Guthrie - Groups Part 2

Hello. This is Dr. Jennifer Guthrie,

continuing our conversation about

working in small groups and teams.

So for this video, we're going to talk

about the common stages when a group

comes together and works,

and then we'll also talk about some

of those more problematic issues that

might come up in a group,

which could result in someone experiencing group hate.

To begin, there are five stages

of a group performing together. Those are:

forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.

So in that first

phase, with forming, that's basically

where the group comes together. This phase can be a

little awkward, especially if you don't

know your other group members.

Research suggests that when your group

is first coming together,

use icebreakers, do something fun if you

can, get to know each other a little bit--

even if that is just to discuss what you

expect from a group, what your goals are.

Maybe you can even be

candid about how you like to work in groups. Be honest.

If you're a procrastinator, let your

group members know that.

And then also let them know you'll try

very hard, and

you'll do better, and you'll beat deadlines

and that sort of thing. But basically,

in that forming stage, being honest and candid

about what you can bring to a group--and

maybe what your struggles are--

can help the group in the next phase.

So that next

phase is called storming, which sounds very

negative, because basically, in that stage,

that's where

inevitable conflict might arise. And it

makes sense. If you have a group of five

strangers who each have different working styles,

you're going to hit a place in the group

where maybe there's some conflict.

Maybe one person likes to have more

control over the project than other people.

Maybe other folks feel like

they're not being included.

Maybe other people want to be included less.

Maybe someone wishes the group were actually friends,

and other people want it to be a work group.

Basically, all of these differences and

opinions are normal

and fine. And you can still be a

fantastically functioning group--

even if you have different needs for inclusion, control,

affection, that sort of thing. The deal is

just working it out. So I hope that normalizes

it a bit--that

typically every group goes through that storming phase.

You are working out your differences to make sure

that you can work effectively as a group.

Which brings us to our third stage,

which is norming. And in that stage, once

you've kind of figured out the different

working styles and how to best work,

the norming stage is usually where groups click.

You might just feel like, okay, now I've got it down.

I see that Rob is the one who really likes to take notes.

Susie likes to play the critical advisor.

Anthony's going to tend to be late,

so let's work around that. But basically,

in the norming phase, you've

figured everybody out a bit, so you might

really come together

and have that synergy. The next stage is

performing, where you do the thing.

Now that you've normed, you've come together--

maybe you've even done some late-night

heroics—but you still pulled it off.

So in that performing phase is where you actually do

what your group formed to do in the

first place. And then finally,

we have the adjourning phase. And this is

where your group parts ways.

After you've done what you were meant to do, you go on.

So maybe your group wants to continue

knowing each other through the rest of your college careers.

That's great. Maybe not. Maybe you all high-five,

say "Great job, I'll see you around campus,"

and that's fine too.

Basically, you might just want to talk

about that adjourning phase

to let everybody know what you expect

from this group as part of your goals.

So then, moving on into those maybe more problematic

areas with working in teams--and a lot of

these problematic

areas will start to become noticeable

during that storming phase.

So one: maybe issue that comes up a lot

in groups is you may have

a control freak. This can actually be really positive.

If you have someone in the group who

loves to have a lot of control

over the project--so maybe this person

is bound and determined to get an A

and wants to oversee everything--talk about that.

If you are that person, talk about that in the forming stage.

That way, maybe you can get some group roles

that meet your needs for control. And

then maybe, for folks who don't want as much control,

they're happy to give that up to you. On

that note, if you have

lots of folks who want control, that's alright too.

Set up a Google Drive. Make sure that you assign roles.

The more you explicitly talk about the process

of how you're going to achieve your

goals, the more smoothly that will flow.

So if it's like, "I'm in charge of editing,"

"You're in charge of polishing,"

"Someone else is in charge

of putting together the PowerPoint"--

basically set up a schedule with your

group so you know

exactly who is doing what, at what

time, and by when, and who is talking to whom, and

all of that--the smoother it will go.

So be sure to have a lot of communication

about your processes: how you're going to do things,

when, why, who you'll report to—all of that. Be very clear.

Doing that can help alleviate even a control freak

becoming a problem, if that way you're clear about

who wants that control and how. Another

common problem

is a social loafer, and that's someone

who's basically the slacker

in a group. And here's the deal: if you do

have someone who's not pulling their weight,

the typical response is to form a

coalition where the whole group

gangs up on the person, makes them feel

ostracized, whatever.

Basically, that ends up backfiring. If you

have your whole group breathing down the

neck of another person

because they're not pulling their weight,

they might actually

isolate even more, not feel identified with the group,

and even do less than what they're doing already.

So how to deal with a social loafer is

usually by that old

phrase--like, "you catch more flies with sugar."

So give that person a special task. Ask that person how you can help. Set up a

phone call. Set up a text message meeting. Go get coffee.

Basically, if you reach out to the social

loafer and try to get them more

involved, a lot of times that'll do the trick.

Not always. So find a way to keep each

other accountable in case social loafing

does happen,

but reach out to that person. If you get

them more involved,

more often times than not, they will be more involved.

Another problematic character is the

player. That's someone who jokes around,

plays around during group. And while some humor

can make group projects more fun--it can create identity--

too much can be distracting. So basically,

check yourself. Are you bringing humor to relieve tension

and to make this group project fun, or

are you being a distraction?

So make sure you avoid that.

And then finally, that last aspect of

problematic group work is forming

coalitions, which we've already discussed.

So if you do have problematic instances

and you need to talk it out with someone in the group,

fine--that's okay. But make sure that you don't

gang up on group members. Make sure that you have

open, clear communication with everyone.

If you form a coalition, someone might

feel isolated

and become a social loafer. So basically:

clear communication, talk about structure

and processes as much as possible, and

then also make sure you have relational messages.

Check in with folks. Try to make the

group work as fun as possible

while you're working. Best of luck. I know

you all will do fantastically.