The purpose of this research assignment is to reflect and discuss the authors personal experiences about human behavior and link them to theory and research. To examine and provide insight about the changing experiences as a member of a small in-class experimental group; Apply various topics taught in Behaviour In Groups (Psyc 3430) and investigate the various experiential learning opportunities about behavior in-class groups.
The author had experiences about two in-class groups - Group 4, “Jordan’s get it done” and Group 20 “Procrastination”. The demographics of both groups were quite similar as the members were all York University students. Group 4 consisted of members A, B, and C (males aged 21-26) and member D (36 year old female). Group 20 consisted of members A, E, and F (males aged 23-27) and members G and H (females aged 22-25).
I. Group Formation and Structure
Group Development
When new members joined Group 4 the author observed various effects on group development. The addition of group members ‘reset’ the group and/or created a new group that was completely separate and unique from the original. When new members joined, the old relationship about members deteriorated and new relationships emerged. These effects were experienced in Group 4 with the addition of new members - In class #2 member C joined and in class #3 member D joined. Changes in group composition created tension about the older group members, decreased confidence and stressed performance as the author observed by member communication patterns and behaviors. New members joining the group greatly interfered with the completion of in-class assignments as meeting new members and introductions about the groups norms and roles took a time to redevel...
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... expert power of member A was positively correlated with compliance and competence.
Conclusion
With reference to the various studies and experiments, the authors experience about in-class groups was elaborated upon. By linking theory, researching and reading journals about group development, conflict and leadership the author gained an enriched perspective and understanding of his experiences. Taking what was taught in class and at home the author experienced ‘real-time’ experiential learning about behavior in-class groups. The limitation about the authors in-class experiences is about the short length time of experiential learning opportunities. Approximately only three months in duration, members only met in-class once a week and communicated out-of-class occasionally by email. A longer duration is preferred to obtain more accurate and astute observations.
In-group relationships were built through activities that will promote group identification. Stereotypes were assumed, such as believing that in-group members are brave and friendly (described in favourable terms) and members of the other group – sneaky (unfavourable terms). Hostility developed rapidly, followed by bitter conflict. The experiment focused heavily on the concept of a 'group ' and what a perception of belonging to a group can actually do to the relationships of members within it and their relationships with people outside their group. Sherif remarked that anyone who came in at this point would have concluded that these youngsters were wicked and vicious. However, it was group processes rather than the personality that had produced the conflict. However, in one of Sherif’s studies, which, unfortunately, was never published, they refused to be divided and, together, they resisted attempts by the experimenters to set them against each other.
Groups can be defined as, any number of people with whom interact with each other, are psychologically aware of one an other and perceive themselves as a group. Effective groups are important as they endeavour to take care of each group member, get tasks done and strive to achieve their goals, whilst being stimulating, enjoyable and rewarding (Schein (1998), as cited in Fowler, Gudmundsson, & Whicker, 2011, p.16). Groups
According to Toseland (1984), “Social order and stability are prerequisites for the formation and maintenance of a cohesive group” (p.78). The group culture of respect and support as well as the established roles assisted in creating the cohesive group. However, certain personality differences and dynamics can negatively impact the group culture. For example, one of the older girls demonstrated dominance over the youngest girl of the group. The younger girl was submissive and shy. During one observation, the girls processed a disagreement over a joined project. The eldest girl would not allow the younger girl to help as she felt her lack of skill would mess up the project. The younger girl’s feelings were hurt and the eldest girl was steadfast in her position. Personality differences are inevitable and likely to be seen in all group settings. The dynamics and personality differences between individuals impact the overall group
Topics explored with this group included; conversational skills, internet safety, bullying, conflict resolution, social media, and personal appearance. Accordingly, I was able to gain insight on how to plan activities tailored to the needs of the group as well as obtain tips on conducting groups effectively. Additionally, I was able to get a sense of the group dynamics, attain knowledge on the stages of a group through observing all the individuals belonging to the group, their uniqueness and how their personality impacted the group itself. Individuals were able to join the group at different stages hence; the forming stage was repeated each time a new member was recruited. This also provided me with the opportunity of gaining first-hand experience of the interaction on the basic dynamics on group stages of forming, norming, storming and
In a class group, some people may be working for an A, while others might not care at all about the class. Even though this can be very frustrating, it is a fact of small group communication. 12 Angry Men displays this reality, but the movie also shows that a team can rise about these different motives. A group can still do an excellent job on a task even if some people may not very dedicated to the group or goal.
Group dynamics relate to how each member reacts, behaves and communicates with others in a group and how certain patterns of interaction are formed (Prendiville, 2004). During the group process members adopt transitory or permanent roles where challenging or encouraging others can enhance work and help achieve goals and disruptive roles such as blocking, criticising or sabotaging the group can prove damaging (Prendiville, 2004) and therefore it is essential the facilitator recognises the roles within the group to help enrich the process.
Working in groups can be a very positive or very negative experience. How a group functions together determines how positive or negative that experience becomes. All go through four stages of development, forming, norming, storming, and performing.. Unfortunately for our group, many of the members experienced some of these stages together and other missed out on that opportunity of original growth. Kirst-Ashman and Hull describe these stages as a pattern of development. This allows the group members to see how they are working together but also allows observers to see what stage the group is stuck on. I had hoped for my group to develop past the first stage of development quickly, however as a whole we couldn’t seem to get over this limbo of being a forming or norming group. Our group was not the best functioning, but working together taught me the important pieces of being a group member as well as working within a group.
I chose for Tuck man 's model of group development just there which are forming, storming and performing. And how they are related to my group such as, forming is related because I I saw we need someone to take responsibility, I took it. For the addendum, I explained what each member of team has and what they did. However, a communicating in a group is substantial thing because we will use it in your job, school and community. How to deal with the team to produce important and successful new work , so you need to respect your group and try to understand hot all of us has the same strengths that we
This week’s report deals with the concept of in and out-groups. As we begin, we will be looking into what exactly makes an in and out-group. We will also study the concepts of in and out-groups. Once we wrap up the first portion of the research we will immediately be going into our second section. The second portion will consist of describing a personal example in which I was part of an in-group situation. Once I divulge my personal example, I will be describing a situation in which a colleague of mine found himself in an out-group situation. Once we study these two situations, the report will navigate into the third portion in which we will be analyzing and explaining some of the differences between my in-group situation and my colleague’s out-group experience. As we move into the fourth section of the report, we will be looking into how in-groups and out-groups affect organizations and their employees. The fifth section of the report will explain how the out-group situation in which my colleague found himself was directly caused by an extend of a non-task related factors. Finally, as we reach the final section of the report, the report will describe some of the implications that can occur when leader’s develop a relationship with their followers.
Schouwenbug, Henri C., and Clarry H. Lay, and Timothy A. Pychyl, and Joseph R. Ferrari. Counseling the Procrastinator in Academic Settings. Washington: American Psychological Association, 2004. Print.
TUCKMAN, B. 1965. Developmental Sequences in Small Groups. Psychological Bulletin 63, p 384 – 99. cited in DOEL, M. and SAWDON, C. (2001). The Essential Group Worker: Teaching and Learning Creative Group Work. London: J Kingsley.
As individuals we make our own choices, decided on what we agree and disagree on, learn from our mistakes, and learn to evaluate a situation when we are wrong. However, in a group the same approach can be taken but it doesn't necessarily mean it will work. Teams are made up of a large group of individuals who each have their own opinion and whose opinions others might not see. Instead of making your own choice, a group choice has to be made where compromises must be formed and unfortunately not everyone will agree with the decision at times. This Organizational Psychology course really tested individuals “teamwork skills” in the most challenging of way, that being to depend on the cooperation of the members in your group because a major part of your grade depended on your groups’ success. On the day groups were assigned the first thing that popped into mind was “Great now I have to do all the work” and that was followed by “please don't let there be any social loafers in my group”. Once a group is assigned its permanent members the real evaluation begins.
After watching the Pixar film “Inside Out”, it is easy to see how this film relates to small group communication. This film focuses on a twelve year old girl name Riley and how the emotions in her brain work throughout everyday experiences. The emotions Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust work inside headquarters of Riley’s brain, that is until Joy and Sadness accidentally wind up far from headquarters into long-term memory. I will be analyzing this film using concepts from the textbook such as group communication, group development, group membership, and diversity in groups.
Working in groups is challenging at times. Other times it is very rewarding. We are so focused on life that we do not take time to reflect on things as much as we should. Being in a Groups class has opened my eyes to a whole new world. I have begun to question, explore, and even understand how things work. I even get how they work sometimes. Not only is there a process involved in making individual decisions, process is involved in group decisions as well. This paper attempts give insight into my reflection of my group decision process.
Several experiments and researches have been conducted that have focused on how people behave in groups. The findings have revealed that groups affect peoples’ attitudes, behavior and perceptions. Groups are essential for personal life, as well as in work life.