Evaluating Groups

I have had a unique college experience in the fact that I am a founding member of one of my student groups.  We are a mixed a capella group on campus, focusing primarily on contemporary and radio hits.  This group has become like a family to me, but we have definitely had a lot of hard times- especially since I have seen it all from the beginning.  As I was reading through Chapter 7, I  initially thought of one of my other student groups and was struggling to make connections with how I would explain it in my blog.  I thought, "This is going to be confusing...what other groups am I in?" Oh right! The one I spend about 6 hours with every week!  It all clicked fairly easily and I was able to recall many of the instances and people as described in the book.

Forming
Now, as I mentioned, forming for me in this group is very literal.  We started at the end of last fall through an effort by a Grad student to start an "acapella revolution" at OSU.  Before my group was even official, there was tons of conflict on how to choose members.  One guy stepped up to "lead" the situation and he auditioned people with another group leader.  They argued over lots of people to try and split the talent, but at the end we ended up with a solid group.  As a group, we decided our meeting times to practice would be twice a week (Tuesday/Sunday nights) and that we would communicate via a Facebook group online.  We thought of Executive Board positions and each of their responsibilities. We also agreed that one of those positions should be a Social Chair and that each member would be required to attend at least one "social" event like dinner after practice, karaoke, etc.  We all started to become friends and I began viewing these people less as "acapella people" and more as friends I would hang out with on the weekend.

Storming
Now comes the storming.  Actually, sometimes I think we randomly go through the storming process and that it isn't just a one time thing.  Especially with a new student organization.  There's a HUGE learning curve.  It started to become clear at the end of last year that there was a divide in the vision and purpose of the group.  Some were in it for the soul purpose of singing and having fun, while others wanted to become a competitive group.  It was, like the book said, that awkward elephant in the room.  Some would chat during practice while other members would continually be hushing the others and telling them to focus.  There was just a disconnect between people.  It all eventually mounted when our President quit the group and decided this wasn't what he wanted.  This was a really big deal because up until a few months before that, this group was the apple of our President's eye.  It was a shocker and nobody really knew where to go.  It was clear there were a lot of issues to discuss so we eventually had a group meeting to discuss issues people may have, coping, etc.  Times of trial are where I think people truly show their role in a group and this time was no exception.  We had plenty of opinion givers (maybe too many?), a blocker, and a few others trying to bring everyone together as summarizers and mediators (227).  It was a tense night, but it was necessary for our group.  For months, we had been carrying on as if we had no issues but it took an influential member leaving to make us really take notice of the situation.

Norming
Since the storming incident, our group has fallen into a fairly comfortable norming routine.  Each practice starts about 5-10mins after the actual time so people can say hello and catch up.  We end each Sunday practice  a few minutes late so everyone and the group can say a Happy/Crappy about their week.  Expectations have been set for group members to respond to emails and gig information in a timely manner.  We also usually begin each rehearsal with important news such as gigs coming up, new songs, and more.  This helps to get everyone in the right mindset.

Performing
Performing is what we do, literally.  We have started goal setting in our group, but not to the point of SMART goals (I'll be honest- it kind of drives me nuts. The J in me coming out).   We try to do as many gigs as possible and these are often every refreshing for us.  Sometimes, rehearsing and spending so much time together can make everyone a little crazy but performing for others is what we love to do.  It helps us to remember why we started in the first place and how much farther we have to go.  I fully expect to go through these stages again, probably more towards the beginning of nest year, as the group decides whether we want to compete in a national competition or not.  While it is uncomfortable at times, ultimately it is healthier for the group and helps us to move on and accomplish goals, whatever those may be.

                                                     Performing for President Gee- Yay!

I haven't known a group to dissolve itself.  It just seems like something people don't want to do because it is admitting that you (or the group) has lost sight of the vision and there is no way to recover.  Dissolving is kind of like admitting failure and people don't really want to do that.  I don't know if I can think of any specific groups that should completely dissolve because I feel like with proper intervention, there are still ways for them to get back to their roots.  It will take lots of work, maybe a few awkward discussions, and evaluations of the organization but it is possible.  I know that I personally would have trouble dissolving a group just because of personal ties that I may have formed with the people in the group and the group itself.  It is a hard thing to admit that you have let something get so far away from you that the only solution is to start over.