Group flow - what!?
Background
The general belief is that the flow experience is activated when an individual experiences psychological detachment without external stimuli. However, achieving flow does not necessarily require solitary work away from others. Flow can also be experienced jointly with others. Group flow (or team flow) occurs when the members of a group are able to immerse themselves in an interdependent task and be satisfied together.
To achieve a state of flow, challenges and skills need to be in the right balance. If the task is too difficult, achieving flow can be challenging, while a task that is too easy may feel insignificant and even boring. In group flow, tasks can become easier through collaboration, and maintaining flow may require new challenges.
Although it is thought that immersing oneself in group work requires time and familiarity among team members, the emergence of group flow does not necessarily require deep knowledge of other team members, instead flow can be achieved quite quickly. Flow can be experienced in various types of groups, and its emergence can be promoted research-based tips.
Flow has been observed to not only enhance performance but also improve a group's happiness and positivity. Group flow has also been found to support risk-taking, for example. But is flow always beneficial? Read the article below and find out more
Instructions
- Read the main article Group flow: What is it and how to achieve it
- Read Oana Velcu-Laitinen's blog post about the creative flow experience
- Do the exercise: Using strengths to add more meaning and flow
- Read the article Interaction and flow in teaching - What is compassion pedagogy all about?
Also: - Listen to the podcast about co-teaching
- Read about Theory U - How to Lead From the Future While It Emerges?
Group flow: What is it and how to achieve it?
Group flow, also known as team flow, occurs when members of a group can collectively immerse themselves in an interdependent task that satisfies everyone involved. In today's age of individualism, it is encouraging to know that flow can also be achieved jointly with others.
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Creativity has a place in research. At every stage of mastery development, you need your creative thinking skills to distinguish yourself through work that brings original and novel perspectives to existing paradigms. Keep reading to discover thoughts by Oana Velcu-Laitinen on creativity and flow in academic environments. Oana is a former Aalto post-doc and the author of the book "How to Develop Your Creative Identity at Work".
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Utilizing your strengths can enhance collaboration and (group) flow, as well as add more meaning to your work.
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As a teacher, are you ever frustrated and annoyed when some students do not master the basic knowledge of the field you teach and the basic study skills? When they lack motivation? It's frustrating and annoying, but what could be done? As one way, you could change your own thinking with the help of compassion pedagogy. Compassion pedagogics can also help in building flow in a teaching situation.
More things to consider
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An episode of the Future-led Learning podcast series on co-teaching. University teacher Meri Kuikka and postdoctoral researcher Tuomo Eloranta have taught together at Aalto for years. In the episode, they discuss what kind of co-teaching path they have been on, the benefits of co-teaching, and what it requires from design, course, implementation, students and teachers.
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Creative people, like artists and scientists, invent and create the new by stepping from the visible world into the invisible world of imagination, and then returning back into the visible. We all can develop our sensitivity, intuition and leadership capabilities to increase creativity.
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