How to behave in a Group Dynamic

Hello friends!

Many readers have asked me to talk about group dynamics. At the psychology faculty, we study group processes in subjects related to Social Psychology and Organizational Psychology, the psychology that is inserted within companies.

They say that it is virtually certain that we will come into contact with a psychology professional at least once in our lives. Maybe it’s still at school, or in a doctor’s office, or when we get our driver’s license. But it is very common that the first contact is when we are going to participate in a selection process to work in a company.

In the selection processes, various activities are carried out so that the company gets to know the professional it is hiring better. In fact, so you can choose between the candidates who are vying for that vacancy.

An example better clarifies what I mean. Imagine that you have a store and you need an employee to work in accounting. You place an ad on the door of the store and, in a week, you receive 10 resumes. How would you know who would be the best employee for your store if you don’t know any of the 10 people?

Basically, since the world has existed, interviews have been done. Even if a person does not have the knowledge of psychology, he can interview candidates and ask questions:

– What did you study?

– Where you live?

– Have you ever worked in accounting?

And so on. With the Industrial Revolution and mainly from the 20th century onwards, the knowledge of psychology produced and tested in the laboratory began to be used in order to help large industrialists choose their staff. Few people know that this was the first practical application of the famous Binet test, the Intelligence Quotient, the IQ.

For those who want to know more about interviews, see our text – How to behave in a job interview

In summary, we have to understand that to select our accountant, we will have to keep in mind what we want in terms of her personal qualities and professional experience, right? There’s no way to choose if we don’t know what we want…

Therefore, we will have to have a Profile in mind. The profile might have the setting:

1) A person without experience, but who wants to learn accounting and is disciplined;

2) A person who is studying accounting and already knows how to work with Excel and likes to call clients;

3) A person who has already graduated in accounting, who does not yet have experience, but who wants to work for many years in the same company;

4) A person who has already graduated, with experience and a leadership profile to train future hires.

That is, the profile can be any of these 4 options. And of course, we could imagine many other types of profiles. The trick of every selection process is that the candidate will hardly know the exact profile that will be required in the process. Sometimes the company releases some data such as minimum education or previous experience. However, the personality profile, the way the person acts most of the time – what we might call the probability of the behavior – will never be disclosed.

Going back, with the development of industries and companies in the 20th century, with the increase in schooling, organizations began to have to choose in more detail. And for that, some strategies were developed, in short:

1) More complete individual interviews;

2) Projective and non-projective psychological tests;

3) Group Dynamics

Below, we will talk more about the dynamics

How to behave in a Group Dynamic

By definition, a group dynamic is done in a group. This means that the assessment will be of the individual’s behavior in a group. As it would be unethical for me to tell how a specific dynamic works, we can invent a supposed dynamic as an example of the process.

Invented dynamics:

Imagine that you are on a tour of the desert. Your group goes through a sandstorm and you, when you finally manage to open your eyes, discover that you are alone and around you find some of your class objects.

Knowing that you will have to get help as soon as possible, you have to choose what will be best to take with you. You must choose between:

– a GPS;

– a compass;

– a pair of sunglasses;

– a cold suit;

– a cell phone

– a cap;

– a book about the desert

In the first part of the dynamics, this choice is made individually. Each one must mark what they would like to choose. On their part, in small groups of 4 or 5, the group must choose what they would like to take.

Having taken note of what was chosen individually and advocated and what was chosen as a group and advocated, raters will be able to assess some personal characteristics of the individual’s behavior when alone and when in a group.

In social psychology, we have studied that in groups there is a tendency for polarization between a boss or leader and a scapegoat (someone to be criticized or “left out”).

This group dynamic – which, again, does not exist and was completely invented – is just an example to show that during the process behavioral characteristics are being evaluated, that is, the way each one behaves in a situation. In the case I invented, a situation of conflict and difficulty.

Of course, there are thousands of dynamics and each one will evaluate an expected competence for the vacancy. While one assesses leadership, another assesses following orders, while another investigates collaboration with colleagues, yet another seeks to measure the ability to convince others.

Anyway, the forms created in a dynamic are very varied and the purpose of each one is also extremely varied.

But and now? How to behave?

Well, knowing that the candidate will never know exactly what the company is expecting for a profile, we have to understand that trying to be someone else, “acting like a theater character” to be like this or like that, will never work.

Let’s imagine a case that won’t work. The subject begins to participate in a selection process and imagines that he will have to demonstrate that he is a born leader. Although he doesn’t like the leadership position, he tries to pretend that he does and that he has it very easy. He does the interviews, tests and dynamics trying to convey this impression. (What he doesn’t know is that the contradictions between each phase will be noticed by the experienced evaluator). But let’s say it isn’t. He tries to look like a leader.

Ultimately, the company wasn’t looking for another leader. She wanted an experienced person who could work well in a group, taking orders more than giving orders. Therefore, the candidate who lied (probably will already be eliminated for this reason alone) would not get the vacancy, because he tried to be a leader, for a vacancy that was not leadership.

So trying to be another personality type never works. The motto “be yourself” is always the best strategy. And this is the fundamental tip that we can give to anyone who is going to participate in a dynamic. Because in a selection process, the most closed and introverted person may be selected, if the vacancy is for a more closed and introverted person. If the vacancy goes to an angry person and the angry person behaves like a calm person, he will also lose the vacancy.

Do you understand where I want to go?

There is a certain profile. An X profile. The candidate who is selected and who will work in the company must have this profile. If I have the X profile and I try to look like I have the Y profile, I will lose the job.

And, one more tip before we conclude.

It’s natural to feel a little nervous or anxious in group situations. Although it is not a formal presentation like public speaking in a lecture, course or seminar, group dynamics end up being a source of different bodily sensations (which many consider as unpleasant).

As we know, about 50% of the world’s population is afraid of public speaking. So if you have a little anxiety when talking to a group of strangers, there are some alternatives:

– First, knowing that most of the people around you must also be a little anxious;

– Second, saying something wrong, stuttering a little for an hour or stopping to think are expected and normal behaviors;

– Third, if you really feel really bad, you can seek treatment with a psychologist and/or psychiatrist to help with your emotions. Another tip is to take courses on how to speak in public or oratory.

And, finally, the X profile is not better than the Y profile. They are just different personal characteristics. Therefore, if you are not selected in a process, in fact, it is because it was not meant to be. Working in a vacancy that does not match your profile is suffering for sure.

Related