Discussion Board

Think of a group you have belonged to and worked with during your professional life. (Professional life can be work done in charities/nonprofits/not-for-profits as well as your experiences in higher education.) You do not have to have use "real" names, especially if it was a bad experience!  If you do not have any experiences you wish to share, feel free to make up a fictional group or fictionalize your experiences.  You may use a group that has gone to the "dark side", i.e. was/is dysfunctional.

Answer the following questions:

• Use your readings from Chapter 9 to determine this:
  • What was the purpose of the group? Was it work or school related?
  • What types of meetings did the group participate in?
• What roles did the various members of the group fulfill? Use the functional roles table 8-3 in Chapter 8 as your guideline to list the roles.
• Using the Chapter 8 Self-assessment statements (Tables 8-4 and 8-5) as your guidelines, respond to the following:
  • Was your group functional or dysfunctional?
  • What roles did the various members play?
  • What characteristics did they exhibit that support your contention?
• What are the characteristics of a successful group? If you were involved with a dysfunctional group, list 3 specific things the group could have done to contribute to a successful group.
• Use specific examples and details to get full credit for this discussion. Write your response in comprehensive paragraphs