Leadership skills are essential to building group leadership. A leader must hold certain leadership abilities and qualities to shape the activities. Real leadership capabilities can be learned through training in order to communicate effectively. These competencies would enable leaders to instil a sense of enthusiasm in the members. As a result, each member of the group will be able to put in full effort at full capacity. Team members must follow the proper plan and design in order to start the work. Leaders must focus on the capabilities of the group members and the areas in which they need improvement. Certain methods are available to enhance and boost leadership in groups. Proper training and workshops can be arranged to teach the members of the group. Members of the group can learn from experienced coaches and mentors. Support groups, as well as learning networks, can provide extra assistance to build leadership in groups.
Leadership Styles and Group Types
In daily routines, different groups interact with each other at home, work and school. There are four categories of groups. These include assigned, relationship-oriented, task-oriented and emergent groups. Task-oriented groups are designed to finish short-term jobs. Relationship-oriented groups are those in which an individual is associated with people for a long time. Assigned groups are designed in situations where individuals have been selected or appointed to contribute to them. An emergent group is basically organized as a result of environmental conditions that form a cohesive group. Autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire are three leadership styles that motivate members to take part in decisions.
Autocratic leaders take part in making decisions and distribute all tasks. They strictly hold and control the group. On the other hand, there are also contingency theories where different leadership styles are executed according to different situations. These describe how leadership style alters when the situation changes. It would be great to follow the communication competencies approach. Interpersonal communication by leaders would be effective in accomplishing and achieving the goals of a group. A lot of people are involved in a number of activities on a daily basis. In a workplace environment, the power of leadership exists in the hands of the president, CEO or manager. In order to run the organization, there is a need to distribute duties and responsibilities among a group. Being ahead of the group, these leaders should have proper information to get work done. Such a group will be effective in achieving actual tasks, aiding in making decisions and delivering feedback.
Psychoeducational and Skills Development Groups
Psychoeducational groups are formed to educate and train clients. This type of group follows group-specific and structured content. Lectures, audio cassettes and videotapes can be used to teach this outline. An experienced and professional facilitator will assist in discussing the information. These groups are organized to deliver information to direct clients so that they can become aware of the resources as well as the process of recovery. The objective of designing these groups is to encourage clients to go through the recovery process.
The major tasks of these groups are to provide awareness and solid information about medical, behavioural and emotional aspects of substance abuse. These psychological groups are effective in helping clients seek change for an internal need. This will assist a client in becoming aware of their conditions in the early stages. There are many tactics to conduct these groups. It matters how these groups present information and how useful this information is in assisting clients in achieving the desired behaviour, emotional change, and improved thinking.
Skills development groups are the strength of this agency because they have certain characteristics based on clients’ characteristics and needs. Clients differ on the basis of their characteristics, backgrounds, and abilities. In this case, leaders have therapy skills and knowledge, and these skills foster collaboration among members.
Facilitation and Transformative Learning
Facilitating agency techniques and groups creates a safe, empowered and goal-oriented environment with good communication and supportive structures (Cranton, 2006, p. 163). Education helps individuals to problem-solve and attain power that critically perceives how they are effective in transforming beliefs and assumptions, which motivates them to examine those assumptions (Cranton, 2002, p. 3).
Cranton explained that an effective mode of thinking helps the group accomplish various forms of learning. According to Cranton, group learning is of three types. However, each type is related to three types of knowledge, as suggested by Habermas. These include instrumental, emancipatory and communicative knowledge. Cranton proposed that the kind of learning that happens in groups changes according to goals and tasks. Asking Socratic questions and collaborating can improve the individual frame of reference that occurs in cognitive group therapy. The facilitator can check hypotheses, challenge and examine the irrational beliefs of individuals and influence collaborative empiricism concepts (Overholster, 2011, p. 62).
Shared dialogue promotes self-questioning, assisting in the distancing of experiences and emotions from thoughts. In collaboration processes, the facilitator observes genuine, meaningful and authentic relationships that create a change in perspective. The facilitator builds a trusting, genuine and authentic relationship with the group as a result of self-reflection (Cranton, 2006, p. 7). Interpersonal group therapy can assist in separating individuals from substances that they utilize to compensate for emotional deficiency and environmental and attachment disorders. This will be helpful in regulating emotions. The facilitator is cautious about giving up control and power in transformative learning methods (Cranton, 1994, p. 147). This will make autonomous learning possible and exercise disciplinary power to encourage, challenge and build a relationship (Cranton, 2006, p. 110).
Existential group therapy is different from psychotherapy due to the frame of reference that permits exploration as well as comprehension of the problems of an individual with a specific approach (May, Yalom, 2000, p. 19). It is essential to develop an authentic relationship as a therapist with the individual in a working relationship. The therapist group helps to transform a person’s beliefs through reflection, emotional communication, discourse and feedback. Therefore, it aids in gaining emancipatory, that is, self-knowledge, to transform previous ways of understanding into new perspectives (Mezirow, 1990, p. 20). The facilitator provides a platform for a group to discuss and create a link to the personal meaning of realities, experiences and emotional states that can stimulate unconscious and conscious emotional reactions with the expression of sensations (Dirkx, 2006, p. 17).
B)
Heron’s Facilitation Framework
John Heron was mainly concerned with group interactions, and he explained two aspects of the facilitator’s role. According to this, a facilitator helps to improve the group learning process, but these interventions are basically accepting and receptive. On the other hand, assertive and active interventions also exist. He described six dimensions related to facilitation. These dimensions are distinctly recognized but do overlap by supporting and integrating each other (Heron, 1999, p. 7). Experiential learning enables students to transform their character structure, knowledge, and skills.
A closely related analysis examines conflict management and group decision-making.
Planning Dimension
In this dimension, facilitation aims to act in a goal-oriented way. It explains the aims and objectives of the group and what plans and procedures are required to fulfil them. The task of the facilitator here is to explain how it will be possible for a group to meet its purposes as well as its programmes. Here, the facilitator can be helpful in designing a plan for substance misuse, in addition to facilitating the education and self-awareness of the client.
Meaning Dimension
This dimension focuses on cognitive as well as rational aspects. It will explore the different aspects of members of the group, such as how they understand and experience things and how they react and respond to them. In this case, the facilitator tries to find out the meanings of the actions and experiences of group members. In this process, a facilitator will logically determine the courses of action of members within the group.
Confronting Dimension
This dimension explains the challenge aspect. It will help to explore the group’s avoidance and resistance to things. It also considers how the group will become aware of and know about these difficulties. For instance, a client is misusing a substance but does not admit it. A leader should take the step to educate as well as inform the client about the issue in a sympathetic manner. The facilitator can encourage the client to share solid information, as it will be useful in accomplishing the process. In this case, a client will confront difficult situations and other aggressive realities. However, this is not a productive way to treat a client. This dimension is not effective for generating significant desired results. However, the facilitator shows empathy towards the client in this process.
Feeling Dimension
This affective aspect of the dimension helps to manage emotions and feelings within the group. It elaborates on how emotions will be managed and handled within the group. The leader should take care of sensitive information. The member will only reveal the data and material with which the client feels comfortable because everyone has the right to keep their feelings and emotions confidential. It is the responsibility of the client to manage emotions and sentiments in front of the group. On the basis of this, the client will decide whether they should share this information or not. The leader should not try to expose the material that the client does not want to share.
Structuring Dimension
This formal aspect will be helpful for learning different methods and how these experiences can be managed in a structured form. A facilitator must provide structured and organized information with proper strategies to facilitate group members, such as in substance misuse agencies. A facilitator should design methods that are effective for clients as they make physical contact. Even the facilitator’s communication and body language count a lot, which will help the facilitator engage with the client effectively.
Valuing Dimension
This dimension is about the integrity aspect. The main aim is to provide a supportive environment in which members of the group can realize an actual climate with true interests and needs. The main question here is how we can create a climate of integrity, respect and personal value. If every member of the group feels free to share information and solid material, then each person will trust the other. The facilitator should execute and implement the process of empathy to support the client.
My workplace has organized these dimensions, starting from the planning dimension to the structuring dimension and confronting dimension, then the meaning and feeling dimensions, and ending with the valuing dimension. During the workshop, the agency gives importance to valuing dimensions in order to enhance the level of integrity among members of the group. In this way, group members will be able to recognize real needs and requirements. The agency also places stress on implementing a feeling dimension so that members can learn to manage as well as handle emotions. These emotions will help members express themselves and communicate with the group without any hesitation. Other than these dimensions, the planning dimension is more important. This first step elaborates on all the objectives of the group, which results in further plans and strategies executed by the group to accomplish them. It would not be possible for group members to proceed until the tasks and objectives of members are definite.
The power of facilitation enables the organization to support facilitated sessions to develop learning as well as development. It also enhances employee engagement. The performance of the company also improves due to facilitation skills. Due to facilitation skills, interpersonal interactions also improve and are enhanced. Each participant is involved and contributes to the meeting. This also facilitates team dynamics as well as aids various forms of group members. It also improves commitment and dedication to ongoing specialized development.
The strength of the agency is the meaning dimension, where facilitation helps group members to make sense of ideas and experiences. The feeling dimension helps the agency manage and develop interpersonal group relationships in group facilitation. The facilitator shows acceptance and approval by responding empathically to guide group cohesiveness.
The agency needs to develop a cooperative mode where the facilitator should behave supportively through sharing power. The facilitator should listen to the ideas and views of the group. The facilitator should provide a sound climate in which the members of the group can feel freedom and autonomy to explore their thoughts. The facilitator should emphasize training and education to make improvements.
Education can help individuals identify discrepancies through increased self-awareness, leading individuals to make better life choices. According to John Heron, learning and transformative learning permit such insights to facilitate various groups so that members can learn in relation to the group and facilitator. Now I have gained deep insights from this assignment and am able to recognize and reflect on the presentation skills of the facilitator as well as group structures.
References
Cranton, P., (1994). Understanding and Promoting Transformative Learning: A Guide for Educators of Adults.
Dirkx J.M, (2006). Engaging Emotions in Adult Learning: A Jungian Perspective on Emotion and Transformative Learning
Cranton, P., 2016. Understanding and promoting transformative learning: A guide to theory and practice. Stylus Publishing, LLC.
Cranton, P., 2002. Teaching for transformation. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 2002(93), pp. 63-72.
Overholser, J.C., 2011. Collaborative empiricism, guided discovery, and the Socratic method: Core processes for effective cognitive therapy. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 18(1), pp. 62-66.
Heron, J., 1999. The complete facilitator’s handbook. Kogan Page.
Mezirow, J., 1990. How critical reflection triggers transformative learning. Fostering critical reflection in adulthood, 1, p. 20.
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