1. Situational Leadership
What is Situational Leadership? Why is it the most appropriate style to acquire? include examples from your own experience in your response.
Situational Leadership is the most flexible type of leadership to embrace. Comprising of directive, democratic and non-directive styles, a situational leader can assess a group or circumstances and determine the most effective form of leadership for that time and place. The situational leader will then modify their behaviour to provide the leadership required to get the best possible outcome.
Directive Leadership - Directive leaders have a vision, they are the first to arrive and the last to leave, and the buck stops with them. This is the most common form of leadership used in teaching roles. While an effective teacher will use all styles of leadership to enhance learning in the classroom, the directive approach is commonly used, especially in early learning years. I am currently doing my course placement in a Kindergarten. The Teacher uses directive leadership often with the children, this style of leadership is task-oriented. An example of tasks that require a directive approach are: learning to take turns, sitting quietly and listening, contributing at packing up time, washing hands before eating, these are non-negotiable tasks and the children have learned they are required to comply with these rules.
Diplomatic Leadership - This style of leadership is a feel good type of leadership. A diplomatic leader will ask for suggestions and encourage discussion to help a group of people to make decisions that suit most (or majority) of a group of people. A democratic leader values input from others and ensures that even the most timid of group members have the opportunity to voice their thoughts and opinions. A democratic leader needs to be liked and accepted by the majority of the group members. In the end a democratic leader usually asks for decisions to be made by a poll. An example of a diplomatic leader would be a President of an incorporated body. The President is is voted into the position by his or her peers, the president would attend meetings with a group of people who have been nominated to represent the group. The president asks for a vote for or against decisions proposed by the group. The president is often the figurehead of an organisation, they are usually the hardest working member of the group.
Non Directive Leaders are like scaffolding. They will ask "What is your vision?" A non-directive leader must be authentic and real. They must possess something that the group aspires to or is inspired by, such as knowledge, reputation, wisdom, wealth, or power. A non-directive leader will not make choices for others, they will show positive support and encouragement for those who are heading in the "right direction". Silence is a tool used by non-directive leaders to encourage others to speak out. The non-directive leader will fade away when members of the group show a willingness to take over. An example of a non-directive leader is a family mentor such as the ones I have observed volunteering for the organisation OzChild. When a family mentor enters into a dysfunctional family situation, their role is to listen and observe, to encourage positive behaviour, and to provide support for the family to independently make changes. The mentor works with the family encouraging and celebrating small steps. The whole time they are watching for signs of skill development and self sufficiency. At a point they will happily and excitedly withdraw their support and encouragement because they are "no longer needed".
2. The Group Facilitator.
What is the role of the Group Facilitator? Use examples of facilitators you have observed and their skills to explain your answer.
A person fulfilling the role of a group facilitator will focus on details that make group work and learning easy. A Facilitator arranges things so that a group or meeting flows easily and that outside factors do not disrupt the work of the group, making the group more efficient they will produce quality outcomes. A group facilitator will use questions and reflection to guide the group towards their goal, and encourage the group members to consider other views. A group facilitator that I have been in contact with made sure that privacy was ensured, and that the group started on time and ended on time. Her roles were varied and often they were "unofficial" but they would usually include advocacy (sticking up for people and the group), keeping the peace (calming emotions), and caterer (she provided the bickies). This Group Facilitator lead by example, she modeled; accountability by always being available (within reason), teamwork skills by making sure that we all supported each others contribution, ethics because she always stood up for group decided goals and rules, and empathy because her thinking and feeling was on the same level as the group members. Group Facilitators have important roles, this group facilitator was not the centre of attention which allowed other group members to become active in leadership as they became comfortable.
3. Tuckmans Stages of Group Development. Include your own examples in your response.
Identify the stages of development our group has gone through. If you think our group has skipped a stage, which is possible, explain why that might be.
What stage are we in now?
What is still to come for the group?
Our group of students have gone through almost all the stages of group development.
The first stage, is Forming. In this stage the group had just been introduced to each other. The students sat with people they have met before or worked with, we introduced ourselves by name and by the industry sectors we were working. We were focused on the teacher to "provide" our education. We were learning to remain in a classroom, in learning mode. It was exhausting enough without having to remember what every ones name were. Then the assessments tasks came along. Not sure how to approach the tasks we students started to talk about the assessments and express our individual opinions. We became aware that the other students could teach us things as well.
The next stage which our group found ourselves is the Storming stage. We found that we didn't always agree with the teacher, or each other. And we discovered that we didn't even like each other some times. The assessment tasks received a lot of discussion, how do I write it, should I write more or less. Do I want to get a pass or a great mark. While we were assessing our likelihood of miserable failure other conflict has risen. Such as the student who attempted to negotiate three breaks and an early finish per class. This student professed to be speaking on everybody's behalf, but she had never asked me. I think she wanted to have a cigarette break and she had a distance to travel to work and her start time was just 30 minutes after the timetabled finish time in class. She had needs, I understand that but I was really annoyed that she "spoke for" all of the class. I wanted to be in class for the maximum time because; 1) I had paid quite a lot of money for the classes 2) I liked learning 3) I liked the discussion 4) I wanted to do well. I did not express to this student that she had annoyed me.
Our Group moved into the Norming stage, it took quite some time for our group to be able to function and identify with each other. Perhaps this is because the core group of students that attend every class is augmented by students that come and go frequently. Students coming and going caused some disturbances to the group dynamics. Eventually we students started to talk to each other on a different level and interpersonal relationships began to form in this stage. Our group began to get a little competitive and we started encouraging and supporting each other. New teachers and new subjects have been welcomed with discussion and mixed feelings.
The Performing stage may have been reached by our group in short phases. I identify these short phases in the performing stage as those sessions where the class is working together creatively on a group project. Individually people are generally confident about expressing their opinion and are prepared to explain their position. Other members of the group are prepared to listen and possibly to change their ideas as a result. This stage is reached when the group is really comfortable. At these times the group have been working on projects that involve input from all the members. And the focus is on ideas rather than right or wrong answers. Our group has not been able to maintain this stage for an extended time.
The Adjourning Stage of group development has not been reached by our group. Although we have less than 2 months of study to go before our 2 year course is completed the group is not focused on the end just yet. I personally have tried to gauge the support for organising a group dinner or drinks event and I have found the idea has not been embraced by the group. Perhaps it is because we are such a diverse group when considering our personal lives, that the group cannot imagine "performing" at another location apart from Chisholm.Institute. Perhaps we have become reliant on the classroom setting for safety and definition of purpose and we could not operate as a group outside that building. I wonder if there is a disengagement process built into the course structure.
4. Decision making
How is a decision reached by consensus different from a decision reached by majority vote?
A decision reached by consensus is a quality decision because it means that everybody agrees. It is unusual to have a decision agreed to by 100% of the people, especially if there are more than 2 decision makers. The old saying "You can't please all the people all the time" is quite true, sometimes a consensus decision can be reached by "all the people". The key issue to be considered when choosing a consensus decision making process would be "Is it worth it?" This style of decision making is usually used when a group has an existing goal but needs to decide "how"to achieve the goal. A decision made by consensus must be important enough to a group that the group members are willing to put in the time and effort to discuss their ideas and consider each others point of view, as this can be a very lengthy process which has no guarantee of success without co-operation.
A decision reached by majority vote is also a quality decision because it means that everybody has the same "voice". A decision made this way is best for situations where a lot of people need to make a decision. Usually this decision making process is employed because there is a decision to be made between 2 or more choices, i.e. this or that. No persons opinion is discounted or ignored because each member has one vote. A majority vote requires a group of people to make individual decisions. The voting results are tallied and the decision made by the majority of voters is declared the winning decision. A majority vote can be decided by just one vote more than half the total votes, it could be just a fraction more than 50%. A decision made by majority vote can be a fast decision, and there is generally an outcome reached.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a consensus decision?
Advantages of a consensus decision making process would be: All the people in the group agree, this means that everybody is going to be satisfied that the decision represents their best interests. All the people have had an opportunity to express their ideas and listen to others so that each person is fully informed of the circumstances of their decision. This is a "nice" way to make a decision, the co-operation and patience required to make a decision in this way uses good interpersonal communication skills, we can all use practice in treating others as equals and taking time to listen to each others true feelings. This is a quality decision making process, decisions made in collaboration with others should truly reflect the ideas, morals and values of the representative culture and time, this is the reason consensus decisions are sought from jury members in courts of law.
Disadvantages of a consensus decision making process would be: The time taken to present ideas, have discussion and consult others can be very lengthy when making a consensus decision. This process is not suited to large groups because it would not be possible to properly consider all the members opinions. There is no guarantee of success with a consensus decision making process because all the group members may not eventually be able to agree with each other. With a consensus decision making process, some group members may decide to just "go with the flow" and choose to join the majority when their personal preference appears to be in the minority, because fitting in is important to people.
5. Group Behaviours
Describe the three types of behaviours, (not roles) which can be seen in groups.
Give 2 examples of each from your own experience.
Task related behaviour
Examples of this behaviour I have observed in groups are: The chairperson in committee meetings is responsible to (when required) keep the discussion on topic. Whenever a secondary discussion begins the chairperson may bring the topic back into focus by saying "to come back to the point under discussion" and maybe asking a question "does anyone have ... ?" Also I have participated in management meetings where people from across a company have assembled to discuss the processes involved in a new software rollout, making decisions that will affect the way individual departments operate, the management of the departments have been asked for their opinions or holes they may foresee in the planning or timing with regards to their area. They are asked to give their expert opinion based on the company's goal.
People related (socio-emotional) behaviour
This is feelings and people focussed behaviour. Examples of this type of behaviour from my own experience are: The strategies that Police use when they are called to a domestic disturbance. An officer will take each person away from each other and listen carefully to the things that they have to say. They will make notes and confirm they have the correct concept of the situation. They will then talk to the other person and reflect on their side of the story. The Police will ask each person the resolution or outcome they would like to see and give advice on about how things stand with the law, and suggest ways that things can be resolved without the law. Police are peace keepers in this type of situation.
Another example of this type of behaviour comes from my experience of being in class at Chisholm. When the class has had some intense listening or received information for an extended time, the Instructor will generally ask for participation in a short group discussion. The Instructor will usually say we will do this for X minutes and then we will have a break. The discussion reinforces the learning and the suggestion of a break relieves tension.
Hindering / destructive behaviour
This type of behaviour is incompatible with a group work situation. It is difficult to remain focussed when a member of the group is constantly using this behaviour to sabotage the groups efforts. Examples of this behaviour in my experience include: A Volunteer refusing to participate in the role that they have volunteered for. The Volunteer offered to help prepare and serve a barbeque for some disadvantaged people within a group of people who had also volunteered. Some were working voluntarily to gain working credits to keep their newstart allowances. This volunteer refused to cut up onions (he claimed that he was allergic), and he refused to carry anything large (he claimed a bad back), he offered to do the cooking but halfway through he left the BBQ to answer his phone and some sausages burned because he took the tongs. And at the end he just took off his apron and said he had to be somewhere, this was just before the cleanup started. The members of the group were quite puzzled by his behaviour and as a result it certainly made our BBQ seem quite a chore.
Another example is an event that I was involved with organising in our local church. One member of the group had all the contacts for the musicians that were coming on the evening. This group member had a habit of trivialising everything, he used quips and innuendo's when asked questions. I believe he did this because he didn't want anyone else to have the knowledge or have the power in the group that he held. We put up with his behaviour but it had the effect of undermining the commitment of the other group members and the event was not as successful as the person in power had assured us it would be.
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