Routine Check-In Group Work

Another group challenge we experienced was putting the first proposal together as we all have different methods of writing and explaining our topic. We each wrote a part of the paper and combined the input from each team member to created our final proposal. In addition, we took turns editing the document to assure the paper was flowing and all grammatical errors were

The team leader or other designated individual should upload the final group document to the ASSIGNMENTS tool located in the course website. In addition, EACH MEMBER OF THE GROUP SHOULD SUBMIT THEIR PORTION OF THE PAPER TO ME AS AN ATTACHMENT TO MY COURSE EMAIL. THIS IS MANDATORY. Non-compliance will result in deduction of points from final project

Group work has been a cornerstone of the social work profession and requires a variety of facilitator skills and awareness of group processes. The SSLDTM Group Program for People with Difficulties in Social Situations (Socialwork1914, 2017) provides an excellent example of a psycho-educational group co-facilitated by two female social workers, Jane and Karen. After viewing the 6th session of this 8-week program, I began to understand how the concepts of group formation/development, interpersonal dynamics, and leadership styles contribute to successful group work outcomes.

Learning objectives promoted in the college level class on teaching writing that this text was handed out in, strongly emphasize the importance of group work, as revealed in the writing theory handout and the scholarly overview handout (see attached).

In this group project, I played the role of information giver as well as the initiator. I completed the task I was assigned to providing the information on my part. Secondly, I initiated in starting the google docs, where the whole group can work together towards submitting the final project. I started with transferring all the rough drafts into one document where the group can together elaborate and edit the project. Lastly, I took the initiative in keeping the group on time for completing the project right on deadline.

Working in a group to achieve a high quality group project can be one of people’s most difficult school experiences. Working in a group is tough because there is often someone who does not pull their own weight. “There are five stages to group development, adjourning, forming, storming, performing, and norming” (John & Wiley pg 166). Christine’s group from the Case Study the Forgotten Group Member is in between the Storming and Norming Stages. The Storming Stage “is dealing with tensions and defining group tasks,” while the Norming Stage is dealing with high emotionality and tension among the group members” (John & Wiley pg. 166). Christine and her group could have had better

Teamwork can be complex and challenging given task and interpersonal issues, level of group motivation and expected performance standards. The concrete experience spoken about in this reflection piece is in reference to the effectiveness of myself as a group member and the group, working to write a report outlining the organisation and structure of Volkswagen. Dennison (2009) applies Kolb’s learning cycle (1981, 1984) which suggests that learning moves through a continuous cycle, between having an experience, and then reflecting on that action. This cycle has been developed from Lewin’s (1951) model for experiential learning. Reflection termed by Boud, Keogh and Walker (1985) ‘is a forum of response to the learner to experience’(p. 18). On reflection, the early set group dynamics was a defining factor in the experience, and how the team conducted themselves throughout the task. Meyerson, Wick and Kramer (1996) note that ‘such rapidly converging groups require methods for developing “swift trust”’ (p. 8), which can explain why initial group dynamics are so important. I took on multiple team roles, including group leader, which could be translated into the team not performing collectively on a high level, however, I could view this as a personal ineffectiveness of my leadership style.

It was clear that our agreed upon norms placed a significant level of responsibility on the group leader. In this instance, Kristian served the role well. Due to the variance in time zones the use of Google Docs as a collaborative effort, was helpful to ensuring that each member was able to participate effectively. One member of our group, had difficulty accessing the internet on a regular basis and email the group portions of the assignment for the leader to incorporate into the draft. While this allowed the individual to contribute, it placed an additional burden on the leader to incorporate the suggestions into the final draft of the assignment. Additionally, during one assignment, the leader formatted the document early in the day and email it out prior to allowing everyone to contribute. This created confusion regarding whether the Google Doc or the emailed draft was the current working copy. Through email communication, this small obstacle was overcome and the group was successful over

I developed a review checklist and conducted training so all team members understood their responsibilities. Knowing what and how to review enabled the team to function more efficiently. The review team consisted of a diverse group of engineers across the entire program so coordination was key. I developed a notification template that provided all due dates, document locations, and instructions to ensure that all team members were aware of expectations. I also included specific document section guidance so reviewers could focus on their specialty

Immediately following the assignment, we had a conference to discuss and brainstorm ideas to keep our momentum going. During each of the conferences, we each had deliverables and assignments we would take on and have prepared for the next conference. In addition, we would schedule the next meeting time during the conference. An outlook meeting reminder was sent to each member recapping their assignments and the meeting time and date. Each team member was always prepared with their assignments and would email their work or post it on our collaboration site. It was easy to maintain a direction as the group would always agree and assign themselves the tasks to capitalize on their strengths and abilities.

Hi, Zack here. I am a member of the management team for our group, Modelty. The first thing our team can do to ensure success before submitting our next draft is get together more frequently. We found a way to execute the first task profiently, but I feel we could go above and beyond with more frqunt meetings.The second thing we could do better as a group is have more fun while working on the plans. Rather then seeing these assinments as chores we could approach the task at hand as if we are partaking in a hobby with friends. If we are having fun whlile completing the task I believe our team will show improvement dramatically. The third thing we could look into is reading off our plans to eachother before submitting. Then we can ensure we are all on the same page.

Group and team work is described as two or more interacting individuals who share collective norms and goals and have a common identity. The size of the group is key, a large group the leader may not catch all. However, a small group becomes more bonded, allowing interaction and shared awareness.

In this group project, I had a major role in ensuring that it came together in a unified way. Generally, I usually take a leadership role in group projects so I was the central person coordinating group meetings and ensuring sufficient communication. To begin the project, we divided up the work by assigning people to work on the case study, find literature, summarize the textbook, and talk to key informants. My assigned part was to summarize the textbook, which also ended up lending itself to finding some additional sources to build on what the textbook was lacking. In regard to the group literature and informant summary, I ended up writing most

In order to achieve the goals set by the department heads, communication and interaction within the team is important. We would usually begin a project with a whole team meeting and brainstorm ideas. Everyone would be invited to these early meeting to ensure that all members of the team have an opportunity to voice any concerns or make any suggestions they may have. We would also invite the team leaders from other teams that may be involved or affected by the project to ensure the goals are achievable. Once tasks have been agreed upon and set, communicating the progress both up and down the chain is important. I would expect progress reports from my team members on an agreed time frame. I would in turn provide progress reports to my managers and department heads. These reports can come in many forms from Emails, telephone calls, meetings or sometimes one on one conversation. It is important to promote synergy, if a team works well together the final result can often be far greater than the sum of its parts.

Groupwork can be defined as a method of social work that is utilised in order to help individuals to enhance their social functioning through purposeful group experiences and to help cope with their personal group or community problems (Konopka, 1972). The role of groupwork places emphasis on sharing thoughts, ideas, problems and activities, allowing social action groups for instance, to “empower members to engage in collective action and planned change efforts to modify particular aspects of their social or physical environment” (Toseland & Rivas, 2014, p. 38; Pyles, 2009; Staples, 2004). Therefore, reflecting on the processes of groupwork is an essential mechanism for all professionals in order to develop better communication skills, conflict resolution and enhance future performance. This essay will reflect upon the task group processes that were conducted this semester, while evaluating my own role within the group and what was learnt working within a small group.