Group Process Analysis

Kaitlyn Seramur
November 10, 2014
SW: 4010
Group Process Analysis

Group Process Analysis

The beginning stages of a group is often a difficult phase, but very significant in the
positive development of the group. During this stage members are getting to know each other,
establishing deeper relationships, working together so that each person feels comfortable to
share, and to know that their contributions are unique and useful to the group. Since I was absent
for our first group session I will share some ways this could be accomplished, as opposed to what
actually happened in our group. Some examples of a first time group session might include
taking turns sharing brief introduction about self, including things like, why you choose Social
Work, area of interest within Social Work, details about field placements and expectations, fears,
goals of working in a group. The significance of doing these introductions is to get to know each
other better personally as well as educationally or professionally as social workers in the making.

Group Process Analysis

Through personal introductions, we as a group are able to grow closer and establish trust
and care with each other in order to successfully grow together. Doing this changes the dynamic
in a positive way by allowing each member to share and have a chance to contribute personal
experiences, expectations, goals and fears. It gives way for group cohesion in the way by sharing
introductions we may find commonalities with each other, again establishing trust and care for
each other. Toseland and Rivas (2012) say that The opportunity for members to share common
concerns and issues with one another is one of the unique aspects of social group work practice.
This unique aspects has been called universality by Yalom (1995), and serves as therapeutic
factor in helping members of a group not feel alone in their struggles or problems. I believe this
beginning session served as a positive stage of development in our group.
Each week our group dynamics change or alter a little bit as we adjust to each others role
in the group and depending on the topic for the night. Some dynamics that are evident in terms of
group goals and hidden agendas include the amount of time we spend on preparing for our role
play. For example some group members like to be very thorough about every details of the topic,
whereas others want to just get the main ideas and go from there. I have observed that our group
goals develop and emerge differently every time we meet. Our goal for the evening usually is put
in place by the professor and then put into practice by the group. For instance we were assigned
to the goal of demonstrating an example of rephrasing and summarizing in a group session, we
then had the flexibility to structure it any way we wanted. The goal then was put into our hands
as to what kind of group we would demonstrate these characteristics. Another example that
affects the dynamics of our group goals for the night depends on who will be playing the role of
the social worker. It might be common that whoever is playing the role of the social worker will

Group Process Analysis

dictate how the preparation will go for the role play but our group does a great job at giving each
person the opportunity to share and contribute.
Dynamics that I have observed in our group as far as norms that occur so far in our
beginning stages of our group are, establishing leadership (usually role of social worker), low
amounts of negative conflicts, and respect for others opinions, evaluation and feedback. We have
been developing these dynamics through our high amount of cohesion and open mindedness. I
have also observed some norms that we have established in a covert manner, for instance, during
our group sessions we stay off our phones, we all take notes and we practice attentive listening.
Although we did not explicitly take the time to discuss these norms it is clear that we mutually
practice them in our groups.
Group cohesion, in Forsyths (2010) words, in made up of three components: member to
member attraction and a liking for the group as a whole, a sense of unity and community so that
the group is seen as a single entity, and a sense of teamwork and esprit de corps with the group
successfully performing as a coordinated unit. Our group has displayed these components in
many ways. We all work very well together and have a general sense of agreement on most
things. In order to get to that agreement we all take turns sharing our ideas on certain subject and
then vote on which one we all agree to be the best choice. We do this in a very diplomatic nonargumental way by having a willingness to listen to each other. The voting process is not a 3
against 4 kind of deal, we use feedback and evaluation of others suggestions in order to reach a
mutual agreement. Cohesion is also reached when group members are committed to weekly
attendance to class. When members miss groups they are missing the opportunity to work
together and gain stronger relationships. This is area that I have done poorly in, missing out on

Group Process Analysis

group interaction is hurting my part in the group cohesion. But overall I feel our group has done
a great job at reaching a high rate of cohesiveness, we have done this by listening to each other,
sharing feedback and evaluation, working hard toward our goals, and overall satisfaction with
group experience.
Group climate is an important aspect in the development of a group, from my
observations our group has a healthy positive climate conducive to sharing our opinions and
respecting others feedback. An effective way of measuring group climate is by using The Group
Atmosphere Scale (GAS), although it is typically used to measure the psychosocial environment
of therapy groups, it can be used as an example when applied to our in class group. It consists of
12 subscales: (1) aggression, (2) submission, (3) autonomy, (4) order, (5) affiliation, (6)
involvement, (7) insight, (8) practicality, (9) spontaneity, (10) support, (11) variety, and (12)
clarity (Silbergeld et al., 1975). Just to touch on a few of these characteristics what I have
observed within our group is, low to no aggression, high involvement from all members, shared
positive insight, and strong support for each other. These characteristics have developed
throughout the semester and continue to move in a positive direction.
Group Culture is defined by Olmsted (1959) as values, beliefs, customs, and traditions
held in common by group members. Our group is made up of many different cultures but we
have been able to reach a common respect for each of our backgrounds and cultures. I have
observed within our group a wide range of diversity in gender, ethnicity, religion, personal role,
dominate hand and age range. For instances in our group we have both male and female, Black,
White, Arabic, and Hispanic, Christian, Muslim, and non-practicing, a mother, both left and right
handed members and age range from 20s to 40s. Having such a diverse group, such as ours,

Group Process Analysis

could potentially bring problems within a group, but we have established respect for diversity
and practice open mindedness which is shown through our practice of healthy communication
and interactions. Another reason we have been able to establish a positive unique group culture is
because of the fact that we are all trained in cultural competency as social workers. Cultural
Competence is one of the core values of the National Association of Social Worker (NASW)
Standards for Social Work Practice, according the Association of Social Work Boards cultural
competence is defined as:
The process by which individuals and systems respond respectfully and
effectively to people of all cultures, languages, classes, races, ethnic
backgrounds, religions, and other diversity factors in a manner that
recognizes, affirms, and values the worth of individuals, families and
communities and protects and preserves the dignity of each.
Our group does a great job at practicing this core value, being in the classroom environment also
makes a difference in how we fulfill group culture. It is good practice for us as we begin to
emerge into the real world, outside of the classroom environment.
My impressions of our group are based on my thoughts and feelings of being proud of
our beginning stages of learning from each other and developing healthy communication
patterns. These positive feelings bring positive behaviors of high interactions and unique
contributions. Since the first group session I have tried hard to ensure that everyone has an equal
voice in the decision making process of our goal for each session. Additionally, I have learned to
distribute equal leadership from all members. Recently I have taken on many leadership roles in
my personal, educational and professional settings, therefore it would be easy for me to take on

Group Process Analysis

the role of the leader in this group. That being said I have practiced distributing the role to all
members and not attempting to take it on myself. This promotes and increases cohesion, trust and
respect from all members in the group. Observations of our beginning phases of practicing group
work have been positive and I feel honored to be in a group such as ours.
With all the positive aspects of our group that I have touched on in this essay, it is
important to be conscious of room for growth. For me personally, changes and improvements
that could be made would be my attendance to class. As I mentioned earlier, cohesion is
increased and maintained when attendance is regular, which is an area I have struggled in.
Another plan of action to change group behavior would be to providing more positive feedback.
For instance when opinions on reaching group goals are shut down, making sure to address
significance of opinion but practical reason for not agreeing. This may also be fall under the
category of positive criticism allowing room for individual growth. From my observations, an
area that our group can be more effective in would be working on our group agenda, being aware
of amount of time we are talking allowing time for others to share their input.
In conclusion, I have observed many positive aspects of our group and additional areas
we as a group can grow. Group diversity, healthy communication, high cohesion and open
mindedness are all characteristics I have observed about our group. Areas for growth could be
increased awareness of speaking time, ensuring that each person has an equal opportunity to
share opinions. This essay has helped me become more aware of the structure and functions of
our group in the beginning phases.

Group Process Analysis

References

Forsyth, D. R. (2010). Group dynamics (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
National Association of Social Workers (2014). Standards for social work practice: core values.
Retrieved from: http://www.socialworkers.org/
Olmsted, M. (1959) The small group. New York: Random House.

Group Process Analysis

Silbergeld, S., Koening, G., Manderscheid, R., Mekker, B., & Hornung, C. (1975). Assessment
of environment-therapy systems: The group atmosphere scale. Journal of consulting and
Clinical Psychology, 43(4), 460-469.
Toseland, R., & Rivas, R. (2012).An Introduction to Group Work Practice. The Group Begins
(Pg. 200) Boston: Pearson Allyn & Bacon.
Yalom, I. (1995). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy (4th ed.). New York: Basic
Books.