Drumming Your Way to Understanding Group Dynamics

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Drumming Your Way to Understanding Group Dynamics

• Henry O. Patterson, Ph.D.
• RATO Presentation
• June 9, 2010

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Some Checking-In Questions

• How many of you have taken an academic course on
  Group Dynamics/Processes?
• How many of you have attended a workshop or had
  training on Group Dynamics/Processes?
• When designing a group experience or when working
  with a group, how many of you typically think
  about the group process?
• How many of you have been in a group that was not
  working well or up to potential you could not
  figure out why?

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Checking In Questions

• How many of you have some musical background
  singing, playing an instrument, drumming?
• How many of you have participated in a drum
  circle?
• How many of you are a little anxious about the
  drumming part of todays session?
• How many of you would like to have some fun
  learn something useful?
• Do you think this group can perform a complex
  musical composition by the conclusion of the
  session?

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Goals

• Emphasize importance of group dynamics concepts
  in understanding the functioning of all groups
  improving group/team performance
• Explore 6 basic elements of group dynamics using
  a drum circle experience to illustrate
• Encourage you to reflect on how using these group
  dynamics principles can improve the performance
  of groups you work with
• Have some fun drumming making music
• Perform an original composition RATO Percussion
  Overture

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Overview of Session

• Some basics about group dynamics
• Drumming activities
• Exploration of 6 Elements of group dynamics
• Purpose goals
• Group structure roles norms
• Group cohesion, contagion, entrainment
• Diversity in groups
• Ingroup / outgroup formation relations
• Role of leader in facilitating successful groups
• Performance of RATO Percussion Overture
• Tips on creating high performing groups/teams

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What Is a Group?

• Definition Two or more people in face-to-face
  interaction who are aware of their positive
  interdependence as they strive to achieve mutual
  goals, aware of their own others membership in
  the group.
• Focus is on small groups (fact-to-face), but
  virtual groups, large groups/organizations
  share basic principles
• Aggregates are not groups dont have most
  qualities of group, e.g. people standing on
  street corner, students sitting in lounge

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What Is a Group? (cont)

• Is there really a group identity, group mind, or
  group collective consciousness?
• Individualistic view (F. Allport) there is
  nothing beyond the individual group is
  collection of individuals
• Group view groups are separate, unique entity,
  more than a collection of individuals they are
  a unique social system with their own attitudes,
  beliefs, values, practices, mind,
  personalities, pathologies, etc.
• Social pressure of group changes individual
  behavior, e.g., conformity, groupthink
• Fish in H2O analogy

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Importance of Groups in Our Lives

• Our lives are series of group interactions--rarely
  are we NOT interacting with a group
• No man is an island. John Donne
• Human species may have survived only because of
  ability to function in small groups
• Humans have lived in small hunger-gatherer
  farming groups for most of existence (living in
  large groups (cities) is new for humans)
• Positive psychology research shows groups major
  source of happiness for individuals

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Importance of Groups in Our Lives (cont)

• We tend to focus mostly on the tasks of a group,
  the personalities in a group, rarely on the
  processes of the group
• Group dynamics focuses on the processes all
  groups share family, friends, sports teams,
  hobby groups, work/school groups, committees,
  social groups, etc.
• Always interaction between individual group
• Groups are always changing (discussed later)

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Field of Group Dynamics

• Founder Social Psychologist Kurt Lewin
• Became field in psychology sociology in 1940s
  1950s
• Understanding group processes critical in
  understanding creating functional effective
• Families
• Businesses organizations
• Classes in education, training development
• Sports teams, musical groups
• Civic, political, social groups

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Types of Performing Groups/Teams

• Pseudogroup assigned, competitive, better
  working separately
• Traditional work group assigned, some
  cooperation, little cohesion, free riding
• Effective group like working together, shared
  goals, more than sum of parts
• High-performing group Effective group
  outperforms expectations

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Six Elements of Group Dynamics

• Purpose goals
• Structure Roles Norms
• Group cohesion, contagion, entrainment
• Diversity
• Ingroup /outgroup formation relations
• Role of leader/facilitator

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So Lets Do Some Drumming

• Purpose of our Drum Circle
• Learn about group dynamics
• Learn about percussion instruments basics of
  drumming
• Have fun enjoy making music together
• Compose play an original composition the RATO
  Percussion Overture

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So Lets Do Some Drumming(cont)

• Expectations drumming etiquette
• Were drumming for fun relaxation, not to
  impress anyone
• Dont worry about making a mistakethere is no
  right or wrong
• Listen carefully to others
• Be creative express yourself
• Remove rings jewelryrespect your hands the
  instruments, so dont pound too hard

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Getting Started

1. Choose an instrument join circle
2. Drums djembe, floor tom tom, frame drums,
   doumbek
3. Metal instruments -- cow bell, agogo bells,
   tambourine, triangle
4. Wood instruments -- wood blocks, claves
5. Shakers, rattles, scrapers tube shaker,
   maracas, guiro, cabasa
6. Brief introduction to instruments suggested
   playing techniques

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Getting Started(cont)

• Stretch loosen uphandsupper body
• Review Signals/Cues (most nonverbal), e.g.
• Start playing fingers up 1234
• Stop playing fingers up 4321stop!
• Continue playing hand rotation
• Rumble (drum roll) trembling hands
• Single time 1 arm up Double time 2 arms up
  Rest
• Volume level hands moving up/down
• Imitate what I do point to myself, then you

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Activity 1 Playing Same Rhythm (Tutti)

1. Echo I play a rhythm, everyone responds (echoes)
   together with the same rhythm
2. Call Response I play several different
   rhythms, everyone responds with the same response.

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Activity 2 Playing Parts

• Your name rhythm -- individually in sequence,
  play a rhythm on your instrument that corresponds
  to the syllables in your name, e.g., Henry
  Patterson. Entire group will respond to your
  rhythm stop.
• Individually play your name rhythm continue
  to play the same rhythm as others enter
  one-by-one playing their name rhythm.

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Activity 3 Improvisation Featured Sections

• Facilitator starts group with a rhythm, each
  person in sequence joins in when ready with their
  own unique rhythm and continues to play that
  rhythm until everyone in group has joined in.
• Everyone continues to play, being creative
  changing your rhythm whenever you feel like it.
• Facilitator will have sections subgroups drop
  out and back in

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Discussion--Element 1 Group Purpose Goals

• Anxiety, stress, disruptive behavior, low
  performance related to unclear purpose/goals
• Clear, agreed upon goals necessary for high
  functioning of group (few hidden agenda)
• Questions
• What were the purpose goals of drumming? How
  clear were they? Were they widely accepted?
• Did your level of anxiety change since beginning?
  Was there disruptive behavior?
• At the beginning, what would have happened if I
  had just said OK, everybody play your drum?

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Discussion--Element 2 Group Structure

• Roles expectations of appropriate behavior of
  different positions, e.g., mother, teacher,
  secretary, victim, clown (differentiate group
  members division of labor) (see attached table)
• Role conflict contrary expectations of
  behavior, or incompatibility of roles e.g.
  children husband expect different things from
  mother
• Roles have different degrees of status power
• High status roles more influence on group, less
  pressure to conform

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Discussion--Element 2 Group Structure (cont)

• Norms Common implicit or explicit beliefs
  expectations about appropriate attitudes,
  perceptions, behavior of all group members
  (oughts, musts, shoulds, rules of the
  game) (integrate group members)
• Cant be imposed on a group evolve out of group
  interactions
• Group members first conform, then internalize
  norms (Reference groups group we compare
  ourselves toeven though absent)
• Vary in importance
• Violation of norms punished by group

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Discussion--Element 2 Group Structure (cont)

• Questions -- roles
• What were some roles in our group?
• How clear were your roles?
• Was there a good balance of roles?
• Was there a status hierarchy of roles or role
  conflict?
• Questions -- norms
• What were some norms that developed?
• Who/what influenced the development of norms?
• Were there any dysfunctional norms?
• What outside norms were brought into the group?

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Discussion--Element 3 Group Cohesion,
Contagion, Entrainment

• Group cohesion how close or in sync one
  feels with other group members weness (not
  necessarily liking)
• Contagion our mood is influenced by emotions of
  others, e.g., power of negativity
• Entrainment natural law of synchronization in
  physics--tendency for rhythms to lock phase
  synchronize going with the flow

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Discussion--Element 3 Group Cohesion,
Contagion, Entrainment (cont)

• Questions
• Do you feel closer to group members than when you
  arrived? Why or why not?
• What was responsible for increasing cohesion,
  e.g. spending time together, sharing an
  experience, working (playing) together?
• What helped us to play together, what is
  relationship between simple parts complex
  parts?
• Has your mood changed since arriving? If so, what
  caused this?
• How does emotional climate/atmosphere impact
  group performance?

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Discussion--Element 4 Diversity in Groups

• Moderate levels of diversity in groups enhance
  creativity performance, although sometimes make
  agreement more difficult
• Questions
• What kinds of diversity exists in our drum
  circle?
• Is the product (i.e. sound) your level of
  satisfaction enhanced or hindered by the
  diversity?
• Could there be too much diversity in the group?

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Discussion--Element 5 Ingroup / Outgroup
Formatnion Relations

• Groups quickly subdivide bias rivalries
  quickly emerge
• Important for leader to keep rivalries to minimum
  by focusing on group as a whole
• Questions
• Did subgroups emerge? If so, what led to
  subgroups?
• Did you feel cohesion with your ingroup?
  Competition with the outgroup?
• When is competition between groups functional and
  when dysfunctional?
• What are ways of holding subgroup competition in
  check?

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Activity 4 Original Composition

• Creation performance of the RATO Percussion
  Overture, an original, complex, improvised,
  3-movement, percussion composition involving
• Various polyrhythms
• Varying dynamics
• Varying tempos
• Solos section solos

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Discussion--Element 6 Role of
Leader/Facilitator in Group Function

• Leader/facilitator role critical in all elements
  of group dynamicsespecially beginning end
• Leadership should be shared when possible
• Questions
• What was the facilitators role in the following?
• Purpose goals?
• Structure (roles norms)?
• Cohesion contagion?
• Diversity?
• Ingroup / outgroup relations?
• What would have improved the leadership?

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Tips on Creating High Performing Groups

1. Establish clear, shared purpose goals
2. Help develop clear roles functional norms
3. Facilitate cohesion positive emotional climate
4. Promote diversity
5. Manage ingroup / outgroug bias conflict by
   focusing on the group as whole
6. Share leadership power using open communication
7. Expect groups to constantly change ?

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How Groups Change

• Tuckmans Sequential-stage theory of group
  development
• Forming uncertainty of roles norms
• Storming resist rebel against group leader
• Norming consensus develops about roles, norms,
  goals cohesion grows
• Performing group works together effectively
• Adjourning group disbands

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Some Conclusions

• Group dynamics is the field that focuses on how
  all groups are the same different
• More we know about apply group dynamics theory,
  more effectively groups can function the more
  satisfaction we can get from groups
• Human survival may depend on the effectiveness of
  future groups
• Drumming is fun!!

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Questions Comments
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Resources

• Eduardo, C., Kumor, F. (2001). Drum circle A
  Guide to world percussion. Van Nuys, CA Alfred
  Publishing Co.
• Forsyth, D. R. (2010). Group dynamics. Belmont,
  CA Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
• Friedman, R. L. (2000). The healing power of the
  drum. Reno, NV White Cliffs Media.
• Hull, A. (1998). Drum circle spirit Facilitating
  human potential through rhythm. Gilsum, NH White
  Cliffs Media.
• Johnson, D. W., Johnson, F. P. (2009). Joining
  together Group theory and group skills (10 ed.).
  Upper Saddle River, NJ Pearson.

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Resources (cont)

• Levitin, D. J. (2006). This is your brain on
  music The science of a human obsession. New
  York Plume.
• Redmond, L. (1997). When the drummers were women
  A spiritual history of rhythm. New York Three
  Rivers Press.
• Sacks, O. (2008). Musicophilia Tales of music
  and the brain. New York Vintage Books.
• Stevens, C. (2003). The art and heart of drum
  circles. Milwaukee, WI Hal Leonard.