Working in Groups in the Organizational Setting - Research Paper Example

On Groupwork Groupwork lies in the understanding we have of the group's role in the life of an individual. Although, groups may have different purposes, there are some basic techniques and principles that may be applicable to most circumstances. The purpose of the group should be made clear to all members so that in the end each one of them will have the same goals as the group. To work in a group gives us the opportunity and ability to share knowledge and information with each other. However, this can be disadvantageous, for an enormous amount of conflicting ideas may lead to distractions and disagreements. In that sense, a good leader is almost always necessary. The leader plays a great role by motivating each member to efficiently do his/her task. Despite being primarily in charge, a leader must refrain from doing every task alone. In that sense, facilitating a group demands a lot of communication skills. He should effectively encourage each member to do their best for the sake of the group's aim. He should make them realize their individual importance and responsibility. For him to do that, he must understand the group and have compassion for each individual in it. It was stated by Dr Carl Rogers' theory of Person Centered Approach (Brazier) that we all have drive within us which enable us, given the right conditions, to develop in a way that offers us the greatest potential as human beings. Rogers had termed it "self-actualizing tendency". A good leader/facilitator must be able to realize that each of them has that tendency and has the ability to use that for the purpose of fulfilling the group's aim. To be able to achieve that, first, he must have an honest understanding of himself and of his full potential. He must be able to convey a strong vision of the future as people tend to follow those who have clear direction. He must be conceived as a character worthy of respect, which would then lead to trust and confidence of his group workers. As mentioned previously, good communication skill is also of great importance. Spoken words should not be the mere mode of relaying his message but by incorporating it with non-verbal cues and concrete visual examples as well. He focuses on the group and understands the full course of all his actions and what it can imply to the members in the group. He must first understand the task completely and be able to relay it to the group in the manner that he will inculcate to each member plays an important part. He must be able to communicate a clear vision of where the group needs to go. On the first meeting the facilitator should be able to clarify the group and its vision. To be efficient, he must be able to balance sense of authority with harmony. That pertains to authority that would be able to make the members work for sake of the group's vision and harmony in the sense that he would be open to the member's idea and suggestion. His point must be clearly inculcated at the very start, as he lay down his ground rules, if not simply imply his base line. He needs not to say all the rules at the first meeting, but he should appropriately spell it out along the process. Despite his right, he should refrain from being unfair, thus he should encourage the members to speak of their constructive ideas. He must be able to make a sound decision with all the ideas. Along the course, he should have to deal with conflicts that may arise, keeping a fair judgment at all times. Type of interventions which are made by the group facilitator will depend upon the individual style and on the training background of the facilitator. Responses may be to individuals, to interactions between group members, or to the whole group (Brazier). He should properly and humanly corrects slip-ups, as he should also never fail to complement any good work done. In today workplace group leaders need to solve intricate problems and to take ideas from their initial stage through a series of complex processes to a successful completion. This kind of work cannot be done alone. There are just too many demands, task requirements and varied sources of information required to do it without the support of others (Bradford). Aside from being a leader, he must also set a good example of how a good member should work. When groupworkers see that their leader is such a hard working person, this would more likely boost their energy and encourage them to work with passion. On the other hand, a lazy, irresponsible head would promote poor production. As much as possible, a leader should have the ability to create a fun working environment. He is creative enough to make the task enjoyable and organized enough to maintain a system that ensures efficient performance. Nobody would want to work in an atmosphere of pure pressure as nobody would also want total disarray. A good leader is should be knowledgeable enough to impart precise ideas. Moreover, he should be prepared and very willing to answer relevant questions. He must trust his members, and with keen observations appropriately assigns and encourages voluntary work. Remember that each individual has their own outlook, talents and skills, and will in some way be able to contribute positively to the group. The difficult task is often to determine exactly which area that is in (Effective Groupwork). A group facilitator needs to be aware of the way that a group is approaching its ending, and to draw attention to behavior associated with it. Groups approach endings in a variety of ways. Some behave as if the ending is not happening, or make plans for reunions or talk about the next group. In others there is a lot of talk about issues of loss and bereavement, but no reference to the group's end. Some groups recognize that the group is going to end and express feelings more directly. (Brazier) The facilitator should be able to smoothly deal with the ending's psychological effect to the individual groupworkers. Working effectively in groups has become essential in all parts of life, especially in the organizational setting. Teamwork often combines individual strengths to effectively work towards a goal that would be impossible to be achieved by the individual alone. Sharing knowledge and insight often leads to a more creative discovery, an overall better end product. Working in groups enhances the individual's motivation to achieve, promotes learning, improves interpersonal communication skills, and increases creativity (Group Work). At the end of every successful groupwork, it is not just the fulfillment of the task that was achieved. More importantly it is the interpersonal development of each groupworker that has took place, and that may not be possible when the work was done by single individual. Sources: Brazier, Prasada Caroline.1992. Group facilitation. Amida Trust. Retrieved May 08, 2008. http://www.amidatrust.com/article_gpfacil.html Bradford, Allyn. Effective Teamwork .Why competitive individualism needs to be replaced by teamwork. Retrieved for the web May 09, 2008. http://www.wit.edu/Academics/HSSM/context/vol3/bradford.html Concepts of Leadership. Retrieved from the web May 08, 2008 http://www.nwlink.com/donclark/leader/leadcon.html Difficult Behaviour in Groups . Retrieved May 08, 2008 http://www.haworthpress.com/store/Toc_views.aspTOCName=J009v28n3%2F4&desc=Volume%3A+28+Issue%3A+3%2F4 Effective Groupwork . Retrieved May 08, 2008 http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/rxb/HTML_text/hci/Intro-groupwork.html Group Work.Advance Business and Technical Writing. Retrived from the web May 09, 2008. http://www.umsl.edu/kleinw/313/groupwork/groupwork.html Group Work. 2003. Retrieved May 09, 2008. http://www.iupui.edu/flip/grpwkpp/ Read More