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GROUP SOCIALIZATION PAPER
Group Socialization
Elbin Gutierrez
Centenary University
Doctor Steven Englehart
Teams are at their strongest when all members familiarize themselves with each other and the goals of the team. However, a challenge is that teams are in constant flux as members leave and new ones enter. A lot of times team members are changed due to natural circumstances and sometimes purposely to change the overall make up and direction of the team. Group socialization is the process of how individuals enter into and then(at some point) leave teams. The process is disruptive, to be sure, yet it need not be traumatic or ill advised(Thompson, L.). It is critical for team members to socialize with each other and get to know the norms and roles of the group as well as the individuals. When individual team members have a high degree of socialization with their teams they understand things such as team member preferences in communication style, strengths, weaknesses and what motivates them. This level of socialization leads to a more productive and efficient teams with high level of performance stemming from it.
Socialization in a group occurs through three phases, evaluation, commitment and role transition. When a new individual joins a group the individual is evaluating the team and the team is evaluation the individual. Even though this may not be a formal evaluation this is happening in a natural way as both individual and team members want to know what value each will bring to the table. Commitment is a persons “enduring adherence” to the team and vice versa. If the team has a lot more to offer than the individual to the team than the leverage would fall on the side of the team but if the team has limited alternatives than the individual would have more leverage. Role transition occurs as the individual advances through different membership in the group. For instance, individual will enter the team as a non member then with a small membership all the way up to full member. Full membership can mean that individual has gained the full trust and respect of the team’s commitment by being committed themselves to the team. This is why as a new member it is critical to put the effort in early to learn and dedicate time and effort to obtain as much information as possible to eventually be considered a full member of the group.
Initially, the group and the individual go through an investigation phase. During investigation, when the individual is a prospective member,, the group engages in recruitment, looking for people who might contribute to the attainment of group goals, Similarly, the individual engages in reconnaissance, looking for groups that might contribute to the satisfaction of personal needs. If the commitment levels of both parties rise to their respective entrance criteria (EC), then the role transitions of entry occurs and the individual becomes a new member. The second phase of group membership is called socialization and this is when the group tries to ensure that the individual will be aligned with the group’s goals and can contribute to the team. The individual is also trying to make sure that the group can accommodate their personal need so that the group goes through accommodation. If both parties successfully go though acceptance criteria (AC) then the individual will become full member of the group. During the maintenance phase both individual and group try to negotiate what is best for each. The individual tries to find ways that the group can best accommodate personal needs and the group looks for ways in how the individual can maximize strengths to contribute to the team in a maximum capacity. Finally, in remembrance individual reflects in how the group has met his personal needs and the group reflects in the contributions of the individual to the team’s goals and becomes part of the group’s tradition and overall culture(Levine,J. and Moreland,R.).
Conclusion:
References:
Levine, J. and Moreland,R.(1990).Group Socialization: Theory and Research (University Of Pitssburgh)
Thompson, L. ( 2014). Making The Team A Guide for Managers. Fifth Edition, Northwestern University, Upper Saddle River, NJ