KIN 231: Human Group Dynamics

Group Observations Sheet

Forming
What are your first impressions of your group members?
My first impression of my group member was that none of them were shy. Right from the get go we
were assign as a group they were not afraid to talk, which was really encouraging. I also noticed three out of
the four people in my group including myself were all from Oregon, so it was nice to see we had something in
common. Lastly my first impression of my group members was that they all were really smart, two of my group
members are majoring in engineering and one other is majoring in health.
What methods did you use to get to know one another?
What our group did to get to know each other was ask basic question. We asked questions like where
are you from and What do you like to do for fun or How old are you. Questions like those let us get to know
one another a little better and was great lead in to other questions, and let us feel comfortable talking to one
another and asking questions. I feel that because we asked questions about one another is helped not only get
to know our groups members but also gave us confidence to speak in front of each other and to ask questions
as well.
What were some of the group norms (written & unwritten) that developed? How did they change over time?
Almost all the norms we created were unwritten. We created the norm of calling each other by a
shorten version of our names. For instance, instead of calling Madeline by her full name we would call her
Maddie and same went for me instead of McKenzie they called me Kenzie. We also created the norm of
emailing each other at first about our group project plans, but as the term went on and we all got more
comfortable with each other we transitioned to a group text message.
How were these norms enforced?
These norms were enforced by first asking what we liked to be called, and then respecting one
anothers wishes. For our form of communication, we had each other write down our emails and phone
numbers. We started off emailing but then once we all needed to meet up to work on our project we started the
group message. By having the group message, it was a better form of communication because we always
have our phones with us and it was easier to talk through texting.
What role did you play within the group? Did it change throughout the term?
At the beginning of the term I started off with the role of the follower. I just went along with what my
group wanted to do and kind of kept my ideas to myself. But the more I got comfortable and the more I got to
know my group I transitioned into the role of the gatekeeper. I would try to leave an open channel of
communication in order for my group to keep heading in the right direction of finishing our project.
What role(s) did each of the other team members take on? And how did they demonstrate it?
Name

Role

Ghus

Standard setter

Madeline

Encourager

Jacob

Compromiser

Demonstration
I believe Ghus took the role of standard setter because he
was always on top of stuff and turning in really good in depth
work. He set the bar for our group to do our best in order to
have good work and a good project.
I believe Madeline took the role of encourager because she
was always so kind to everyone. She would always
acknowledge everyones ideas and encouraged our group to
be ourselves and to not be afraid to share our ideas.
I believe Jacob took the role of compromiser because he
was always correcting our group when it was needed. He is
very intelligent and would help our group in every way he
could. He was not afraid to speak up when he needed to.

Diversity
What social group identities are represented in your group? How did you learn about these?
We have many social group identities in my group. Such as we have two males and two females.
Multiracial, white, lesbian, adults, and able bodied. I learned these things with my group by observing, asking
them questions, and when we talked about our identity wheel. My members were very open about themselves
so it was really cool they gave me the opportunity to get to know them.
Everyone is socialized differently. How do you think the process of socialization was different among your
group members? How did that play out in your interactions?
The process of socialization was different among my group members I think because of where we grew
up. Though most of us grew up in the same state, we still were brought up differently by our parents and our
community. Ghus grew up in a different country so his process of socialization was probably the most different
from the rest of the group. Madeline and Jacob grew up in the Portland area and I grew up in Eastern Oregon
so there is probably many differences in our socialization. Though our process of socializations were different
we didnt let that affect our group atmosphere. We learned from one another and were open to each other as
well. By being brought up differently let us all bring a little something different to the table and we incorporated
that into our group.
What role do you think history and Null Curriculum may have played out in your group work? Explain.
I
think the role of the history and Null Curriculum played in our group work was that it opened our eyes
to learn more about the things we didnt know. It helped us get to know each other and learn how to treat each
other respectively. By getting to know each other and learning about ourselves and our group work it allowed
us to steer away from what we thought we knew, and focus on the truth.
Do you feel that there were any cross-cultural miscommunications within your group? Please explain.
I do not feel that were any cross-cultural miscommunications within our group. We were all pretty open
with each other and tried to learn as much as we could about one another in order to have a great group and
group project.
Did you learn something about someone that went against a stereotype that you might have had about a
particular social group that they belonged to? Explain.
Yes, I did learn that Jacob and Madeline were both from the Portland Salem area and that they liked
the outdoors. That went against a common stereotype talked about in Eastern Oregon. It is said that people
who are from the Valley or Portland area do not like the outdoors and only like the city life. But I was proven
wrong, and It was a good learning experience.
How did your first impressions of each group member change throughout the term (if at all)?
My first impression of my group did change all that much. But I can say as the term went along I did
create better relationships with my group members. Now thats its the end of the term I can say we are all
pretty good friends and will probably stay that way after this class ends.
Decision-Making & Problem-Solving
How were the following decisions made within the group and how did it go?
For the Class Trip to Smith Rock/Lake Billy Chinook
o Meal Menu the meal menu was a pretty easy decision for my group. We only had three people
going since I couldnt attend, so that meant less food to bring. Also right away when we started
talking about prepping food, Ghus volunteered himself to cook everything which was really nice.
He said he enjoyed cooking, and that he could make some really good food. We all said our
ideas of what would be good to bring for food, and what we would like to eat. From there we
then picked the easiest meals and each person picked one meal they wanted and thats how we
came up with a meal menu.

Division of tasks for shopping, prep and cooking? The division of task was separated pretty
easily as well. Ghus wanted to cook so he took up that role, each person bought the food for the
meal they wanted and prepared it themselves. Then we all decided to try and prep our food
before the trip to limit the amount of condiments and ingredients needed to be brought. Then we
all checked in with each other and brought the food the day of the trip. Despite Ghus not being
able to attend as well, he still prepared and brought food for the group.

For the Group Project

o What things to cover within your given topic our group covered the cycle of socialization and
its stages, intent and impact, stages of change, social change, group member roles, decision
making and problem solving, and situational leadership.
o

Project format Our project format was a slide show presentation. We first presented out
outline, then our scenario, and jumped right into our material. We decided to choose the order of
material to be presented by which was flowed best together. We added in discussion questions
as well as a activity to keep the class involved.

Division of tasks for project the division of task was separated based on our time limit and the
material we had to cover. We first assigned each person in our group roughly seven and a half
minutes to present their part in order to meet our time limit. Then we put together out slide show
and assigned material for each person to go over. We did not really have an order we went
about disbursing who talked about what we just asked what they want to present and gave it to
them.

Power and Conflict

What conflicts arose and how did you deal with them? If there were no conflicts, explain why? How were they
avoided?
Our group really did not have any conflicts. If I had to bring up one it would just be that it was hard to
schedule times where we could all meet up to work on our project. Everyone had busy schedules with work,
school, and life. But we all adjust and met together at times in order so we could get our project done. If one
person couldnt meet up because there was a time conflict, the rest of the group would still meet up and fill in
the person who couldnt attend later.
How did power play out in the group dynamics?
Power played out pretty evenly in our group dynamic. Not one person was assigned power, we all
worked together and that meant he power was even. There wasnt just one leader we were all leaders, we all
brought something to the table that others couldnt. We worked together greatly and I think thats because we
had even leaderships roles and power within the group.
Norming & Performing
At what point do you feel the group reached the performing stage? How did this come about?
I feel that my group met the performing stage towards the middle of the term. When we started meeting
up to work on our group project was when I notice we were in the performing stage. We all had good
relationships with one another and we were all working towards our goal of completing our group project.

StrengthsQuest
What were your top 5 strengths and how did you demonstrate those in your work with the group?
Strength
Achiever

Competition
Context
Strategic

Activator

Demonstration
I worked really hard in trying to get my group together to work on our
project. I even went as far as completing my part before we met up so
that I could help my group members if they needed it. And I out together
our slideshow knowing that my group members had a lot of other
projects they were working on as well at the time.
I was competitive at times when our group was putting up our tent during
the tent activity. This helped my team put our tent the fastest and took it
down the fastest.
I demonstrated context by reflecting on my past group projects and
picking out things that worked best in them and trying to bring them to
our group.
I demonstrated being strategic when we were panning a time to meet up
to work on our group project. No body could meet in the afternoon so we
met late at night and I brought pizza so we could have dinner and work
on our project.
I demonstrated being an activator when my group met up and decided
how we were going to present our project. I took my assigned material
did my research completed my part and presented to our group at our
next group meeting and made our PowerPoint.

What did you notice about the strengths of the other group members and how that played out?
I noticed the strengths of the other group members was that they were really good about getting things
done on time. We were never rushed to get our project done, when we met up to go over everyones material
everyone had their parts done. That really helped with the process of putting everything together properly for
our project smoothly.
Leadership
Did the group deal with any differences in values, ethics or morals? Explain.
I wouldnt say that our group dealt with any differences in values, ethics, or morals. We all were pretty
respectful of one another and never had to face any of those difficulties.
Did someone emerge as a leader? Who and how did that person demonstrate their leadership?
I wouldnt say one individual took the role of being the leader. I think everyone was a leader at some
point throughout the term in our group. We worked really good together and we all were really involved so no
one had to take up the role as a leader.
Adjourning
Did your group plan the adjourning process? Any plans for continued contact? Explain.
Our group did not plan the adjourning process. I think we all are good friends and have created
friendships with each other through out the term. I would like to say we will stay in contact with each other.
Jacob does a lot of fun outdoor activities and has said we are always welcomed to join him, and I want to take
him up on that offer! Madeline and Ghus are graduating this year, but I know if we ran into each other at some
point we would definitely say hi and catch up!

Additional Observations:
If a group member (or members) was absent for things (in-class activities, class trip, project preparation) how
did that affect group dynamics?
When someone was absent during things we did as a group it did make it a little challenging that we
were short a person or two. It meant more work for the people who were there, but we made it work. The group
dynamic was affected a little but I think that it taught everyone to learn how to adjust. We adjusted to the
situation of someone being absent.
If you were the member who was absent for things, how do you think your absent affected the group
dynamics?
I was absent for the camping trip and I do believe it affect the group dynamic for that trip.
Due to my absent there wasnt as much group bonding, shared experiences, and I caused me to miss out in a
lot of group learning experiences. My group was probably the smallest ones on that trip, which left them with
little resources compared to other groups who had more people who attended. I wish I could have gone and
helped out my group and share the camping experience with them.