Group Dynamics Essay Example

Working in groups is vital to a successful higher education experience, and understanding how group dynamics function is important in that experience. In the world outside of college, one will be expected to work with others of vastly disparate backgrounds, and group work provides an opportunity to experience that type of situation in a relatively low-pressure environment. College is designed to be a testing ground for situations encountered in life after college, and group work is an excellent mirror of those real world situations. It is vital to attempt to work with others, because it allows an individual the chance to adapt his or her work style to those around him or her, and to learn to moderate his or her behaviors in such a way that it makes the group as a whole successful.
When working in groups, I generally take a leadership role. I am an outgoing, personable individual who prefers to direct rather than take direction. I find myself to be quite dynamic, which means that I tend to gravitate toward situations that allow me to steer the conversation and situation in a manner that I prefer. In general, I find myself to be an adept leader, because I have a strong drive to succeed. I am a very tactile, or hands-on, learner who has an innate drive to understand what is being done. This means that I tend to create work situations, and learning situations, where individuals can experience their learning in an immediate manner. This makes me a highly successful group worker.
Overall, I prefer to work with other tactile individuals, but those that are slightly more verbal/linguistic in style, because they balance myself. I find that more verbal individuals are better able to translate my thoughts into words, and into clear instructions and information. I find my own weakness is in communicating my experiences, and a verbal individual facilitates that process. I enjoy group work with all types, but am not as comfortable with strictly logical/mathematical types, because they think in a manner that is more difficult for me to relate to.