Group dynamics

When I started the McGill MBA Japan program, the first thing I did was set up a group page on Yahoo. I thought that, since we "only" have 2 years, it would be important that we get on the same page for various things ASAP. A common tool for communication was what I really wanted. And that worked out fine. Everybody liked the idea and got registered on the page, which has a space for file uploads, a calendar, an area for polls, and of course, a mailing list. It was surprising how smoothly that went, since I know from experience that it's usually very hard to get every member of a large and heterogeneous group to do something, especially if it required a little bit of time and effort like in this case.

Now, as internal VP associate (I think that's my title) for my class, I have the fun job of having people come up to me in class or getting emails from people, asking me various things ranging from homeworks, to events, to managing communication with staff, etc.

I think what I get a kick out of is learning about group dynamics in all these transactions. Throughout the program, we work in small teams and we learn about group dynamics on a small scale, usually 3-6 people. But here, I also get to see on a larger scale, i.e., a group of 32. It's interesting to see that there are those who answer emails right away VS those who barely read emails, those who are good with IT VS those who are allergic to computers, those who actively participate in extra-curricular events VS those who are strictly academic, and most importantly, those who speak their minds VS those who keep it low profile. Developing a feel for group dynamics will be, in my opinion, a crucial skill for my future career, and I am definitely grateful for this opportunity.

tetsu