1 Essay Nature of Groups

Assignment
Drawing on the material covered in the assigned reading, write a 550- to 750-word essay in which you do the following:

Identify a "secondary group" (p. 10) in which you are presently a member and about which you think you have a reasonable degree of familiarity.
Classify the group as one of the seven types (activity, personal growth, educational, problem-solving, quality control circles, self-managed work groups, or top management team) discussed on pp. 11-14 in Effective Group Discussion: Theory and Practice.
Make clear your reasons for classifying it as such.
Discuss the extent to which the group exhibits the characteristics of a "system," which are covered on pp. 56-64 and summarized on p. 61 in Figure 3.1, and the ethical qualities that Galanes and Adams mention on pp. 15-18 of Chapter 1.
Consider how the characteristics in evidence may have affected your attitudes toward the group.
In preparing the essay, be sure that you cite examples that clearly pertain to and illustrate the characteristics you note.

Expected Outcome
If you do this assignment well, your reflection on the group you have chosen should reveal to you some of the reasons for its successes and/or failures, why you value or do not value your membership, and also something about the role that communication plays in respect to both. Such understanding will provide a good foundation for the next assignment, The Nature of Communication, as well as a basis for anticipating potential problems you may experience as you later move into the group work associated with the course.