Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/Sport/Story/STIStory_439633.html http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_440827.html
Upon reading the recent breaking news of former Singapore football player, Dollah Kassim who collapsed during the Veterans' match, I was taken aback just as fans of the Singapore football veterans did, though I was not very much a fan of them.As reported, the 60-year-old soccer star collapsed by the sidelines of the field after being substituted ten minutes into the game. He was said to have suffered a heart attack and his heart stopped for almost ten minutes. This well-known soccer figure of the past is currently in a coma, fighting for his life in the hospital and worried fans (both in Singapore and Malaysia) are praying fervently for his recovery. Dollah Kassim was one of the 15 soccer players who were known to be the heroes of the malaysia cup after winning the cup title in 1977. From boys who played as a childhood activity, they blossomed into Singapore soccer stars in history.
They can be represented as a group since they became interdependent on one another upon interaction and are known to the public as a collcective identity - The Heroes of the Malaysia Cup. Being made up by 15 individuals of different characters and thinking, they learnt to bond together as one so as to represent Singapore in such leagues.
According to William Schutz, a group is established to meet the inidividual member's personal needs such as the need for inclusion, control as well as affection. In a game of soccer where it is not based solely on individual efforts, rather, teamwork is the main focus in order for players to score goals. There are many challenges that come in group communication since it involves the thinkings of different individuals of the group. Conflicts might result due to different in individual needs and mindsets. For example, since the group of Singapore Veterans are made up of players of different races and cultures, we need to accept one another's differences. Hence, what makes a group communication an effective one would be to strike a balance between the group and the individuals of the group.
Bruce Tuckman's Five-Stage Model teaches us more about the flow of group development. From forming to storming where conflicts start to occur, to norming where disagreements are ironed out followed by the performing of the task which in this case, the soccer match. Lastly, it is good to adjourn and do a peer evaluation on one another so that everyone knows their strengths and weaknesses as observed by their fellow team-mates. It was probably the success of having a teamwork in the team that led them to winning the title and finally to be well-respected even until today.
Personally, I feel the importance of effective group communication in the world we live in these days. We are all individuals surrounded by other individuals, more often than not,we are required to form into groups. Be it at school or at work, where we have classmates and colleagues respectively, we have to be careful not to blend the friendship together as this particular group might be of different interests than the other. Thus, different groups of friends can be formed at different stages of your life. In order to achieve effective communication as mentioned by Max Depree in the quote at the start, we should learn to deal with change and conflict and reach for our potential do that the needs of the team are best met when the needs of the individuals are met.
Do you agree on that? Do drop your comments! (: (and let's keep Dollah Kassim in prayers!)
I totally agree that once the needs of individuals are meet that the group will reach its full potential.
ReplyDeleteAs for the newspaper article on the veterans soccer match, it brought back memories of the show “Kallang Roar” which was a show based on the events which led to the victory of the Malaysia cup.
Communication is important, as for this case a soccer match. Players are constantly communicating with each other so that their teammates can execute the right movements for a desired effect, in this case a goal.
No man is an island. We are constantly seeking help from different groups of people through communication. Sometimes conflicts occur due to trying to communicate during pressurizing situation or when there is a communication breakdown. And this can be avoided when individuals in a group help each other to achieve their individual goals.
The quote by Max Depree sounds so logical, but most of the time people in groups would have missed out on this point to meet the needs of the individuals in the group so that the actual goal of the group could be meet.
Inspiring.
Hey Kelly! I am also saddened by Singapore's loss of one of its prominent soccer veteran, Dollah Kassim. Kassim, along with the soccer players who are coined the Heroes of the Malaysian Cup, undoubtedly share a collective identity.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, I believe that in order for Kassim and his teammates to perform and win the Malaysian cup years ago, they must have went through the models of group communications, from forming the team to storming to norming to adjourning and finally performing at the much-watched Malaysian cup.
I believe that many Singaporean and Malaysian soccer fans alike will mourn for the loss of an accomplished soccer player and reminisce about their brilliant performance in the past.