Process Focus Group Discussions (Essay Sample)

Process Focused Group Discussions
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One of the activities I frequently carry out as a students at American University is holding group discussions. This is a kind of process. The term process refers to a system of organized activities that employ the use of resources to convert inputs into outputs (Harmon, 2007). Our resources in this case are intellectual which constitute the input while the output is the learning that takes place and written work we produce.
These group discussions are process focused since they are not rigidly structured in any way. Attendance is voluntary while the venue and time can be easily changed depending on the circumstances. There is no set quorum for the discussions and so any number of people, so long as they are two or more, can proceed with it. It is this flexibility that makes this a process rather than product focused activity (Harmon, 2007).
Group discussions are regularly held. Though there is no rigidly set number of discussions, on average they occur as frequently as twice every week. The main determining factors are whether there is a group assignment given by the tutor or there is a complex topic we as students need to gain insights into. The discussions usually involve an analysis of the supply chain of a given company. Normally, one discussion lasting a couple of hours may suffice. However, more complex analyses may take several discussion meetings on a daily basis for up to five days. That is because a thorough analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the entire process used by a complex firm may be looked into.
The discussions must have a certain level of organization to be a success. Though everyone takes notes, there is usually a session secretary who officially does that work. After the session, the secretary reads out the recorded proceedings for the members to endorse or enrich. This ensures that all the main points discussed are on record for use by the group. The group also appoints a session chairperson to direct discussion. Even an informal group must have this kind of organization in order to ensure efficiency is realized. Efficiency refers to minimal wastage of time or resources while achieving the maximum possible output (Bertels, 2003). Without this temporary formal leadership structure, the discussions would be mired in confusion lacking adequate control and resulting in time wasting.
However, due to its flexible nature, the process focused approach has the disadvantage of regularly experiences confusion (Harmon, 2007). It is not rare to have a pre-appointed session secretary failing to turn up at the last minute. Moreover, the entire discussion may be postponed since the participants realize they do not have enough information on the topic to facilitate discussion. In such a case, more research or consultation with the tutor has to be done before the discussion can proceed. Consequently, impromptu cancellations are common resulting in time wasted.
As such, the main bottlenecks in our discussion process are individuals and knowledge. As explained earlier, individuals may not turn up, or they may come late. Even when they come, they are sometimes inadequately prepared with the right knowledge to enable them carry out a meaningful discussion. This means at times they do not carry out background r...