Friday, September 28, 2012
Week of September 24-30
3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading this week, not already discussed, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.
I am going to talk about Verbal Interaction and Content Analysis. These are two devices that can be useful for evaluating the group process. Verbal interaction traces the number of times members address one another. In figure 14.2 it gives an example of verbal interaction between a group of 5, with each arrow indicating how many times that person spoke and to whom. This will show who might not be participating and who has emerged as the leader. For example I recently did this while at a company meeting. It was group of 12 and each manager talked to each other about four to five times while only speaking to the employees about once or twice. It was clear who the leader was (my boss Kate) who spoke 11 different times and it was clear who not participating (Dave) who only spoke once and that was to ask when the next paid holiday was.
The next concept is the content analysis. This device is used to keep track of how comments being made and how often. The text states that if you wanted to know who displayed the most leadership behaviors, you would develop a list of desired leadership activities and then keep track of how often group members engage in these activities.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Week of September 24-30
2). Outline and discuss the guidelines for providing observer feedback to a group.
According to the text there are when you are asked to provide individual written or oral feedback the following guidelines should be observed.
1. Avoid generalization. This can include sayings such as "Well Done, Good Job etc", the more specific the feedback the better. A generalization is just a general statement.
2. Focus on behaviors that can be changed. For example you could use task oriented roles to assist the group accomplish its goals or you could use self centered roles which are concerned with individual needs.
3. Do not debate or argue with the group you are evaluating. As an observer you are to provide insight,ideas,analysis based on your observations that can be useful to the group but you are not to demand that the group accepts them.
4. Do not micromanage the group process. As an observer you may want to go over everything that you have observed but it is best that you choose specific areas and and develop them for it would be wise to go over two to three items than go over every single detail.
5. Remember your role. An evaluator should function as a facilitator and developer.
6. Accentuate the positive aspects. Always start with with the positive and and try to spend the most of the time finding things the group did right. For example coaches every sport do this at the conclusion of their events whether they win or lose. They focus on the things things they did well and go over them.
7. End with specific suggestions for improvement. For example coaches do this as well whether they win or lost. They will point out the things they did not do so well and go over them in hopes of improvement next time.
8. Be clear and concise if you present your ideas orally or in writing. For example when I used to give Marines instructions on what I needed them to do, I had to clear on what it was I exactly wanted. If I needed something at 12pm and not 1201 or 1159, it also helps eliminate confusion.
9. Compliment in public and criticize in private. For example there were many times in the Marines that I had to do both. I would compliment the platoon on doing a good job but if someone was not pulling their weight, I made sure not to single a person out, instead I would talk them in private in hopes of correcting the matter.
10. In an organizational setting, developing positive relationships during the feedback process will repay itself in time and again. Your job is to help the group or team develop and improve.
According to the text there are when you are asked to provide individual written or oral feedback the following guidelines should be observed.
1. Avoid generalization. This can include sayings such as "Well Done, Good Job etc", the more specific the feedback the better. A generalization is just a general statement.
2. Focus on behaviors that can be changed. For example you could use task oriented roles to assist the group accomplish its goals or you could use self centered roles which are concerned with individual needs.
3. Do not debate or argue with the group you are evaluating. As an observer you are to provide insight,ideas,analysis based on your observations that can be useful to the group but you are not to demand that the group accepts them.
4. Do not micromanage the group process. As an observer you may want to go over everything that you have observed but it is best that you choose specific areas and and develop them for it would be wise to go over two to three items than go over every single detail.
5. Remember your role. An evaluator should function as a facilitator and developer.
6. Accentuate the positive aspects. Always start with with the positive and and try to spend the most of the time finding things the group did right. For example coaches every sport do this at the conclusion of their events whether they win or lose. They focus on the things things they did well and go over them.
7. End with specific suggestions for improvement. For example coaches do this as well whether they win or lost. They will point out the things they did not do so well and go over them in hopes of improvement next time.
8. Be clear and concise if you present your ideas orally or in writing. For example when I used to give Marines instructions on what I needed them to do, I had to clear on what it was I exactly wanted. If I needed something at 12pm and not 1201 or 1159, it also helps eliminate confusion.
9. Compliment in public and criticize in private. For example there were many times in the Marines that I had to do both. I would compliment the platoon on doing a good job but if someone was not pulling their weight, I made sure not to single a person out, instead I would talk them in private in hopes of correcting the matter.
10. In an organizational setting, developing positive relationships during the feedback process will repay itself in time and again. Your job is to help the group or team develop and improve.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Week of September 24-30
1). Why use a consultant or an observer for a small group?
You should use a consultant or an observer for a small group when it is appropriate. There is no best time to use one, the reason why small groups use them is because consultants and observers are not directly involved with the group work but rather are there to provide insight. They also can help the group develop by offering evaluations of the growth and development that they see.
For example I mentioned that I coach baseball however I am only 3 years into coaching I only have my knowledge of the game, clinics that I have attended and my own personal experience of the game. However when I decided to coach softball it is different sport. Since I was only coaching seven to eight year olds I was able to incorporate some of the methods from baseball into my coaching. As time went on I knew I had to make the switch from baseball to softball. So I went with my uncle Joe who has over 20 years of expericence. I consulted with him on certain techniques, how to run a practice, and how to make the game fun for him. I would ask him to come and watch me coordinate my practice and later he gave me some tips on what I could do better and what he saw as my strengths when teaching the game of softball.
You should use a consultant or an observer for a small group when it is appropriate. There is no best time to use one, the reason why small groups use them is because consultants and observers are not directly involved with the group work but rather are there to provide insight. They also can help the group develop by offering evaluations of the growth and development that they see.
For example I mentioned that I coach baseball however I am only 3 years into coaching I only have my knowledge of the game, clinics that I have attended and my own personal experience of the game. However when I decided to coach softball it is different sport. Since I was only coaching seven to eight year olds I was able to incorporate some of the methods from baseball into my coaching. As time went on I knew I had to make the switch from baseball to softball. So I went with my uncle Joe who has over 20 years of expericence. I consulted with him on certain techniques, how to run a practice, and how to make the game fun for him. I would ask him to come and watch me coordinate my practice and later he gave me some tips on what I could do better and what he saw as my strengths when teaching the game of softball.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Sept 10-16 question
1). Does valuing diversity come easily? Why or why not? Can you make
some suggestions to enhance a group's ability to value diversity?
No valuing diversity does not come easy, nothing ever does. I am going to take this time to tell the story of Babel. In the beginning there was one language that everyone spoke and the people tried to create a tower that would lead them all the way to Heaven. It is said that the man upstairs did not want them, life or anything to be that easy so he instantly made them start speaking different languages so that they had to learn about their fellow neighbor.
Of course many people interpret this differently but I use this as an example of why you should take the opportunity to value diversity. If they had taken the time to learn what the other person was saying they could have finished the tower instead of arguing. Of course one of the benefits that you might get of getting to know someone is you might make a friend. When I was in the Marines, I met many people of different races, never was race an issue. We all valued each other and each others thoughts, positions etc mainly because we had one common purpose and that was being in the Marines. So we had to get to know them. My suggestion to enhance a groups ability to value diversity starts with taking the opportunity to get to know someone.
No valuing diversity does not come easy, nothing ever does. I am going to take this time to tell the story of Babel. In the beginning there was one language that everyone spoke and the people tried to create a tower that would lead them all the way to Heaven. It is said that the man upstairs did not want them, life or anything to be that easy so he instantly made them start speaking different languages so that they had to learn about their fellow neighbor.
Of course many people interpret this differently but I use this as an example of why you should take the opportunity to value diversity. If they had taken the time to learn what the other person was saying they could have finished the tower instead of arguing. Of course one of the benefits that you might get of getting to know someone is you might make a friend. When I was in the Marines, I met many people of different races, never was race an issue. We all valued each other and each others thoughts, positions etc mainly because we had one common purpose and that was being in the Marines. So we had to get to know them. My suggestion to enhance a groups ability to value diversity starts with taking the opportunity to get to know someone.
Sept 10-16 question no.2
2). Explain the concept "white men of privilege". Do you agree with the concept? Why or why not?
White men of privilege is when white persons have an advantage over others based on the fact that they are white. Those advantages can be categorized by class,education,social ties,power,wealth etc. Do I agree with the concept? Yes I agree that the concept exists, one example I can give is wealth, never once has African,Mexican,Asian, or any other race have made so much more money than whites do. Plain and simple white people are afforded more opportunities than others. Do I agree with the concept? No I do not. I wish that life and all aspects were on a level playing field, but that is more of a personal trip to fantasy land. Unfortunately we live in a dog eat dog world and when push comes to shove it comes it is always going to come down to have's and have not's.
White men of privilege is when white persons have an advantage over others based on the fact that they are white. Those advantages can be categorized by class,education,social ties,power,wealth etc. Do I agree with the concept? Yes I agree that the concept exists, one example I can give is wealth, never once has African,Mexican,Asian, or any other race have made so much more money than whites do. Plain and simple white people are afforded more opportunities than others. Do I agree with the concept? No I do not. I wish that life and all aspects were on a level playing field, but that is more of a personal trip to fantasy land. Unfortunately we live in a dog eat dog world and when push comes to shove it comes it is always going to come down to have's and have not's.
Monday, September 10, 2012
september 10-16
3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading, not already discussed, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.
I would like to discuss the concept of Conflict management. This concept is probably the most important concept that small groups are surrounded by when establishing communication rules and expectations. It is an inevitable part of group creativity and communication. When we are in group whether it be family,work,sports etc we are going to face some sort of conflict. Add to the equation that some of the people that you are interacting with and having conflict with it is wise to remember that not all conflict is bad.
People handle conflict differently. For example when I was growing up with a traditional Mexican grandmother I dared not even raise my voice at her. One day I did and I received the biggest beat down a kid could ever get, rightfully so. However up across town my friend who was white would often tell his own mom things even I was shocked to hear. What was even more alarming was that the mom just would nearly reward him for it. She would say "Mark if you continue to talk me like that, you wont be getting a playstation" or some other treat. I was expecting for Mark's mom to fully unleash hell on his behind but sometimes she just wouldn't.
As the book says working with conflict is almost never easy. Whether conflict has a positive effect on how it is handled. If it leads to animosity and individual's withdrawals from participation, it may lead to negative effects on the group. However when conflict is taken as necessary and inevitable part of the process it can be constructive. Sad to say that I recently ran into Mark and it was at work. This is not a good thing because I work at a jail and I could not believe what he was in jail for. he was in jail for domestic violence against his own mother. I am willing to bet that had Mark's mother had dealt with Mark's outburst in the first place, probably in the way that I was handled by my own grandmother, things might have been a little bit different.
As the book points out,diverse backgrounds,so critical to the successful analysis and resolution of issues, can create barriers if they are not recognized and accepted.
I would like to discuss the concept of Conflict management. This concept is probably the most important concept that small groups are surrounded by when establishing communication rules and expectations. It is an inevitable part of group creativity and communication. When we are in group whether it be family,work,sports etc we are going to face some sort of conflict. Add to the equation that some of the people that you are interacting with and having conflict with it is wise to remember that not all conflict is bad.
People handle conflict differently. For example when I was growing up with a traditional Mexican grandmother I dared not even raise my voice at her. One day I did and I received the biggest beat down a kid could ever get, rightfully so. However up across town my friend who was white would often tell his own mom things even I was shocked to hear. What was even more alarming was that the mom just would nearly reward him for it. She would say "Mark if you continue to talk me like that, you wont be getting a playstation" or some other treat. I was expecting for Mark's mom to fully unleash hell on his behind but sometimes she just wouldn't.
As the book says working with conflict is almost never easy. Whether conflict has a positive effect on how it is handled. If it leads to animosity and individual's withdrawals from participation, it may lead to negative effects on the group. However when conflict is taken as necessary and inevitable part of the process it can be constructive. Sad to say that I recently ran into Mark and it was at work. This is not a good thing because I work at a jail and I could not believe what he was in jail for. he was in jail for domestic violence against his own mother. I am willing to bet that had Mark's mother had dealt with Mark's outburst in the first place, probably in the way that I was handled by my own grandmother, things might have been a little bit different.
As the book points out,diverse backgrounds,so critical to the successful analysis and resolution of issues, can create barriers if they are not recognized and accepted.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
class discussion sept 3-9 #3
3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading this week, not already discussed, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.
One concept that I found useful is the concept of cohesion. Cohesion is the degree to which an individual member of group feels attraction to the group and how well the group members interact. I am big sports fanatic, I also coach baseball for leagues in Gilroy and in Hollister. When ever I am conducting practice I like to see how cohesive my team is. I can get a sense of how cohesive they are by seeing if I need to be there for every moment or if they can conduct a practice by themselves. At the beginning of the season I will lead to stretching drills and continue to do this over time until I feel that it is time for the players to conduct the stretching by themselves. Later I will add drills and stations of various baseball techniques but as the season goes on and they show they are capable of doing it by themselves I then will let the players run the practice. I then will turn into a coach/cheerleader coaching them if they still have problems with certain tasks and cheering them on with praise if they are able to do it by themselves.
I found out that the more I turned into cheerleader, the more cohesive the group became. In the end the players would at times correct other players if they did something wrong or they would give praise if the player did something right.
One concept that I found useful is the concept of cohesion. Cohesion is the degree to which an individual member of group feels attraction to the group and how well the group members interact. I am big sports fanatic, I also coach baseball for leagues in Gilroy and in Hollister. When ever I am conducting practice I like to see how cohesive my team is. I can get a sense of how cohesive they are by seeing if I need to be there for every moment or if they can conduct a practice by themselves. At the beginning of the season I will lead to stretching drills and continue to do this over time until I feel that it is time for the players to conduct the stretching by themselves. Later I will add drills and stations of various baseball techniques but as the season goes on and they show they are capable of doing it by themselves I then will let the players run the practice. I then will turn into a coach/cheerleader coaching them if they still have problems with certain tasks and cheering them on with praise if they are able to do it by themselves.
I found out that the more I turned into cheerleader, the more cohesive the group became. In the end the players would at times correct other players if they did something wrong or they would give praise if the player did something right.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Class Discussion Sept 3-9
1. Yes there are group norms at SJSU. In every group certain actions are approved of such as being on class on time and at certain group meetings. I have seen teachers tell students to leave if they constantly showed up late. The type of norm that I have also seen is the "Peripheral norm"in which students will be on their laptop while the students or the teacher is giving a lecture. In my Comm 101C course Dr Byrd was very good at letting the students aware of the "Explicit" norms such as task requirements and deadlines of certain assignments.
When I hang out with my friends we are very aware of the group norms. For example recently we attended a San Francisco Giants baseball game and we decided to tailgate. Instead of assigning what to bring and who to bring it, we all knew that food and drinks were needed for the tailgate party to be a success. So when we finally showed up at our destination I brought beer. However I had brought beer that I know people would drink. Meaning I know Bubba only drinks budlight, Jesse only drinks tecate, and Anthony only drinks Newcastle. The girls brought the food and the guys brought the beer.
In both cases I just went with the flow. As the saying goes if it isn't broke why fix it. While at SJSU I could have opened up my laptop or got on my Iphone and not paid attention the teacher like every other students i have seen do but that would have totally defeated the purpose of going to school, I could have just done that at home and saved gas. When I hang out with my friends I could have called up and set up a list of what to bring and who to bring it but we have been doing this for so long that everyone already knows what to bring, where we will meet up, what time we are leaving,where we will sit that it would just created chaos.
When I hang out with my friends we are very aware of the group norms. For example recently we attended a San Francisco Giants baseball game and we decided to tailgate. Instead of assigning what to bring and who to bring it, we all knew that food and drinks were needed for the tailgate party to be a success. So when we finally showed up at our destination I brought beer. However I had brought beer that I know people would drink. Meaning I know Bubba only drinks budlight, Jesse only drinks tecate, and Anthony only drinks Newcastle. The girls brought the food and the guys brought the beer.
In both cases I just went with the flow. As the saying goes if it isn't broke why fix it. While at SJSU I could have opened up my laptop or got on my Iphone and not paid attention the teacher like every other students i have seen do but that would have totally defeated the purpose of going to school, I could have just done that at home and saved gas. When I hang out with my friends I could have called up and set up a list of what to bring and who to bring it but we have been doing this for so long that everyone already knows what to bring, where we will meet up, what time we are leaving,where we will sit that it would just created chaos.
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