Page 213 - Make Work Great

Leading Your Crystal

your sphere of influence, role-modeling good behavior patterns and
encouraging more of what is already going well.
This scorecard is not, however, a comprehensive guide to human
gatherings or a statistical analysis tool. It is but a small and pre-
liminary glimpse into the very broad topic of group dynamics. The
questions of how and why individuals behave differently when in

groups—and of how those dynamics influence output, effectiveness,
and stress—are complex ones. They provide the topics of many books
already written and many more to come. Closely linked to issues of
politics, power, and the importance of hierarchy, these issues fall well
beyond the purview of our work here. For now, we simply wish to
help you, the culture builder, demonstrate useful precedents to those
around you.
As your infl uence expands, you may well decide that additional
expertise in the area of group work would serve you well. If so, fur-
ther study of group dynamics will be well worth your time. However
far you take that study, the role-modeling of overtness and clarity will
be your foundation.

The Invisible Assignment
If you’re going to be leading, encouraging, or even just suggesting
effective group work, you should know in advance that making groups
great is a thankless job. If you do it poorly, if you’re disruptive, or if
for reasons beyond your control the group is a particularly diffi cult
one, rest assured the “fault” for failure will most likely be assigned
to you. Take care to constantly acknowledge the inherent complexity
of group interactions, and be careful never to suggest that you have
the guaranteed solution to the problem of meetings. Even the most
talented, experienced group facilitators are quick to acknowledge that
a situation can quickly get beyond their ability to help.
On the other hand, some of your meetings may go very well. If you
help to build an environment in which everyone’s expertise comes to

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