| Sustaining the
Journey Archive |
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December 7, 2009
States of Mind in Groups
If you have applied coaching behaviors in a group setting, you are probably aware of the complexity of attending to several individuals' States of Mind simultaneously. Have you considered the group as a whole also has States of Mind? Interestingly, the States of Mind of a group are not the sum total of the individuals' States of Mind. For instance, a group can have low efficacy as a group, even when it is composed of highly efficacious individuals. In the Adaptive Schools work of Garmston and Wellman, group States of Mind have been referred to as Energy Sources because they are one of the producers of energy in groups.
This week, select a group that you work with frequently and pay attention to indicators of high or low consciousness, craftsmanship, flexibility, efficacy and interdependence. For instance, how much time does the group spend considering multiple viewpoints on an issue? That might be one indicator of flexibility. Or what kind of response does the group have to external mandates? Are they overwhelmed and helpless or do they have a take charge attitude knowing that the implementation is in their hands? What other indicators might you consider as you observe this week?
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