Charles Zastrow, in his book Social Work with Groups, identifies three types of task groups important to social work practice. These are:
Task groups to meet client needs, including treatment teams, case review meetings, intake and discharge planning groups, and interdisciplinary teams.
Task groups to meet organizational needs, most importantly boards of directors and various committees.
Task groups to meet community needs, such as coalitions, councils of agency representatives, and social-action groups.
The following guidelines are helpful in working with all three types. The headings used here are the same as in Zastrow, with my comments added to supplement his material.
1. Establishing the group's purpose:
Zastrow writes that, "A variety of sources may generate the group's purpose." He writes about ad hoc committees, but not standing committees. The former are created in response to a specific issue that is not expected to be relevant over time. For example, an agency may form an ad hoc committee to receive staff input in the planning process for the construction of a new facility. Standing committees, on the other hand, involve ongoing concerns, such as program, budgeting, or evaluation.
2. Potential sponsorship of the task group:
Sponsorship can be very helpful, but you need to be careful not to compromize the scope or effectiveness of the group by having the wrong sponsor. The example in the text about Hooters and a women's group is rather obvious, but there can be more subtle mismatches. For example, if a school system is sponsoring a task force on absenteeism, it may be difficult to assess the schools' failures that contribute to the problem. It is important to know as much as possible about the potential sponsor and to consider the advantages and disadvantages of independence.
3. Selecting potential members:
This is, in my opinion, one of the most important issues. Decision-making groups should always be composed of members who represent the range of interests relative to those decisions in the community. Boards of directors, for example, tend to much more representative of the power-elite than of potential consumers. Since some consumers tend to be less sophisticated and easily intimidated by those with more socioeconomic status, you need to be sure to include several of them in the process.
4. Recruiting members:
You will be more successful recruiting people personally, and it is a good idea to know the person rather than to have other groups select someone. If you do not know someone representative of an interest group or with the expertise that you need, find someone whom you know who does know them personally or professionally.
5. Size of the group:
The book has a good discussion of this. Think also about the structure of the task group you are forming. Will there be committees or subcommittees? Also, think about how motivated and reliable the members will be. Do you need to have more members to cover for the ones who do not come often or who come but contribute very little otherwise?
6. Orienting members to the group:
Initial goals are great, but you need to remember that one of the reasons that you have a group is to draw from different perspectives and that groups can be very dynamic. You need to decide which of the goals you envision for the group are essential and which can be negotiated as the group develops its own priorities. Task groups are rarely under the control of those who form them, and that is often for the best.
7. Meeting place and room:
The place can be more imortant than you may think. If it is at an agency, how much does that mean that the need of the agency will unduly influence the process and outcome of the group? It is not just the physical surroundings, which Zastrow covers well, but the place that people's minds are in when they meet in a school, courthouse, or church.
8. First meeting:
It is always a bit of a dilemma for me to decide how much time to spend on introductions. Members need to get to know each other and the implications of representation by the membership. It is important for members to understand where each other is coming from, but some people do go on and on .... This can make it difficult to do the other things that need to be done to get things off to a good start.
9. Working with resistive and disruptive members:
Remember, opposition is necessary for constructive group process. If everyone agrees all the time, what is you reason for being there? Your understanding and communication about the value of differences will help most groups engage in more constructive discussions and more creative outcomes. Integration is only possible if a range of perspectives are expressed and negotiated. Of course, the negotiation requires accomodation. If a member or subgroup is so disruptive or resistive that they refuse to accomodate, the worker may need to exercise authority and subjugate or eliminate those responsible for the problem.