Group Counseling: Strategies and Skills - Literature review Example

REFLEXIVE ESSAY By: Introduction The primary objective of the assignment allocated to my group involved determining the efficiency of online recruitment in human resources management. In our first meeting, the group decided that the most appropriate way to present the work to the class would be through power point presentation. In addition, the group would make a small video in reference to the topic. This essay would discuss the aspect of conflict management within the group members in the class. Also, leadership would be discussed. Since the members of my group, exhibited significant communication amongst us, the group did not think it needed a leader (Fisher & Ury 2012, pg.88) The essay starts by discussing in the development and progress of the group. Mainly, the essay would be focusing on explaining as well as giving justification my performance during the activities of the group. I would point out both the negative and positive in order to draw out maximum insights from my experience. As I discuss the happenings of the group discussions, theories of conflict management in group would be applied. Being a collaborative group member amongst individuals who believe in team work significantly builds upon my personal development. My biggest interest is to be a team player; this experience bears a significant interest in my personal development. In the latter sections of the essay, the paper discusses on various topics categorized broadly into four distinct groups. Section two mainly focuses on the formation of my group as well its development. In addition, conflict management and consequences of leaderless groups will be discussed. Section three discusses further on in identifying my experiences as well indicating how this experience would influence my life in the future. Section four relates the experiences of my group to the actual scenario in the company. The effects, challenges, and consequences would be touched on in-depth. The fifth section touches on the most approaches of leadership in dealing with conflict among colleagues. Finally, the essay concludes with a few remarks in the “summary’ section. Group Formation and Absence of leadership As I discuss the formation and development of my group, I draw insights from various sources. These sources, my individual thoughts, notes derived from my personal diary, conversations between group members during and after group meetings. Nevertheless, I choose to refrain from highlighting the sources of my data in the subsequent narrative. I believe that the narrative aids in creating a connection between the author and the readers as well as ensuring the smooth flow of ideas. The two aspects contribute substantially towards desirable qualitative work (Corr & Moeller 2005, pg.67) With reference to Turkman’s (1965) model, group development occurs during four stages as suggested by the author. In the following section, I would describe my experiences in various stages of this model. Stages of group development include forming, performing, norming and storming respectively. This model tends to be recurrent following the four stages of development. In the first stage, forming, group members get acquitted with each other as they focus on the task ahead. In my group, the members were selected randomly. I did not end up with people I knew too well. In my opinion, this would be the best group to be in. Currently, I was very contented with the group formation since I was already prepared to be grouped with anybody. In the first meeting, all the group members met on time (Gilmore & Williams 2012, pg.29). Everyone was enthusiastic, and there was equal contribution from all the members. However, there seemed to be an invisible line separating the strong from the weak students. I did not like this, and I suggested that every individual needs to be granted equal opportunities to contribute towards the group’s topic of discussion. The topic of focus as chosen by the members was “The efficiency of the online recruitment”. My group was composed of five individuals who expressed utmost commitment to the course of the study. The use of strong and weak may be too strong does not necessarily mean good and bad. The active individuals in the group tend to be more vocal and eloquent in their presentation. On the other hand, the weak seemed to be quiet, hardworking and eager to make the group a success and also show eagerness to learn from the teamwork. As the group meetings and discussions progressed, it emerged that every individual portrayed self-responsibility. Every person seemed to communicate adequately and clearly in time as well as attending the meetings diligently on time. However, the group needs a leader, and we ought to have appointed one. I secretly desired to volunteer, but I just let it pass. However, since I was volunteering to take up various roles within the group, I believed I portrayed leadership. On the contrary, I should have taken the responsibility on clearer terms to be a leader. Lacking a leader caused us much expense. In storming, the second stage, group members express their interests as well as their opinions about the best way to tackle the tasks assigned to the group. This stage often leads to conflicts since conflicting members may be in the struggle to gain influence. As the study began, members identified the topics to be captured and ways on how to acquire all the information through everyone’s contribution. Individuals seemed to disagree more often on making necessary decisions. Luckily in my group, conflicts over leadership did not arise. Individuals believed in everyone’s ability to be disciplined. Over the duration of group discussions, various opinions differed and were offered settled by casting votes (Gilmore & Williams 2012, pg.29). In the third stage, norming, resolution of the issues identified in the second stage often leads to various norms. These norms can be portrayed as rules regarding the best way to approach interpersonal relationships and work. The group’s members experience less tension since the conflict experienced was minimal. Group member portrayed politeness and were approachable. As a result, cooperation was advocated by the members. A high degree of respect for each other and one’s self allowed for uniformity and equality in making contributions. As the group broke off at the end of the project, I felt contented with how we carried ourselves during the meetings. Group members contributed excellent information to the group (Gilmore & Williams 2012, pg.29). In the fourth stage, performing, group members put into practice the norms established in the third stage. The energy of the group was greatly put into positive and constructive use. All individuals portrayed a sense of ownership and commitment due to the high levels of cooperation established. Individuals who had contrasting opinions did not fear to raise their concerns. Though I did not take the role of the group leader, I believe my effort and contribution were highly appreciated. I would be glad to be associated with every remark associated with my group. The group portrayed utmost discipline. However, in the second meeting one of the members did not show up. Upon consulting the lecturer, absenteeism was not a penalty. However, for one to be absent adequate explanation on absenteeism ought to be made (Gilmore & Williams 2012, pg.29). Approach to Leadership and Conflict Following the discussion raised in the earlier segment of the paper, I raise the matter of development of leadership and conflict management. The experience I gained from the group discussions would be greatly applied in this section. These insights would not only be application in future discussion groups but they could also employ in future during my employment. As I discuss conflict management, I would refer to the worker of Thomas (1976). Thomas defines conflict management along two dimensions. In addition, the two dimensions would further be distinguished into five approaches. First, we will discuss the two broad categories. These categories involve cooperativeness and assertiveness. Assertiveness depicts the degree of assertiveness in an individual’s pursuit of their own concerns. The second, cooperativeness determines how well an individual cooperates in ensuring the satisfaction of their colleague (Cronin 2013, Pg.48). Approach Objective Rationale Likely Outcome Competing/Forcing One focuses on making achievements by themselves Making achievements regardless of who gets hurt in the process Members feel humiliated and possibly defeated. Avoiding It involves avoiding from conflict Disagreements are common and they cause tension. Interpersonal problems linger on and they do not get resolved. Instead extended frustrations and disappointments begin to manifest. Compromising It prompts the group to reach on a quick agreement. Extensive conflicts keep people from effectively work and also causes bitterness Members choose to be less effective and more expedient in making decisions. Accommodating Encourages one to avoid upsetting colleagues The members believe in associating priority with harmonious relationships. The other party could take advantage of the situation Collaborating Allows for collective problem solving. Through collective decision making, individuals need to ensure that make correct outcomes together. The issue could possibly be resolved. However, both parties may be committed to finding a solution and are convinced that they have been served fairly. Source: obtained from Thomas (1976) and Whetton et al (2000). As illustrated in the beginning, my group exhibited majestic collaboration. There were fewer disagreements. However, in the third meeting, members suggested that we consider another topic of discussion. The challenge in making this decision was that one of the members did not attend the meeting. In the previous meeting, it was decided that three of the members would do the research while as two of the members would do a presentation. Though this may be a well-cooperating team, a change of topic in the absence of a member could result in the lack of sense of ownership for the individual. Also, since the group felt that it did not need a leader, I believe that such a topic would have resulted in conflict. Every person expressed utmost reliability. Therefore, everyone would be a candidate for this role. As a result, people would begin competing for the leadership roles. In the end, people would feel resented. This would create bitterness among the group and subsequent avoidance of conflict as well as making compromises. Through collaborating, the members of the group acknowledged that they needed good grades, and they, therefore, operated on this as a shared goal (Gartrell 2013, pg.20) In the future, whenever the chance presents itself during team work, I would honorably take up the leadership role. This responsibility suits my desires for the future. I would want to be considered a people’s person who employs high intellect in leadership. The group did not get the grades it deserved just because of lacking a leader. In the future, this experience will not be repeated. Managing Conflict in a Leaderless Organization My areas of focus as discussed earlier would be a conflict as well as a lack of leadership within an organization. In order to discuss these two broad topics, I have used one model before. In this section, I will also use another model which shows variations in the organizational conflict. The model identifies four frames of reference to conflict which include unitarist, radical, pluralist, and interactionalist. Frame of Reference Brief Description Unitarist In essence, the organization is harmonious and any disagreements and conflict is shunned. Pluralist The organization is composed of collective groups. Each of these groups uphold their own interests and goals Interactionist Conflict is viewed as a necessary force which enforces effectiveness in performance. Radical Capitalism breeds conflict and it cannot be avoided. Source: Adapted from Hucyznski and Buchanan (2007) and Fox (1966, 1973) In order to understand possible hindrances to the performance of an organization, the various sources of the low performance needs to be identified. First, one needs to acknowledge that the employees can be easily demoralized in the case of conflicts. The Maslow (1954) hierarchy of needs shows just how individuals require social and self-esteem satisfaction in order to perform efficiently. The conflict that my group experienced did not necessarily lead to demoralized group members. Instead, the diversity of opinion could be regarded as a positive force. Instead of dividing the members, the conflicts ensured free flow of information. This relation can be considered as an invaluable aspect of knowledge sharing which in turn benefits the group. In the case of a company, knowledge sharing leads to competitive advantage. Therefore, conflicts need to be managed. Secondly, unresolved conflicts could result in reduced job satisfaction. This could result in adverse side effects on the company. Previous researches conducted on job satisfaction and conflicts show that counterproductive behaviors such as drug use and sabotage may arise. Thirdly, in an organization, conflict may be solved by avoidance. This situation may be undesirable since wrong ideas may not be promptly and adequately challenged (Noe 2013, pg.56). Our group did not select a leader. Despite, these group members did not experience any challenges. Research conducted previously indicates that the heterogeneous team bears the potential to create and add significant value. As a result, efficiency, innovation, and quality may be prioritized. The success of an organization relies greatly on its leaders as well as leadership. Leaders remind their subjects of the ultimate goal despite ideological and professional conflicts which may arise along the way. The lack of appropriate leadership would result in difficult situations which arise due to conflicts (Pankl, Theiss, & Bushing 2010, pg67). Leadership Approaches Various approaches to leadership have been established through previous research. The study of leadership is complex and somehow isolated field of study. Scholars fail to identify common ground on which to bases their ideas. Currently over four hundred definitions of leadership exists. In research, leadership extends beyond the concept of determining its appropriate definition. The styles of leadership also vary accordingly, and organizations need to identify the best suitable style to embrace (Lim 2009, pg.22). In the contemporary world, leadership can be related to numerous theories which present diverse ideologies altogether. However, popular research categorizes leadership into transactional leadership and transformational leadership. Various theories can be associated with different popularity as pioneered by researchers such as Burns (1978), Bass and Avollo (2004) and Avolio (2011). These studies form great deal of arguments as well as providing diverse empirical support for the arguments. The utility of these studies to the operation of a company may result in advance leadership styles which may be practical with the organizations in the current world. The table below highlights the main features of transformational leadership and transactional leadership (Jacobs, Masson & Harvill 2009, pg66). Leadership Style Description Transformational This form of leadership presents a sequence of influences. Here, leaders modify the awareness of associates on the most important aspects within the organization. Also, this leadership enable the associates to view themselves in newer setting or environment with fresher opportunities and challenges. Transformational leaders tend to be proactive as they desire to optimize the innovation and development of a group or individual. Consequently, transformational leaders convince their affiliates to aim for higher levels of ethical as well as moral standards. Transactional Transactional leaders exhibit relations associated with corrective and constructive associations. Leaders who practice this style of leadership help their affiliates in defining their expectations. In addition, these leaders promote the performance of the affiliates in achieving the desired levels of expectation. For affiliates who deliver well, the transactional leaders offer tokens of rewards of compliance. On the contrary, where affiliates perform lower than the established levels, the transactional leader instigates sanctions as punishment for noncompliance. When leaders within an organization can adequately apply these styles, then the organization would be regarded as successful in managing conflict. As illustrated in the previous segment, conflict can be either dysfunctional or functional to an organization. In the transformational leadership style, the central feature involves a modification of the perceptions of the followers. The transformational leader, therefore, needs to be capable of influencing the decisions of the individuals that follow in their leadership. Primarily, they need to drive followers away from any possible conflicts and instead drive them towards the shared objectives and goals. This style occurs to be the best since it challenges individuals to come up with new ideas. This allows for free flow of information (Tomlinson & Allan 2000 pg.44) In the second style, the transactional style, adoption of the same in the company would result in clearer definitions of standards and expectations. In addition, this leadership monitors the performance of affiliates alongside rewarding the most compliant follower and instigating sanctions against the non-compliant followers. Primarily, the transactional leader ensures that their followers operate towards the established objectives. This approach, therefore, necessitates cooperation, sense of ownership, teamwork and ability to share and analyze ideas. As expected, incentives often breed best performance Lussier & Achua 2010, pg.22). Organizations need to decide on the best leadership to embrace. Both styles offer benefits which may be necessary and applicable in different settings or scenario. In order to make the best out leadership, both transactional and transformational leadership styles can be used (Lussier & Achua 2010, pg.33). Conclusion As the essay progressed; I described my experiences in the group discussion for class work. 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