“Like rama lamma lamma ka dinga da dinga dong … we go together”, as the song says from Grease. Who does exactly? It seems like anyone can with a joint interest and vision, sharing the same end-goal. This week I have been reminded of the potential power and the positive impact that ‘a group’ can create.

I run a motivational workshop as an adjunct to the ‘Beat The Couch’ fitness and well-being programme, offered by Natural Limited, Bermuda. I always enjoy this seminar and this was a particularly lively one. A diverse group, with easily a 40-year age spread, including participants from all sectors and backgrounds, but everyone united by the joint purpose of getting 5k-fit in just nine weeks.

To begin the session, once participants have declared to uphold a safe, non-judgmental and confidential space for one another, we all engage in a simple speaking and movement exercise. It’s surprising how effectively a one-minute exercise, all doing and saying the same thing, can create a bond. It’s as if it triggers some deep-seated, primal understanding that ultimately we all share a likeness, and we are all in this together. I imagine this perhaps being a desired effect of the likes of reciting the pledge of allegiance in schools in the morning, or praying together in church or chanting ‘om’ at the start of a yoga class. It signifies to all involved, ‘we are now connecting’.

During our session, various individuals shared their stories and challenges while nods of empathy and agreement swept the room. This element of a group dynamic is so useful because one can witness that within the crowd, certain stories really resonate with different individuals. The more of these ‘sparks’ picked up by a participant, the greater the impact and reinforcement of the learnings. There were some very powerful stories shared, making the collective learning potential so much greater than any one person’s ‘teaching’ experience could.

In their book When Sparks Fly: Igniting Creativity in Groups, professors Dorothy Leonard and Walter Swap of Tufts University cite that: differences of opinion, creating a safe space, experimenting, then setting aside an incubation period for potential ideas are all crucial elements for getting the most out of groups. Their emphasis is on encouraging business leaders to engage their teams to find new ways forward, and solutions to challenges. They give multiple examples of large corporations tapping into the group creativity, resulting in major innovation.

How can the power of group dynamics benefit your life? Could the accountability and shared experiences of a support group help you make the changes you are looking to make? Is it the learning aspect of a group environment that will encourage you towards an achievement? Or is your business seeking progressive ways forward? Perhaps we can use the dynamic cohesion that a shared vision and ultimate end goals can create for promoting positive change not only within a business or organisation, but for our community, or on a smaller scale, even within our families.

Julia Pitt is a trained success coach and certified NLP practitioner on the team at Benedict Associates. For further information contact Julia on 705-7488, www.juliapittcoaching.com.