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Essay / A study on how teamwork can help end homelessness in Canada
Table of ContentsSummaryIntroductionConclusionSummaryCanada is an internationally renowned country with a long reputation for high quality of life with a growing number of citizens competing for limited resources, hence; make homelessness a reality. The main populations that make up the homeless in Canada are women, youth and children. Most homeless youth engage in some criminal activities such as drug abuse, illegal drug dealing, theft, and unprotected sex. Stakeholders should work as a team to cross research and policy sectors to create a solution that coordinates the response to homelessness in Canada. The purpose of this article is to explore the role of teamwork in finding solutions to homelessness in Canada. Teamwork composed of stakeholders namely: the homeless, all government agencies and community groups. The paper uses Tuckman's theory of teamwork which uses four stages of team development to analyze the effectiveness of identified stakeholders in addressing homelessness. The results reveal that the design of affordable, quality housing in rural and urban centers would be the best solution to the problem of homelessness in Canada. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayIntroductionCanada is one of the countries in the world with the highest number of homeless people. The homeless situation in Canada began in the 1980s after reductions in government spending on social supports, structural changes in the economy, and investments in expensive housing (Gaetz, Dej, Richter, Redman, 2016 , p.4). The main populations that make up the homeless in Canada are women, youth and children. Homelessness has become a major crisis in Canada with thousands of women, youth and children across the country living on the streets, parks and emergency shelters. The problem has persisted ever since, calling for joint action among stakeholders across the country to find a solution to homelessness. Joint action requires teamwork and collaboration largely based on establishing strategies that would end homelessness within five years. The following discussion uses Tuckman's theory of teamwork to find solutions to the problem of homelessness in Canada. The identified solution will use the principles of teamwork and benefit different stakeholders. These stakeholders are the homeless, different levels of government and community groups. Canada is an internationally renowned country with a long reputation for a high quality of life with a growing number of citizens competing for limited resources. make homelessness a reality. It used to be that only single men and the elderly suffered from the problem of homelessness in Canada, but the crisis has become more diverse today to include women and youth. The government's 2016 report on the state of homelessness in Canada revealed the exact number of people experiencing homelessness, their demographics and the exact experiences they face every day. The report shows that approximately 35,000 Canadians spend the night outside in the cold and 235,000 Canadians are homeless each year. Additionally, a 2016 report found that 27.3 percent and 18.7 percent of the homeless population in Canada are women and youth, respectively. Peopleages 50-64 and those ages 65 and older are at greater risk of experiencing homelessness in the future (Gaetz, Dej, Richter, Redman, 2016, p. 5). The government suffers the most from homelessness. Homelessness deteriorates the economy of the state, increases insecurity and creates a bad reputation for the nation, so much so that international partners develop a negative attitude leading to poor trade and commerce relations. The interest of all levels of government is to ensure that there are no more homeless people in the country. The government could make this possible by formulating policies and strategies that can resolve these problems. For example, the Canadian government developed a policy to combat homelessness in 1999 through effective collaboration with communities and individuals to address homelessness issues (Doberstein, 2011). Most homeless youth engage in some criminal activities such as drug abuse, illegal drug dealing, theft, and unprotected sex. Stakeholders should work as a team to cross research and policy sectors to create a solution that coordinates the response to homelessness in Canada. Many parties are actively and passively involved in solving the problem of homelessness in Canada. A strategic approach to the issue requires the commitment of all stakeholders to participate in decision-making processes in the search for solutions to homelessness to ensure representation of each affected party. The following paper focuses on three key stakeholders who have great influence in the development of alternative strategies and policies to homelessness. The main stakeholders included in strategic planning are the homeless, all levels of government (policy makers, ministries of Health, Housing and Urban Development), and community groups (non-profit organizations, private developers and other foundations). Each of the three stakeholders has an important role to play in finding solutions to the current problem. Homeless people are the main stakeholders and victims of homelessness. The next group should have many interests, including the need to know what plans other stakeholders, government and community groups, have for them. Homeless people should choose their representatives to participate in the decision-making process to ensure that their interests are defended and taken into account. Furthermore, homeless people play an important role in the success of the plan, as they have the experience and a better chance of explaining to policy makers the circumstances that led to their becoming homeless. Policymakers would use these details to create an intervention that would help prevent instances of homelessness in the future. Finally, community groups, including non-governmental organizations, humanitarian foundations and developers, have a big role to play in developing strategies to end homelessness. Community groups defend equality and the rights of the people. These groups will help raise awareness among the government to accelerate the process of generating solutions to homelessness. Additionally, groups such as private developers may offer to build simple, affordable housing under government contracts to house the homeless. The success of any initiative agreed by all three stakeholders requires a teamwork approach. The discussion will use the principles and theories of teamwork to ensure that the interests ofall stakeholders are considered in the final solution. Effectively managing a team requires skills, dedication, strategies and plans. Researchers from different fields have conducted numerous studies to investigate the factors that influence the quality of team performance. Many theories explain the formation and management of teams, with Tuckman's teamwork theory being the most famous for producing great results. Tuckman's theory of teamwork was developed in 1965 and plays a vital role in ensuring teamwork and team building. Tuckman worked with a team of US Navy social psychologists where he studied the behaviors of small groups using different perspectives. In his analysis of various articles and books on team development, Tuckman identified two main characteristics that contribute to a group's performance: task activity and group structure/interpersonal activity. Tuckman then presented Tuckman's theory of teamwork which describes four main stages of development that constitute a good team. The four stages are training, storming, normalizing and executing. The four steps of Tuckman's teamwork theory can be applied in the case to help bring stakeholders together and establish the solution to homelessness in Canada. The basic assumption of the theory is that a team that stays together over time changes and develops (Nestor, 2013). Identifies stakeholders, government, community groups and homeless people who have lived together to achieve a common homelessness problem affecting the country. According to Nestor (2013), Tuckman's theory of teamwork describes three elements that determine the performance of a team, namely: content, process and feelings. The content concerns the activities of the team, which in this case find the solution to homelessness. Some team members will use the content item to define the type of stakeholder-based solution they want and how they want it implemented to meet their interests. Additionally, the storming phase may face some rebellion as each stakeholder attempts to have their interests included in the decision-making process. At the standardization stage, the stakeholders will have erased their differences and each member wants to be part of the team. Finally, the show scene is characterized by the fact that all members have the same concern to seek a solution to homelessness. According to Nestor (2013), the effectiveness of the team is felt from the stage of the show. Team members should always take precautions to avoid disintegrating during the first three stages of teamwork development. Process refers to how the team works to achieve its goals. The following case concerns the process of bringing together stakeholders, homeless people, government and community groups, to strategize and plan implementation plans for the problem of homelessness in Canada. During the training phase, team members engage in seeking external forces who can provide advice and guidance. For example, homeless people seek assistance from government and community groups to help them find better housing for themselves. Second, the storming stage involves members selecting tasks that match their interests and ignoring those that have the least impact on their problems. The third step on the question of process implies that the.