As helping professionals, we will inevitably have difficult scenarios with other helping professionals that may require us to deal with complex emotions in ourselves. Working well with our co-workers and supervisors is a critical part of working in human services. Understanding how we interact with those on our team will help us to see both our strengths and areas for improvement.

Instructions:

Part 1) Complete the self-test linked below, and include both your responses, score and include a one paragraph reflection on your results.

Self Test:

SELF-ASSESSMENT QUIZ 6-3

The Conformity Quiz

Directions: Circle the extent to which each of the following statements describes your behavior or

attitude: agree strongly (AS); agree (A); neutral (N); disagree (D); disagree strongly (DS). You may have

to respond in terms of any team or group experience you have had if you are not currently a member

of a work team, a class-project team, or a sports team. Consider having someone who is familiar

with your behavior and attitudes help you respond accurately.

AS A N D DS

1. I rarely question the decision reached by the team. 5 4 3 2 1

2. Whatever the group wants is fine with me 5 4 3 2 1

3. My clothing distinguishes me from the other members of the team. 1 2 3 4 5

4. I consider myself to be one of the gang. 5 4 3 2 1

5. I rarely express disagreement during a group discussion. 5 4 3 2 1

6. I routinely have lunch with other members of the team. 5 4 3 2 1

7. My teammates sometimes complain that I think too independently. 1 2 3 4 5

8. My preference is to piggyback on the ideas of others rather than 5 4 3 2 1

contributing ideas of my own.

9. When I notice that other members of the team make the same error 5 4 3 2 1

in speech, I will copy them rather than sound different.

10. I am often the first person to get up at the scheduled ending of 1 2 3 4 5

the meeting.

11. I do almost all of my creative thinking for the team task when I'm 5 4 3 2 1

with the team.

12. I'm particularly careful not to criticize an idea submitted by the 5 4 3 2 1

team leader.

13. The number of hours I work per week corresponds closely to the 5 4 3 2 1

number worked by my teammates.

14. When I think it is necessary, I bring information to the group that 1 2 3 4 5

conflicts with the path we are following.

15. I would rather keep my mouth closed than point out weaknesses 5 4 3 2 1

in a teammate's ideas.

16. I've been called a maverick on more than one occasion by teammates. 1 2 3 4 5

17. I encourage team members to express doubts about proposed 1 2 3 4 5

solutions to problems.

18. I invite criticism of my ideas. 1 2 3 4 5

19. When the team laughs at a comment, I laugh too, even if I don't 5 4 3 2 1

think the comment was funny.

20. Most of my social life centers on activities with my teammates. 5 43 2 1

Scoring and Interpretation: Calculate your score by adding the numbers you have circled, and use

the following guide:

80-100: You are a high-conforming individual who readily goes along with the team without

preserving your individuality. In an effort to be liked, you might be over-compromising your

thinking.

40-79: You have probably achieved the right balance between following group norms (standards

of conduct) and expressing your individuality. With actions and attitudes like this, you are on your

way to becoming a good team player, yet also in a position to attain individual recognition.

20-29: You are highly individualistic, perhaps to the point of not working smoothly in a team set-

ting. Be careful that you are not going out of your way to be a nonconformist, thereby interfering

with your ability to be an effective team player.

Skill Development: Examine your responses to the 20 questions, because the response might

give you a clue to needed development, often possible just by making a subtle change within your

control. Here are two examples: If you answered agree strongly or agree to question 8, you might

work toward contributing ideas of your own. If you answered disagree or disagree strongly to

question 14, you might work toward helping the team think more critically about the path it

is following.

SELF-ASSESSMENT QUIZ 7-1

My Problem-Solving Tendencies

Directions: Describe how well you agree with the following statements, using the following scale:

disagree strongly (DS); disagree (D); neutral (N); agree (A); agree strongly (AS). Circle the number in

the appropriate column.

DS D N A AS

1. Before reaching a final decision on a matter of significance, I like 1 2 34 5

to discuss it with one or more other people.

2. If I'm facing a major decision, I like to get away from others to 5 4 3 2 1

think it through.

3. I get lonely working by myself. 1 2 34 5

4. Several heads are better than one. 1 2 34 5

5. A wide range of people should be consulted before an executive 1 2 3 4 5

makes a major decision.

6. To arrive at a creative solution to a problem, it is best to rely on 1 23 4 5

a group.

7. From what I've seen so far, group decision making is a waste 5 4 32 1

of time.

8. Most great ideas stem from the solitary effort of great thinkers. 5 4 32 1

9. Important legal cases should be decided by a jury rather than 1 2 34 5

by a judge.

10. Individuals are better suited than groups to solve technical problems. 5 4 32 1

Total Score ________

Scoring and Interpretation:Add the numbers you circled to obtain your total score.

46-50: You have strong positive attitudes toward group problem solving and decision making.

You will, therefore, adapt well to the decision-making techniques widely used in organizations.

Be careful, however, not to neglect your individual problem-solving skills.

30-45: You have neutral attitudes toward group problem solving and decision making. You may

need to remind yourself that group problem solving is well accepted in business.

10-29: You prefer individual to group decision making. Retain your pride in your ability to think

independently, but do not overlook the contribution of group problem solving and decision making.

You may need to develop more patience for group problem solving and decision making.

Part 2) Respond, in 2-3 pages, to the following scenario as indicated below:

Jim, a case manager in a public child welfare agency, noticed that one of his colleagues, Tom, occasionally came to work with what smelled like alcohol on his breath. The two had worked together for several years, were friendly, and sometimes shared cases and performed investigations together. Jim knew that Tom was going through a divorce and having a challenging time emotionally.

He also knew that Tom had struggled with alcohol abuse in the past. In addition, he also noticed that Tom was having difficulty performing some of his job functions: he missed meetings occasionally and often had difficulty meeting routine deadlines. When this happened, Jim often had to cover for him or pick up the slack in their shared cases. Jim was unsure of what to say to his colleague, if anything, particularly because he was not his supervisor. Jim did not want to get Tom in trouble, but he was concerned about his job performance and the impact on his cases.

1. Discuss how you would handle the situation. Include two examples of what you would say and to whom.
2. What communication skills would you use? Give 3 examples.
3. Reflect on your self-test, does confronting this situation come naturally to you? Reference at least one answer to explain your thoughts.
4. Use the NOHS (National Organization for Human Services) Code of Ethics or the NASW (National Association of Social Workers) Code of Ethics (search for them online), and cite at least one ethical principle that guides your decision.

Requirements:

• In one document include:
• Part 1) Your self-assessment, score, and paragraph reflection
• Part 2) Your scenario response (2-3 pages), double spaced in Times New Roman. You must use either the NOHS or NASW Code of ethics, and correctly cite in APA format.