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