Group Climate And Achieving Goals Essay Research

Group Climate And Achieving Goals Essay, Research Paper

Juliana Gomez-Frausto

Comm132

October 20, 2000

Group Climate and Achieving Goals

The climate in a group is very important. It greatly influences the outcome of the situation and

the outcome of the problem. The amount of support, the type of messages, and the degree of

cohesiveness are the defining factors which determine the climate of the group. The film ?Waking Ned

Devine? shows all these factors throughout the movie, especially in the church scene.

A defensive climate evolves when a member of the group focuses more on his own needs rather

than on those of the group. This person is primarily concerned with his own benefit, even at the his

group?s cost (Cartwright & Zander, 1960). This type of climate appears when the person attacks

another person instead of the issue, tries to manipulate the situation, has a hidden agenda, has no

interest, feels superior, and leaves no room for error (Beebe & Masterson, 2000). In the movie, the

?witch? Lizzie Queen tries to manipulate the situation to gain the most. Her secret agenda is to keep

most of the lottery money, and this brings on a defensive climate. She almost prevents the town of

Tulley More from achieving its goal; she brought the group climate down.

A supportive climate does the exact opposite. In this climate, members of the group truly care

for the group and goal, have no hidden agendas, and can admit when they are wrong (Cartwright &

Zander, 1960). There is also a sense of equality and trust in this climate (Beebe & Masterson, 2000).

There are several examples of supportive climates throughout the movie, including the scene in which

Jackie lets the town know of his plans and wishes of attaining the winnings. The town accepts the offer,

and the people begin working towards this goal with a sense of equality since the money will be spent

in 52 equal shares.

The climate of the group is greatly affected by the type of responses and messages the members

send to each other. The group is bound to have a defensive climate if members use disconfirming

responses, those that lower the people?s self-esteem (Cartwright & Zander, 1960). Ignoring,

interrupting, changing the direction of the conversation, rambling, or dominating the conversation are

all examples of disconfirming climates. Verbally saying something and having your body language say

another is also a disconfirming response (Beebe & Masterson, 2000). If a member receives this type of

response, he will not feel a real and essential part of the group and will therefore lose interest in the

group and its goal (Cartwright & Zander). Towards the first part of the movie, it seemed that Jackie

was sending disconfirming responses; he wouldn?t heed to Annie?s warnings and precautions. He

seemed to be ignoring her and completely undermining her. He put his agenda before that of his

marriage.

That changed, however, as the sum of the lottery increased and Jackie decided to bring in the

entire town. The responses changed between the original three from disconfirming to confirming. Annie

began reassuring her husband and offering him support. Confirming responses bring a feeling of

security into the group. They do so by the description of good feelings, reassurance, agreement,

acknowledgment, and clarification (Beebe & Masterson, 2000). When these responses are received,

they strengthen the commitment and members of the group work harder to achieve the goal

(Cartwright & Zander, 1960).

All this also plays a role in group cohesiveness, the attraction that exists between the members

of the group. This is not a physical attraction, rather, it is a sense of belonging, trust and commitment

that is achieved when the group goal becomes the individual?s goal (Beebe & Masterson, 2000).

Mutuality of concern is also a key part of cohesiveness, if members don?t feel the same level of

commitment, the group will suffer because this will lead to dissatisfaction and it will make the climate

defensive. On the other hand, if all members have the same level of commitment, they will increase their

communication and feel more attracted to each other. They will make and maintain a bond that will

improve the climate of the group(Cartwright & Zander, 1960). By working together to get the lottery

money, the people of Tulley More achieved cohesiveness. People who had never really associated

much were brought together and remained attractive to each other. The scheme brought the people

together, the group goal became each individual?s goal as each person planned what to do with his

share of the money. The members had a sense of belonging, and they liked it. Towards the end of the

movie, the attraction was established and demonstrated by the celebration in the pub.

The best scene in the movie, by far, is the church scene, when they are celebrating Ned?s

funeral mass. Jim Kelly shows up pre

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