Page 341 - Nutrition Counseling and Education Skills: A Guide for Professionals

• If attitude change is desired, small open-ended, off-the-record discussion groups in which the person
feels secure are most effective.

• When people need to change behaviors, participation in group discussions is 2 to 10 times more
effective than a lecture that presents the reasons for and pleas for change.

• Active discussion by a small group to determine its goals, methods, and work or to solve other problems
is more effective in changing group practices than separate instructions, supervisor’s requests, or the
imposition of new practices by an authority. Group involvement brings about better motivation, support
for the change, and better implementation.

• Group change is easier to bring about and more permanent than change in the individual members of
the group. The supposed greater permanence stems from the individual’s assumed desire to live up to
group norms. It follows that the stronger the group bonds, the more deeply based are the individual’s
attitudes. A public commitment to carry through the behavior decided on by group members creates an
awareness of the expectations that members have for each other, thus creating forces on each member to
comply.

• The best way for a manager to initiate change is to create an atmosphere that leads to a shared
perception of the need for change. Then the members will call for the change themselves and enforce it.
After all facts have been shared and all channels of communication have been opened, there is
frequently a sudden but short-lived increase in hostility; however, without this complete sharing, there
can be no real change, only mistrust and subtle hostility.

• High-status persons have more freedom from group control. The greater the prestige of individual
group members, the greater the influence for change they can exert on the others.

• Change suggested by a peer is better than having it demanded by an authority figure.

Box 15-2 ■ Suggestions for Promoting Group Change

Source: Modified from Galanes G, Adams K, Brilhart J. Effective Group Discussion. Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill; 2003.

Managing Small Groups and Teams

People’s attitudes, beliefs, and values are all rooted in the various groups to which they belong. The more
genuinely attached people are to their groups and the more attractive these groups become in fulfilling the
various needs of group members, the more likely these members will be in close and constant contact with
their group. Under these conditions, group-anchored behaviors and beliefs are extremely resistant to change,
with the group being able to exercise firm control over its members. The more attractive a group is to its
members, the greater its influence over them. For the group itself to be used most effectively as an agent of
change, it must first be cohesive with a strong sense of oneness.

CASE ANALYSIS 6

What are some things Betty can do to promote group change and participation?

Diversity in Small Groups and Teams

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