Group synergy is about providing more input than individuals or the best in the group. Cohesive groups lend support and commitment and in order to meet the member's interpersonal needs, there is a need for inclusion, a need for control and a need for affection. I agree with what is written in the notes. Not only cohesive groups meet the member's interpersonal needs, it also meets the group's goal. With a cohesive group, achieving goals will not become a huge hurdle compared to a noncohesive one. As a member of the CJC's guzheng ensemble, I have to say that achieving a group's goal is not a simple task, especially when the group is huge. Potential group problems may surface at any time if any member of the group is not committed.
Talking about potential group problems, this reminds me of my experience during the Singapore Youth Festival where I got to work with others in an ensemble. We have experienced times in which we found it hard to listen to one another due to our lack of attention and focus and I have learnt the importance of group cooperation, to listen to others in an ensemble and know the others' playing style. Good coordination among others playing the melody and the base takes patience and practice and to avoid repeating the same mistakes, good coordination is vital. In a guzheng ensemble, succesful communication within the group can be achieved by looking out for one another's cues through movements. Coordinated movements helps us to achieve more solid sounds during the performance and to keep track of our rhythm and speed. Also, this helps in our communuication with the audience as this livens up the atmosphere.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZNinmV7TIY (just to share, this is a video taken during my rehersal in my school auditorium)
Although there may be some unhappy experiences as some may drop out along the way, I have also learnt that for a group to succeed, the group has to carry out groupthink, which can be viewed as a mode of thinking when our strivings for unanimity overides our motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of actions. In an ensemble, it is very important for every member to believe in the group's own morality as I have learnt that a lack of confidence in others can lead to negative behaviours, for example giving up and backing out from the competition.
From my experience, I also realized that factors such as problem solving affects group performance and is not so simplistic. For example, finding a way to help the others to pick up in certain pieces may sometimes be difficult. For example, covering up for others may be a possible technique but this can only be done with practice and focused listening and there is always a downside to it. This may deprive the others of the chance to learn and find out their mistakes. Apart from problem solving, there will also be group pressure and stress can affect a group's performance. For example, playing solo can be streesful as there is no one to cover up and mistakes made can affect the group's performance.
Group synergy allows a group to provide more input than individuals. Experiencing the true meaning of group synergy helps a lot when working in groups. Problems can be eliminated more easily. What do you think?
6 comments:
I feel that covering for each other's back is a good way to bolster relationships in a group. It is a sign that we care for each other. Perhaps in certain context this might not be true. But its just my opinion in general.
I have to say i would feel great if i knew i had ppl i could count on if anything were to go wrong. However if we are in a grp, many problem may arise such as having different opinions about smthg.
Many of us don't join grps wihch hav ppl we dom't know and we tend to form grps with our own social circle for most of the projects.
This can help to lessen the arguments which may come about if we were working with ppl we know little about.
Interesting read. Yes to truely participate in a group where you are reliant on your group members for overall success definitely opens up your understanding of group dynamics and how it works. It is truely when individuals are able to retain their uniqueness and yet be able to work cohesively in a group, where i believe the true strength of 'groups' can be illustrated.
Regards,
Shawn Lee Wei Bin
i feel that group problem might not be a bad thing as one can learn from the group problem and grow as a person, like having to try to accomodate others in order to achieve the group goals are some skills that we can learn when faced with group problems. this i a good post as it is personal and shows the different aspects of group communication u have encountered
I wouldn't deny that it is indeed important to learn to cope with group synergy because the effective use of it can lead the group to achieve success in their group goals. Moreover, it is also interesting to learn about these concepts so that we can better understand the situation, and perhaps avoid making negative attributions(for instance, fundamental attribution error).
Group synergy can be achieved when working in groups, but it is tough to maintain that synergy because group dynamics would also become more complex than individual dynamics. This issue has been elaborated in the COMMS notes, whereby an mutual understanding and assigned group roles would help to alleviate these problems.
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