Working Together: The tension between Group and Individual Orientation

Have you ever experienced this?

A school coach spent the year working with content groups on goals for 6th-8th grade student achievement. The content teachers are part of professional learning communities, so they must develop a group goal. Since one content group had different students and standards, they agreed that they would earn their goal by helping each other with their different grade level goals.

At the end of the year the 6th grade teachers didn’t reach their achievement goal, but the 7th and 8th grade teachers did. They reported that they didn’t make their group goal. One of the 7th grade teachers approached the coach and said it wasn’t fair that she had to report that the group goal wasn’t met because she met her goal. The coach explained that the purpose of group goals was so that the teacher could build interdependence but the teacher said that shouldn’t matter–she did her work.

This is the work of Group and Individual orientation, a cultural dimension described and researched by Hofstede and subsequent researchers. People from cultures of Group Orientation tend not to have a problem with group assignments and group rewards. They think in terms of “we” and what benefits the group. Interdependence and harmony are most important. Individual orientation, on the other hand, gravitates toward self-actualization. They are taught at an early age to be an “I”. Their communities do not normalize the priorities of the group but rather reward individual achievement. If schools are going to set up groups such as Professional Learning Communities, expectations and support for interdependence is necessary for success so that goals don’t foster resentment and competition.

When have you experienced the tension between Group and Individual Orientation?