labor dec 13

IAT Assignment

For this assignment, review the PowerPoint on what a group is and isn’t. The PowerPoint identifies 11 different types of groups. Select five (5) [out of the 11] of the different types of groups to which you belong. Based on the definitions, answer the following:

Describe the group you belong to (i.e., primary group is my family. Ex: My family is a mother, myself, two brothers and my grandfather) For some of you, you may no longer live together in your primary group but you may still be part of that group. You can refer to the past or present. (My primary group as a child is different than my primary group now since I have my own family. My roles have changed too)

For each group, use the information below on the characteristics of a group, and illustrate how the groups you selected fulfill these characteristics. What part(s) do you play in the groups? How did you become a part of this group? Did you actively seek it out? What did you think the group would be like and what was/is it actually like?

Characteristics of a Group

· Common Goals: Groups typically share common goals or objectives.

· Interdependence: Members of a group depend on each other to achieve goals.

· Interaction: Regular communication and interaction among members.

· Structure: Groups often have roles, norms, and hierarchies that guide behavior.

· Cohesion: The sense of solidarity or unity among members, which affects group performance.

Using the illustrative chart below “12 types of difficult group participants”, and/or the types of difficult participants explained in the video, identify and explain who was a difficult participant and how they behaved that put them in a particular category. How did you feel about this person? How did others feel about this person? Was their behavior effective in accomplishing the group's goals or was it a detriment? How did the group leader discourage their behavior? Think about whether you yourself have been a difficult group participant and if so, who were you on the chart? How did you realilze you were not contributing positively? Did someone say something to you? Could you tell by the group's reactions towards you? Did you realize it on your own?

There are no minimum or maximum pages for this assignment, however, you are expected to answer the questions thoroughly. You may set it up any way that works for you.

Remember to reference the chart/video on the next page.

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Please watch the video. You may use examples from the video or the chart above

Definition: Group conflict arises when there are disagreements or clashes between members due to differences in opinions, goals, values, or personalities.

Types of Conflict:

Task Conflict: Disagreements about the group's work or goals.

Relationship Conflict: Personal incompatibilities and emotional tension.

Process Conflict: Disputes about how tasks are accomplished.

2. Sources of Group Conflict

Communication Issues: Misunderstandings or lack of clarity.

Role Ambiguity: Unclear roles or responsibilities.

Personality Differences: Clashes between different personalities or working styles.

Resource Scarcity: Competition over limited resources like time, funds, or support.

Differing Values or Goals: Conflicting priorities or objectives among group members

You have decided to join a reading group at the local public library. This is a new group, and you are on the ground floor! The premise of this group is members will read a book a month, discussing the book once a week, based on the pages to be read the week before. (Example: week 1: pp. 1-50, week 2: pp. 51-100, week 3: pp. 101-150, week 4 pp. 151-200) The purpose of this group is to expand your knowledge of literature, expose yourself to some genres you may not be familiar with and to meet new friends with common interests. The group will meet for 1 ½ hours once a week. Members will provide refreshments on a rotating basis. Bill and Mary Jones are the brains behind this group and they have advertised it locally. They will also choose the book each month assuring that there will be many different genres. Since the Jones’ are members of the local Elks club, they are able to have the meetings there on Tuesday evenings from 6:30pm-8:00pm without paying a fee.

The initial group meeting is scheduled for October 15, to organize everything. Twenty people show up to this first meeting in addition to the Jones’. The first official meeting of the group will be November 1st. All participants are expected to have obtained the book Mr. & Mrs. Jones selected and to have read the first 50 pages by November 1st. You have been asked to co-host the book group and act as leader when the current leader is not able to attend the group.

The group converges and right away you are concerned about another member of the group-your neighbor that you have had numerous conflicts with in the past. Nothing too serious, just some disagreements that got a little heated. No police intervention, etc., you just ignore each other for the most part. Furthermore, you recognize one of your child’s former elementary school teachers that was not your child's favorite and you had had a few “meetings” with him to discuss your concerns about him singling out your child. You also observe a woman who is knitting during the meeting, and she constantly asks the moderators to repeat themselves. It appears she is not paying attention and is using up a lot of the group's time. You are not the only one who is frustrated; It appears many others are as well. You also observe another participant constantly interrupting the moderators with comments. He feels the need to interject to offer a different way of doing things. Two people are off to the side chatting to each other, and the rest seem to be paying attention, although this is difficult because of the distractions.

Using the information above on Understanding group conflict, illustrate as many conflicts that may arise, are currently happening, or you feel are happening. Explain how these people should be initially approached with concerns, what you would say to them, and how you would handle repeated incidents with these few.

How should you approach/handle those members that you have had some personal dealings with? How might these previous interactions with these people affect the group dynamics overall? Especially if one of them doesn’t maintain appropriate conduct while in the meeting? Refer back to the Understanding conflict above.