Components of a Group

Many of the groups that have worked well have been groups for a class project or team where we shared a common goal. The drive to succeed individually was one component that brought us together and kept us on task as a team. For example, we all were hoping to do well in the class, therefore we used our individual strengths to our team’s advantage.

Another aspect that helped us do well was organizing a plan of attack as we met throughout the semester. Since we didn’t know each other beforehand and wanted to make sure everyone was being held accountable for their individuals parts, we broke the project down into smaller, weekly assignments, which were then followed up with a team meeting. It gave everyone the opportunity to work individually while also making sure we had the same idea on the project.

A final piece that I’ve found to be true in high functioning groups is to have everyone in the group know each other. The more we are able to grow together as a group, the easier it is to share ideas and come up with the best solution. For sports teams, it simply came down to communication on the field/court and knowing (sometimes without talking) what needed to be done in that moment.

The first aspect I would ensure in future groups I lead is making sure the trust and safety aspects are met. In every situation, it’s important that people feel comfortable sharing in order to have a more successful group overall. The next step would be to outline what our goals were as a team and individually, so were able to accomplish as many of these as possible, as well as ensure we were working toward a common goal. Hopefully, by establishing some trust and safety, people would be more willing to volunteer for parts of the project according to their own known strengths.