Unit 7 - Working In A Team

Reflection on Working as Part of A Team

As I work within a small team the work is filtered through to me and I pick up some of the jobs. I make sure these get completed quickly and at a high standard. The standard and turnaround time of my work reflects back on my mentor in the team. All work that I complete is to help my mentor and give support. This creates a good and effective working relationship. There are shared targets and aims between us both and these are easier to stick to.

Being open to different jobs helps as I get more work and showing the different skills I can put into use. I also bounce ideas back and forth between my mentor when designing a new publication and working with the new branding guidelines.

Regular one to one meetings with my mentor make sure we are on top of all the jobs to be done and when to be done by. This helps to keep on top of jobs and prioritise the time to spend on each job.

Working closely as part of a small team offers opportunities to develop new skills and learn new tips. The software used is very vast and people use it in different ways so learning new shortcuts and tips is useful to bounce between each other. This establishes a reciprocal relationship between colleagues if someone is struggling with a task and members of the team will help and support

The disadvantage to working as part of a small team is that sometimes creative ideas can get mixed up and opinions do not always work well together. To over come this it is important to be open to all ideas and opinions and be tolerant to other design ideas. 

Other disadvantages are unequal participation, limited creativity, and a longer design process. I have found also not working to a set brief can sometimes be confusing as work is passed onto me the communication I get about each job is a brief email outlining what the job is. I often have to ask more questions to get all the information needed for the design process. Communication can also become twisted or misread. So therefore it is important to communicate within the team as much as possible, through discussions and emails. This benefits everybody.

My behaviour and performance within the office effects the other colleagues as I work quietly and am not disruptive. I do all jobs quickly and always help out with the other colleague’s tasks. Being Friendly and accommodating also helps to keep team moral and keep up good working relationships.