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Pressures within a Group

The ills that bother a group action, once it begins to function as a group, can be oversimplified by considering some of the char­acteristics of a family:

Though it may appear unified and close-knit to the outside world, there are, at the same time, minor and almost continuous conflicts going on within the family group. Husbands attempt to influence—or even pressure!—their wives into certain lines of thinking or action; wives attempt the same with their husbands. In trying to guide their children, parents, with the best of inten­tions, frequently run head-on into conflicts of interests among the children. In attempting to accept parental guidance, the children, in turn, often find themselves in a state of conflict with their own emotions and instincts, which tends to set off a chain-reaction of confusions and even frustrations. These family conflicts, of course, seldom break out in open warfare between the participants be­cause the bonds of the family are strong enough to override them. Nevertheless, they are present. And such conflicts are also present in adult groups gathered to solve a business, community, or social problem. They are usually described by social analysts as "group ills." Here are some of the more common:

Confusion of Purpose. Members of the group become dissatis­fied or openly hostile in the process of group operation. There may be flights into endless discussion of petty or completely un­related details. There may be long arguments over points that could more easily be resolved by a single individual at a later time. Such symptoms may indicate that the group lacks a clear under­standing of its purpose. This is usually the fault of the leader— either he failed to give them suitable orientation as to why the group was called together in the first place, or he failed to impress upon the group the importance of their activity to the extent that they are motivated to undertake it to the exclusion of personal and more selfish interests.

Incompatible Personalities. These conflicts can arise between individuals or subgroups who may, ordinarily, work in perfect accord. For example, a normal boss and subordinate relationship may be a smooth, well-coordinated team activity. But put them together in a larger work group where, ostensibly, everyone is on an equal footing, and a defensive conflict arises: the boss feels he must maintain his position of authority by demonstrating it, and the subordinate is really afraid to challenge that authority by publicly refuting the boss. Symptoms of this frequently show themselves in the domination of the discussion by a boss or sub­group of bosses; or in the passivity of a subordinate or subordi­nates; or in too enthusiastic support by subordinates of essentially mediocre ideas or opinions ventured by the bosses. The two most satisfactory cures for this are both preventive. The first, logically, is to avoid any opportunity for conflict by careful selection of the group members in the beginning. As an example, for a group that is intended to be a creative group and to produce creative results, it is better to avoid putting a boss and a subordinate together. Keep your group make-up on the same level—either all bosses or all subordinates. The alternative is to plan your program in such a way that opportunities for conflict simply do not happen— neither the boss nor the subordinate is put in a position of having to define or challenge a normal relationship. On the other hand, of course, if the issue is one that needs to be faced squarely, the principal antagonists, whoever they may be, should certainly be brought in, and the leader can brace himself for the battle and attempt to ensure that any wounds inflicted will not be fatal or long-lasting!

Leader Hostility. In every case of a leader-directed group, there will be a certain mixed-emotion feeling. The group member wants to be independent and free-thinking. At the same time, he wants to be told what to do and be given guidance for the doing. This means that if the leader attempts too much to dominate the group, the result may be either passive resistance or outright revolt. On the other hand, if he avoids leading, the group may react with apathy and disintegrate or—possibly worse—accept real leader­ship from a more positive member whose aims and objectives may in no way resemble those of the leader. Suggestions for coping with this will be found in Chapter 11. For now, we will just say that the leader must keep firmly in his own mind the fact that the easiest and fastest way to lose control of a group is to first lose his own temper!

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