Introduction
Group work is frequently used as a method of learning in education and practice, and is an integral part of becoming a midwife/nurse. The aim of this chapter is to tell you about group work and how to develop your skills for working in groups so that you can get the most out of meetings, seminars and tutorials.
In health care there is increasing emphasis on student participation in learning. The belief is that through active learning students are better able to engage in the material being presented and feel more involved in the learning process. The importance of student participation in other parts of university life is important. You may be asked to become a member of a university body or committee such as a student/staff consultative committee, or represent fellow students at a meeting with the panel from the Quality Assurance Agency or Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to discuss your experience of learning. Becoming a member of any group is an excellent way of developing skills that are key to your development and transferable to other situations.
If you think about it, we all belong to different groups, such as a family, a sports club, a voluntary association or a trade union. A group consists of a number of people who meet together to follow a chosen activity; being in a group is how society functions and is therefore a part of all our lives. Some groups are more personal and voluntary than others – consider the difference between a basketball team and a tutorial group.
Groups may form to achieve a specific task, and so group members are expected to work collaboratively. An effective way of learning is through interacting with other people; it not only gives us the opportunity to hear other people’s ideas and thoughts but it also gives us the opportunity to try out and share our own opinions. A group will bring together a range of attitudes, knowledge and skills that would not be available if we were working alone, for example handover in your practice area or a case-based presentation. This is one of the advantages of working in a group, particularly when it involves problem solving such as problem-based learning or decision making. If all members of a group feel valued and can participate, then there is likely to be a greater commitment to, and support of, the group and the decisions made. Group discussion should help you to develop your critical thinking, and provide you with the opportunity of linking theory to practice (and vice versa).
Characteristics of groups
Groups have a number of common characteristics:
■ a definable membership
■ group consciousness
■ a shared sense of purpose
■ interdependence
■ interaction
■ an ability to cooperate.
Advantages of group work
If you were to reflect on your experience of working in the group, you would identify a number of advantages to working in a group, and you might include some of the following:
■ enhance learning
■ sharing the workload:
▪ thinking
▪ problem solving
▪ understanding
■ improve efficiency and ability to tackle complex tasks
■ increased effectiveness – provide better solutions through shared dialogue and learning
■ enhance satisfaction through networking and social support
■ active participation
■ purposeful activity.
Disadvantages of group work
There can be disadvantages to working in a group.
• Can you recall an experience of where a group activity failed?
• What do you think was the reason?
• What do you think might be some of the disadvantages of working in a group? Jot down your thoughts.
A group might be unsuccessful for a number of reasons, some of which are listed below:
■ people work at different speeds
■ poor group dynamics
■ lack of communication
■ task set is not completed
■ not all members of the group participate
■ group members feel isolated
■ group work does not suit your preferred learning style (see Chapter 2)
■ group members compare themselves with others
■ time required to set up the group
■ dominance by an outspoken member.
You need to understand why groups exist, and develop strategies for ensuring they are successful. As highlighted in the advantages of groups, a group can bring together a range of skills and knowledge that an individual does not have. For the group to be successful, all the group members need to feel that they are a part of the group and that the group values their contribution.
Group dynamics
For a group to be both effective and efficient, you need to have a mix of personalities; there can be different roles assigned to members within groups – these roles are usually unconscious. The role you play in a group will depend on your personality and on the reason for the group existing. Belbin (2004) identified nine key roles for an effective group. These are:
■ Coordinator: mature, confident, a good chairperson. Delegates, promotes decision making and ensures that all contributions are heard.
■ Shaper: challenging, dynamic. Pushes the group and encourages them to complete the task.
■ Plant: creative, imaginative, unorthodox. Solves difficult problems.
■ Resource investigator: extrovert, enthusiastic, communicative. Develops contacts and explores new ideas.
■ Monitor evaluator: strategic and discerning. The critic who finds the faults in arguments.
■ Team worker: cooperative, perceptive, diplomatic. The individual who holds the group together and supports group members.
■ Implementer: disciplined, reliable, efficient. Turns ideas into actions.
■ Completer finisher: painstaking, anxious, contentious. The perfectionist who ensures that the group meets any deadlines.
■ Specialist: single-minded, a self starter, dedicated. Provides knowledge and skills that are in short supply.
One person can take on more than one role in a group. It is important that there is balance between each of the roles in the group if the group is to remain effective. You might like to visit: http://www.belbin.com/ to find out more.
Having looked at the different roles in a group, which would be your preferred role?
Having looked at the different roles in a group, which would be your preferred role?Group life cycle
A group is dynamic and will usually have a life cycle, although they will vary according to their aim, function, size and so on; yet they will usually keep to the following phases: initial, production, consolidation and resolution.
For example, when a student midwife/nurse in practice, your time spent in an area will be limited to the length of your placement. Although you might see this as limiting, placements allow you to experience a range of different environments; in addition, you will find that you develop skills and strategies for adapting so that you can use skills learned elsewhere and apply them in a different setting (see also Chapter 10 and Chapter 11). These are referred to as transferable skills – skills learned in one context that are useful in another. Example of key skills:
■ teamwork and leadership
■ commercial awareness
■ written communication
■ interpersonal communication
■ problem solving
■ networking
■ initiative
■ planning and organisation
■ adaptability and flexibility
■ numeracy
■ computer literacy
■ time management.
Becoming a team player
Our previous experience of working in a team can affect how we approach working in a new group. In order to be effective the group may need to go through a number of stages before it becomes a functioning team. Tuckman (1965) initially identified four stages (see points 1 to 4 below), but further work identified a fifth stage (Tuckman and Jensen, 1977).
1. Forming (orientation): this is usually a positive stage when you are anticipating working with a new group of people. You might be slightly anxious at the thought of meeting people and wondering whether you will be able to successfully complete the task set.
2. Storming (dissatisfaction/conflict): at this stage you might experience some uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of the group – if the team does not seem to meet your or others’ expectations. There may be disagreements as some members appear to be engaging with the group and activity more easily than you.
3. Norming (resolution/cooperation): this is where the team begins to settle down and functions more effectively, because you have addressed any conflict and negotiated how to cooperate.
4. Performing (productivity): this is where the team is working well together, where members feel that they are able to express themselves and that the task can be achieved through combined effort.
5. Adjourning (dissolution): this is when the group disbands on completion of the task.
In order for the team to develop and move forward, you may need to move through these stages; this can be facilitated by agreeing ground rules during the forming stage.
You could assess how a group is working through using the Johari window. The Johari window model was developed by American psychologists Luft and Ingham, while researching group dynamics (Luft and Ingham, 1955). This is a tool for illustrating and improving self-awareness, and mutual understanding between individuals within a group; further information about this is at the end of the chapter in the resources section.
Ground rules
Participating in group discussions allows us to learn from others, and develop our own thoughts and beliefs about a subject. For a group to be successful it is important that the group members meet and agree ground rules – these are a set of guidelines that the group acknowledges and adheres to each time it meets. Ground rules allow each member of the group to know what is expected of them.
Imagine you are meeting in a group for the first time. Jot down the ground rules that would be important to you. Keep these and refer to them when you are asked to identify ground rules.
Imagine you are meeting in a group for the first time. Jot down the ground rules that would be important to you. Keep these and refer to them when you are asked to identify ground rules.You might have identified some of the following as important:
■ confidentiality
■ being tactful, considerate and respecting others’ opinions
■ punctuality
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