Jobs And Interview

admin · Site Admin Joined: 05 Jul 2005 Posts: 689

Group discussion is becoming a very important tool for selection. It is used for selecting candidates for admission in management courses. It is also used for selecting young managers. As the preference is for selecting team players, and not loners who cannot function effectively in-groups, this tool is progressively getting higher weightage.

In-group discussions, it is possible for candidates to play different roles. These roles can be grouped under three categories viz, group task roles, group building and maintenance Roles, and self-centered roles.

GROUP TASK ROLES
Group task roles are behaviours that help the group solve its problems or accomplish its tasks. These roles include:
(a) Initiator: starts discussion, suggests new ideas and solutions.
(b) Information opinion seekers: Asks for information from other members and tries to elicit their opinion.
(c) Information Opinion Giver: Gives facts and information and shares his own opinion with others.
(d) Clarifier: Expands on ideas of others by giving examples and explanations.
(e) Coordinator: Helps in integrating and summarizing the ideas of the other members.
(f) Orientor: suggests the direction for further discussion and defines the goal/objective of the discussion.
Candidates playing roles of initiator, coordinator and orientor score better marks in-group discussion.

GROUP BUILDING ROLES
These roles help members to function together as a group and maintain good interpersonal relationships.
(a) Supporter: Praises and agrees with others.
(b) Harmonizer: Helps in resolving disagreements and conflicts between others.
(c) Tension Reliever: Makes people feel relaxed by cracking jokes and generating humour.
(d) Encourager: Encourages those who have not spoken to participate. Candidates playing roles of harmonizer and encourager score better marks in-group discussion.

SELF-CENTERED ROLES
These roles satisfy an individual's needs without regard for the other members of the group. (a) Blocker: Always rasies objections and brings up the same topic after the rest of the group have disposed it of.
(b) Aggressor: Criticizes others, expresses hostility and jealousy.
(c) Recognition Seeker: Boasts and tries to always seek the attention of others.
(d) Clown: Shows lack of involvement in the group task by cracking jokes and passing cynical comments.
(e) Dominator: Attempts to dominate by ordering others, interrupting and imposing his own point of view.
All these self-centered roles mentioned above must be avoided as they considerably reduce the chances of selection.
Remember the Group Discussion tests not only your communication but also your listening skills.