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March 29, 2008
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When most people are in any type of group setting they or someone else may feel as if they are in control of the situation, but are they? I’m afraid that the answer is no. Instead the “hidden dynamic” is in control; formerly know to the rest of the world as emotions. These emotions which play a big role in all communication transactions are the biggest, but most frequently looked past part of verbal, and in some cases, non-verbal communication within groups. In work, as well as in our personal lives, “we can no longer succeed without taking down the walls of our emotions that often separate us in groups settings“ (Ralston, 2).
By walls, I am referring to the suppression of our emotions or walling off our emotions in the effort to spare the group of how we really feel. But what happens when we try to send our emotions underground? To cut a long story short, “they go underground and become a powerful invisible force” (Ralston, 7) and later become a fuel for action whether they are created by positive or negative feelings. In other words, because progress in groups demand levels of collaboration and teamwork, our emotions play an innate role which sparks the amount of, or lack of enthusiasm toward the group.
With all this talk about groups, what or who exactly makes up a group? According to Turner and Giles in their publication of Intergroup Behavior, a group is:
“a social unit that consists of a number of individuals (1) who, at a given time, have role and status relationships with one another, stabilized in some degree and (2) who possess a set of values or norms regulating the attitude and behavior of individual members, at least in the matters of consequences to them. Shared attitudes, shared sentiments, shared aspirations and goals that characterize the closely identified members are related to these properties, especially to the common values or norms of the group” (3).
This definition alone helps to understand that all groups, by and large, are not really groups at all. By groups, I am referring to families, teams, work groups, etc. who feel because they have personal ties to one another are a group. Unfortunately, they are not all the times a good/ positive group. Which makes them less of a group than they are aware of, and instead of recognizing the group is or has dysfunction and working on it, they tend to ignore the dysfunction and accept it as a way for them to function.
People, for the most part, especially in business settings, tend to forget about the vital need for the presence of emotions. Emotions can be used to “improve communications, identify the underlying cause of problems, increase individuals’ ability to work as a team, reduce interpersonal conflict, enhance personal performance, and gain commitment to new initiatives” (Ralston, 8). However, in cases where people try to suppress their emotions, they are rarely successful because people have sort of an inner gyroscope that acts as a survival instinct and tells us when something isn’t right.
In a sense, “emotions are our human bond with one another” (Ralston, 9). Due to the fact they (emotions) connect us racially, economically, and socially, they help us to better understand our feelings inside and outside of such groups.
And is understanding this, one can easily and readily understand the eight principles of emotions which are:
Emotional needs express themselves one way or another
Anger is an expression of need
Our feelings and needs are not wrong or bad
Emotions are the gateway to vitality and feeling alive
We can address emotional issues and still save face
Immediate reactions to problems often disguise deeper feelings
Clarification of other’s needs is necessary before problem solving w/others
Positive feelings should be expressed and negative ones should be communicated.
But most important in any transactional setting, is the ability to effectively understand and practice the value of listening and communicating. And in order to do so, a person must first understand the key to good communication starts with the ability to listen. By listening, not only does a person better understand the situation and the needs of others, but it helps the person to gain cooperation from the other person(s) from which they are communicating.
Moreover, as we learn to better understand the fundamental nature of our emotions, “we see that our emotions are like the elements of nature--sometimes raw, violent, changing, and unpredictable; other times pleasant, warm, inviting, and steady” (Ralston, 29). And as we learn to better understand our emotions, we will ultimately realize they effect us interpersonally everyday. And since our ability to integrate change is highly dependent on the amount of our emotional buy-in, the effectiveness of our teams/groups can be made stronger and/or weaker by the existence or lack of trust which is overall derived through our emotions.
Bibliography
Ralston, Faith. Hidden Dynamics in Groups. USA: American Management Association, 1995. Pp 2, 7-10, 29.
Turner, John C. and Howard Giles. Intergroup Behavior. Chicago, Illinois: The University of Chicago Press, 1981. Pg 3.
Word Count: 815
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