Question

Directions are attached. Please use the PowerPoint as a guide to analyze basic group processes.

Also, here is what page 51 of our book states about Functions of a team goals:

Functions of Team Goals:
1. Serve as a standard that can be used to evaluate performance
2. Motivate team members by encouraging their involvement in the task.
3. Guide the team toward certain activities and encourage integration of team member’s tasks.
4. Provide a criterion for evaluating whether certain actions and decisions are appropriate.
5. Serve as a way to inform outside groups about the team and establish relationships with them. 
6. Determine when team members should be rewarded or punished for their performance.

Our book also identifies Tuckman’s five stages of group development, which include 1.forming, 2. storming, 3.norming, 4. performing, and 5. adjourning. The attached PDF file provides detailed instructions while the PPT file offers more highlights additional useful information contained in our book.

Answer

Healthcare Critical Thinking

Group analytic psychotherapy, also known as group analysis, was coined by S. H. Foulkes in the 1940s. Group work was originally for the returning soldiers as a way to live through their experiences. Nowadays almost every organization or classroom functions on group work. Group work is seen as the best way for individuals of the same organizations to know each other and find a way to work together towards achieving a common goal. The group process, however, is not always smooth. The aim of this paper is to analyze the group process by using a personal case study in which I was part of a healthcare team group. Through this personal experience, I will discuss the different stages of group development.

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As a student in healthcare, we are involved in very many projects that serve to make a difference in the health care industry through different innovations and experiences. I was assigned to a specific group of 6 members, three boys and three girls. The purpose of the group was to research on the best ways with which to improve healthcare quality while at the same time following a reasonable schedule. This would ensure that nurses are not overworked thus improving the quality of healthcare. As a new student to the course, I found that the group projects were already underway. I was therefore a late addition to the group, increasing the number to 7.

There are five main stages of group development according to Bruce Tuckman; forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning (Tuckman & Jensen, 1977). The forming stage refers to the stage where the group is at when it is first put together. The stage at which the members have just been introduced to each other. During the storming stage of development, the members become involved in different conflicts while trying to compete against each other. This is also the stage where the group members begin to realize their strengths and weaknesses.  The norming stage describes the period when the members become cohesive thus increasing the overall morale while the performing stage of development is the stage at which high productivity is achieved through unity, loyalty and support. Every stage of group development ultimately leads to the adjourning stage where the groups are disbanded (Johnson et al., 2002).

The group I was assigned to was at the storming stage when I joined. All the group members had already been acquainted with each other at this time. They were beginning to trust each other and build good relationships with each other (Paulus, 2015). However, there were very main conflicts in the group at this stage regarding what tasks were assigned to which members. Another source of the conflict was the fact that the leader of the group was being undermined as the group members failed to carry out their responsibilities as assigned to them by the leader. Despite the conflicts that the group was involved in, once I joined, they put their differences aside to take me through the socialization process. This process was very effective and involved them taking me through the requirements of the group project, finding my strengths and later assigning me a responsibility that I would be great at achieving.

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In order to work better together, the group created a set of norms; both implicit and explicit. The norms were a set of rules that the group member ought to follow so as to achieve the intended goal without being at logger heads with each other (Garland, Jones & Kolodny, 1965). The explicit norms were formally written and included the fact that all the members ought to always be punctual to group meetings failure to which a fine of $10 would be effected. In addition, the members were to carry out their responsibilities within the stipulated time. The implicit norms on the other hand, included the fact that the leader was to be respected and that the conflicts were to be resolved democratically.

The group may have its differences every once in a while but all in all, the progress has been great throughout the different stages of group development. No group is ever perfect, which is why we try to make it work. There are several functions of team goals. These include creating a performance evaluation technique, motivating the team members and providing incentives. Through avoiding conflict, respecting leadership and carrying out our responsibilities to the letter, I believe that these goals of the group are in line with the functions of the team. I however recommend that the members be committed to their end goal so as to improve how the team functions and the processes that they are involved in.

In summary, for a group to work, the members involved must be willing to work together through all the stages of group development. Each stage is very important to the formation of the group. While the groups may start with conflicts, they eventually find a common ground and establish norms that guide them towards achieving the functions of the team and achieving the end goal.

References

Garland, J., Jones, H., & Kolodny, R. (1965). A model for stages of development in social work groups. Explorations in group work, 17-71.

Johnson, S. D., Suriya, C., Yoon, S. W., Berrett, J. V., & La Fleur, J. (2002). Team development and group processes of virtual learning teams. Computers & Education, 39(4), 379-393.

Paulus, P. B. (Ed.). (2015). Psychology of group influence (Vol. 22). Psychology Press.

Tuckman, B. W., & Jensen, M. A. C. (1977). Stages of small-group development revisited. Group & Organization Studies, 2(4), 419-427.