American Group Dynamics Today, in Western researc

Good morning, everyone. Today I’m going to talk about group work done in Western research institutes and university. In fact, much work in Western research institutes and university department is done as a team project. If you want to function well in these settings you need to have an understanding of American group dynamics. I would like to break up my lecture into 4 main categories.
   The first is the way Americans view professional and private relationships. Americans separate these two re lationships and it is common for them not to fix the two. No one expects you to have a private friendship with the people you work with. This means it is not necessary to develop friendly relationships before people can work together. You don’t even have to be friends. Once you meet some people in a working relationship you are not expected to socialize with them after hours. This is not discouraged, but no one is encouraging it either. The most important thing is to accomplish the work which needs to be done. As long as this is happening, authorities are not concerned with what goes outside the office. They only become concerned when outside personal activities affect your performance at work. It is also possible that you may not like the person you are working with. You are expected to put these feelings aside and accomplish the tasks related to the project.
   Sometimes scientists have conflicting personalities or ego conflicts. Both parties know from past experience that they would not get along socially, but they know they must work together to complete the project. Because of this they would still work together effectively. Of course, it’s much nicer when you do like the person you work with but you can’t have this expectation when being assigned to a group project.
   The most important thing in the office or on a project is that people do their jobs. Everyone in the group has a responsibility and must complete it. This attitude of working together to complete some specific goal carries through with students and professors who may have different social standings. No one has the final word unless he/she has been given that responsibility by the groups. Therefore, a full professor and an undergraduate student are expected to work together effectively when placed on the same team.
   This brings up my second category: equality and participation. Not only are people of different ages expected to work together but everyone in a group is treated as an equal. Everyone has the right to express his/her opinion. This means that whoever is appointed as leader should not dominate the group. The leader is not the most important person.
   The leader’s role is to make sure everyone participates. Leaders are there to ensure that the ideas and opinions of all the team members are expressed. They do not dominate the discussion; they merely guide it along and make sure the group does not get stuck on any one point. The leader acts more like a servant rather than a boss. The leader also makes sure the discussion stays on topic. This helps the group accomplish its goals in the limited time it is giver.
   It can be said that the best leader gets the most out of each person in the group. He or she recognizes the different abilities of the team members and uses the variety of abilities to accomplish the best results.
   With this attitude of leadership in America it is important that people talk to each other, not just to the lead er. You must keep in mind that you are sharing your ideas not with just one person, but with the whole group. When talking to a small group you should have eye contact with the group members. This is very important because if you look away when they look at you they will think you are suspicious. They might even think you are not being honest if you don’t look at them when you speak to them.     The third category is making compromises something we call "give and take". In a group situation you need to be able to compromise and negotiate. This does not mean you should give up the point you are trying to make. It means you should express your ideas with conviction, but you will also need to listen to their ideas. Consequently, you may have to give up some of what you want so others can have some of what they want. This is why we call it "give and take". You give or express your ideas to the group but must be ready to take or accept the ideas of other group members.
   The fourth category you need to consider are rules for team meetings. It is the leader’s responsibility to bring an agenda. This is a list of items to be discussed and the order of discussion, The leader guides the group through the agenda so that those issues are dealt with. Once the agenda is completed, the leader or any team member may introduce new business or topics.
   When a decision has to be made a specific procedure is usually followed. If the decision is within the group’s authority, it is done democratically or by consensus. This makes sure everyone participates in the decision. It also makes sure everyone takes "ownership" of the decision. This means that once a decision is made every group member supports it fully and works hard to see it accomplished. If the decision is beyond the group’s authority, the leader takes it to a meeting of officials for them to decide, then later reports the results to the team.
   These four main categories should give you a better understanding of how Western groups function. This will prepare you for future interactions with foreign scientists. I hope you will find them useful in your future team meetings.