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 group member 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, schools informal 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 role set of expected behaviors for a particular position norms standards 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 objectivity too 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