GROUP DYNAMICS

Level II

RATIONALE:  Group behaviors are the basis of the social realities of public and community life, as well as of much of private interaction.  In both instances, there are groups that are temporary and others that are ongoing.  In all instances, each person in a group dynamically acts and interacts with others to accomplish individual and group goals.  In so doing, each person moves through a developmental sequence as a member of the group.  Each member has a unique impact on the group, and the group also has a unique impact on the individual.  As a collective entity, the group also moves through various developmental sequences, influenced by various dynamics that take place within the group and by external forces that may impact on the group.  It is therefore important for public and community service workers to understand group behavior, their roles in the context of the dynamics of group behavior, and the nature of effective and ineffective groups.

Because public and community service workers are often called upon to work with groups for a variety of purposes and in many different settings, it is also important for public and community service workers to know how to analyze group behavior in order to understand, participate, facilitate, and intervene effectively in the ongoing process of groups.  Some of the purposes and settings may include consultation for institutional change, groups to improve staff morale, counseling groups, social action groups, advocacy groups, staffing community or citizen boards, personal growth groups, and many others.  In all these activities, knowledge about group theories, group concepts, and group skills and how to strategically apply such knowledge would enhance the effectiveness of the public and community service worker.Thus, to understand and to become more effective interveners or facilitators with the dynamics of groups and to understand one's own role in more effectively shaping the group life of public and community service, it is necessary to have knowledge about what to look for in groups and how to act constructively in groups, to be aware of the range of theoretical knowledge and group skills related to group behavior, and to be able to apply this knowledge (theories, models, concepts) in analyzing the dynamics of group behavior for the purpose of creating effective interventions or facilitation.

COMPETENCY:  Can apply knowledge about group theories, group skills, and group concepts in analyzing the dynamics of group behavior for the purpose of creating effective interventions or facilitation, including an analysis of roles you and others play in groups and an analysis of how groups develop.

CRITERIA:

1.      Define what a group is and discuss general characteristics of effective and ineffective groups, using group theories, and group concepts and examples of personal group experiences from your public and community life or private life to illustrate various points.

2.      Summarize group skills or ways of dealing with controversy, conflicts of interests, and diversity within groups and ways of promoting communication and creativity within groups.

3.      Choose one of your group experiences where you were or are a group member or a group leader or facilitator, or observe a group of your choosing, and describe the dynamics of this group, applying group theories and group concepts.

4.      Describe the development of the identified group according to a theory or model of group development, emphasizing roles you and others play (or could play, if you are only an observer) or and/or have played during various stages.

5.      Based on your descriptions for Criteria 3 and 4, discuss and justify strategies, techniques, methods and/or approaches for intervening with the identified group to enhance the effectiveness in accomplishing its goals.6.      Discuss the utility of various leadership styles for the identified group(s) and assess your strengths and weaknesses as a group member and/or group leader or facilitator, emphasizing what group skills may be required to increase your current skills in becoming a more effective intervener, facilitator or leader.

PORTFOLIO LINK:  You are expected to use the Writing Portfolio criteria and standards as guidelines for the written products required by this competency. Papers written for this competency may be considered for submission to the Writing Portfolio.

STANDARDS:

1.      For Criterion 1, you must show an understanding of what a group is based on definitions derived from two or more recognized disciplines (e.g., psychology, sociology, anthropology, political science, social work, education, business and industry, criminal justice, group dynamics).  Use at least one group theory to describe how at least three of the following group concepts may relate to the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of group:  group goals; communication of ideas and feelings within a group; member participation; decision-making procedures; management of conflicts; power and influence; group cohesion; problem-solving; and interpersonal relations; and leadership.Provide brief examples from personal group experiences to illustrate the relevant group concepts you use. 

2.      For Criterion 2, in terms of group skills, you should identify and summarize general strategies, techniques, methods, and/or approaches for each of the following:  (a) how to handle controversy within groups, (b) how to manage conflicts of interests within groups, (c) how to deal with diversity within groups and, (d) how to promote communication and creativity within groups.  Your discussion should refer to and cite the research literature on group dynamics. 

3.      For Criterion 3, in describing the dynamics of the identified group, you should address at least three of the following categories, and where appropriate, cite relevant material from the literature on group dynamics:  the group's purpose, goals, or mission; the group's structure; the norms of the group; the patterns of communication within the group; the patterns of participation within the group; the group's atmosphere; the patterns of decision-making within the group; the context and environmental influences on the group; the patterns of acceptance or inclusion (subgrouping) within the group; the procedures or techniques used to manage the "content" of the group; the use of power within the group.

4.      For Criterion 4, you should use a recognized sequential-stage theory or model of group development to frame your description.  You should also include a discussion of task roles (actions directed toward accomplishing the stated objectives of the group), maintenance roles (actions aimed at improving or patching up relationships between group members), and self-oriented behaviors (actions primarily meeting some personal need or goal of your own without regard to the group's problems) you displayed (or could display, if you are only an observer) during the various stages. 

5.      For Criterion 5, your discussion of appropriate intervention strategies, techniques, methods, or approaches should be justified by reference to recognized group theories or principles of small group behavior. 

6.      For Criterion 6, you should identify and discuss at least three leadership styles and specify what impact these styles might have on your identified group.  In assessing your strengths and weaknesses as a group member, or group leader or facilitator, you should reflect on how you relate to the qualities or characteristics of a particular leadership style to identify and specify what group skills you may need for improving your personal style for group intervention.

EXAMPLES OF DEMONSTRATION:

1.      Prior Learning:  A student may have had extensive prior experience as a group leader or facilitator or as a participant in ongoing groups and can draw upon this experience in addressing the competency's criteria and standards.  In many instances of this nature, however, exposure to group theory is often missing.  The student, therefore, would meet with an evaluator to identify how to draw on her experience to address the criteria of the competency and to identify relevant readings.  For example, the student may be asked to read various texts dealing with role differentiation, norm development, the patterning of intermember relations in groups, factors that determine how groups perform on various tasks, and apply that reading to her own experiences.  The student would then write a case study paper related to a prior group experience in accord with the criteria and standards, drawing upon observations from her/his prior experience with the identified group and the readings, and would present relevant documentation.

2.      Independent Learning:  A student, after doing relevant readings, writes one paper to address Criteria 1 and 2.  A student then does a case study of a group whereby s/he is a participant observer as a group member or a group leader/facilitator or only an observer of the group or the student acquires and reads a comprehensive case study about related to the complexities of a particular group.  The case study would be in accord with Criteria 3 through 6 and thus should be guided by relevant group theories and group concepts.  For example, the person may use Bales Interaction-Process Analysis to study the dynamics of the group, along with Garland's model of group development to examine how the group unfolds.  The student examines leadership styles based on the influence theory of leadership, the role position/group structure approach to leadership, the distributed-actions theory of leadership, Hersey and Blanchard's theory of situational leadership, or Vroom and Yetton's normative model of leadership and does an assessment of her or his strengths and weaknesses related to group dynamics.  The student presents her or his observations and application of group theories and group concepts in a written paper, along with supporting documentation.

3.      Course:  A student completes a CPCS course addressing the competency's criteria and standards.  In some instances, there may be a relevant transfer course, as long as it can be demonstrated that the knowledge and skills of the transfer course are comparable to this competency's criteria and standards.

4.      Field Project:  A student may engage in a field project with fellow students and a faculty evaluator in addressing a human service issue such as homelessness or gang violence.  The student uses the members of this field project group as the group for study in accord with the competency's criteria and standards.