Reaching for Higher Common Ground
Chapter Seven
After analyzing chapter seven of the book, I discovered that the main emphasis is on the management of a group and the changing dynamics that are happening within it. The focus is on the skills and tools that are essential for effective management. Management is a tasking process and it is essential to demonstrate how it can be modified to be simpler. Management involves organizing and coordinating many people in a group and ensuring that the group is effective in its functioning. The group dynamics settings have shifted hugely in the recent past, and matters of the group become more complex. Every group has its own challenges which when not handled well leads to conflicts and consequently poor results. Each group has its unique characteristics as it has different individuals and setting and it is important that these characteristics are managed well, and these are issues that relate to matters of group diversity.
The expected lifespan of a group is also essential in planning for a solution that is applicable and efficient for that period. A group created with an expected long life will require more efforts to take to the higher ground while it could almost be senseless or uneconomical for a small and short-term group. The matters that the group also deals with are paramount in its management. For example, a group with more complex challenges tends to be under more stress that may be a dividing line amongst them. For individuals to work together in a group there must be a respectable level of trust amongst them. It is essential that the individuals act in a trustworthy way to make everyone else in the group to be comfortable. The ladder in a group also determines the cohesiveness and tolerance that is maintainable within the group. This in particular points out to the distribution of authority that determines the mood and comfortability of members within the group.
Chapter Eight
Chapter 8 is a practical perspective of the reaching higher ground perspective. Ground rules that are normally used are a fail in the groups and therefore a new approach is essential for success. Each group has dreams and targets for a span of time, yet the persons in the group also have their own interests and thus individuals have to weigh them since they are in charge. This is achievable when the members avoid selfish interests and work towards development of the group as a unit. All these are diverse characteristics in the group and the facilitator has to accommodate all of them and bring the best out of them. The administrator has to be well aware of the level of attention that the group has and determine how committed they are. The facilitator should then evaluate the group to determine how the group can forge together to progress. For a group to grow, the assessment by the facilitator has to be done well which preferably being through the evaluation of the various characteristics as observed from the group. For the group to perform to its best, it has to move from the common ground to the higher ground. However, this transformation can yield no results if done theoretically and the practical part has to be done for maximum results. The hospital setting was a good example that describes the implementation of this approach by use of short interventions with examples of reframing during tasks. It is a good review on why this approach works so well for groups with high levels of stress and zero tolerance levels.
