Spring 2017 - Group Discussion
– Likes – Dislikes – Circumstances - Attitides- Need_to_Know -
( supplement to chapters 1 & 2 )(done via double fishbowls & Discussion Board/Forum #1)
<Items listed in no particular order>
part 1
Our Top 5 Things we Enjoy/Dislike about Working in Groups
-Divided work -
Ability to delegate work.
-Split up work according to people's strengths- strategic roles
-Networking - opportunity to get acquainted with people you normally wouldn't encounter- (i.e. Meet new people?)
-Generating ideas- The ability to bounce ideas of each other./ "2 heads are always better than 1"-
-Opportunity to develop friendships - bonding while working on common goals
- Working with slackers if someone "slacks" it hurts the group both in TASK & in MAINTENANCE
- Lack of balanced teamwork uneven distribution of workload,
-Scheduling conflicts - It's difficult to coordinate time schedules so people can meet face-to-face.
-Dealing with close minded people Personality & ideological clashes -
.
Some
Additional insights about how groups work: ( from current & past
semesters)
- There's an expectation that people are put in groups to learn something – the "socialization effect"
- Despite the U.S. cultural norms, not all group participants behave in high-utterance, talkative ways. It's important to understand there are stylistic differences & "ALLOW" space for the contributions of quieter participants. At the same time, all participants should be willing to speak up when necessary/appropriate,
- Working in a group means all participants need to adapt to be able to accept others ideas and not be in full control even though the grade is on the line.
- Everyone has his/her own role -- as in a sports team
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part 2
What are task/Communication factors where Working-in-Groups
is better than working individually? What common problems
inherent in Working-In-Groups?
original Question: What are things that groups do well/poorly?
a asset / Grps Do Well | a deficit / Grps Do Poorly |
mental synergy | enables slackers |
opportunity to communicate/interact | enables dominators |
resource management | time management |
specific, shared focus/goal | sense of partnership & commitment |
specialization (roles/ fulfill your expertise) | task details "falling between the cracks |
pushes participants toward progress | |
brainstorming/generation of ideas |
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part 3
What are the most important skills necessary for
successful (&amicable) Working In Groups? ( i.e. what do we need to learn?)
> Communication Skills: Ability to understand and to be understood /Listening and Response skills
> Task Management / Reliability
> Respect
> Have a Cooperative Attitude / Sacrifice for the good of the group
> Deter Hidden Agendas
1.
In certain education settings: e.g. Long-term projects in a semester can be
worked on as a group because everyone could have a different perspective on what
was taught by the teacher and the lessons that were taught in the class and the
project can be finished with better knowledge of the subject.
2.
Public
presentations are another way that we found working in groups much easier than
working alone because you can break down topics into sections that each member
of a group is more knowledgeable about and also,
it would make it easier to
answer
questions that the audience might have.
3.
Forming study groups with other members in your class or other friends help make
it easier to understand different topics in the class that you currently have
trouble understanding.
4.
Starting a marketing campaign for a business or a product is easier working in
groups because one person can focus on television advertising, another can focus
on print advertising, someone else can focus on making sales pitches to
distributors, and a group member can work on the graphic design.
5. Teaching can be used more efficiently as a group as a team exercise because the teacher can explain the lesson for the class then the students can work in a group to accomplish the work the needs to be finished with the teacher answering questions that the group has trouble figuring out on its own.
1.different research(
different views)
4. Specialization
1.Planning large scale
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Some leftover contexts characterized by GROUP structures:
Sports
Social Work/Volunteer
Work Presentations
Family Units
Friends
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part 4
What are the most important skills necessary for
successful (&amicable) Working In Groups?