Dr. Shirley J. Caruso, Ed.D.
A group’s success is a reflection of individual skills, roles, communication styles, culture, and power. Setting clear and measurable goals is essential to the success of a group. A group is effective when it has a clear sense of where it is going. The cohesiveness of a group drives it toward its goals.
According to Cannon, Griffith, and Guthrie (2006), “a group is a defined set of individuals who interact with each other for a common purpose” (p. 3). This “group” is so defined for its following characteristics and criteria:
- It has the capability to outperform sets of individuals doing similar work.
- It is able to make superior decisions because it draws on more information.
- It is more inspired because it can jointly brainstorm.
- The level of production is greater as synergies develop
- Formal social structure.
- Face-to-face interaction.
- 2 or more persons.
- Common goals.
- Interdependence.
Group Structure and Goals
Goals must be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bounded (SMART), (Cannon et al., 2006). Specific goals are clear, measurable goals allow assessment as to whether or not the goal has been attained, attainable goals require effort on the group’s part, but are still within reach, relevant goals are within the ability and responsibility of the group, and time-bound goals have a time limit or schedule.
Roles (Formal, Informal, Leadership, Task, and Maintenance)
Roles are a set of expectations defining the behaviors of an occupant of a group position as related to other positions. Depending on the task, each group member has formal and informal roles.
Group Norms/Cohesion
Norms are implicit and explicit rules that tell us how to behave in various contexts and also create order and stability. They make social settings more predictable by acknowledging what is expected and thereby reduce anxiety (Cannon et al., 2006).
Communication Styles
In order for a group to be successful and function effectively, it must maintain communication (Cannon et al., 2006).
The process of communication is complex and highly idiosyncratic (Cannon et al., 2006). Different people can hear the same message and have completely different interpretations. The practice of reflection can help group members slow down the interpretation and evaluation of messages so that understanding is more accurate and responses are more thoughtful.
Decisions/Conflict Resolution
Conflict is a hostile confrontation which occurs as a result of two or more individuals striving for their own outcomes with little or no regard for the needs of others. It is natural and expected that a group encounter conflict from individual differences. It is the group’s energy source. If conflict is managed, it will nurture creativity and individuality. Managing conflict is the basis for quality problem solving activities in a group.
Quality solutions have a modeling place; an effective group spends time figuring out a model or guidelines to solve problems.
Cultural-Context Characteristics (culture and diversity)
On one level, all human beings are unique and, therefore, diverse or different from each other. In order to identify general differences between people, differences in diversity is classified as visible and nonvisible (Cannon et al., 2006). Group members are likely to come from a variety of work backgrounds (nonvisible-functional differences). A group may consist of males and females (visible-demographic differences). Some may have many years worth of experience, and some may have only one or two years of experience (nonvisible-functional differences). Some may have advanced college degrees, some may have no college degree (nonvisible-functional differences).
Group Effectiveness
Sufficient clarity of direction is important for enabling a team to orient itself to a task (Cannon et al., 2006).
Power
Without power, leadership is impossible. Power is the capacity to influence one’s environment and the people in it. Certain group members may have a greater capacity for power and control over others.
Summary
Effective organizations pay special attention to how members work together, which roles they fill and whether members are contributing equally. Through group process observation and analysis, problems can be identified before they escalate, hopefully alleviating the need for a major overhaul as the project progresses.
References
Cannon, M. D., Griffith, B. A., & Guthrie, J. W. (2006). Effective groups: Concepts and skills to meet leadership challenges. Allyn & Bacon
Image source: https://www.mapconsulting.com/three-steps-to-recognizing-team-success/
I do agree that groups have the potential to outperform individuals doing the same work, but groups need to follow some rules to be successful. The SMART goals are absolutely necessary if the group wants to accomplish something. Also, the group members should respect one another even though they may come from a different background, religion, nationality, etc. Moreover, the group norms should be followed and roles should be assigned to the members. Group work may be very rewarding, but members of the group have to learn how to work effectively as a group.
The most important part of effectively working in groups is establishing a common goal and direction and ensuring everyone has a defined role and responsibility. Expect there to be bumps in the road as everyone has a unique personality and perception of what right looks like.
the group dynamics class i took was a eye-opening experience because all of these components are necessary for a groups success. What i experienced was that if you all have some common interest, the group usually is able to make the best decisions and have a better outcome.
I also agree that it is important for groups to have goals and to respect each other in order to achieve success. I think diversity with in a group is a great strength. A group with a wide variety of cultures and levels of education can work together and be highly successful since they are bringing a range of experiences to the group.
This article was pretty interesting but i felt like most of the criteria that was established in it for a successful group and group roles was basic information. i did find SMART to be an interesting way of reminding myself of group core values and keep a group on point.
Every one in a group should use their individual skills they group members have keep communication within each other to finish the project on time. Power is given to the person that leads the group and puts more effort in the project. It is true that setting clear and measurable goals is essential to the success of the group doing well.
This article is dead on when it comes to group success. It touches all the important points, the ones that stand out to me and in my opinion are key to any groups success are having a common goal and communication. I learned this from experience with our group training project, communication was a huge factor.
I agree that groups and group dynamics are important. Working in groups also allows the individuals to split up tasks and designate roles which will all help in the organization process. Also, 2 heads are better than one. With more people brainstorming ideas, it is more likely to succeed than one person working on his or her own. Everyone views things differently, so it is helpful to work in a group and share views and ideas!
Working in a group some times can be very challenging,but at the same time it can be very rewarding.The components within the group make the experience a pleasent one, or a lesson in diplomacy. What is very true, is that when we are blessed with the company of motivated people, we become a better person and team member.
This is a great article when dealing with groups and it is important to keep this information in mind when in or gathering a group. I really liked, “In order for a group to be successful and function effectively, it must maintain communication”. Communcation is key, when in a group because everyone needs to be on the same page to move forward.
I agree with the article and how it states that a group only performs well when knowing what their goals are. This helps groups come together to meet their desired goals. Another thing that helps group work and achieve together is communication, and when working in a group this can at times be very challenging but very effective.
Working in a group can be challenging but with good communication and respect, it is a very beneficial arrangement. Each person is unique and with that comes different ideas and experiences. It gives us a chance to see a different perspective.
I think the article is correct in saying that the group success is based on the roles and the communication of all individuals.
It’s challenging to have the group members actively involved. One may try to lead but fail due to lack of response from other members. It is really important for the members to participate evenly. Communication is the key! Everyone in the group should communicate in order to be successful.
A group is very complex, but when all components (communication, goals, power, etc) are clearly set and followed, a group can be extremely efficient and achieve much greater results than one individual. Because a group requires the cooperation of two or more individuals, there are many challenges such as being able to have every person follow the same path and other things that are as simple as personalities.
An organization’s sucess can very much rely on group efforts from within. There are certain elements nessesary for a group’s sucess such as setting roles, having norms, proper communication, and the most important in my opinion, which is managing conflict.