Enhancing Group Dynamics

Objectives:

to develop a group profile of the roles that individual members commonly take

to encourage each groups to develop its own strategy based on available roles and responsibilities

Materials:

sheets of paper with the questions A-K (see below) in a list.

Time:

30 minutes

Procedure:

1. Hand out one sheet to each person. Each person anonymously ticks just three of the eleven questions according to how he or she feels they perform in groups.
2. Collect the sheets and then hand them back for each group to produce its own profile
3. The profile should contain a list of the roles which are well represented. It should also emphasise what is missing.

Group Profile

In groups do you tend to: Tick THREE boxes only

A	stay quiet for a while and then join in?
B	feel uneasy/uncomfortable and wish you were working alone?
C	want to take over and structure the discussion?
D	want to take a leadership role?
E	encourage others to make a contribution?
F	come up with new ideas?
G	interrupt others to ensure your point is made?
H	remind the group about practical actions and achieving the set objectives?
I	make everyone relaxed and promote harmony?
J	get annoyed and frustrated when there is too much talk and not enough decisions and action?
K	mediate between those other team members strongly disagreeing with each other?

Comment:

This exercise relies on individuals honestly assessing their own normal rules, and on anonymity when the group considers what roles are present. It helps to generate an atmosphere of self-critical appraisal of group capacity.

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