Like a car that cannot run without all of it’s parts, a small group must have all the necessary components in working order to be successful in reaching it’s goals. If something is amiss in a small group; things will run off course and the group will ultimately fail in meeting its objective.
A few years ago in one of my classes, I was assigned to work in a small group with random students from my class chosen by the professor. Our task was to analyze a public speech and write a group paper and also present our findings to the class. Our group had five people who were all from very diverse backgrounds and also very different schedules. It was extremely difficult trying to set a time and place where we could all meet and when we did, it was even more difficult for us to work together as there were language and educational barriers between the five of us. Since everyone was not on the same page from the beginning and group participation was minimal, it ended up being that I and another classmate carried the load for the whole group. Because of this incident, I still have to admit that I do not like working in small groups and try to avoid doing so at all costs.
Another recent small group experience that comes to mind is when I was put in a group with two of my other colleagues at work to come up with a new training presentation for the new hires that just started out at our company. Unlike the small group that I was put into for school, this small group experience was a lot more pleasant as the three of us were all in the same positions in our job and therefore had the same amount of knowledge and understanding of what needed to be done. In addition, our schedules were the same at work so we were able to make time to meet and discuss the new training material, provide both positive and constructive feedback to each others ideas, and shared a common vision for what we wanted the outcome to be. While our personalities are very different, we were able to put our differences aside and communicate effectively because we agreed that we had a job to get done and we wanted to make sure it was done correctly. Every small group experience is different, from the people to the purpose of the small group; however, one thing remains the same and that is that if the group cannot work together cohesively, it will not be able to succeed.
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Hello there,
ReplyDeleteI must admit, I really enjoy reading your blog postings. This post shows that you not only understand course concepts, but you are able to apply what is going on in your life to what we are learning in class.
I think we are all afraid of working in small groups when we do not know the other people. Sometimes you are lucky and end up with a group of very dedicated, hard working and organized bunch who want to work together. Other times you are not so lucky and end up with those "freeloaders" who only want to ride other people's coat tails. Those slackers drive me bananas! I have been in more groups that I was not happy with at school, but at work, everyone seems to be really dedicated to the outcome so it's great. I work at an elementary school in a Special Education classroom. There are 4 adults and 12 kids in our class, so it is great that we have the common goal of attaining a high level of progress for these children and meeting their educational plan goals.
It's frustrating when it feels like that you are the only one who cares...but at those times, I tell myself that I still want a good grade and I am going to do what it takes to get that A!
Good post! :)