Group Dynamics as an important aspect in life

Group dynamics is a very important aspect in life and as such people will always form groups to achieve specific objectives. One of the key drivers in a group will be the goals that members set for themselves. For Jonathan’s group to function normally all the members must exhibit common goals that they intend to achieve as this will lead to greater cooperation among the members of the group. I would therefore strongly recommend that all the members are guided by the common goal of investment which they must all subscribe to. This would increase the sense of ownership and enhance participation by all the members of the group. Johnson and Johnson have identified the seven aspects that should influence the operations of any group and as such all the seven aspects must be manipulated in a particular way to make the group more effective. They are discussed below:

Goals:

As mentioned above members of Jonathan’s group must work under common goals and in this case they should all subscribe to the three options that have been presented, that is real estate, a limousine service and a liquor store. Common goals will inspire members and help them realize their individual goals. The first step for Jonathan’s group will therefore be to prioritize which of the three should come first. In my opinion, the group should start with the easiest of the three; a liquor store. This is due to the fact that it is the least capital intensive, and beginning with it will help build trust within the group and allow them to invest more time and money towards achieving the other two goals. Investment goals must have a specific measure and value hence the members must determine the value that will be derived from this investment. Once the overall value of capital required to start is determined, there will be a need to divide these figures between the group members and set individual targets for everyone. The chances of achievement of these undertakings must be very clear and lastly the members must set specific time lines within which they are going to meet their targets.

Once the goals and targets have been refined, the members must also consider the aspect of communication, leadership and participation as well as power and influence. These are very critical attributes that guide the running of a group. Within Jonathan’s group, there certainly is leadership. It however feels as if participation and communication is lacking. The best way to remedy this would be to ensure each group member is assigned a particular task, which will then contribute towards the achievement of the overall group objectives, thus not only improving participation, but also communication in the sense that each member will feel more a part of the group due to the responsibilities they have been accorded, fostering confidence in each other and thus improving communication.

As the leader of the group, I feel that Jonathan does have the necessary influence and power and influence necessary for the smooth running of the group. It would however be wise to institute some sort of board that can govern the overall running of the group as it would create some checks on Jonathan’s authority and ensure he does not overstep his mandate. Constituting this board would also ensure that matters such as conflict management and decision making are not left to an individual. In addition it may also help in avoiding or sorting out of controversial issues.

All in all Jonathan’s group is on the right track, but still needs some fine tuning if it is to achieve its objectives and cope with the various obstacles it is bound to face. Incorporating the various recommendations given, will definitely take the group closer to its goals and make it a stronger unit.