WHY GROUP DISCUSSIONS

Why Group Discussion

In present competitive business environment, just being technically good is not good enough. Modern working environment demands multiple traits/skills from a person who wants to achieve success in life.

In some situations a manager is required to demonstrate exceptional leadership skills. A manager is required to communicate efficiently with the employees all the time. A manager is also required to create & lead teams. He is required to demonstrate positive attitude & ability to stay cool & focused even under adverse conditions or when times are tough. In some other situations he is required to be flexible & think ahead. Hence to be able to function successfully a manager is required to have many traits/skills. Some of the traits/skills demanded of him by corporate world are:

ü  Ability to work in a team   

ü  Positive Attitude            

ü  Communication skills

ü  Dedication

ü  Leadership skills

ü  Initiative

ü  Assertiveness

ü  Flexibility

ü  Ability to learn & unlearn

ü  Creativity

ü  Ability to think ahead

Companies want to recruit employees even at entry level who have if not all than at least many of above traits/skills.

But; how do they make sure that the selected person possesses these skills/traits. Group Discussion is a method used by organizations to check if the applicants have above personality traits/ skills. In a Group Discussion, a group of candidates is given a topic or a situation, a few minutes to think & plan about the same, and then discuss the topic among themselves for 15-20 minutes.

Group discussion shows how a prospective employee will function in a team, how he/she behaves in a team & if he has the capacity to lead a team. It also lets the company know how well a person is able to express his/her views & if he/she is able to convince others. As a manager, you will always be working either as a team member, or as team leader. Hence the interpersonal skills of a prospective employee are very important parameter for selection of the candidate.

It is for this reason that companies conduct Group Discussions at time of selection at entry level positions. Hence companies or even premier educational institutes try to judge following skills/traits in a prospective candidate:

ü  Ability to work in a team   

ü  Positive Attitude            

ü  Communication skills

ü  Dedication

ü  Leadership skills

ü  Initiative

ü  Assertiveness

ü  Flexibility

ü  Ability to learn & unlearn

ü  Creativity

ü  Ability to think ahead