Group Work Practice in Human Services in the Australian Non-governmental Organization - Essay Example

Planning and Facilitating a Group Name: University: In this essay, I have chosen the planning and facilitating of a community recovery co-ordination group after a major flood. I will be first discussing the type of treatment group this is by giving an overview of the group type. Second, I will be discussing two critical stages of the group. These are the planning stage and the beginning stage. I will further be analyzing critically both the internal and external aspects that could influence these two steps. Being a member of one NGO in Nothern Territory region in Australia, the organization has chosen me to plan and start a group of competent people that will help the victims of a major flood to recover. I think this is a task group for meeting community’s needs, a social action group for several reasons. To start with, these will be a group focusing on a task to be completed, to help the victims of a major flood recovery. This purpose will be external to the personal needs of the group members; they are not the victims. Secondly, the roles of the members will be assigned to the various team members. They will be allocated to a person by his preferences. For instance, members will be appointed to subcommittees to collect needed data such as the names of the victims. Thirdly, the communication pattern in this group will be focused on one primary task. Moreover, the team will be made public to get help from outside. Different members of the society including the government will be invited to give their input. This will be of great help since experienced people can come and give their useful contribution which can boost the process of helping the victims. To add on this, it’s a group that will be giving the victims power to engage in a collective action to alter an aspect of the physical environment(Lupe &Randall, 2009) The planning process is a critical stage in the making of a group. According to Lupe & Randall (2009), the plan should follow a suitable and work model that ensures the accomplishment of the team’s task. In this essay, I will be discussing such model. The first thing is to ensure assessing potential members of the team. They should be competent persons with some knowledge of handling such epidemics as floods. After determining the potential members, the recruitment should start. Members will be notified of the group’s purpose, vision, mission and the main tasks. Vision is what the team is anticipating to achieve at the end of the job. For instance, it might be ‘ensuring that all victims recover in the soonest time possible’. The group vision helps members to stay focused and work harder to achieve the vision (Lupe &Randall, 2009). A goal is something someone needs to realize after working within a particular time frame. It is either short term or long term. An example of a goal which can set is; ‘renovating the houses destructed by the floods within a period of four months’. Objectives help members to focus on certain important issues. A good example of a group objective is; ‘ensuring that the victims get the best service ever, a service they deserve’. Step by step actions that must be followed and implemented by the group members to accomplish the task at hand. It describes the work to be undertaken by different team members. After recruitment, the team will now be composed and an orientation of the group members done. Following will be signing an agreement contract for all members. A healthy working environment is then set which can enable the smooth running of the group’s operations. The reviewing of the group’s purpose, vision, mission and the main tasks will then be done (Toseland& Rivas, 2014). After having the plan, then the team can begin. In the beginning stage, the first essential thing is to introduce new members. Their names, where they come from, their areas of expertise and other necessary details will be mentioned. Since this is a community service group, members are free to express themselves. A lot of confidentiality is not advisable in this type of group. The purpose of the group will now be described in details. The central aspect should be highlighted. This being a community service organization, the purpose of the group can be made public. This might be of great help as other volunteers can see the purpose of the group and come to offer additional help. The next thing in this stage is to help members feel a part of the team. Although the task-oriented groups require members to follow written down formal direction strictly, in this cluster members will be made to see the less strictness of the group, to feel free and as part of the team. Guiding the group so that it can develop is another part of this stage. The group requires proper guidance and directions. This will help in its growth and development. It being a task-oriented group, clear guidelines for the group will be set (Toseland& Rivas, 2014). The duties of the team will then be highlighted and discussed in detail. Members should be aware of their responsibilities and set their minds into performing those particular tasks. Members will now together establish the goals for the group. These should be clear, precise and achievable. Their time frames should be calculated with particular consciousness. They should set both short and long-term goals. The group leader should then facilitate the motivation of every member of the team. This canbe achieved by letting the members see the benefits that would come with the accomplishment of the team’s primary objective. It will encourage them and give them the pressure even to work harder. In any group, some resistance is usually expected from some of the members; the group leader should be well prepared to handle such resistance. Proper mechanisms will be put in place to cater for any disparities which arise in the group. The leader will be anticipating the obstacles which may come on the way to distract the team from accomplishing its mission. The leader will be well versed with risk mitigation mechanisms to help and reduce the occurrence of eventualities. The last thing which I will be looking at as the leader is monitoring and evaluating the change process. The change should be positive and of benefit to the group. Anything contrary to this will be dropped immediately and a proper action taken (Joseph, 2016). One important aspect that influences the stages of planning and beginning a group is the communication and interaction patterns. Communication can be termed as the passing of information from one person to another. On the other hand, communication facilitates the interaction between people. In other words, communication facilitates interaction between people. It involves three essential aspects which are the sender, transmitter, and the end receiver. Interactions happen during the transmission of the message. In the planning and beginning stages of a group, the way people communicate with each other sets back the team. Members have to develop proper communication skills which have positive implications for the team. The leader should mainly develop an excellent etiquette to maintain a peaceful environment in a group. Group cohesion is another integral factor which influences the planning and beginning stages of a group. This is the result of the forces that acts on members for them to join and remain in a particular group (Charles, 2008). There are several reasons which make members be attracted to a group. Firstly, a member will like to join and stay in a group for affiliation, the security and to be recognized. Second, to get the prestige that comes from the group. Thirdly, to get the benefits that originate from the group. Lastly, if s/he sees the team as the best one after comparing it to others. The team leader should in the planning stage highlight clearly all these vital aspects. Another critical issue that affects the planning and beginning stages of a group is a social influence and integration. This is the way people fit together in a group and the way they are received. The levels of integration in any group must be quite high for its success. Leaders must ensure that their social inclusion aspects are good. Any team which begins having indigent social integration issues definitely fails. It becomes impossible for them to accomplish their mission. The last element which is going to look at in this essay which has an adverse influence on the planning and beginning stages is the group culture. It refers to the common customs, beliefs, and traditions of the group members. These aspects have an adverse effect the planning and beginning stages of a group. The team leader must take into consideration these aspects of every member he is recruiting in the group. He should be cautious not to recruit members with conflicting social culture. The team culture is adversely affected by the panel environment particularly this type of a group which is a group to meet the community needs. The leader must be very careful and avoid the drawbacks which may arise from cultural differences (Donald, 2009). Conclusion ` In organizing group work, one ought to be very keen while selecting the team members. One should choose competent people with the necessary skills and expertise of the task being undertaken by the group. Incompetent group members fail other members which consequently makes it impossible for a team to accomplish its mission. Group leaders should familiarize themselves with the main managerial principles which can guide them in the formation and leading of the group. Without these principles, the group leader is incompetent which makes the overall group, in general, a poor team which can’t achieve the set goals. References Charles. Z, (2008). Social work with groups: A comprehensive workbook. Cengage Learning Publishers. Donald. R, (2009). Group dynamics (Fifth ed.). Cengage Learning Publishers. Joseph. E, (2016). Organizational Behavior: Integrating Individuals, Groups, and organization. Routledge publishers. Lupe. A Randall.A, (2009). Group work: A practical guide to developing in agency settings. Willey Publishers. Toseland, R. W., & Rivas, R. F. (2014). An introduction to group work practice (Seventh ed.). Boston: Pearson. Read More