Group Concepts

Running Head : GROUP CONCEPTS

Group Concepts

Student 's Name

Institution

1 ) Elements of an effective group . An effective group has several essential elements

positive interdependence (group members are linked with each other and are aware of this connectedness , they feel that their personal success depends on group success and group success depends on their personal success

two-way communication (exists when communication channels work in both directions and feedback is appreciated

distributed leadership (having more than one source of leadership seeing every member of a group as an

expert who is capable of making a difference

power based on expertise (those in power are those who hold the expertise expertise becomes a source of power and an expert can influence others

Comprising all these elements , a group is more than the sum of its parts (Johnson Johnson , 2009 ,

.20 . These characteristics foster creativity and open-mindedness , for everyone can freely express his or her thoughts feeling that the feedback is appreciated . Such an environment allows challenging one another 's views , which helps seeing problems from different points of view and finding the optimal decision

2 ) Team versus Group . Positive synergy is what distinguishes teams from groups . A group is a collective of individuals who share information and make decisions but who do not have a need for joint work . A group 's performance is the sum of its members ' performance . At the same time , a team is a collective of individuals united by a common goal and the need for joint...