According to Webster's dictionary:
respect: to take notice of; to regard with special attention; to regard as worthy of special consideration; hence, to care for; to heed.
Our class discussion of "respect" revealed a greater complexity in creating a standard definition for it than I would have guessed. We all have varying concepts of what it means to be respected and how to show respect to others. Through the listing of our different ideas, the case was well made for the importance of collaborative groups to establish a working definition of respect during the forming stage of their development.
During the forming stage, the members of the group are learning about one another. It is the best time "to take notice of" and to pay "special attention" to what each group member responds well to as well as what seems to cause discomfort. As a group moves through the initial stage of polite, impersonal, watchful, guarded interactions (Friend & Cook, 2010, p.61), their collective definition of respect along with their careful regard of one another could serve as rails to keep the team moving in a productive direction. Then, as the inevitable storming phase begins to unfold, some ground rules are already in place that might help the transition into norming occur more smoothly and more quickly than if the ground rules of respectful interaction had not been established. Through the stages the team members can revisit their definition of respect to enhance it and to make it more pertinent to their needs. The focus on maintaining respectful interactions within the group seems to be a good mutual goal to keep the group from unnecessary offenses and breakdowns in their functionality.
I have been a part of a team that did not collectively determine the best way to interact. The group had very general guidelines of respectful conduct, but there was no discussion of these guidelines. Without the benefit of a collaborative definition of procedures, members chose to shut down from communication or opted out of participation when conflicts arose. Resentment over unspoken and unresolved conflict ultimately led to greater conflict and more serious disagreement. Very little was accomplished by the time of adjournment. I believe if the group had just taken some time at the beginning of their development to address their roles, procedures, and function, the outcomes would have been much more successful; alliances could have been made and strengthened instead of strained and broken.
The beginning of a collaborative group begins with respect; each member chooses to value being a part of the group and decides to make an effort to regard other members with care; valuing the input and potential of every member of the collaborative, equally.
It is indeed important to have a focus within a collaborative group while keeping in mind the varying aspects of respect. It was interesting to see the way respect took on different meanings because of the perspective of the individual. In accordance with your last paragraph, I truly believe if a individual within a collaborative group does not feel respected, they will not participate and the chances of them shutting down increases and productivity diminishes. While we are in these various groups, it is important for us to be aware that the definition of respect is not universal-we are all different.
ReplyDeleteI've been in a disorganized group before as well and, and my experience was fairly similar. You can set up ground rules for respectful interaction, but that doesn't mean that participants will respect each other. You have to really give the same consideration to all involved parties instead of getting into petty arguments. I really think that your last sentence sums it up perfectly.
ReplyDeleteOften the tension at the beginning of a group is this: spend time on procedures and process OR get started. People often want to get started. You make the insightful observation that spending time on process and procedures including on getting to know one another sets up the rest of the team's process and work--therefore, it is worth the time spent. At first, I was resistant to the definition of "special consideration" in the definition of respect because I think that all deserve respect. Yet you showed me how to think about this:that EACH person deserves special consideration.
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