Group Dynamics
According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary online, "Group dynamics is the interacting forces within a small human group." (www.merriam-webster.com, 2000) It includes the sociological study of these forces. The term was first introduced in the U.S. by the German-American psychologist Kurt Lewin, who established the Research Center for Group Dynamics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1945. One of his findings was that group behavior affects many aspects of life. Group dynamics is concerned with the structure and functioning of groups and with the types of roles played by members. Roles are flexible and may change with changing goals or activities. "The study of group dynamics is important in order to understand and facilitate this movement so that it will be productive and beneficial to society." (Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia, 1998) In the following paragraphs, information and examples is presented on how groups form, how they are motivated, and how they !can be classified into two distinct classifications. Groups are caused by various factors, but are broken up into two distinct categories, voluntary groups and involuntary groups. Each group has many separate categories that can be explored. However, t
On the other hand, involuntary groups are compulsory in that the members have no choice in their formation. For instance, a person may have a job in which they have been assigned to a group to work out a difficult issue with a production line. In this group a supervisor chooses a select few to research an assembly line component and provide solutions to better improve the efficiency. The members did not choose to be a part of the group. They were simply appointed based on a number of factors the supervisor found important to solving the issue at hand. Another example of involuntary grouping occurs when people are stereotyped based on race, skin color, nationality, or age, just to name a few. These types of groupings may cause conflict, and in turn, result in one group member joining another group voluntarily in retaliation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Merriam-Webster, Incorporated (2000, July). Groups Dynamics. Available: http://www.merriam-webster.com. Acm.org (2000, July). ACM: Special Interest Group on Electronic Commerce. Available: http://www.acm.org/sigs. "Group Dynamics," {Microsoftc Encartac 98 Encyclopedia}. c (1993-1997) Microsoft Corporation. meetings, to name a few. Informal groups include social activities outside the office, luncheons, coffee breaks, informal meetings, retreats and gripe sessions. Simply enough, they meet anytime two or more people are joined in discussion. This can occur at the water fountain in the courtyard, during a lunch break offsite, at an after hours sporting event, or even in the office location. The encounters often provide a platform for individuals to voice their opinions on a subject or
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1152
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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