¶ … group characteristics I have previously encountered include: a willingness to listen, an ability to define objectives, the ability to delegate work, a willingness to help others, a commitment to communication, the ability to stay on task, and respect for the other members of the group. The work group characteristics I have previously encountered include: a refusal to listen to others, arguing, failure to stay on task, and lack of respect for other group members. The most beneficial group skill I have encountered is the willingness to listen to other group members; this fundamental skill enables communication and makes it more likely that all group members will be able to contribute to the group dynamic (Lumsden et al., 2010). The willingness to listen is also related to the ability to ask additional questions for information gathering, which not only improves the transactional processes of the group, but also helps define the group's task and keep members on-task. On the flip-side, groups with members who are unwilling to listen to one another are, in my experience, the least constructive of all groups; even groups where members argue can be more productive than groups where people fail to listen. Employing active listening skills can always improve group processes. As a result, when forming groups in the future I will be very cognizant of what type of listening skills the potential members demonstrate prior to becoming group members.
Discussion Questions Unit Two
The ethical issues raised by the examples provided are significant, but manageable. For example, Karl and Tamara's desire to add additional money to the...
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