Angie Huang Week 10 Group Power


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My father once told me: “Alone you can go faster, but together you can go further.” This quote had a large impact on me as it taught me the power in working with others as a group, and the countless achievements it can behold despite the convenience of working alone. 

Working with others has many benefits. For example, it may give the people a sense of belonging and security. As it is the natural instinct of humans to seek comfort and inclusiveness in others, forming groups can help provide people with inner stability in themselves. Working in groups may also give individuals confidence in their own abilities in accordance with their peers. Furthermore, group power stands out against individual power as the voices of more people have a larger influence than the voice of an individual person. Tactics such as collective bargaining have a more profound effect when it is carried out by large groups rather than singular people due to the increase in power of groups as compared to individuals. 

Doing work with others also allows people to spread involvement, and accomplish things through the additional work of others. People of similar interests often group together to promote a more friendly environment where everyone can work together and spread knowledge with each other. Projects can be done in a more efficient manner, and each person’s own individual artistic style can contribute to the final product. 


In addition, an individual’s knowledge is very limited to their specialty. It may very well occur that a person working on something happens to stumble upon a concept that they are unfamiliar with. However, if they are working with another person, that person may have some knowledge about the concept. Thus, if they work together, they will be able to help progress on the project together with their combined knowledge.

Group power, therefore, can bring out the potential inmany individuals, and leads them to achieve goals that they may not have been able to do so on their own.


http://kell.indstate.edu/public-comm-intro/chapter/8-4-power-in-groups/


Comments

  1. Hi Angie, I really liked the quote that you mentioned, “Alone you can go faster, but together you can go further.” The power of collaborating and working with others is very helpful and can help you in your day to day life. I also find the idea you brought up, that people find comfort in others, to be very true. People are social creatures who cherish the relationships they make. It is also very effective to utilize group power as it makes doing many different things more efficient.

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  2. I love that quote and find it to be so true. People are social creatures and excellent at finding strength in numbers. I personally think group work is undervalued since, at least in the United States, successful individuals are often praised for their leadership abilities and great focus typically lies on their solitary accomplishments. There is something to be said for the achievements of a small (or large) group of dedicated individuals. Thank you for discussing this!

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  3. Hi Angie, That is a really thought provoking quote. As humans, it is our nature to be social, and work together. And yet so many people try to do everything on their own. It is one of the great lessons that everyone has to learn that we all have limits. It is not shameful to ask for help and it is not weak to help others. We will never know everything, but together we will know more than alone. We are stronger as a community than as individuals. This quote you shared is an excellent way to summarize the importance of unity and solidarity. Alone we can break rocks, together we can move mountains.

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  4. Hi Angie, I've always loved working in groups! I'm great with combining ideas and dividing and conquering, as we can get so much done in less time (if you're with the right people, of course.) Some things are just better when done together versus alone, and a lot of power lies within a community with a motive or goal to get something done. Your blog was super insightful and I loved reading it! It makes me look forward to the next time I get to work in a group.

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  5. Hi Angie,
    I agree with your father that working together can get you further. I love group projects and assignments, mostly because the work is evenly divided. However, also because I get to communicate with people towards achieving a major goal. The end product typically turns out amazing and that goal is exciting to reach. Bouncing ideas off each other makes the process incredible productive and everyone participating can get more out of it.

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  6. Hi Angie, I thought that what your father said was really well put. Sometimes, it's easy for people to see working in a group as an unnecessary hassle (I'm guilty of this too), but there are certain challenges that cannot be overcome without the unique power that comes from combining multiple different perspectives together. I have no doubt that the world would not be anywhere close to where it is today without the winds of teamwork and cooperation behind it.

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  7. Hey Angie, This is some really good advice your father gave you because it is my belief as well that when working with others everything seems to come easier like that saying "two minds are better than one" when you are by yourself you are constricted to your own knowledge and beliefs but when in a group you get those other inputs and those other ideals and you are freed from those boundaries of what you know through the knowledge of your group.

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  8. Hi Angie,
    I agree with that quote from your father. It reminds me of the turtle vs. rabbit story. The turtle was slower but ended up getting farther. Having people around you who have similar goals and push you to be better is necessary. I wish that everyone has people around them that help them achieve their goals.

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