Group Dynamics of Crisis Task Force

In wake of the recent earthquake/tsunami disaster in Japan that caused unimaginable destruction and ultimately damaged a nuclear power plant in Fukushima, our COM320 class initiated a "Crisis Task Force" project to address various businesses and organizations within the country.  Assigned on Friday, and due the following Monday, each group had a very limited window to complete their presentation and present their respective material to the class.  While this was a very applicable project, the most interesting aspect includes the group dynamics associated with forming a new group to produce results in a very limited amount of time.

It was fascinating to note the dramatic and subtle differences between my primary group (for the service learning project) and my "impromptu" group responsible for generating a resolution for a small company affected by the recent disaster in Japan.  My primary group has become a "comfort zone" of sorts where we all trust one another, know how to effectively communicate and cooperate, and have built a relationship that extends beyond the boundary of this class.  We often text each other, and talking about topics unrelated to COM320 has become commonplace.  Not only are we able to work together effectively, but we have built synergy within our group that makes working together almost second nature.

On the other hand, being dropped into a quick "impromptu" group was a very different experience.  The most important thing that I noticed was how intensively task-oriented the new group was.  We had a very limited amount of time to complete our project, and our work styles reflected that fact.  As soon as we first met, we quickly exchanged contact information and produced a rough outline of what we wanted to accomplish.  During our only group meeting (over the following weekend) we brought individually researched materials and integrated them into a presentation.  Small talk was absent, and the project was finished quickly.  Being the second group to present on Monday, we shared our information with the class, conducted a quick Q&A session, then promptly disbanded our group.  This team was dedicated to completing its task quickly and efficiently; there was not a lot of extra time for group members to mingle and get to know each other.  Even though this group was very different than my primary group, each has its pros and cons.  Each situation mandates a certain type of group and members should recognize the fact that every group cannot be the same.

-Clay Wildt