Gorse, C A and Sanderson, A M (2007) Exploring group work dynamics. In: Boyd, D (ed.) Proceedings of 23rd Annual ARCOM Conference, 3-5 September 2007, Belfast, UK.
Abstract
Most construction courses create opportunities for social experiences; indeed, group work and vocational education are almost synonymous. Group tasks are given to students so that they can develop their task based knowledge and explore interpersonal skills. Unfortunately, the benefits gained from group work can appear so self evident that exercises are often undertaken without proper consideration for the behaviours that manifest. To explore the potential of the group it is important for the students and facilitators to have an awareness of the dynamics that are at play. Consideration should be given to the advantages that can be embraced by working as part of a group, independently and in isolation. A number of exercises have been used to help construction and project management students appreciate the production dynamics associated with individual and group work. The focus of this paper is on simple group and individual 'brainstorming' tasks that were used to help students to recognise some of the dynamics that affect the production of information in groups. Results from the group tasks and reflections from those participating were gathered and are presented. By expressing and exploring some of the thoughts and feelings experienced during such exercises a better understanding of group behaviour can develop.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | behaviours; group dynamics; group work; learning tool |
| Index terms: | dynamics, reflection, group dynamics, vocational education, interpersonal skill, project management, exercise, group task, facilitator |
| Subjects: | professional education, sociology, systems engineering, professional development, project management theory and practice, organization, human factors and perception, health behaviours and lifestyles, practitioner |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Project Management, Engineering Principles, Information Management, Health and Safety, Roles and Professions, Education, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 2 PC |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here