1.27.

11 - Small Group Reflection

K.B. Conway 1

Small Group Characteristics & Overlapping Attributes: An Educated Guess about What Makes Small Groups Flourish
There are many different kinds of small groups. Based on our text, small groups are formed for many reasons and are made up of three to twenty people. During the course of my life I have been involved in lots of small groups. In order to better describe my experiences, this reflection will explore the small groups using the following categories: primary group, social group, educational group, therapeutic group, problem solving group and work groups. The first type of group I am going to explore is the primary group. A primary group is a very informal, social group that we remain members of for a long time. The two groups that are primary groups for me are my family and my high school friend group. Being a part of a family is something everyone experiences. As I was growing up I was luckier than most because all of my extended family lived near and around the Charlotte area. We didnt see each other all of the time, but during holidays and special occasions everyone was always included. The interesting thing about a family primary group is that you do not choose the members. There are different personalities and expectations placed on you, whether you are in your immediate family subgroup or your larger extended family group. These dynamics are very intriguing to me because they vary so much across maternal and paternal sides. In my family, my mothers side is very proper. You are expected to come to all the family reunions or large functions where the majority of the family would normally be present and contact is typically maintained during the normal course of the year via telephone and visits. On my fathers side, however, they are more concerned with sending cards and only seeing each other on holidays. This is also different from my immediate familys interactions. My immediate family blends both styles making holidays important, but my mother reaches out to talk on the phone with me almost daily. This level of interaction mirrors the level of interaction she had with her mother, but is very different from the level of interaction that she has with my fathers mother. The other primary group that I spend a lot of time with is my high school friend group. Despite living in different cities since high school, we still manage to spend a lot

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K.B. Conway 2

of time together. We talk on the phone, go to brunch on Sundays, text message, email and hang out in smaller subsets. One of the main reasons we stay in such close contact is because most of us have moved back to Charlotte or have family that still lives here making contact easier and more top of mind. Social groups are groups of people that you spend time with primary for social interaction. My husband and I have cultivated a unique and eclectic set of social groups. One of our groups of friends are people primarily from New York that all moved to Charlotte near the same time. We each have college friends that we like to spend time with and we also have small friend groups from different jobs that we have had. All of these groups are distinctly different and fun in their own unique way. Our Yankee friends, as we call them, love going to sporting events. Andys college friends enjoy outdoor activities. My college friends enjoy going to local bars or pubs and our work friends enjoy happy hours at local restaurants. The one thing we have learned about our different social small groups is that they are fun individually, but mixing these groups doesnt typically work out well and people tend to feel uncomfortable or not thoroughly enjoy themselves. Educational groups are groups of people concerned with learning and discovering new ideas or ways of thinking. When I was in elementary school I was a part of the Academically Gifted program. This program brought groups of children that received high test scores on standardized tests together to learn how to be creative and think critically. Interestingly enough, I cannot remember anyone in the class. I can remember activities we did, but I dont even remember my teacher. This small group was a subset of our normal classroom and we were broken out once a week to participate in these activities. As I grew older I also participated in Odyssey of the Mind. Odyssey of the Mind was similar to AG, except that it was a small competition group that met once a week to work to solve problems using creativity and critical thinking skills. At the end of the semester you would compete against other school teams at local, regional and national competitions. Odyssey of the Mind could also be considered a problem-solving group, but since the purpose was to learn I decided to place it in the educational category. Due to the amount of work that each person put into Odyssey of the Mind you grew very

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K.B. Conway 3

close to the people you worked with. When I was a sophomore in high school our team won first place in our local competition and went on to state where we placed third. Therapeutic groups, considered a subset of educational groups, are a small group where members learn about themselves and their relationships with others. Although I have never been a part of an organized therapeutic group, I do have a subset of my high school friend group that meets once a month called Creative Spaces. We meet in order to create a safe place to explore our lives, relationships and ultimately grow as we learn more about each other. Each event has a different activity. Last month we made collages to celebrate important events in our lives. This month we are sharing recipes and cooking. Although it is a social group, it ends up being very therapeutic because each member is committed to listening and understanding the others. Problem solving groups are groups formed with the specific purpose of making decisions and developing solutions to problems or circumstances. To be honest this group, aside from my work group and maybe because of my work group, is my least favorite. I am a member of a homeowners association, I have worked on multiple committees for professional associations and it always seems that there are people in these groups with the sole purpose of obtaining power. This forces the group to focus more on personality issues and conflicts rather than the problems or concerns at hand. The most productive problem-solving group I have ever been a part of is the Exhibitor Magazine Advisory Board. This team helped the editors of Exhibitor Magazine develop each issue by discussing the previous months issue. We would talk about what we liked, what we didnt like, what we wished they had discussed. The board also brainstormed with the editors and discussed new issue ideas. At times, we would even work with the writers to write and create story spreads. The reason this group functioned so well was because the editors treated us as part of their organization. This level of treatment increased commitment and engagement from all members. The last group I am going to discuss is work groups. Work groups can also be considered problem-solving groups. I separated them due to the differences and complexity that work groups involve. I have been in several work groups during the course of my career. Ranging from camp counselor to marketing executive, I have had many different roles in a work group. Over the past few years I have been responsible for

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K.B. Conway 4

creating marketing teams that have high levels of production and creativity. Building these groups is not an easy task, but it is something that I enjoy because I get the opportunity to develop good people, provide them with opportunities and watch them flourish. I am very interested in how our text describes the differences between small groups and teams. If I had to make a bet, I would bet that work groups function more like teams then small groups. Reviewing some of the different small groups I have participated in during the course of my life is interesting. It appears that many of them overlap in different categories. Furthermore, you dont have to be best friends to be a part of a great group of people. In my experience, the level of commitment is an extremely important part of a cohesive small group. Additionally, the ability to communicate with each other effectively is also an extremely important attribute for individuals in the group to have. Having similar life experiences and sharing details of your life are also important, but they are less important characteristics than commitment and communication. If you are committed to the group and can communicate effectively with the members, it is easier to overlook situational differences and opinions to create a better team environment