In a small group it is really good to have someone come in and observe what the group does. When you have an outsider come in they bring new and fresh ideas on different aspects of the team that maybe the members wouldn’t have seen themselves. They are able to form and un-bias feedback and help improve the overall effectiveness of the group. When you have a small group, feedback is very important. Feedback focuses on how the group act and how individuals of the group contribute to the whole. The book talks about how feedback “is meant to guide future behavioral change for group members.” Feedback is more than just saying something was good or bad. Feedback is someone digging deep into the functions and members of the group and talking about what could be done better and or what specifics can be changed. When feedback is received and is of high quality the group can grow and benefit very well from it.
You had a really good post to start off week 6. I really like how you discuss the fact that the outside members observing will bring in fresh ideas. I also like how you give the idea of how important feedback is in a small group setting, specifically the future behavior aspect. I know from personal experience how important learning from your past mistakes are in being successful in group settings. I also like how you give the idea that good and bad is not enough when it comes to feedback. I hate when someone just says you do good or bad with no examples or ways to improve.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely. Feedback is essential because it provides an insight to what and how mistakes were being repeated, and allows the person/group to fix the issues. I hate it too when feedback is given, not specific enough. It is easy to say a project was good or bad, but there needs to be an explanation;a why? There is nothing like giving an observation that can not be backed up by facts.
ReplyDeleteI always appreciated the Feedback I got back from my peers or professors especially when it came to public speaking. In general ed communication class I improved a lot because of feedback.
Hi Miss Cheerleader,
ReplyDeleteI like how you interpreted feedback to mean "digging deep" to figure out the functions of group members as part of the process. When members have a sense of importance, it gives a sense of value or belonging. As members share roles and tasks, they should develop a mutual respect for each other as they work on their goal. As members function in their roles, they learn to improve the ways in which they function to reach their goals more efficiently as a whole. One may assume members will be more successful as they familiarize themselves with individual functions as they contribute and relate to the goal.
Hola!
ReplyDeleteI too enjoyed your post and I like that you view feedback as something more than a superficial comment, like, "Oh you guys did good!" or "You guys work well together." That kind of feedback, while constructive, does not help the group grow and it does not show that you are using critical thinking and evaluation skills, and quite frankly it shows that you don't really care about the group or your job as an observer/consultant.
When feedback is more critical, or at least, more in depth, it helps us improve. For instance, I'm taking a bowling class, and instead of just clap for each other when we do well, we try to help each other by evaluating things like our approach, our stance, how fast (or slow) we throw the ball, where we are aiming, how we maybe turn to the left or right and if that effects us, etc. It helps because sometimes another person sees something that we ourselves are not able to notice, which is just an emphasis on what the book says about not being able to observe and participate at the same time.