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Unit 8: Team and Group Intervention

evaluating activities; and (2) group maintenance actions, directed toward holding the group Notes
together as a cohesive team, including encouraging, harmonizing, compromising, setting
standards, and observing. Most ineffective groups perform little group maintenance, and this is
a primary reason for bringing in a process consultant. The process consultant can help by
suggesting that some part of each meeting be reserved for examining these functions and
periodically assessing the feelings of the group’s members. As Schein points out, however, the
basic purpose of the process consultant is not to take on the role of expert but to help the group
share in its own diagnosis and do a better job in learning to diagnose its own processes: “It is
important that the process consultant encourage the group not only to allocate time for diagnosis
but to take the lead itself in trying to articulate and understand its own processes.” Otherwise,
the group may default and become dependent on the supposed expert. In short, the consultant’s
role is to make comments and to assist with diagnosis, but the emphasis should be on facilitating
the group’s understanding and articulation of its own processes.
Group Problem Solving and Decision Making

To be effective, a group must be able to identity problems, examine alternatives, and make
decisions. The first part of this process is the most important. Groups often fail to distinguish
between problems (either task-related or interpersonal) and symptoms. Once the group identifies
the problem, a process consultant can help the group analyze its approach, restrain the group
from reacting too quickly and making a premature diagnosis, or suggest additional options.

Example: A consultant was asked to process a group’s actions during a three-hour meeting
that had been taped. The tapes revealed that premature rejection of a suggestion had severely
retarded the group’s process. After one member’s suggestion at the beginning of the meeting
was quickly rejected by the manager, he repeated his suggestion several times in the next hour.
Each time his suggestion was rejected quickly. During the second hour, this member became
quite negative, opposing most of the other ideas offered. Finally, toward the end of the second
hour, he brought up his proposal again. At that time, it was thoroughly discussed and then
rejected for reasons that the member accepted. During the third hour, this person was one of the
most productive members of the group, offering constructive and worthwhile ideas, suggestions,
and recommendations. In addition, he was able to integrate the comments of others, to modify
them, and to come up with useful, integrated new suggestions. However, it was not until his
first suggestion had been thoroughly discussed (even though it was finally rejected) that he was
able to become a truly constructive member of the group. Once the problem has been identified,
a decision must be made. One way of making decisions is to ignore a suggestion.

Example: When one-person makes a suggestion, someone else offers another before the
first has been discussed. A second method is to give decision-making power to the person in
authority.

Some-times decisions are made by minority rule, the leader arriving at a decision and turning
for agreement to several people who will comply. Frequently, silence is regarded as consent.
Decisions also can be made by majority rule, consensus, or unanimous consent. The process
consultant can help the group understand how it makes its decisions and the consequences of
each decision process, as well as help diagnose which type of decision process may be the most
effective in a given situation. Decision by unanimous consent or consensus, for example, may be
ideal in some circumstances but too time-consuming or costly in other situations.

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