Introduction
Survival in extreme situations is very much dependant on the preparation for the situation and the type of equipment one has. In case there are several people, teamwork would be key in increasing the chances of survival. There are both moral and physical strengths that will play a significant role in how well and how safely the person feels.
Thesis
The mutual interdependence of people is much needed for the team to stay effective and productive in an extreme situation.
As there was no chance to select our group, and we were simply presented with individuals, it is important to look at the personal attributes, and what each member can bring into the team. One of the most critical criteria is that a person has to be a “team player,” having the ability to work well with others in a collective. Another quality to look for is the responsibility in the task and overall attitude towards a matter.
There has to be a person’s direct involvement and interest, so that the necessary skills are contributed to the common goal, especially in a situation that needs extreme vigilance and contribution to every task, such as survival in extreme conditions. A very crucial step in the selection of a member is paying special attention to personal suitability for a particular job.
The characteristics and skills of a person will define their output of work and structure of the work organization. This would allow distributing roles and making sure that each is in their place. A valuable personality trait is honesty because, in a situation where extreme conditions are present, the truth is needed to determine the present level of well being of the group and future actions.
A person working with other people must be trustworthy, as there is a dependency between individuals. Each relies on the other to do their job, taking part in the plan. All members of the team share a responsibility to do their part and thus add to the whole. If only one of the participants does not complete their duty, the unit suffers and negates the work done by the others.
As the teamwork requires all sorts of cooperation, a person must be approachable and understanding. There is always a constant relay of information and duties that make up the team, so an easy going and friendly environment makes the team stronger in its attainment of goals, greatly increasing productivity.
In our team of several members, each will have their unique personality, affecting the level of contribution to the common task. One of the group members must be a team leader. This person takes their role very seriously and feels responsible for the organization and distribution of duties. In a hierarchy of needs, this individual can be considered responsible, meaningful, and orderly.
As they are willing to do any job and administer as much effort as needed, they are considered a leader and a strong link in the chain. This member has self-respect, as well as respect for others, which is a sign of tact and ethics. These are all qualities that are of higher moral development in the pyramid, defining the mental philosophy and psychology of the more advanced functioning.
The group was put in a simulated situation were surviving in the desert depends on other people. Surviving in the Sonoran Desert required specific prioritizing skills. The careful usage of the equipment must be made functional and resourceful. Selecting the most needed objects would ensure the survival of each but more importantly, of the group as a whole. The primary objective of survival in the desert is to focus on “basic needs.”
These are considered food, shelter, and protection from the danger in the environment. There might be potentially harmful animals and plants in the surrounding habitat, so it is important to know the area.
As the book was provided on which animals are edible, this task would be somewhat easier, but problematic at the same time. When people are in an unfamiliar situation, they cannot determine which plants are poisonous or not. The most effective safety plan must also be developed about the danger of animals or extreme weather conditions.
Personal scores were better than the group score, that was 60, which, according to the experts, is not high enough. This required working together as a group and drawing a decision based upon a consensus that is best for everyone’s lives. According to the Tuckman’s Group Development Stages, we started off brainstorming but could not complete the process (Engleberg & Wynn, 2013). This was due to group indecisiveness.
Everyone kept offering their own opinion, and it was difficult to decide on the best course of action, as everyone had reasonable facts and suggestions. The group members kept going back to the raincoat and the red and white parachute.
I fought for the red and white parachute to be high on the priority list to shade from the sun, and the red and white colors would be easily seen from the air. Another person fought for the raincoat to be high on the priority list, so the result was a conflict within a group. This led to little collaboration within a group, and the outcome was the least effective in the survival situation.
Some of the most important characteristics of a team are potency, meaningfulness, autonomy, and the impact. As a team, we did all agree on the ranking of the items, but as we were running out of time it caused groupthink, and we started ranking the items as fast as we could, just to finish. Even though there was some autonomy, the potency was low, which led to an ineffective result.
Some of the norms that were formed consisted of one individual always being the recorder and another, always the leader. This added some meaningfulness. With the decision to leave and search for help or stay and wait to be rescued, we as a group chose to leave and look for help. This was the impacting part of the decision making. It was wrong according to the experts because of the higher strain in the physical conditions.
The group thought there was a better chance of being rescued if there was a search for help versus staying at the campsite. Even though we had a compass, most people do not know how to read one, and it was possible for the group to end up walking in circles.
On top of that, trying to survive the heat with little water and wasting energy on looking for a possible way out would be a mistake. Our group did not score well and would have probably not survived in the desert because we chose to walk 70 miles with a compass to the mining camp (Robbins & Judge, 2013).
In the Group Task Roles, there was an initiator, opinion seeker, opinion giver, coordinator, and elaborator. In the Group Maintenance Roles, there were harmonizer, compromiser, observers, and followers. There were no self-centered roles in the group.
The factors must be discussed and properly applied to the situation of extreme survival. To get a fair balance before reaching a consensus, everyone must share opinions with different perspectives. The group broke down and dissected aspects of the situation to facilitate discussion. Based on the synergistic approach, the group did a proper job in resolving the problem, but there is room for improvement (Brown, 2011).
Conclusion
To sum up, it is clear that the group has to be in great cooperation with the outside environment and within the group itself. A lot depends on how well each will perform and what skills they can bring into the group. It is obvious that communication plays an important role, as stress can set in quickly.
The extreme conditions require people to think clearly and without any prejudice. Also, people must be in greater regard for the common safety, instead of being selfish. This can lead to a very quick deterioration in resources and group spirit. As such, organization and the separation of roles, planning, and set out several outcomes will allow looking at the problem from several angles.
References
Brown, D. (2011). An Experiential Approach to Organization Development, (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.
Engleberg, I. & Wynn, D. (2013). Working in Groups, (6th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
Robbins, S. & Judge, T. (2013). Essentials of Organizational Behavior, (12th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.