Group Dynamics

The purpose of this assignment is to reflect upon an event that occurred within the Problem Based Learning (PBL) group. I will therefore, aim to discuss theories on group work as well as whether any of these theories actually applied to my own personal experience. By doing this will enable me to identify how effective my role may possibly have been within the group, furthermore, how I may be able to improve my individual skills for the future. In order to be able to do this successfully I am required to use the Gibbs Reflective Cycle (1988). The group that I was a part of consisted of six people, all of whom were from a mix of three different pathways, these included nursing, social workers and occupational therapists. The aim of which, was that we should learn to interact inter-professionally as part of a team. Therefore, the scenario that I plan to focus my assignment around was an incident that occurred at the end of the first five weeks, when we were deemed able to present our findings as a group on our first trigger. Consequently, it was decided that we would each present our respective areas of research in relation to the trigger, showing that all aspects had been covered. Therefore, each member of the group had a chosen topic to find out information on, and to prepare it ready for presentation. When we first started as a group for this module, a leader was chosen, as a result we as a group had decided that if anyone were unable to make it in to University, then they would contact one of the group members to let everyone know, and they would e-mail their work in. Consequently, we exchanged phone numbers and e-mail addresses (Ewles and Simnet 2003).

On the day of the presentation only four of us turned up, prior to this the other two members, one of whom was the group leader, had been consistent in their failure to turn up, failed to let anyone else in the group know and did not forward their work for presentation. Therefore, we were unable to present all aspects of the trigger as planned, however, the work that we did present was of a high standard and we were commended for our findings.

Following the presentation, I experienced an assortment of feelings, I felt disappointed that two members of the team did not turn up on not only one meeting but a number, and after putting so much work in to the presentation, I personally felt rather deflated. Subsequently, following discussing the presentation with other members of the group I found that they felt largely the same, even though we did agree that the information we put together was of a high standard, and that this did suggest evidence of us being able to work hard as a team to achieve results even when put under pressure. Even so I did leave the session feeling more contented; however, it was still on my mind that there were two members who failed to turn up for the discussion group in addition, they failed to arrive for the presentation and had ultimately let the group down.

Mallik, Hall & Howard (2002) suggest lack of good communication skills can create barriers and lead to ineffective teamwork. This therefore, left me questioning, after five weeks together, where we stood as a group. Even though feeling quite surprised and disappointed that two of the group members had not turned up. I felt it was necessary to assume the role of group leader as one of the team who failed to turn up was actually the group leader. I therefore, felt it necessary to turn everyone’s focus on to the fact that the task in hand would still need to be completed with or without all of the information. I swiftly adjusted the running order of the presentation and ensured that each member of the group was happy with the information they had to present, although feeling unsure about the reaction of an incomplete presentation, I remained positive about the situation. I personally viewed this as being one of the positive aspects, and believe that my input was one of the factors as to why the presentation was ultimately a success. This situation actually worked in my favour furthermore, I felt it gave me a chance to promote my leadership skills, it also demonstrated to me how I should conduct myself and prioritise under pressure when and where there is the wider picture to consider (Gross, 2001).

According to Tuckman (1965), there are five stages (the fifth developed around 1975) in which a group needs to go through to be able to work at their optimum level. The progression flows as; forming, members of the group are very dependent on their

leader and getting along with each other is often pretence. Storming, members no longer try to get along and tempers often rage as members of the group are trying to establish themselves. Norming, the group has developed its own comfortable way of working and share tasks such as decision making. Performing, the group work at their maximum and have a clear idea of what it is they are working towards and what they need to do to achieve their goal. Adjourning was the stage added on to the process and is where the group is completed and individuals can move on feeling good about what they have achieved. However, I personally believe that as a group we made it to the norming stage but am not convinced that we made it any further. In my opinion this happens, when a group comes together there needs to be a clear strategy from which to work and a set of guidelines must be established and understood by all members (Johnson, Johnson, 2000). Although ground rules were set and the decision was made to inform each other if absent, we failed to set comprehensive guidelines covering all aspects, therefore, we spent very little time on making the decision to inform each other. Consequently, I think the importance of abiding by the group rules may not have been made clear enough therefore, not adhered too. However, when involved in group work it is imperative that excellent communication and interpersonal skills are adopted, this includes the communicator and the listener (Engleberg, Wynn, 2000), however Ewles and Simnet (2003) state, it is the person making the communications responsibility to ensure that the person listening has received and understood any information you have communicated to them. As a result this factor almost certainly contributed to my feelings of deflation, as I was conscious that each member of the group had a clear understanding of everything discussed in each session, every member of the team were aware of this and I deemed that we had reached a stage where we were each able to ask questions and raise issues in a comfortable manner.

To conclude, I therefore, feel that as a group we could have achieved more in our five weeks together, had we perhaps studied theories on group processes such as Engleberg and Wynn (2000), when we first came together, the results may have been more successful in that we, as a group would have had a basis on which to build ourselves upon.

Furthermore, as Ewles and Simnet (2003) suggest, a group must first choose who will be the leader, once a leader has been chosen, a list of rules must be decided and adhered to throughout. Although a leader was elected, the role was ineffective as they failed to turn up to our meetings on a regular basis; therefore, there was no person in particular to guide the group. On reflection we could have chosen a group member to take place of the leader, if the leader were to be absent, this way the group would always have had another member of the team overseeing that the work was moving in the right direction. If a situation like this were to arise again, I would endeavour to approach things in a different manner therefore, perhaps creating a more successful outcome. Using the knowledge I have amassed from this experience, I would anticipate to use the information collated from different sources to firstly suggest that as a group we nominate a leader who will guide the group and remain focussed, as there is much evidence to suggest that this is the first and foremost important factor for group success. Along with this, I would also suggest that as a group we spend some time to agree a set of rules regarding group behaviour, communication and what we expect from one-another, and ensure that we all strive to adhere to the rules set. Following, what I have learnt from this experience I personally consider that if as a group we were to carry out these simple, but sometimes overlooked measures, it would inevitably result in achievement of our aims and we would perhaps reflect the theory of team development and each member would leave with a sense of fulfilment.