Work Groups are an important organ in any given organization. These units bring together individuals from different socio-cultural, political and economic divides. This enables the Work groups to bring together a wealth of knowledge so as to mitigate on issues and challenges faced at places of work. (Gary Daniel, 2017). In the field of Social Work, Group works are correspondingly important.
Group works enable social workers to bring together their experiences in their different fields of work. In doing so, Social Workers are able to offer solutions to their problems and provide better services to the masses. There are however challenges in forming Work Groups. Group dynamics offer challenges as members may not be on the same political, social or cultural plane. In essence, it is the job of the group leaders as well as the members themselves in facilitating a conducive environment in order to ensure that each of the Group’s member feels comfortable to contribute his/her thoughts.
For desirable results, it is of great importance for the members of a given group to establish steady interaction patterns amongst themselves. Also, Group cohesion should be spearheaded as it enables the members of that group to come together in support of each other. Group cohesion can be achieved by means of assessing common goals among members. This creates a favorable group culture that enables group members to solve occurring problems.
Group Development Process
Forming & Storming
One of the most influential models has been Bruce W. Tuckman’s description of the stages of development in small groups. (Denise Bonebright, 2010) According to Bruce W. Tuckman, the first stage and second stage of a group involve forming and Storming. The first stage of the model is ‘testing and dependence’. In this stage, the group becomes oriented to the task, creates ground rules, and tests the boundaries for interpersonal and task behaviors. (Denise Bonebright, 2010)
When we began our Social Work Group, we all came up with many goals that our group aimed to achieve. We aimed to spearhead, social justice, empowerment, inclusivity as well as the democratic process in our group. Every individual communicated his/her views towards these goals. Everyone agreed that they were achievable.
Norming and Performing
The group is a ‘problem-solving instrument’ as members adapt and play roles that will enhance the task activities. Structure is supportive of task performance. (Denise Bonebright, 2010). After the formation of our Social Work Group had become successful, we began to think of ways in which we would make our group successful. Through voting, we came to a consensus that we would utilize google docs and emails to channel our thoughts and solve issues presented in the group.
Group Dynamics
Inattention to group dynamics can have a negative effect on the meeting of members’ socioemotional needs and on goal attainment. (Ronald Toseland and Robert Rivas, 2017). It is therefore important for members of a given group to pay attention to group dynamics so as to solve arising issues during group meetings. An Introduction to Group Work Practice (2017) outlines four dimensions of group dynamics which should be looked into in order for a given work group to achieve its desired goals. Firstly, it is important for a group work to assess its communication and interaction processes, secondly, it is important to assess cohesion among members, to assess social integration and influence and lastly assess the group culture (Ronald Toseland and Robert Rivas, 2017).
Communication and Interaction Process
Communication is very essential in our work group. From the beginning, we have employed the usage of google hangouts as well as emails in order to communicate between ourselves. This is because most of our group members are excellent in expressing themselves in writing as compared to verbal communication. Also, communication through writing gives each member of the group sufficient time to think about the subject matter, collect his/her own thoughts before communicating them to the group.
Cohesion & Social Integration and Influence
Cohesion among members ensures that each of the Group’s members has a strong desire to achieve the group’s desired goals. This is achieved since each of the group member is comfortable in the group. For this to happen, our group work focused on ensuring that social integration was one of our biggest priorities amongst members. In doing this, we ensured that social workers who belonged to the people of color were not isolated. We voted for inclusion of every member so as to create a strong foundation for future interactions.
Group Culture
In any work group, it is essential for each group member to join group discussions and communicate his/her thoughts. Our work group work encourages each and every individual to communicate his/her views clearly. Also, each individual is allowed to communicate his thoughts and views in a channel that he/she is most comfortable in. we noticed that many individuals in our work group desired to use google docs and chats since written communication was more favorable to them. This was accepted and became the group’s culture.
Success and Hindrances in the Work Group in Relation to Different Identities of Members
Our social group was wholesomely successful from the beginning. However, the group received a new member, a woman of color. It is from this moment that communication in the group came to mute. Many of the group members were quiet because they did not know what to do, as they came from the white community and did not want to sound intimidating to the new member. However, I communicated this to the members and we all agreed that our group was open to people of all walks of life as this would champion the goals we had drawn in our first meeting. Afterwards, communication among members continued and our Social Work Group Thrived.
Alternative Choices for Better Group Process
Our work group was dominantly comprised of white people from the beginning. This may have caused intimidation to other social workers who had desired to join. Also, although every member was supportive of new members despite their identity, members did not explicitly communicate this. It would have been better if the group had recruited members from different ethnic divides from the beginning. In doing so, the group would have avoided that awkwardness recorded when a woman of color joined the group.
Self in Relation to the Group
Contribution to the Group
Since the beginning of the group, I have always tried to communicate my personal views to the group. I try to raise discussions on different subjects. While doing that, I have also realized that it is very important to help others to engage in discussions with other group members. Therefore, I try to help other members of the group to communicate their views on given subjects. I am able to foster a conducive climate for discussion by asking open ended questions to the members. Also, I try to clarify content so that other members who may not have understood clearly to get a better understanding of it. Since we come from different socio-economic backgrounds, encouraging different views on certain subject matters gives the members a chance to talk and express themselves.
Leadership, Power and Empowerment
In order to help a work group to achieve its desired goal, the group should adopt indigenous leadership. Leaders should able be able to share tasks as well as help fellow group members meet their socio-emotional needs. (Ronald Toseland and Robert Rivas, 2017) Through indigenous leadership, members of a given group begin to feel that they have power in the group. This encourages them to take initiatives in order to enable the group to become even more successful
After we had formed the group, I took the initiative of discussing work schedules of each member of the group. In doing so, members came forward and discussed the most suitable time for our discussion. Also, I encouraged members to choose methods of communication to which they felt most comfortable with. there were members who were comfortable in written communication while others desired verbal communication. In doing, so, each member was comfortable with his/her channel of communication. Since it was important to get ready for discussions before time, I took the initiative of creating shared documents prior to the discussions. This was in favor of the smooth running of the discussions.
Effects of Different Dimensions of Self, Personal Background and Social Cultural Identity to Work Groups
One’s personal background and cultural Identity may affect how he/she behaves in a work group. This is because there are many socio-cultural identities among individuals and yet each subscribes to different values. There are those which promote prejudices while others lead one to have feelings of withdrawal within a work group. My cultural values dictate that it is important to listen to everyone despite their identity. Thus, it does not matter from which race one comes from, rather what the individual communicates.
Group Practice Skills
Strengths and Challenges as Group Practitioner and Participant
In order for a work group to run smoothly, there are factors to be considered by both members of a group and the Leaders of that group. Both members and leaders should have good listening skills. In this sense, they should listen to the content, notice the reactions and feelings of fellow members as well as understand good intentions. Also, Leaders of work group should be able to equalize participation. This is done by welcoming silent members to group discussions without necessarily intimidating them. Leaders of work groups can give members a chance to communicate their ideas as well as give feedback and clarify different perspectives.
In my work group, I have been successful in involving members in group discussions. I have also been successful in attending to other’s needs as well as focusing on group communication. In doing so, we are able to solve complex problems relating to our profession. However, group communication has had challenges due to anxiety among members when divergent views are expressed.
Areas for Growth
Although I have learnt a lot in relation to work groups and relating with individuals from different socio-economic and political planes, I still have a lot to learn. I have a problem with cuing members during group interactions. This is especially if the members in question are introverts and are shy to speak. Also, I find myself blocking others during discussions. This causes anxieties as well as preventing members from airing their honest thoughts. Therefore, I am challenged in terms of building group interactions as well as making group processes explicit for everyone.
Conclusion
Work Groups are an important part of an individual’s profession. It is therefore of great importance for individuals to communicate and interact in these work groups. In doing so, group members are able to solve problems occurring in their profession. However, group dynamics may pose challenges to the success of a given group. It is only through understanding group dynamics and that group members can surmount this challenge. Also, it is important for one to know his/her role and interaction patterns in a work group. This helps the member to improve his/her relations with the rest of members and thus making the work group successful.
References
Bonebright, D. (2010). 40 years of storming: a historical review of Tuckman’s model of small group development. Human Resource Development International, 111-120.
Jones, D. (2017). "Modeling effective work groups and teams : an assessment of the inclusion of social value orientation. Theses and Dissertations, 6-7.
Toseland, R., & Rivas, R. (2017). An Introduction to Group Work Practice. Pearson.
