Advantaged and Disadvantages 

In this section, we are going to look at the advantages and disadvantages of group work. Although the advantages outweigh the disadvantages there are still a few to be considered. Here we will explore some of the advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages 

Knowledge sharing 

Group work is good for knowledge sharing as it allows everyone in the group to share their own experiences passing on their knowledge to younger or the less experienced group members.

Increased communication skills 

Groupwork is an effective way to increase communication skills. This can be achieved by verbal communication, social media and email to name a few.

Understanding of others 

Groupwork increases understanding and awareness of different cultured and values that others hold.

Increased productivity 

Groupwork also increases the productivity by delegation of tasks that can be shared between members of the group so the work can be finished in much less time.

Disadvantages 

Leadership struggles 

Conflict can occur when the group has members whose personalities clash or one member may try taking the leadership stance.

Unequal participation 

Some group members may free cheated if they have contributed more than others who in turn receive the same recognition.

Time consuming 

When working in a group collaboration is required by meetings/group chats which can be time consuming especially if there is much informal chat.

The quote “Teamwork is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results” by Andrew Carnegie is amongst the great many that have been written and shows the importance of working and learning together.

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Group work and communication are critical elements of any community work. While on the surface, it looks easy enough, many community workers are often caught off-guard by the complexities involved. Thankfully, these are things that have been studied for decades and, as such, there are many theories and strategies which can help.  

The most widely known group theory is that of Bruce Tuckman’s’ Lifecycle of Groups. 

Tuckman realised that groups go through different stages in their lifetime. 

• Forming – This stage can be frustrating. Some would rather leave than wait for things to settle. It can also be an exciting time for people as they venture into new ground. 
• Storming – This stage can brew some tension and hostility in the group which can also cause people to leave. Fall-outs can occur due to leadership contests. Stronger relationships may be built as well as renewed determination to make the group successful. 

• Norming – This stage is when the group settles into a routine. Leadership has been established, and groups tasks agreed.  
• Performing – This is the stage where the group is established. Some people may be happy and see no issues; some may see issues which need to be addressed; whereas others may be happy to go with the flow. 
• Adjourning/Mourning – This stage sees the end of the group. It may be for an individual leaving for personal reasons, or the group itself coming to an end. 

It is important to note that some groups may stay in one stage longer than others, and some may regress to a former stage.   

Communication is incredibly important. There are many theories and strategies to help facilitators with these. Daniel Goleman presented the theory of Emotional Intelligence (EQ). This consists of Interpersonal Skills: Skills used with others and always involves two or more people, and Intrapersonal Skills: Skills used for oneself. EQ is designed to help develop our self-awareness (what and why we feel something), self-management (handling our emotions in an effective way while still acknowledging them without being overwhelmed), empathy, and skills development.  

EQ can be used in conjunction with Johari’s Window, a useful communication tool. 

There are so many theories and strategies that can be used to aid a facilitator in group work and communication, I have noted a couple. Other theories or strategies you could look up include Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats, John Adair’s Theory on Leadership, or Jacques Arc of Distortion.  

Within groups, communication is undoubtedly the most fundamental factor in ensuring the effective participation by all members, and perhaps leads to the strengthening of the overall output in productivity by the group. With communication being a key factor towards the possible success of groups, and communities, platforms such as e-mail, social media and getting together to discuss aims for the group collectively prove their success in keeping members close to the achievements of the group, and many theories have been devised over the years to provide further insight on how to limit the any issues that may arise in the group. 

Johari’s Window Model 

One such model that is used to advance communication is called the ‘Johari Window Model’ which was theorised by American Psychologists  Joseph Luft, and Harry Ingham. This model looks at four key areas (known as quadrants) within the main personalities of each member – open, blind, hidden and unknown – with all areas differing in size to reflect each individual member of the group, rather than all of the members collectively. Each quadrant within the window all begin at an equal size, which slowly expand and/or contract to facilitate the needs of the group’s communication as it moves on to achieve its overall end goal. The exact nature of this model allows for those in the group to tell fellow members aspects of themselves which will prove to be important in order to understand one another individually, and to essentially bind the group together in order to achieve the end goal. 

Six Thinking Hats 

Edward de Bono’s ‘Six Thinking Hats’ is a theory created to explore and deal with elements that halt the overall progression of groups. By being straightforward and readily accessible, each respective coloured hat has a different meaning, but are all essential when put into practice and executed successfully. The representation of communication as coloured hats within this theory is broken down as such; White – Information, Red – Feelings, Black – Caretaking, Yellow – Optimism, Green – Ideas, Blue – Overview. The whole purpose of the theory is to facilitate a clear and straight-forward narrative for members to express ideas and opinions and allows for all individuals to have an equal say 

Groupwork benefits all kinds of situations that teaches us important life and communication skills. It is also an effective and powerful way to learn and develop our generic skills such as delegation, collaboration and leadership. Due to there being a diverse representation of nationalities and cultures this is likely to bring individual skills and qualities to the group. As a community education practitioner there is always going to be a distinct range of socio-economic backgrounds and therefore it is important that we have an unbiased and non-judgmental understanding of different inequalities. This is extremely important within the community education sector.  

Furthermore, another major aspect is having the competence of self-evaluation and analytic thinking so engaging with our fellow group members and coming up with new ideas can guide others to where they need to be. Working with people in your communities isn’t always easy. Often there can be divides and interests which leads to a strain where it can pull communities apart. Therefore, it is essential that those in the community can put aside their differences and come together to effect change, and come to a mutual consensus to ensure as a society we work together and include all individuals ensuring that we can make use of the power when working in a cohesive group.  

To conclude, it is better to work in groups where the power can be equally distributed rather than one person holding too much power if they were to work on their own. Groupwork allows for us to socialise and provides relationship’s where they can form and grow and can promote learning and achievement’s whilst at the same time enhancing all the other necessary skills.  

A quote to show us groupwork is important is by Henry Ford. He says “Coming together is a beginning; staying together is progress and working together is success.  

Overall, all these skills are critical to successful teamwork within a group both in a classroom setting and in later life.  

REFERENCES

https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/metallurgy-materials/about/cases/group-work/why.aspx

Click to access importance.pdf

ositivepsychology.com/emotional-intelligence-frameworks/