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Homework answers / question archive / One major challenge homogeneous groups face is the tendency towards Groupthink (Links to an external site
One major challenge homogeneous groups face is the tendency towards Groupthink (Links to an external site.). It can be extremely difficult to challenge the status quo, even if you are convinced of the value of your position.
Another challenge is not understanding how groups are formed and misguidedly trying to counteract this natural process. You can read more about the stages of small group development (Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, Adjourning) in "40 years of storming: a historical review of Tuckman's model of small group development (Links to an external site.)." [PDF File, 132KB]
Recall a specific instance from your life in which you or another member of a group with which you were affiliated disagreed with the group's position. Please provide the context for the group, without referring to group members by name, then answer the following:
I can think of several instances in which I, or another member of my group, disagreed with the group's position.
Step-by-step explanation
I can think of several instances in which I, or another member of my group, disagreed with the group's position. One such instance occurred during my sophomore year of college. I was part of a group of students who were tasked with designing and building a prosthetic arm for a local high school student who had lost his arm in a car accident. Our group had been meeting for several weeks and had made good progress on the project. However, we hit a roadblock when we reached the stage of designing the arm's grip. The rest of the group wanted to design a grip that would allow the user to hold a pen and write, but I argued that this was not the best option for the student. I believed that he would be better served by a grip that would allow him to hold objects like a hammer or a screwdriver. My position was not popular with the rest of the group, and I was met with a lot of resistance. However, I was able to convince them to try my design and the arm turned out to be a success.
The reaction of the group when I disagreed was mixed. Some members were supportive of my position, while others were not. There was a lot of tension within the group and the atmosphere was very tense. However, I was able to convince them to try my design and the arm turned out to be a success. The group was divided on the issue. Some members wanted to continue to design the arm with a grip that would allow the user to write, while others, including myself, believed that it would be better to design a grip that would allow him to hold objects like a hammer or a screwdriver. There was a lot of tension within the group and the atmosphere was very tense. However, I was able to convince them to try my design and the arm turned out to be a success.
If I were the dissenter, I would make sure that my position was well-argued and supported by evidence. I would also try to build consensus among the group members before presenting my position. If I couldn't get consensus, I would try to find allies within the group who would be willing to support my position. For example, if I were proposing a new design for the arm grip, I would make sure to have a prototype of the design and I would present data that showed how my design would be better for the student than the design that the rest of the group was proposing. I would also be prepared to answer questions and address the concerns of the other members of the group.