Introduction According to Meriam-webster a group is defined as two or more figures forming a complete unit in a composition or a number of individuals assembled together or having some unifying relationship. Group and organizational dynamics are in all areas of our lives. From the corporate jobs, small business owners to family and friends, each area of our lives consist of different groups. Working in groups can be challenging at times. Knowing your strengths as individuals as well as knowing your role in group settings can make the challenges easier. I will discuss group and organizational dynamics from six different areas: group vs. individual decision making; motivational patterns in group dynamics; conflict; competition; task functions; and maintenance function.
Group vs. Individual Decision Making It has been said that two heads is better than one. When it comes to making a decision rather it’s in your personal or professional life many seek the opinions of others before making a final decision. When I worked in 911 call centers there were times when you had to work with a group of dispatchers on task throughout the city and then there were times when I needed to make a quick decision to make sure that officers in the field were safe on my own. I found myself at ease when making the group decisions because I knew that the bulk of what happened wouldn’t be on my shoulders. There was someone else to share responsibilities with me. When working with a group of people communication with all individuals is critical to keep the group on the same level. There are verbal and non verbal ways to communicate with individuals in the group. Depending on your role in the group the way you decide to communicate with others will vary. When working on the survival guide with my two peers I found that we each had a voice about what we would need to survive if left out in the woods. We each had our own ideas at first and started out working as individuals but soon realized that we would need to communicate and team up in order for our ideas to be the same. We interacted verbally with what we needed and what order we would need the items to survive until help came. We each explained what item was more important and why. This was not my first time working in a group however this was the first time a group project went smoothly. I would say partially to the short time we worked together and the type of project assigned
I appreciate the dynamics that working in groups bring however sometimes working alone is easier. Individual decision making at times can be stressful however because you don’t have to weigh others opinions it can be easily accessed. When working alone there is no one to place blame or to celebrate with at the end of an assignment. Most of my career I have worked in some type of group setting except for when I was supervising my own shift. There was time when I would have to make quick decisions to make sure that the dispatch center still ran smoothly even though there were problems with a certain computer or radio. When having to make a split decision I found that working alone was easier because I didn’t have to deal with the person who wasn’t as confident or lack information to get the job done.
Motivational Patterns in Group Dynamics What motivates one individual may be different for another individual. When working with groups it is imperative that the leader of the group is able to decipher what motivates members to put their best foot forward. When speaking with DeAndrae Thompson, president of a social club in Dallas, she explained that working with a group of women on projects can be very challenging. She stated that what she learned to do is to figure out what motivates the women and to challenge them to achieve certain goals. She pushes the women to find charities that are of their area of interest so that when it comes time to work they take it to heart. I have learned while working with others that rewards and punishments are expected. One has to know what the standard is and once it is achieved what is available to keep them motivated. Job security, wages, promotions, monetary gifts are all things that will keep an individual motivated. However there has to be some type of standard required. When the leader of the team notices that the moral of the group is changing then one must become creative and rethink what will motivate the group to do more to complete assignments in a prompt time with few errors When thinking of motivation in group dynamics Douglas McGregor theories comes to mind how management could use a set of needs to motivate employees. There are two theories that McGregor developed his work from based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. Theory X the mangers role was to coerce and control employees. With Theory Y the managers would develop the potential in employees and help them to release that potential towards common goals. Now to motivate and keep a group on one accord I believe that Theory Y would work best today. Employees and members of any group want to feel like they are apart and not boss around all the time. Theory Y doesn’t make one feel like they are being micromanaged. Fredrick Herzberg two factor motivation hygiene theory states that there are certain factors in the workplace that cause job satisfaction, while a separate set of factors cause dissatisfaction. The following table presents the top seven factors causing dissatisfaction and the top six factors causing satisfaction, listed in the order of higher to lower importance.
Leading to satisfaction
• Achievement
• Recognition
• Work itself
• Responsibility
• Advancement
• Growth Leading to dissatisfaction
• Company policy
• Supervision
• Relationship with boss
• Work conditions
• Salary
• Relationship with peers
• Security

Herzberg reasoned that because the factors causing satisfaction are different from those causing dissatisfaction, the two feelings cannot simply be treated as opposites of one another. The opposite of satisfaction is not dissatisfaction, but rather, no satisfaction. Similarly, the opposite of dissatisfaction is no dissatisfaction.
Conflict
Group conflict is bound to happen at someone point. As we discussed in class if there is no conflict there is a possibility that someone is not agreeing with the other people in the group and is too afraid to speak up. In article, Managing Organizational Conflict, author that’s that when we accept that unanimity does not exist in complex organizations, we acknowledge that friction is part of the administrator’s job. So conflict though it has been viewed upon as being negative, can actually be positive. Conflict when handled appropriately allows members of the group who feel differently about a task or the way something is being done to speak on it. Conflict doesn’t always mean that everyone is fighting, is simply means that all parties in the team don’t accept what is currently going on. Group conflict can actually lead to positive results at times. The person that brings up the idea or whose opinion is differently can cause a shift in the way a project is being handled. The sole purpose of conflict is so that someone can re-evaluate the way something is being handled. I recall when we first started our course at Texas College as Group 52. There was one member of our group that seemed to play devil’s advocate every class session. It became unbearable for another student and I. It seemed like week after week he would find something to complain about or something to do to agitate the professor and prolong progression in the course. During one class we both stated how we felt about him and his attitude. It was an awkward moment but it felt good to get it off our chest. We didn’t want to carry on this same behavior for another year through other courses. He has since become more attentive and even easier to get along with. Not sure if the conflict or just a change is course caused it to happen but it is good to see the change.
Competition
Competition in groups can be used as a form of motivation. When competing with someone else most people will try to put their best foot forward; and major players like to say they won. Robbins believes that competition and conflict go hand and hand. However that is no always the case. Competition could be to complete a task as a cohesive unit with the minimum amount of mistakes. In most of my working environments I would find myself competing with others to shine for my manager. I wanted to make sure when records were pulled or numbers were counted it would be said that I did the best. I always wanted to compete so that my mangers would see the value in me and want to elevate me up in the work place. Competition is a friendly way to keep moral and motivate groups or employee. Celebrity Apprentice is a prime example how healthy competition can be rewarding. It is amazing to see how a group can work together for a common goal. Though they are not always on one accord when it comes to conflict the groups seem to pull it together enough to focus on the competition and win. I also find that competition within the group is unique when it comes to the board room. Each celebrity tries to show they are more worthy of staying even when they don’t always make the best decision or best fit to stay on the show. So far it has worked out well for celebrities like LaToya Jackson and Gary Buesy whom myself would love to vote off the show. When it comes to competing LaToya contributes bare minimum on just about every task and Gary is all over the place. In the upcoming weeks I am sure it will get interesting on who will be crowned The Celebrity Apprentice.
Task Functions Working with a group of people can be challenging and rewarding at times. Each person in the group plays a group task role. The functionality of the group sometimes can depend on the task role that members decide to play. Sometimes members have more than one role to play in an assignment, other times they my stick to just one task function. The task functions are: initiator-contributor, information-seeker, opinion-seeker, information-giver, opinion-giver, elaborator, coordinator, orienter, evaluator-critic, energizer, procedural technician and recorder. When I first started out at Suddenlink communications my main task was to be the information give to the customers that called in. I was a customer service representative and spent majority of my day talking to customers about their bills. I would offer them new products as well as inform them on ways to save. I worked on a team of roughly ten people and each of us had different years of experience in customer service as well as with the cable company. As a information giver I offered facts to the customers. When our team would have meeting I found myself being more of the opinion giver. I would state how I felt about new policies and procedures. I would also give my opinion on how I felt things could run smoother. As I have been promoted the department I am currently in doesn’t really have a group. We are a small unit and tasks are split up so very seldom do I have to work with anyone. So I consider my group task role now as the initiator-contributor as well as the recorder. I have to be a self starter and initiate, review and complete all assignments that are given to me. There is no shared responsibility. What I enjoy about this is that I can work at a pace that is suitable for me and not feel the pressure of having to be competitive with others. When we did the Survival assignment in class I was the recorder and well as the information seeker. I wanted to know why we would choice the items in this order and how we could benefit the most. As the information seeker I was always looking for clarification on why the decision as being made. When working in a group I think that having an information seeker is imperative to give the group a rational way of thinking.
Maintenance Function The role of maintenance function is focused more on the functioning of the group as a group not as individuals. The maintenance function is designed more for the way the group is working together. There are seven types of characteristics for the maintenance function which are: encourager, harmonizer, compromiser, gate-keeper and expediter, standard-setter or ego ideal, group observer and commentator and follower. When working in group these roles could change during the task. Watching Celebrity Apprentice I noticed how Star Jones went from being a harmonizer to compromiser when they were working on the task of art. She seemed to want to do the one job of working with the print outs and making sure that the finance side of things was handled however when it came to getting her hand dirty she was so swift and had hesitation. NeNe Leakes was the encourager and told her Star that she could do it. NeNe sarcastically even told her how to remove the paint. When working in a group to maintain it is great to have a harmonizer to relieve tension in conflicting situations. As well as a gate keeper to keep the channels of communication open. I found myself in teams that I have been on for projects at work that I like to set the standard. I want to think outside the box and will pick up extra task to make it happen. Followers in the group seem to be quieter and will agree with everything that the more dominate group members say. In our class discussion on men and women I feel that a lot of times when women are told to be submissive that they feel the need to be the follower. However, to me being submissive doesn’t always mean that you have to go along with everything as followers do. Women still should have some type of standard set so that they want feel devalued. Just because the man is head doesn’t mean that the woman has to loss herself or her voice.
Conclusion
A group rather big or small should have complementary skills and be committed to the same end result. There is a possibility for conflict in a group. To keep groups performing it is imperative to motivate them and have goals set. In my paper I discussed group and organizational dynamics from six different areas: group vs. individual decision making; motivational patterns in group dynamics; conflict; competition; task functions; and maintenance function. All these areas discussed in a broad overview. I enjoy working in groups as well as alone. In studying group dynamics I was able to see what roles of a team that I play and how to put a group together to get more from them.

References
Group. (2011). Retrieved from MERRIAM-WEBSTER ONLINE (www.Merriam- Webster.com).
Pierce, Jon L. Newstrom. (2002). The Manager’s Bookshelf Sixth Edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Robbins, Stephen P. (unknown). Managing Organizational Conflict. (Module).
Robbins, Stephen P. (unknown). A Point of Departure. (Module).
Thompson, DeAndrae, President of Social Club The Giddy Up Girls (Personal Communication, April 13, 2011).
Tubbs, Stewart L. (2004). A Systems Approach to Small Group Interaction Eight Edition. New York. The McGraw-Hill Companies.
Two-Factory Theory. (n.d.). Retrieved from the OPLC WIKI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two- factor_theory.