Dynamics of Group Working - Essay Example

I have realised that group work is very important as far as learning is concerned since this facilitates the exchange and sharing of ideas which helps create knowledge. To get a cue from Robbins (2001), I view a group as a cluster of two or more people who have come together for a specific purpose, normally for the benefit of the individuals in the group. However, of notable concern is the notion of group dynamics we encountered as the group developed. Schultz (2003) posits to the effect that there are always factors that are interacting, changing to shape the group. We essentially discussed the significance of group work and group dynamics in the learning process. Our group did not simply evolve overnight but it went through stages based on Tuckman-Jensen model of group development in 1965 (Schultz 2003). The forming stage was primarily concerned with selection of members and I realised that this stage was characterised by scepticism by other members who had not yet acquainted themselves to each other as well as with the topic under discussion. The storming period was a bit challenging given that conflicts erupted as a result of misunderstandings of the people’s behaviours and there was no unanimity on the theme of the discussion. At this stage I realised that in order for group discussion to be productive, there ought to be a team leader. Thus, Robins, Odendaal & Roodt (2001), suggest that a leader often takes a leading role in developing and inspiring members of a group through motivation to improve their performance towards the attainment of set goals. The norming stage was characterised by mutual understanding as members of the group collectively worked together to establish the direction of doing things. It is my strong conviction that our group reached the peak of its effectiveness when we reached the performing stage as there was more collaboration and cohesiveness among our members which can amount to synergy which states that the sum of the individual efforts in a team is greater than the sum of the individual inputs (Robbins 2001). The developmental stages of group formation greatly helped me to realise that in future I must be prepared to encounter challenges when working in a group and take appropriate measures that encourage harmony and understanding among the members. I contributed towards the formation of groups and their significance especially in the learning process through shaping the objectives of our group discussion. However, I encountered some people oriented problems in executing my task given that the other members of my group felt inhibited from openly expressing their thoughts and feelings. I attributed this to what Lau and Shani (1992 :484 as cited in Schultz 2003) call hidden agendas which included rivalries, distrust, ambitions and critical attitudes. Some of the members were afraid of being outdone and relegated to minor tasks which was a bit challenging to convince them that tasks were supposed to be distributed in a fashion that would promote cooperation and sharing of ideas in an enabling environment. The other challenge I encountered working in this group during the preliminary stages is that other members of the team were uncooperative by virtue of their blatant display of a high degree of individualistic behaviour which almost negatively impacted on the team process. This was also attributed to team leadership problems where we saw other members trying to lobby for favour within the group hierarchy which was not the essence of our objectives. In as far as group work concerned with discussion of group dynamics is concerned, I realised that there is need for members to desist from the attitude of giving precedence to their personal agendas as well as feelings at the expense of the main objective of the group which is to share ideas in a bid to generate knowledge about the effectiveness of group work with regards to learning. I also realised that fair treatment of the members coupled with flexible practices and good leadership skills were vital in a bid to meet the different needs and motives of the individual team members. The task was performed in a free and relaxed environment where every member was treated as equal. This allowed the members in the group to contribute significantly to the discussion without fear of being ridiculed. However, though I witnessed a problem where some members of the group were reluctant to contribute in the discussion, overally, I can say that our group managed to achieve its objectives. Though our group was small comprising of five members only, it could be seen that team roles were distributed according to Belbin team role theory. Dr Belbin recognised that everyone responds differently to being in a team situation (Belbin 2002). The other member played the plant role in our group while the shaper was responsible for streamlining the ideas to meet our intended goals. I played the coordinator role where I specifically focused on the team’s objectives while ensuring that work is delegated appropriately among the members of our group. I immensely benefitted from this group work given that I developed skills on how to frame my questions and ideas in order to remain focused on the discussion. I learnt a lot especially about teamwork by virtue of freely interacting with the other members of my group. This greatly improved my interpersonal communication skills and has significantly contributed towards my ability to effectively communicate in a group while at the same time regarding others as important team members. I also realised that the better the relationship with other members of the group, the more effective the group becomes. This has also helped me gain confidence when communicating with many people and I also learnt how to develop informed decisions based on the ideas gained from the other people during a discussion in a group. I also discovered that group work is very effective with regards to sharing of information in a bid to generate knowledge. I also realised that the more we work as individuals, the more we overlook some of the important information which we can take for granted. Group dynamics entails the changing patterns of interaction taking place among the members as the group develops which makes it imperative to take into consideration the factors which affect the behaviour of the people in group as this has a bearing on the outcome of the objective. A group formed on the premise of equality and fairness is likely to achieve its objectives with relative easy compared to the one where there is misunderstanding among the members. In the future, I will lobby for group work since it is one viable method of generating knowledge. In order to be effective in the group, I will try to gather all the relevant information pertaining to our discussion and I will present it in a logical manner to the other group members. I will also need to familiarise with the other views of the other members so as to be better positioned to positively contribute towards the attainment of the objectives of the group. Sharing ideas in a group is concerned with generating new knowledge hence the need for the members to commit themselves when working in a group. Overally, I believe that group work is effective in the learning process. There is need for proper coordination of the members so that there will be less conflict characterising the discussions taking place in a group. References Belbin team role theory (2002) Accessed 02 November 2010. http://www.belbin.com/rte.asp?id=8 Kleynhans R. et al (2007), Human Resource Management: fresh perspectives, CT. Prentice Hall. Robbins, S.P.C. (2000). Organisational behaviour. 9th Edition. Englewood Cliffs. NJ. Prentice Hall. Robins S.P., Odendaal A.& Roodt G. (2001) Organisational Behaviour, Pearson Education . Schultz H (2003) ed. Organisational behaviour. Pretoria. Van Schaik Publishers. Read More