Case Study for "the Forgotten Group Member"

Case Study for "The Forgotten Group Member"

I believe that most of the group was bouncing between the norming and performing stage. At first, Diane, Jane, and Steve would contribute high quality ideas but only when asked. Mike seemed very standoffish, and we get the impression throughout the story that he wanted no part of the group either. His joking shows insecurity, as we know that people tend to crack jokes when faced with serious situations, which tends to lighten the mood. This was the group's forming and storming stages.

During these stages, there was also the impromptu meeting that Mike came across and got defensive because he felt left out. Mike also had outside pressures, such as work and his personal problems with his girlfriend that were affecting his ability to be a positive contributor to the team's success. Understanding the stages would have helped Christine identify the problems that came up and address them immediately.

I believe she was an effective leader if we measure the success of their group by their results. Groups are formed to accomplish a goal, and if the goal was met, then they were effective. We would also be able to gauge effectiveness if the group had a similar project. The outcomes could be compared and measured against each other.

An individual problem that existed with the majority of the members was getting by-in from each of them. They seemed hesitant at first with their roles, thereby affecting their individual contributions. Mike seemed to contribute the least to the group and allowed many factors to get in the way of the groups success. To use an analogy, if the group was stranded on a desert island and needed to figure a way off of it, he would be considered dead weight. By the end of the case study, Christine had to decide whether to give Mike a pass on the peer evaluation or give him the mark he deserved. Everyone else had made their contributions