Page 334 - Nutrition Counseling and Education Skills: A Guide for Professionals

CASE ANALYSIS 1

What suggestions do you have for the first session?

Groups and Teams Defined

What makes a group a group or a team a team and how does communication take place? A small group may
be defined as a group consisting of “three to fifteen people who share a common purpose, who feel a sense of
belonging to the group, and who exert influence on one another.”12 A group needs at least three people and if
the group gets too large, it is better to divide it into subgroups so that everyone can participate and talk. In
large groups, one or two more talkative members may dominate to the detriment of the others. Group size
recommendations vary from an ideal number of 5 to 7 or no more than 20.1,13

Workplace employees are often organized into teams that have some of the characteristics of a sports team.
Teams are made up of a small group of people, but teams are deliberately structured by management to
achieve certain goals and to coordinate employee efforts to get work done. Expectations, responsibilities, and
operating procedures are spelled out in advance.11 Team leaders or facilitators require knowledge of group
process skills and managing change.

Formal and Informal Groups

Groups may be either formal or informal. Formal groups are established by the organizational structure and by
management. They are oriented to accomplishing work assignments, tasks, or goals. The members have
established roles, responsibilities, and relationships.1

Informal groups develop because of the interests of the group members and often to fulfill social needs.
They are not formally structured by the organization.1,2 Yet, the group deeply affects members’ behavior and
performance. They may take breaks or lunch together, for example, and membership may cross departmental
lines.

The informal group members communicate through the “grapevine,” an important source of information
for employees. This information is not controlled by management and is perceived as believable.2 Managers
need to be aware of the networks of communication that exist within employee groups as well as the formal
communication within the organization.

CASE ANALYSIS 2

State a common educational goal applicable to this group.

Stages of Group Development

When groups or teams form, they go through a series of stages as they develop. These stages have been
described in various ways. Commonly accepted is a four-stage interpretation, including Forming, Storming,
Norming, and Performing.1,14 Some add a fifth stage of Adjourning.2 These stages are considered necessary
and inevitable as the team grows over time, plans and accomplishes work, and finds solutions to problems.

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