Free Health Dissertations - Successful Completion Of The Task Is Achieved Through Cooperation,
Successful completion of the task is achieved through cooperation, negotiation, compromise, and understanding and effective communication (both verbal and non-verbal). My face-to-face discussion with the clinical assistant was greatly enhanced by the non-confrontational and receptive nature of our dialogue. For example, I made a point of listening carefully to what she had to say, then responding sympathetically and showing a willingness to find common ground. This 'warm' social atmosphere helped establish a quick rapport.
The internal environment
The factors discussed thus far form part of the external environment. Chapparo and Ranka (1997) also specify an internal environment that encapsulates the 'mind', 'body', 'soul', and 'space' and 'time' issues. The 'mind' denotes intellectual ability (conscious or unconscious), 'body' refers to the physical human form, while 'soul' relates to the human need for mystery, hope, and religious experience. 'Space' and 'time' both refer to actual (i.e. physical) and perceived or 'felt' space and time. Did these factors influence my capacity to solve the problem with the clinical assistant? Possibly. Janis and Mann (1977) suggest that perceptions of time pressure can severely 'cripple' effective decision-making or problem solving. Furthermore, it can be argued that people who are generally optimistic or religious may work harder to achieve compromise and resolution. By contrast, a physical arrangement in which personal space was violated (e.g. placing chairs too close together), or having an unnecessarily prolonged meeting, may easily distract or irritate, with negative implications for task performance.
Cultural Factors
The OPM classifies cultural influence as part of the external environment. Culture can be conceptualised as a dichotomy between Western and indigenous (e.g. third-world) cultures (Chiang & Carlson, 2003; Shiraev & Levy, 2004). Individual differences in learned customs, beliefs, and values, can easily facilitate or hamper task performance. Cultural syndromes such as individualism (focus on the self or immediate family), collectivism (concern with wider social groups or society), and ethnocentrism (cultural bias in how we perceive the world) also exert considerable influence (Triandis, 1995). My research assistant was British born and had lived in the UK all her life. By contrast, I had an indigenous background. It is conceivable that the contrasting cultures significantly affected my ability to manage the situation and solve the problem. However, cultural influences can be complex and subtle, and hence difficult to perceive. It could be argued that the clinical assistant, by virtue of her individualist (i.e. Western) orientation may have been somewhat unconcerned about success of a project that is somehow supposed to benefit society. But there was no direct evidence of this.
