facs 56 life management functioning in groups. groups: an overview sometimes it is thrust upon...
TRANSCRIPT
FACS 56 life management
functioning in groups
groups: an overview
sometimes it is thrust upon you…sometimes you volunteer
some last for only minutes…others will last a lifetime
understanding how they work can help you to be an effective groupmember and expand your leadership skills
groups: an overview
group dynamics is the study of how people interact in groups
how do you interact?
groups consist of two or more people that consciously interact with the intent of working to achieve a goal
groups: an overview
groups have:•roles for their members•norms and standards of behavior•communication patterns•a degree of cohesiveness
the more explicitly defined, the more formal
formal groups: families, businesses, schoolsinformal groups: movie audience, friends at a party
what groups are you currently a member of?
participating in groups: rules, norms & goals
think about the last group you joined—were your first few interactions awkward?
most likely you were observing the group dynamics and analyzing the roles & norms in order to fit in better
participating in groups: rules, norms & goals
roleset of expected behaviors for a particular position
normsstandards or rules that measure behavior
you will be more comfortable if you choose behaviors that suit both the group & your role within the group
participating in groups: rules, norms & goals
all groups have goals—stated or not
cooperative goals—people in group work together to achieve common objective
competitive—people work against one another to be the winner and gain the reward
many times you will encounter a goal that is both cooperative & competitive
examples?
participating in groups: rules, norms & goals
cohesiveness is the emotional bonding that exists between group members cohesiveness
connectedness separateness
too connected—lose objectivitytoo separate—lack of commitment & interest
balanced middle position is optimal
analyzing group structure and behavior
you can improve how you interact with others through analysis
•how are goals established?•are they cooperative? competitive? both?•who is the leader? dominant? controlling?•is there a dependent worker?•a facilitator?•a few who seem to run the whole show?•a supportive leader who shares authority?•what are the norms? rules?
observe carefully
leading in groups
a leader has more than a title
each of us influences and leads people around us through our words and actions
a leader has a vision and is able to communicate and share it with others
leadership is a set of behaviors, beliefs and values that enable one person to persuade others to act
family compared to other groups
unique—first group ever, membership is not voluntary, continues for a lifetime and beyond
roles and norms of family change and evolve as the age and needs of the members change
family compared to other groups
the goal of family is not profit—but quality of life—resource allocation based on different goals and values than those of business
operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year…much more than any other group
most cohesive group to which you will belong
homework activity:roles, roles, roles pg. 220
…use the chart on page 221 to identify a minimum of 12 different roles that you play…match each role to a group…identify at least one expectation or norm that goes with each role