This week we have been asked to analyse our team, how we slotted into Belbin team roles and our strengths/weaknesses. Our team had a total of 5 members; Joel, Ami, Rose, Virginia and myself. We found each other via the forum and then created a facebook page which was then our primary form of communication. Finding a team to work with was basically decided by our location, we 5 were all within the Manawatu region and therefore united.
Joel was very enthusiastic and came across very confident. He slotted into the role of "resource investigator" quite well as he brought forward several good ideas and was very good at communicating. Unfortunately, Joel was unable to attend any of our meet ups where a lot of decisions were made. He did supply some input along with great research, although once that was done, he appeared bored or withdrawn from the team. He pulled through again at the last minute though and helped with the editing of the final product.
Ami is an amazing woman. She is self driven and very focused. She took on two roles, one being the "Shaper", the other the "Implementer". She took on the bulk of our assignment, taking bits and pieces of information that we threw at her and making sense of it all. It became slightly difficult to get information to her as she had limited internet access but she made up for that by putting in long hours and more hard work than anyone else in the team.
Rose became our "Coordinator". It became apparent right from the beginning that she was able to take charge. She was always the first to communicate, always at meet ups and consistently following up on our progress. She was willing to be the "big bad wolf" but did so in a very professional manner that made us move our asses (excuse the language) without coming across confrontational. She definitely has a bright future ahead.
Virginia was our plant". She has innovative thinking and creative with her expression. She was able to absorb information like a sponge, facts and figures and marking schedules were her specialty. She was always willing to help and very eager to participate, often arriving early to our meet ups.
I feel I was the "Team Worker". I was indecisive about decisions being made and was happy to just go with the flow. Once the decisions were made, I was willing t do whatever tasks were handed down and tried to keep a positive vibe within the team.
We were lucky to have such a diverse group of people in our team. There were no major conflicts though time management was a bit of an issue. For a group of complete strangers, all with different goals, opinions and personalities to write a report of this nature is very difficult and I believe we can be proud of our efforts.
Sunday 1 February 2015
Sunday 11 January 2015
Disease at Disneyland
This week I have been reading a lot about vaccinations. The topic caught my eye after seeing a report that claims nine cases of measles have been confirmed in the states of California and Utah, plus three more suspected.
Measles is a highly contagious disease that can be transferred easily from person to person through coughs, sneezes and other airborne aerosols, as well as direct contact with an infected person. The result can be fatal though with modern medicine and vaccinations it is all together preventable.
The outbreak in the states is believed to have spread at Disneyland. With a daily average upwards of 40,000 visitors, it is lucky there were only 9 reported victims. The small volume of casualties can be attributed to vaccinations. If vaccinated a person is 90% less likely to contract the disease. By vaccinating the majority of a community you decrease the likelihood of a outbreak. This method aided greatly in the eradication of smallpox.
In the California/Utah case it appears that most victims had not been vaccinated. While there could be any number of reasons for not having been vaccinated, for two of the Disneyland victims, it was simply due to their young age. It is uncommon for children younger than twelve months old to receive the Measles vaccine as they may have antibodies from their mothers immune system which can hinder the effectiveness of the vaccination process.
There are many people around the world that oppose vaccinations, here in New Zealand we have the option to deny the vaccine though it is encouraged by our government. Those who choose not to receive vaccines can fall under a blanket of protection provided by those who have. The community becomes less susceptible to disease but ultimately the risk is still present.
Measles is a highly contagious disease that can be transferred easily from person to person through coughs, sneezes and other airborne aerosols, as well as direct contact with an infected person. The result can be fatal though with modern medicine and vaccinations it is all together preventable.
The outbreak in the states is believed to have spread at Disneyland. With a daily average upwards of 40,000 visitors, it is lucky there were only 9 reported victims. The small volume of casualties can be attributed to vaccinations. If vaccinated a person is 90% less likely to contract the disease. By vaccinating the majority of a community you decrease the likelihood of a outbreak. This method aided greatly in the eradication of smallpox.
In the California/Utah case it appears that most victims had not been vaccinated. While there could be any number of reasons for not having been vaccinated, for two of the Disneyland victims, it was simply due to their young age. It is uncommon for children younger than twelve months old to receive the Measles vaccine as they may have antibodies from their mothers immune system which can hinder the effectiveness of the vaccination process.
There are many people around the world that oppose vaccinations, here in New Zealand we have the option to deny the vaccine though it is encouraged by our government. Those who choose not to receive vaccines can fall under a blanket of protection provided by those who have. The community becomes less susceptible to disease but ultimately the risk is still present.
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