Success Factors in Group Development Essay

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team I was welcomed to observe contains divorced women of varying ages, from 30 to 40. The team members also had varying ethnic backgrounds. All of these women had different experiences with one thing in common; they had all had divorced and now desired a new life very free from that stress. The environment was relaxed and welcoming. The team members were free to sit where they felt comfortable, and the whole atmosphere was relaxing and calm. There were sofas placed around the table. It almost had an atmosphere like a get-together for log time friends.

The vision of the team is to help women divorcees in any situation restore their lives and stand on their feet. Depending on this, the mission describes what the group wants to do and how. This team seems to work to allow women that have experienced divorce to learn from one another's experiences. The team is a secure home that they can discuss intimate aspects of their lives and are often extremely vulnerable in doing so. The meetings are intended to be an area free from judgment. While interacting and sharing their experiences, the team and the people can see can develop trust and a communal feeling that re-establishes a deeper understanding of self (O'Connell, & Cuthbertson, 2009).

Because individuals know how they feel, the agenda was left open in this group. This is because sometimes it warrants listening to the views of others in a small and safe team establishing before forming an agenda, program or rules. This group revealed a wealth of information and insights. It was well implemented, creating an accepting atmosphere that put members at ease enabling them to share their experiences thoughtfully (Forsyth, 2009).

The meeting lasted for an hour: I considered this as short and inadequate. It appears that most of the participants enjoyed the discussion and that it assisted them to find comfort and begin a new life. The structure (hierarchy) that was to be established in the meeting was based upon seniority (Women that had been divorced longer). The discussion started with greetings and a brief introduction of the participants beginning with the facilitator. The conversation shifted to a brief summary of the last meeting, restating some of the discussion pertaining to that conversation. The facilitator introduced new members who had been divorced and had trouble coping with the stress. The team participants were allowed to contribute to the developing conversation; revealing their views on the issue and relationship to their encounters. Senior divorcees were vocal, and their enthusiasm served to invite new group members. The team participants interchanged their ideas, issues, and viewpoints depending on their personal circumstances. No subject was off boundaries concerning the issue at hand and was open so all the participants could be a part of the conversation (Conyne, 2011).

Every member had a different story and members had to cope with another. However, the team was established with the notion that everyone knows she has somewhere where she can share with other females who have been through similar stress and were still surviving from those encounters. Towards the end, the participants appeared happier; I think the developments and mood of the team atmosphere permitted the participants feel less separated in their sadness and encounters. The team atmosphere seemed to have given these females an opportunity to feel like a winner rather than a victim. The team offered information and experience that otherwise would not have been possible. I think the ability to see other individuals survive through comparable situations permitted these females to continue moving ahead and not give up to their stress (Franz, 2012).

The group was structured cooperatively, and it exists to serve a social function. The group was governed by norms and behavioral patterns that are required simply because so many individuals do them. The group also determined positions; a behavioral pattern predicted because of positions within the team. People have multiple roles that may sometimes lead them into role disputes. Status includes the power of individuals comparative to their place in a team. Social class includes status variations among members of the community. One of the critical factors that made our team effective is the person selected as a facilitator and her style of leadership (Haynes, 2012).

All communications were designed to express a message. For example, silence seemed to convey, anger, thoughtfulness or lack of interest. In addition, every group member communicated not only to deliver information but also for many other reasons.

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Individuals can communicate with interpersonal issues such as:

understanding other individuals finding out where they stand in regards to other individuals convincing others maintaining or gaining power protecting themselves invoking a response from others making an impact on others

maintaining or gaining connections and presenting a unified picture to the team

The group was unified; this was well illustrated by a communication pattern based on trust. Trust is the core foundation of the group. Members were comfortable enough to expose their weaknesses. In the group, each woman took the time to say aloud how they felt after divorce. Regularly, they could remind each other that they should not hesitate about sharing their experiences within the borders of the team since they were confident it would remain within the team. Ideally, trust had been established (Conyne, 2011).

Groupthink is a phrase that associates the group's united desire and often does so by the team member's commitment to the team beliefs and conforming to those values. Many teams support groupthink dreams and have a need for absolute control of its participants done through various compliance procedures. This is done with the desires of protecting the values of the team at the cost of the personality of the team participant. The procedure of complying draws from three principles; the team must be cohesive, separated from opposite opinions, and a powerful a facilitator whose choices completely help his or herself. The group I was invited to attend revealed no sign that groupthink performed a significant part in the achievements of the team. The team participants sought the comfort of the team as a way to evade solitude and be free of feelings of conforming to an abusive marriage (O'Connell, & Cuthbertson, 2009).

The meaning of conformity is the changing or supposing actions and behavior that are valuable to fit with the social norms in a team or social atmosphere. Therefore, conformity means "going along." Members of a particular team exhibit tendencies of conformity when they lessen their ground on a particular opinion in favor of the one held by majority members. The act of conforming occurs because members have to compromise their stance for the group's good and growth. It may also occur due to negotiation, persuasion, the need to save time, and the need to limit group disagreements (Franz, 2012).

Many pressures existed in the group for individuals to conform. Even so, participants always advocated their positions, politely and articulately, until others disproved those positions. During discussions and brainstorming the contributions from all members were treated fairly and equally. No idea was dismissed until the best alternative was attained. In this case, there were many different ideas about where to hold a meeting. One woman thought the city park was the best place while another member preferred a hotel. For equality, it was important for the members to understand the pros and cons for all the mentioned locations. Many of the members considered a resort facility as the best choice although two members had reservations and wished for a hotel location. The proposer of the resort provided additional arguments where she managed to convince those with a contrary opinion. Conformity through persuasion ensured an effective decision (Haynes, 2012).

How my observations relate to research studies on norm formation, group norms, conformity and social influence.

Social ties and relationship can build the psychological condition of a person. The information collected from monitoring this team discussion indicates this is real. The psychological condition that was demonstrated in this group was a valuable one that the participants seemed to appreciate. Social connections, team, and interpersonal connections are an essential part of individual life. Humans are designed to find other people and develop social connections. Social communications improve intellectual abilities in the person and groups to create technology, knowledge, intelligence, fix problems, language abilities, interaction, and so much more. Although it is real that there are those that take advantage of the team atmosphere by creating a negative social influence on others, this is not the norm (O'Connell, & Cuthbertson, 2009).

The concept of completely preventing social connections is almost indecent because it has so any valuable elements and contributes so much detail to the individual experience. The group that I observed is a valuable social team that helps its members through a shared and supportive atmosphere when they are at the lowest points. The team helps its members to restore lost dignity, regain a sense of self and rebuild.....

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