus on integrated care model:
Connection between pediatric care and mental health;
Coordination of physical and behavioral health;
Increasing volume of necessary information;
Combination of medical and behavioral interventions;
Timely screenings and enhances home care (Gruttadaro & Markey, 2011).
Integrated care model is perceived as the most effective option for families with chronically ill children. This assumption is based on several specific features of the model. To begin with, it draws connection with pediatric care and mental health. From this perspective, special attention is paid to simultaneous coordination of behavioral and physical health development and changes in any determinants of these two aspects of health. In addition, this model focuses on increasing awareness about chronic health concerns and ways to address them properly. Finally, it promotes timely screenings and enhancement of home care, thus potentially improving health outcomes.
Relevance of integrated care model:
Significant potential benefits of applying it:
Increased public awareness = adequate social support;
Focus on mental health = decreased stress;
Normalizing mental health = emotional wellbeing;
Increased knowledge = more effective treatment adjustment.
All in all, relevance of the integrated care model is connected to its potentially significant benefits. First and foremost, it is associated with increased public awareness about chronic illnesses and the need for treating them, so the issue of the lack of social support is properly addressed. Furthermore, it focuses on mental health, thus decreasing the overall stress, and normalizing mental health, thus making a contribution to emotional wellbeing of both parents and children. Finally, special attention is paid to increasing knowledge that is inseparable from effective adjustment and management of treatment plans, thus enhancing health outcomes.
References
Anderson, T., & Davis, C. (2011). Evidence-based practice with families of chronically ill children: A critical literature review. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 8(4), 416-425.
Classen, C. F. (2012). Pediatric palliative care the role of the patients family. World Journal of Clinical Pediatrics, 1(3), 13-19.
Compas, B. E., Jaser, Dunn, M. J., & Rodriguez, E. M. (2012). Coping with chronic illness in childhood and adolescence. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 8(1), 455-480.
Eccleston, C., Fisher,E., Law, E., Barlett, J., & Palermo, T. M. (2012). Psychological interventions for parents and adolescents with chroni illness. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 15(4), 1-172.
Gruttadaro, D., & Markey, D. (2011). Integrating family health and pediatric primary care. Web.
Khatiban,M., Oshvandi, K., Borzou, S. R., & Moayed, M. S. (2016). Outcomes of applying Neuman system theory in intensive care units: A systematic review. Critical Care Nursing, 9(4), 1-7.
Lawrence, E. (2012). The impact of chronic illness on the family. Web.
Pate, T. (2016). Families of children with chronic illness and the relational family model, The Person and the Challenges, 6(2), 57-65.
Smith, J. Cheater, F., & Bekker, H. (2013). Parents experiences of living with a child with a ling-term condition: A rapid restructured review of the literature. Health Expectations, 18(4), 452-474.
Torpy, J. M., Campbell, A., & Glass, R. M. (2010). Chronic diseases of children. JAMA, 303(7), 682.
Tuerk, E. H., McCart, M. R., & Henggeler, S W. (2015). Collaboration in family therapy. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 68(2),168-178.
The demands of that particular time weighed heavily upon my mind. It was in the eleventh grade of my schooling when the urge to protect a friend from the arm of the school administration turned out to be another menace so unexpected. It was only about a fortnight and our friendship had developed into more of brotherly affection. Our union with Ken having grown stronger owing to the fact that we shared the basketball team and both of us had begun as novices. We were equally interested to make it to the school team and make it big in terms of prowess and skill. Suffice to say the driving spirit was so common and would tie us with so intertwined cord of interest.
Main body
Our interest in the game, cemented by the incentive of the school, having set the different sets of games as compulsory for us all could only augment our passion. Hence, we were more eager and taciturn to devote our time to practice. The game was what drove our instincts and formed our stories. And needless to say, our stay at the institution was all the bliss. However, inasmuch as we would find access to the facilities, particularly the courts at the numerous free times the curriculum could avail, we faced one major bane.
As it rose to our conscious state that indeed the ball was a necessity to have if at all we had to achieve our goals, we saw it fit to acquire one. It was then that for the first time I recalled that I still had my newly bought ball which by reason of chance or something, escaped the sports department. Being in possession of the same in my closet, Ken and I would only need to inflate it when the need arose and keep the practice going. The plan worked out well and a few times we would go out of the schedule to satisfy our insatiable appetites of play. A few weeks into the game and someone else saw it pleasant to be the alternative possessor of our dear property. It silently got into another students docket without our knowledge.
With the prevailing issue at hand, our progress was imbibed and that was just what we never wanted at the moment. The pressure that rose then, made Ken seek alternative sources. Little did I know that he had thought beyond the scope of acceptable moral standards. It didnt take long before Ken made the bold move and statement that indeed the lost ball was found by none other than him. It was a moment that would only form a grin on my face, being sure that we would soon resume our training program.
Then the turn of the event began turning sour. A week later as Ken was on a private training was busted by John who claimed that it was his. After his long defensive mechanism, for he was also a talented orator, Ken realized that he was losing ground and before it all spilled over on his side, ken had the audacity to include my name in the circus that was forming. Prior to his confrontation, its worth noting that he had actually asked me to stand by him in the quest that the ball was originally mine and to avoid also putting him in the limelight of what appeared to be a theft crime.
Then hell broke loose when John decided to make an appointment and so we arranged for a rendezvous. It was a Friday evening. When I met John that day he didnt seem to be in a party mood. With the stern look on his face, I could certainly understand the rage that was deep boiling within his inner chambers. After a few formal legalities and attempted niceties, we went straight to the issue, the session was rather brief. He asked me if I had the knowledge of the ball. Without bashing an eyelash, I gave him a positive making the debate ensued until he revealed a mark he had placed on the ball. Being my senior at the institution, I didnt want to get entangled in more trash.
Then in embarrassment, Ken took me on the side. In some unwelcoming gesture whispered that he had actually picked the ball arbitrarily on the course of training. Nevertheless, I could not consent to the idea of illegally possessing the ball as that would render me a lawbreaker. Besides, John had threatened to take the issue to the administration and whatever explanation ken was making just looked like a string of inane words to him. Then I stood my ground to acknowledge the ball was mine and that indeed it had lost before being found, but with the uncertainty of the marks of ownership, the same could be his. After all, I wanted also to clear the name of ken whose conduct had been compromised.
Ken slipped away and John took mastery of the situation. He demanded an immediate refund of the full price of the ball besides retaining the item. But of course not without giving the second option of exposing the issue to the school administration of which the repercussion we were all aware of. And whereas ken would utilize his power of speech to get himself off the hook, poor me was left at the mercies of John, who seemed then to enjoy the uneasy tension that was already having the better part on me. Sad to say that I had to bend to his terms so as to make amends. Further, I would only concede, John, having threatened to taint the reputation I had built, and being an aspirant of one of the organizations leadership that ran around the school, such kind of blackmail was the last thing I would withstand at that moment.
Conclusion
And John sank deep into my pockets, as a way of finding leverage in the case. Finally, the spontaneous effects of the action made manifest, as I had to call dad also to augment my fiscal status that had taken a nosedive. Further, a cold relationship ensued, having come to terms that John was also a member of the organization I was eyeing later in the year. Ahem! Ken and I had to part ways, as the initial trust I had built, quickly gave way. The experience also influences the life after my schooling, having resolved to be less of a public figure, with the fear of one day the story, spilling into the public domain and ravish the little reputation I was so keen to protect.
Over the past few months while I have been studying in the U.S., the use of English has been a constant companion whereas in the past within my native country I had little use for it. It is due to this change in perspective and use that I have come to a realization that there are a variety of nuances and subtleties to it that I did not even realize and similarly to the character of Amy Tan in the story Mother Tongue I also noticed that my use of English at the present in comparison to that of my father is far better both grammatically and phonetically. Such a realization came as a surprise since prior to my arrival in the U.S. I actually thought that my father could actually speak English rather well. It is due to this that I came to the realization that the context of experience often changes prior opinions based on new information that has been encountered.
My Past
In order to better understand why I was so surprised with this sudden jarring realization (I describe this as jarring since I have always looked up to my father and idolize him), some context is necessary so as to better understand my point of view. When I was younger, I had often seen my father communicate with a variety of individuals using English. At the time I was quite impressed with him since bilingualism was not a common trait where I am from and to see him talk to others in English was quite a feat in my eyes back then. Do note though that at time I barely understood English and had very little context to actually understand what my father was saying. As such, the words that came out of his mouth and the way that he communicated was in my eyes flawless . A few years before I left to study in the U.S., I attended a local language school in order to prepare myself and improve upon my meager rudimentary knowledge of the English language.
At the time I still thought that my fathers version of English was quite good and that I should aspire to be just as good as him. However, over time I noticed a few subtle differences, just as Amy Tan in the story Mother Tongue noted that how her mother spoke English held her back, I believe that how my father spoke English similarly held me back in developing the manner in which I communicated in that particular language. As I mentioned earlier, I idolized my father and tried to emulate him in every way possible, the same applies to the manner in which he spoke English. Despite the language school teaching me a variety of grammar and types of phonetically appropriate methods of speech in relation to proper English speaking, I always differed back to the way in which my father spoke English and how he communicated with it. Thus, I mostly used his rules and his version rather than what the language school taught. What you have to understand was that at the time, my fathers way of speaking English was all I knew and all I aspired to. I had little in the way of sufficient outside context and admittedly the language schools could only do so much without sufficient immersion in the English language to teach me.
Arriving in the U.S.
Based on the previous section, I am sure you can agree that when I arrived in the U.S. I was due for a significant level of culture shock so to speak, both due to the new culture I was experiencing and the fact that the utilization of English here was far different to what I was used to. As I became fully immersed in the local language and over a series of calls I had with my family back home to tell them I was alright, I started to notice that what I knew as English back then was a pale imitation of the real thing. Just as Amy Tan from the story Mother Tongue described her mothers way of speaking as broken English I began to notice that the way in which my father spoke was oddly similar. His phrases, grammar usage, phonetics and even the way in which he would describe certain things was slightly off in my opinion since by then I had more than sufficient context to compare it to. It was an eye opener to be honest since, as I have mentioned several times before, I idolized my father and to consider him inferior in any way was anathema to everything that I stood for. Yet, as the conversations between me and my family kept on coming I was constantly forced towards the realization that what I thought of as I my ideal was something that was from it.
Conclusion
Based on everything that has been presented, it can be seen that the context of experience often changes prior opinions based on new information that has been encountered. In my case, I came to the realization that my fathers English is not as perfect as I once believed it was, however, this does not mean that I respect him any less, rather, I am at the present more open to admitting that he is not perfect but still a good, honest and caring man in my eyes and that is all I have ever needed from him.
The article in question dwells upon solidarity among full and half-siblings in a polygamous community. The researchers analyze relationships in families of Mormons living in Angel Park. Jankowiak and Diderich (2000) employ major concepts of inclusive fitness theory. It is necessary to note that the issue of relationships within blended families has not had sufficient attention from researchers though there is a vast amount of literature on sibling differentiation within nuclear middle-class families living in the USA.
Since there is no in-depth ethnographic study of sibling solidarity in polygamous families or no study of sibling solidarity among blended or reconstituted families , the researchers focus on this issue and try to identify the correlation between family bonds and societal norms (Jankowiak & Diderich, 2000, p. 126). Notably, the results of the present research suggest that inclusive fitness theory is consistent in polygamous families.
The research was conducted in the sectarian religious settlement, Angel Park, located in the south-western part of the United States. Thirty-two polygamous families (each family is a household of a man) or seventy individuals were interviewed. The research was conducted between 1992 and 1999 though most data were collected from 1997 to 1999. It is necessary to add that a snowball sampling method was employed to achieve the goal of the research.
Main Body
The researchers use the following forms of solidarity: normative, functional, effectual, and societal (Jankowiak & Diderich, 2000, p. 130). Normative solidarity is the degree to which a family member is committed to perform certain family roles or take up responsibilities. Factual solidarity is family members readiness to assist each other and exchange resources. Effectual solidarity is the way family members feel about each other. In other words, this is the degree of their closeness and the way they express their affection. Associational solidarity is the frequency and nature of interactions.
The researchers examined three hypotheses. First, Jankowiak and Diderich (2000) assume that if ideology plays a major role in forming sibling solidarity, there should be the same closeness between half and full siblings. Secondly, if structural proximity is the major factor affecting sibling solidarity, such variables as age, gender, or degree of relatedness will have an impact on the development of sibling loyalty. Finally, if inclusive fitness is the major factor affecting sibling solidarity, stronger loyalty will be manifested between full siblings.
Jankowiak and Diderich (2000) claim that the first and second hypotheses have not been proved. However, the researchers state that the third hypothesis has been proved. It turns out that family bonds are stronger than societal norms or religious canons. Thus, full siblings reveal a stronger degree of solidarity in all four dimensions mentioned above. It is necessary to note that Jankowiak and Diderich (2000) report quite unexpected findings as most family members noted that they had closer bonds and a more respectful attitude towards their mother even though religious beliefs of Mormons are based on highly patriarchal concepts.
It is also noteworthy that sibling solidarity in full siblings is strong irrespective of the degree of rivalry which can be rather significant as children have to compete for their mothers (and/or fathers) attention. The authors reveal certain limitations to their research and stress that they could not identify whether the trend towards full sibling solidarity is a by-product of a mothers guidance (Jankowiak & Diderich, 2000, p. 137). At that, the researchers note that the data obtained provide insights into issues that are often faced in blended families where parents try to promote certain ideas of sibling solidarity and loyalty.
It is important to add that the authors are working at the Anthropology and Sociology Departments of the University of Nevada. The article can be regarded as reliable as it is published in a peer-reviewed journal. The authors refer to a variety of relevant sources that provide insights into numerous issues associated with sibling solidarity as well as inclusive fitness theory.
Remarkably, Jankowiak and Diderich (2000) implement the research that sheds light on the development of sibling solidarity and factors that tend to affect this process. Clearly, inclusive fitness theory has proved to be consistent within polygamous families. These findings may have a variety of implications in numerous settings and can become the basis of further research.
Apart from the major concern of the research, Jankowiak, and Diderich (2000) provide valuable insights into the life of Mormons (or rather one of the settlements of this religious group) in the USA. It is apparent that major religious canons remain unchanged but these strict rules become blurred in the contemporary world. Thus, even though families in a settlement have to live in harmony and form a big and homogenous family, there are certain clans.
Most importantly, families live in accordance with patriarchal rules but family members tend to feel more attached and respectful to their mothers rather than fathers. Jankowiak and Diderich (2000) stress that interviewees were also surprised to understand that they are more respectful towards their mothers but this understanding did not lead to denial. One of the interesting findings was the way to reveal functional solidarity. Lending money is seen as one of the most potent types of instrumental assistance which is valued significantly. Jankowiak and Diderich (2000) note that scarcity of resources may explain this peculiarity of life in such a community as a religious settlement.
Conclusion
As has been mentioned above, the present study helps understand the way sibling solidarity develops. Thus, it is clear that full siblings will be closer to each other and this closeness will be manifested even more in blended families. Jankowiak and Diderich (2000) state that there is a rivalry between full siblings as well as between half-siblings. However, this rivalry may become more serious when it happens between full and half-siblings.
Apart from mentioning the issues involved, Jankowiak and Diderich (2000) suggest a factor that may have an impact on the development of solidarity between siblings. The way mothers bring up their children has a great effect on sibling solidarity though this process is yet to be researched.
Reference List
Jankowiak, W., & Diderich, M. (2000). Sibling solidarity in a polygamous community in the USA: Unpacking inclusive fitness. Evolution and Human Behaviour, 21(1), 125-139.
Pregnancy and parentage are not very easy. At first, an individual feels a strong urge to have a child. The couple would make a deliberate attempt to get a child. When the pregnancy fails to come at the expected time, some form of despair may fall on the couple, especially the woman. When the news about pregnancy is revealed, the woman is always thrilled about it, though there are always some fears. The woman would be happy that she would be a mother soon.
The thought of having a bouncing baby boy or girl is very thrilling. However, when one imagines the process of delivering the child, some form of fear sets in. this is especially so when it is the first pregnancy. Many people always talk about labor pain. An imagination of going through labor pain may make the women feel uncomfortable. However, this fear is always easily eliminated by the thought of being a parent in a near future.
When the pregnancy is well planned, it makes the whole process less complicated, as both parents would be ready for the pregnancy and the expected child. In this case, the parent who was interviewed was 28. She got pregnant when she was 26 and the spouse was 29. This was a relatively young family. They did not take long in the marriage before getting the pregnancy as they had been together for only seven months. The conception was very normal and there was no attempt by the couple to use any form of medication to help in the conception.
Main body
The mother was the first to learn of the pregnancy. She had noticed that she had missed her menstrual periods and had developed some nausea that was not usual. She visited a doctor who, upon conducting a pregnancy test, confirmed to her that she was pregnant. She was thrilled with this news. This was specifically so because they had decided that they were ready for the child. She felt that the child cares at the right time and that both of them were able to give the child good care.
When she gave the news to the husband, he was overjoyed. He was very happy to be a prospective father. He always noted that the child would be named after one of his parents. He grew more caring towards the mother and always ensured that she did not engage in any physically demanding jobs. When the news about the pregnancy reached the parents of the man, they were so happy. They sent their youngest daughter to take care of the expectant mother.
They would visit frequently, bringing in gifts to the expectant mother and her husband. When the parents of the woman were informed, they too were happy with the news. They also sent gifts and grew closer to the young family. Life was generally good for the couple, especially due to the support from the extended family.
The expectation of the man was that the child would be a girl. He wanted to name her after the mother who took good care of him when he was a child, until his maturity. On the other hand, the woman wanted the child to be a boy. She wanted to have a person who would remind her of her late father who cared so much for her. The father provided for them, and it was so unfortunate that he passed on when she was young. She always had memories of him in her mind. Although the expectations differed, they did not have any problem with the child being of any gender. They were very tolerant of each other. The pregnancy was very normal, especially following the excesses that she was put under, especially after the second month of pregnancy. The pregnancy ran for the normal nine months.
It was a little abnormal in the fifth month onwards for the expectant mother. She would feel a little uncomfortable walking long distances. Some types of food became unpleasant, even those that she liked before. The joints would be tired, and she would fall asleep more often than before the pregnancy. On the final day of delivery, some little complications arose for the mother. At first, it came when the couple least expected. It was almost one week earlier, according to the prescriptions of the doctor. As such, the couple was out on a tour. When they were faced with this case, they struggled to reach the nearest health facility, before being transferred to the hospital, which was a few kilometers away.
She reached the hospital fearing that she would not have a normal delivery, following the warning by the health expert who referred her to the hospital. This caused her a lot of psychological torture. The thought of having to be subjected to the pain of a c-section was very daunting to the mind. The husband was also troubled. The thought of having the wife undergo such pain was overwhelming. However, the doctor informed the couple that the delivery would be normal. This was a big relief to both of them. The process came out successfully. However, the mother reports that she was in pain during the delivery process. The whole episode lasted about one hour.
It was a big joy to the mother, who had the first opportunity to hold the child, upon the realization that the child was a boy. It fulfilled her expectation. It was an overwhelming sight to see the boy very healthy and strong within a few minutes after birth. The father was equally overjoyed. Upon realization that the child was a boy, he changed the initial position of his longing for a baby girl. He said that all along he was looking forward to having a bouncing baby boy. The extended family came to visit the child with all sorts from gifts for the mother, the child, and the father. It was a celebration when the child was taken to the house. Being the first child, both parents needed support on how to manage the child.
Conclusion
The sight of the child in the family was very pleasing. Although the parents were new in parentage, they had massive support from the extended family. The child was breast-feeding for the first six months. The new parents received encouragement from friends and relatives, and there was a big change in the social structure of their lives. They felt more responsible in life as they planned on how best they would meet the needs of the child. At times, the child would be a nuisance, especially when it would cry over issues that were not clear to the parents. However, they were a source of joy to both parents and the extended family at large.
Guests chapter on kinship describes a variety of ways that families are constructed around the world. It also discusses the impact of new technology and customs on the way that people define their families (Guest 349-391). As in the chapter on ethnicity, Kenneth Guest asserts that kinship is socially constructed rather than necessarily based on biology (Guest 237-267). There is a very interesting discussion of transnational adoption, an issue that has affected my home country (Guest 385). It is a subject that people often wonder about, since adopted Chinese children enter families that do not look like them, and share no heritage with them. Who will they think of as their family?
Benedict Anderson, in his introduction, defines and discusses his idea of imagined communities, which is his way of describing a nation in the modern sense of the word. He makes the point that nationalism is a recent phenomenon (Anderson 1-7). He also makes the point that Marxism was supposed to eliminate national distinctions (Anderson 3). All workers, according to Marx, were to be in solidarity with one another, rather than affiliated mainly with their country (Marx n.pag.). However, in recent centuries, as he notes and as one can infer from the news, nationalism has become more prominent than ever, even in countries with Marxist governments (Anderson 2)
Benedict Andersons chapter on the roots of nationalism asserts that there were two previous models for creating big communities. One was religion. More specifically, Anderson suggests that the great religions that had a special language associated with them were most successful at creating great big communities across great distances (Anderson 13). It was very interesting that one of these that he cited was Mandarin Chinese. This is still a major language in China.
The other model was what Anderson calls dynasty. This is the tendency of people to think that the right model for government is led by one person, with a hierarchy underneath him (Anderson 19). The author points out that at the same time that both religious communities and dynasties have lost power, nationalism has grown (Anderson 36). Thus, like ethnicity, is something that is not a biological characteristic (Guest 195). Instead it is something that has been created by people themselves.
The chapter by Talal Asad on the genealogies of religion is very complicated to read. It is also very interesting. It includes a great deal of analysis of the theories of other anthropologists on the subject of religious experience and authority. He concludes that religious symbols are not easily understood unless they are studied in the context of daily life (Asad 27-55). This actually sounds very much like the ideas that were discussed earlier in the semester from.
According to what has been previously assigned, what people do over and over again must have some positive relationship to their daily lives and the success of their communities (Salzman 30). Thus, the challenge is to understand how religious rituals, practices, and beliefs function in peoples lives.
Taylors chapter on secularism references other scholars and assumes the readers familiarity with at least one of the major world religions (Taylor 31-53). This makes it a bit challenging to read for someone who has few previous experiences of religion: none of them pleasant or fulfilling. The author also refers back to Benedict Andersons writing about the origins of nationalism in the decline of religion (Anderson 9-36). Here again, the author makes a case that a practice, in this case, secularism, has to function in order to persist. The author asserts that a new kind of secularism, one of overlapping consensus will replace earlier kinds of secularism (Taylor 52).
Both this and the earlier forms, it seems, from the writings of Salzmann, would have to function to benefit the community, in order to survive, like any other form of behavior (Salzman 30). Taylor makes the point that secularism was a way to avoid further Wars of Religion (Taylor 32). , and perhaps a new form of secularism of overlapping consensus will help to avoid future such wars (Taylor 53).
Works Cited
Anderson, Benedict. Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, Revised Edition. London: Verso, 2006. Print.
Asad, Talal. Genealogies of Religion: Discipline and Reasons of Power in Christianity and Islam. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993. Print.
Guest, Kenneth. Cultural Anthropology: A Toolkit for a Global Age. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2013. Print.
Marx, Karl. The Communist Manifesto. 2014. Web.
Salzman, Phillip Carl. Understanding Culture: An Introduction To Anthropological Theory. Prospect Heights: Waveland, 2001.. Print.
Taylor, Charles. Modes of Secularism. Secularism and its Critics. Ed. Rajeev Bhargava. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. Print.
Leadership, as a partnership between a leader and group members, is embodied in many roles (DuBrin, 2013). The skills of people occupying leading positions are of vital importance for ensuring the successful performance of the whole organization (Schein, 2010). My experience of being a Company Commander in Junior Reserves Officers Training Corps (JROTC) played a crucial role in defining my priorities, improving my leadership skills, and influencing my plans for the future.
The impact of Being a Company Commander in JROTC
The experience of being a Company Commander in JROTC had a huge impact on my perception of leadership. My participation in planning and coaching activities contributed to my understanding of the importance of having teaching skills for any leader. I learned how to share my knowledge and mentor the members of the group. Such knowledge is of vital importance for any person willing to become a successful leader. This experience taught me that being a leader is not all about controlling and leading the people. It also largely depends on the ability to share knowledge and guide the people on their way to achieving new goals and attaining new skills.
The Contribution
While being a Company Commander, I made my best to contribute to the groups good performance and develop leadership skills in its members. I put much effort into helping the members of the unit to develop strong motivation and choose the right direction for achieving the main goals related to the primary purpose of participation in JROTC. I believe, my hard work enabled me to make a contribution to the success of the organization by sharing its ideas with the students and developing respect for the U.S. Armed Forces.
The Knowledge
This experience helped me to learn more about my personality. I discovered that certain traits enabled me to be a successful leader and guide the people on their way to achieving particular goals. I learned that I am emotionally stable while dealing with stressful situations and competitive and decisive while overcoming obstacles on the way to achieving the goals. These traits help me to be an effective leader, as they contribute to better self-resistance and determination on results (Daft, 2015; Batra, 2011).
I also found out that my enthusiasm and self-confidence combined with an ability to find logic and practical solutions help me to take risks and successfully cope with them. Such experience taught me that the combination of willingness to be a risk-taker with skills in effective decision-making is essential for any leader (Sundheim, 2013; Mayers, Zepeda, & Benson, 2013).
The Influence on the Plans for the Future
The experience of being a Company Commander greatly influenced my plans for the future. The attained team-building skills and a better understanding of the importance of patriotism and citizenship motivated me to choose to become an Army Officer. JROTC helped me to reveal certain sides of my personality that enable me to become a competent leader.
Conclusion
My participation in JROTC as a Company Commander benefited me with essential knowledge about the specifics of a leadership role and helped me to understand my personality better and set the goals for the future.
References
Batra, S. (2011). Organization development systems (5th ed.). New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company.
Daft, R. (2015). The leadership experience (6th ed.). Stamford, Connecticut: Cengage Learning.
DuBrin, A. (2013). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills (7th ed.). Mason, Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Mayers, R., Zepeda, S., & Benson, B. (2013). Call to teacher leadership. New York: Routledge.
Schein, E. (2010). Organizational culture and leadership (4th ed). San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass.
Sundheim, D. (2013). Taking smart risks: How sharp leaders win when stakes are high. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional.
This report is a personal reflection on Mt. Everest critical experience by a small team of four members. The report adopts Christopher Johns model of a guided framework for personal reflection. The model covers four critical aspects namely: the challenging experience, the personal reflection on the experience, any factors that influence the outcome, learning that occurs and alternative course of action.
Our team comprises four members. The team will develop a report that responds to the question How to Take the Group to the Peak of Mt Everest Successfully. This small team comprises individuals with different skills. There are a number of factors that influenced the teams outcomes. The team lacked multi-skilled members but each of the members had unique skills and abilities. Due to the small number of team members reaching conclusions was not such a challenging task. This gave the team an advantage in the way the team functioned and the resultant outcomes (Dyer, and Dyer 2007). Furthermore, there are other key determinants to the teams outcomes. The team communications strategies would have enhanced relationships amongst group members. This would have reflected the teams cohesiveness. The extent to which members shared the vision, the type of task each member was given as well as the structure of the group determined the outcomes (Guinan, Cooprider and Faraj 1998). For assured results, the team had to develop a collaborative operational strategy that would result in overall goal sharedness. Each of the team members had their roles clearly defined. Furthermore were to be rewarded continuously to motivate them (Runde and Flanagan 2008).
Experiences
I noticed that my team had mixed experiences. Even though some of the encounters were fairly easy the team had to go through a number of problems. I noticed that the team experienced problems from the initial stages of the projects because of the inability to learn from experiences. Furthermore, before embarking on the task the group did not identify possible problems it might encounter (Kayes and Burnett 2006). What affected the team learning is that initially, individual team members did not appreciate the importance of sharing individual knowledge learned with the rest of the team (Kayes, Kayes and Kolb 2005). This also affected the way in which decision was arrived at in the team (Klein 1998). The team had to adopt alternatives strategies and methods to survive the new obstacles. This asserted the group readiness to be innovative and flexible enough in face of a challenge or unanticipated occurrence. This flexibility helped the team to adopt a new conflict resolution mechanism as well as the general teamwork design (Baugh 2004). When the team achieved what it had aimed to achieve, members were satisfied and motivated. There was a feeling that everything was going on well. However, conflict emerged when the team encountered challenges (Runde and Flanagan 2008).
The team went through a series of experiences. These were determined by a number of forces. To begin with, the negative experiences were influenced by the team relationship model as well as members past experiences. Furthermore, each of the individual team members has had previously experienced negative team outcomes in-class assignments. Most of the individuals also came from backgrounds that glorified individual heroism. As such, each member thought that standing out in the group was more important than supporting other group members. This implicitly encouraging competition rather than collaboration which in turn created a negative mindset about team work. Thus members did not have a pre-existing knowledge of effective collaboration and thus the poor communication dynamics in the group (Brooks 2009). Therefore each of the members was only focused on accomplishing their own individual roles without reflecting on how they would affect the entire team.
The teams response to the negative experiences was reinforced by the fact that each of the group members was a fast learner. It meant that every group member was able to identify hindrances to the groups success. Furthermore, the individuals were flexible enough to adopt new strategies that would help the team work more effectively. Therefore because team members were able to identify the communication barriers that existed in the group, they started to open up. This greatly improved information flow, which improved the quality of decision-making (De Dreu, and West. 2001).
Reflections
Team managers can effectively improve team efficiency by focusing on establishing a workable team model. The workable team models must focus on each of the following areas: leadership, the roles of team members, the relationships within the team, resources available as well as the process of accomplishing tasks (Starcevich n.d.). Team roles were allocated according to a persons ability and preference. As such my team roles as a strategist and harmonizer were allocated to me because of my critical thinking as well as strong logistical abilities. This position involved harmonizing all team activities for a shared outcome (Pitts, Graves, and Finney 1995). Is also involved in strategizing upon consideration of emerging challenges. For effective performance, I had to incorporate every members skills and opinions in arriving at decisions. From time to time I was asked to give an evaluation of the teams achievement as well as the gains made or not made. This means that I had to ensure that the team goals and objectives were achieved within the given time as well as lead the team in searching for and adopting new strategies for success in case of unanticipated challenge (Belbin 2010a). Therefore I had to establish essential cooperation among group members and ensure that communication was not hindered by the poor flow of information (Levi 2011). The figure below shows how an effective team model combines team functions
Source: Starcevich n.d.
Because my role also involved allocating roles as they arose, I had to acquire reliable information and quality data about individual team members skills, abilities, and competencies. Furthermore, I gave members the opportunity to choose the individual roles they would be comfortable with. This was to enhance individual satisfaction with the group task as well as ensure the creation of a formidable team that was able to utilize its human resources well I also had to ensure that each member clearly understood the team roles as well as their functional roles (Levi 2011).. I had to ensure that individual roles did not obscure the shared group vision. Each member thus had to understand that the functional role each of them was playing was for the sake of the group. Whenever members were stuck in their functional roles assigned to them, I encouraged others to contribute and help that the member overcome the obstacle (Belbin 2010b).
As stated earlier this role had been given to me by other group members based on a number of factors. I am relatively liberal-minded which means that I have the ability to consider other peoples opinions before arriving at any decision. Furthermore, I am a critical thinker who takes time to arrive at a critical decision. My critical mind helped me to identify any flow in any opinion or strategy. I thus was able to summarize various situations into a concrete decision (Belbin 2010b).
To achieve group objectives the group had to consider a number of external factors. Time was the most crucial of these factors. Members had to make sure that they were time-conscious in executing their function roles so as not to affect the entire groups achievement. Moreover, knowledge sharing and the flow of information had to be effective. Members had to use short clear statements in expressing their views. If any member did not understand anything they had the opportunity to seek clarification (Belbin 2010b). To avoid the conflict and the challenges that the team faced, the team should have focused on following the Tuckman Team Model. This model gives four sequential stages that a normal team follows before it becomes effectively functional. The stages are forming the group, the storming stage that involves thrashing out differences, the norming stage involving negotiation, and the performing stage (Clements and Jones 2008). The figure below describes the Tuckman model
Source: JISC Infonet.
Alternative courses of action
When it comes to dealing with conflict it is important to establish the cause of the conflict and deal with the cause. This means that the problem is dealt with once and for all. Moreover, the earlier conflict was identified the sooner it was solved thus preventing it from generating a fully-fledged problem that might derail the groups objectives. Suffice to say the group experience both structured and unstructured problems. The unstructured problems presented the group with more challenges than the structured problems. Therefore, members had to take responsibility for identifying any issue they felt would generate a conflict or problem. Furthermore, negotiation became a very practical alternative in dealing with any conflict (Nagel and Sellamna n.d.). This replaced the earlier strategy where the team leaders mediated between conflicting ideas or team members (Asherman and Asherman 2001). As the group strategist, it means that I had to allow a lot more negotiation in redesigning the group strategies.
Furthermore, the management of information had to be improved tremendously (Levi 2011). This meant that there was a need to be an official information disseminator for the group whose primary role was to be the custodian and disseminator of that information. This role was to ensure that information was analyzed and summarized into useable data and also make sure that that information was delivered where it was needed in time. They also had to gather relevant information (Goleman 2000). Furthermore, there was a need to adopt other qualities to enhance my leadership roles. Initially, I was a laid back liberal strategist who let team members gain group have too much way. This delayed decision making. Thus I had to adopt more assertive behavior, especially during critical decision-making. I realized that I should have asked a more direct question, requested more direct answers, and became a little bit more affirmative in the options that the group should have seriously considered. Assertiveness and affirmation needed to be done moderately without being overbearing (Manz and Sims 1981; Goleman, McKee and Boyatzis 2004).
Initially, I felt that as long as members took the task they were comfortable with this was sufficient for emotional satisfaction. However, I should have had an awareness of the team members changing emotional needs and seek ways to satisfy them (Goleman 2000). Strategies that were formed by the group thus should have reflected the members emotional needs. As a leader mandated to lead the group towards making strategic decisions I would have listened to the members more keenly, picking the emotions expressed in their statements. This would have ensured that there was attained emotional harmony in the group for the sustained outcome (Salas, Druskat, and Mount 2006)
Lessons learned
Mt Everests critical experience has given me valuable insights into how a team works. Through the experiences, I have gained valuable knowledge of team dynamics as well as effective team roles for use in the future. I have learned that strategizing for a team is a complicated affair. It is impossible to have this process without a conflict of opinions arising. Thus it is important to adopt the best conflict resolution mechanism for the group. Negotiation became the best conflict resolution mechanism for any team. This is because when there is an established method for negotiation the team becomes self-sufficient in effectively solving its problem internally (Nagel and Sellamna n.d.). Furthermore, it makes the conflicting most inert to be actively involved in reaching a weighted compromise. As such the decisions reached are always satisfactory to all parties (De Dreu, and Weingart, 2003).
Each of the members was allocated specific roles had and as such lead the team in undertaking that role. So as a strategist, I had to lead the team in evaluating and adopting the best strategies as needs arose. Thus I became a team leader in that respect. Team leadership thus involves having emotional intelligence. This required that is should have been aware of my own emotional needs and how they affected group outcomes. Moreover, I should also have established a way of understanding other team members emotional needs. In future group roles, I have to ensure that members are constantly emotionally satisfied. This creates a rich emotional environment for the sustained outcome (Pherwani and Mandell 2003). Furthermore, any role I assume in any team should supplement the team leaders efforts. If that role I am playing requires me to assume leadership at a certain time, I should adopt various leadership methods according to group needs. In this case, a combination of affiliative, coercive, and participatory methods ensures sustained group outcomes (Goleman 2000).
Other than cohesiveness goal and vision sharedness, the effective team must have a very effective information management mechanism. Teams fail not because of having the wrong information but in the way the right information is managed. Thus in future group leadership roles, I will ensure that the team establishes a mechanism that not only relays the right information where it is needed at the time is needed but also one that gathers and analyses the right information. Furthermore, the team must understand its informational needs ( Galliers and Leidner 2003).
Conclusion
The effectiveness of any teamwork depends on a number of factors. The type of leadership determines the extent of the success the team achieves. Leadership in a team is not just a designation of the identified team leader. Each member of that team becomes a leader by the virtue of the role they are playing for that team. This means that the team depends on every individual to effectively play their roles and understand that their individual contribution has a direct consequence on the group outcomes. Thus cohesiveness, as well as an unhindered information flow, are vital for assured team success. Lastly, emotional cohesiveness ensures that the members gain the emotional security necessary for creating an effective connection amongst successful group members.
List of References
Asherman, I. and , Asherman, S. 2001. Negotiation Sourcebook-Amherst, MA: HRD Press.
Baugh, G.2004. The influence of interpersonal flexibility on work team conflict over time. A dissertation. Submitted to the office of graduate studies of Texas A&M University.
Belbin, R. M. 2010a. Team Roles at Work. Burlington, MA : Butterworth-Heinemann.
Belbin, R. M. 2010b. Management Teams: Why They Succeed Or Fail. Burlington, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Brooks, K. 2009. You Majored In What? Mapping Your Path from Chaos to Career. New York: Penguin Books.
Clements, P and Jones, J. 2008. The Diversity Training Handbook: A Practical Guide London: Kogan Page.
De Dreu, C and Weingart, R. 2003. Task versus relationship conflict, team performance, and team member satisfaction: A meta-analysis.
Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol 88(4), Aug 741-749. Web.
De Dreu, C, West, M. 2001. Minority dissent and team innovation: The importance of participation in decision making. Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol 86(6).
Dyer, W. and Dyer, J. 2007. Team building: proven strategies for improving team performance. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Galleries, R. and Leidner, D. 2003. Strategic Information Management: Challenges And Strategies In Team Work. Burlington, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann,
Goleman, D. 2000. Leadership That Get Results. Harvard Business Review. Web.
Goleman, D. , Boyatzis, R. and McKee, A. 2004. Primal Leadership: Learning To Lead With Emotional Intelligence. Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Press.
JISC Infonet n.d. Team development. Web.
Kayes, B., Kayes, C., & Kolb, D. (2005). Experiential learning in teams. Simulation and Gaming, 36(3), 330-354.
Kayes, C. and Burnett, G. 2006. Team Learning in Organizations: A Review and Integration. School of Business. Web.
Klein, G. (1998). Sources of power: How people make decisions. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Levi, D. 2011. Group Dynamics for Teams. California: Sage.
Mandell, B. and Pherwani, S. 2003. Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Transformational Leadership Style: A Gender Comparison.
Journal of Business and Psychology. Vol.17, Number 3, 387-404, Web.
Nagel, U and Sellamna, N. n.d. Conflicts in Team. Web.
Pitts, S., Graves, K. and Finney, M. 1995. Team tactics: innovative strategies for teaching and learning. Pennsylvania: J. Weston Walch.
Runde, C. E. and Flanagan, T. A. 2008. Building Conflict Competent Teams. san Francisco CA: Jossey-Bass.
Salas, F. , Druskat, V. and Mount, G. 2006. Linking emotional intelligence and performance at work: current research evidence with groups and individuals. New Jersey. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates , Inc.
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Introduction Family Values and Their Gradual Change
The American family institution has undergone impressive changes over the past few decades. The technological breakthrough that has been witnessed on the specified time slot has affected how people interact and, thus, build their family relationships. How modern relationships develop is strikingly different from the one that was viewed as a norm several decades ago. Even though some of the current tendencies might seem troubling, however, they need to be regarded as the product of their time. When placed in the context, some of the alterations such as the propensity toward a more elaborate approach toward marriage and family life, are entirely legitimate, whereas others, such as the tendency to restrict face-to-face interactions because of the exposure to modern media, need to be addressed.
Current Tendencies and the Factors That Define Them
The vast and rapid rise in the levels of diversity, by which contemporary American society is defined, has affected American families significantly. Particularly, there has been a strong propensity toward multicultural families and interracial marriages, according to the study conducted by Livingston and Brown (11). The specified trend can be regarded as very positive since it signifies peoples willingness to overcome cultural stereotypes and prejudices to engage in cross-cultural relationships. The fact that young people tend to be more dependent on their parents and have their families at an older age than the previous generations should also be listed among the key changes (Fry).
Meaning of Changes: Families Gradually Shrinking
The identified shift in the values and behaviors of young people has affected the structure of a modern American family to a certain extent ( Child Trends/Databank Indicator/Families and Parenting ). Particularly, the fact that people start families only after they have a career indicates that modern young adults tend to be more careful in their evaluation of their opportunities ( Decline of Marriage and Rise of New Families ). Thus, contemporary young people can be defined as quite reasonable in their decision to focus on building a career and building a system of financial resources on which they will be able to rely in the future to support their family (Livingston and Brown 12).
On the other hand, the fact that young people stay with their parents for a significantly larger amount of time than the generations preceding them shows that there has been a drop in responsibility levels. As a result, the modern American family is becoming increasingly older and significantly less numerous as far as the number of children is concerned ( Parenting in America ). Divorce rates have also grown significantly (Cohen 539). While family ties may remain strong, they are fewer than they used to be (Fry).
Nevertheless, it can be argued that the observed changes are representative of the new environment in which American families are built. Without reflecting modern realities, families would become very vulnerable to external factors such as financial pressures, social issues, etc. Therefore, the increase in the average family age and a drop in the number of its members indicates the growing resilience of American families (Fry).
Conclusion: A Contemporary American Family
Although the relationships between young Americans nowadays are strikingly different from the ones that could be observed several decades prior, some of the trends such as the willingness to consider all aspects of marriage and the relevant issues careful can redeem as a positive change, whereas the loss of independence and the associated alterations need to be managed accordingly. The shift in the family value and relationships within the modern American community can be explained by the societal alterations and especially the emergence of new media. The associated social, economic, and financial challenges make young people rethink some of the choices that seemed obvious solutions to previous generations. Being part and parcel of progress, the identified tendency, nevertheless, needs to be explored and addressed when affecting peoples lives negatively. Thus, it would be wrong to claim that the American family is deteriorating; instead, it explores new opportunities and adjusts to changes in the global society respectively.
Works Cited
Child Trends/Databank Indicator/Families and Parenting. Child Trends Databank. Web.
Cohen, Philip N. The Family: Diversity, Inequality, and Social Change. W. W. Norton, 2014.
