Is working together really better? The New Groupthink causes classrooms around the nation to be arranged in such a way to encourage teamwork. This will help prepare students for the workforce, where they will be required to collaborate with others.Some suggest that this style of learning may not be as effective for other students, more specifically; introverts. Susan Cain is one of those people. Susan Cain is an American author and lecturer, as well as the co-founder of the Quiet Revolution, a movement dedicated to motivate introverts to create a change, no matter how quiet they are. Cain suggests that there should be a balance between collaboration and solitude in both academic and work settings. Cain argues that joint effort may not be the best when working. “Research strongly suggests that people are more creative when they enjoy privacy and freedom from interruption” (Cain). Some individuals perform better when left in solitude. The author believes that there should be some sort of equilibrium concerning independent work and teamwork. Cain states, “our offices should encourage casual, cafe-style interactions, but allow people to disappear into personalized, private spaces when they want to be alone.” The author also adds that academic environments should also do the same. Having a cafe-style environment allows for both …show more content…
Some students tend to work better by themselves. Placing students in pods with their friends may lead the students to going off task, and therefore being less productive. Pushing collaboration between students and their peers pose another problem: an uneven workload. This is quite common. When in a group, one student may be forced to do extra work due to their teammates’ shortcomings. This is both unfair and unnecessary. Giving students the choice to work independently or in a group can help solve these types of
Lassila, Kathrin. "A brief history of groupthink." Yale Alumni Magazine. Jan.-Feb. 2008. Yale Alumni Publications. 28 Oct. 2013. Web..
Studies show that people are more creative and efficient when they enjoy privacy and freedom from interruption, while interaction is a useful way to exchange ideas and theories. My intervention, the glass cubicle gives people the privacy to talk without any external listeners but at the same time, gives the employers the benefit to see when their employees are talking on phone. It allows people to work privately by frosting the glass, but at the same time, Glass cubicles blend privacy and transparency to create an efficient working space that keeps the employers and the employees both happy.
In 1972, Irving Janis presented a set of hypothesis that he extracted from observing small groups performing problem solving tasks; he collectively referred to these hypotheses as groupthink¹. He defined groupthink as “a quick and easy way to refer to a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members’ striving for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action²” A successful group brings varied ideas, collective knowledge, and focus on the task at hand. The importance of groups is to accomplish tasks that individuals can not do on their own. The Bay of Pigs, Watergate, and the Challenger disaster are all forms of failure within a group. Specifically, you can see the effect of groupthink of Americans before September 11, 2001. The thought of harm to the United States was unfathomable, but only after the attacks did they realize they were not invincible. When a solid, highly cohesive group is only concerned with maintaining agreement, they fail to see their alternatives and any other available options. When a group experiences groupthink, they may feel uninterested about a task, don't feel like they will be successful, and the group members do not challenge ideas. Stress is also a factor in the failure of groupthink. An effective group needs to have clear goals, trust, accountability, support, and training. Some indicators that groupthink may be happening are; making unethical decisions, they think they are never wrong, close-minded about situations, and ignore important information. Many things can be done to prevent groupthink from happening. One way is to make each person in the group a “critical evaluator”. The leader must ...
Social Workers must be knowledgeable on how to facilitate and lead group sessions with clients. They must be cognizant on their responsibilities as a facilitator, and diligently work to meet the needs of all group members collectively and individually. According to Toseland, Ronald, & Rivas, Robert (2009) group work practice focuses on Social Work practice with a broad range of treatment and task groups and the group’s environment (pg. 2.). It is significant for Social Workers to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to be able to properly assess and assist in group atmospheres. At my field placement which is at the Covenant House, a homeless shelter in Detroit that services youth from ages 18-24. I am responsible for co-facilitating along with the agency’s Social Worker, a
Thomas, R. V. & Pender, D. A. (2007). Association for specialists in group work: Best
What is groupthink? There is a simple definition for it, but is it truly that simple? The term groupthink refers to the inclination of group members to have the same opinions and beliefs; it frequently leads to mistakes. It often occurs without an individual being aware of it. Conflict is considered to be a harmful element when related to groups, but conflict is good when considering groupthink because it helps to eliminate the existence of a groupthink. The explanation sounds simple enough, but it is more complex than the description given.
Toseland, R & Rivas, R 2012, An Introduction to group work practice, 7th edn, Allyn & Bacon, Massachusetts.
Stewart, G., Manz, C., & Sims, H., (1999). Teamwork and Group Dynamics. New York: Wiley. pp. 70- 125.
The Importance of Group Work in Today's Organizations. It could be argued that in order to be successful, modern organisations must actively develop strong and cohesive work groups. Why do you need to be a member? Is it true that there is no room for the individual in today’s organisation? The rapid progression and improvement in information and communication technology has led to modern organisations finding new ways to work.
Engleberg, Isa N. and Dianna R. Wynn. Working in Groups. 6th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2012. Print.
Many introverts take time to process things, to develop ideas and to think of ways to express them. Susan Cain uses logos through supported research that many important people are in fact introverts, and that their ideas come from being alone. “ Now in fact, some of our transformative leaders in history have been introverts. I’ll give you some examples. Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, Gandhi -- all these people described themselves as quiet and soft-spoken and even shy” (Cain, 6:00). She also continues on to explain how individual learning allows for more ideas and thoughts to be muddled around and created. Thus reinforces her reasoning to bring up these heroic figures, like Theodore Geisel for example, “he dreamed up many of his amazing creations in a lonely bell tower office that he had in the back of his house in La Jolla, California (Cain, 8:30). Schools nowadays encourage group activities which is also needed for students. However, this allows the reader to clearly grasp the importance of being alone, where ideas can grow and stimulate. She provides examples and research that the audience can realize how important an effective introverts, and extroverts can benefit and grow their minds with some time
When an organization is looking for new creative ideas, they should ask their employees. The employees of the organization have an in depth look and are more understanding to the needs of the organization because it is where they work and are involved. Managers can call on a group of employees and together, they can come up with solutions for the organization. “Group decision making is a type of participatory process in which multiple individuals acting collectively, analyze problems or situations, consider and evaluate alternative courses of action, and select from among the alternatives a solution or solutions” (Group Decision Making, n.d.,para.1).
Students who work in groups are more productive than those who decide to work alone. When in groups big projects are broken down into smaller tasks for each person to complete and activities are done at a quicker pace. Also in groups, peer learning is demonstrated to other people in the group. Peer learning essentially is students learning with and from each other
While the traditional education stresses independence and competition, we believe that a balance between education for independence and education for teamwork needs to be forged (Kagan, 1992). This is because the commercial world increasingly demands that individuals that are able to work productively in teams and living in the interdependent world of the 21st century will require maximum development of interpersonal skills. Collaborative learning has shown to be an effective approach to realise and prepare learners to talk, listen, judge, and act on issues of common concern. The emphasis placed by collaborative learning on collective responsibility and pursuit of a common goal are well aligned with the skills and competency for the 21st Century.
My goal as a teacher is to improve my student’s education and help them grow knowledgably. I like to see students at different levels develop with each other and learn. I want to challenge the students and watch them grow to their highest level of education. Therefore, having the students in groups is the best educational strategy I like to use a lot. I want my students to have freedom with whatever creativity they want, and to allow them to express themselves at any time. With this freedom students will be able to experiment with likes and dislikes and be able to figure their weaknesses and strengths. Education is for everyone and it’s a right by low for all; teachers, on the other hand, should do their jobs very honestly and effectively.