What's pi$$ed me off today.........!!

try this kit tom im sure it will suit you

 

God using it on the side of the road to go to the toilet is what sold me!!!!

 

Mechanics!
Or more accurately the good ones, that are also the specialist ones which tend to be so busy that they lose track of what they're doing and don't get things done on time.

Thursday Ogy went for adjustable ride height suspension fitting, but there was a car leaving the next morning so he had to wait until Friday. By Friday night they'd only managed to fit one side (made me feel a bit better for having some much trouble doing it on that side) so were going to get the other side done first thing this morning. Morning, lunchtime and afternoon have been and I have no car and there's no answer on the phone.

I want my car!

 

I've lost my 'T'

 

Chip off the 'E' and get a 'Y' instead, you know you want to!

 

Hey Dave, I thought you could do EVERYTHING yerself???

 

I'd love to do everything myself, but unfortunately disassembling the front suspension on a mini solo when you're paraplegic is a recipie for trouble. Sometimes it's better to leave it to the guys who work on them all day long and know the quirks, at least if they run into trouble (which I did first time I tried doing it and they did also).

Plus they sold me the hi-lo's

 

Oh alright then, I'll give ya that one. Just stop whining about it!

 

Pfft! That's what the thread is for. Once It's working perfectly then I'll post on the other one
Besides, no one else listens. You guys are my only friends

 

Am part of a biking group and they have FB page. Offered to organise their xmas party - got approval from one of the guys that started the group. Everyone picked a date/time unamimously. It was just the activity. Did a poll on the FB page. The winning event (indoor rock climbing) won. Spent 4 of my days off sorting it out. Then got yelled at by one of the 'original people' that it wasn't appropriate and that they were going to organise a second xmas party. Three days ago they changed the focus of the group and culled 50% of their members due to lack of input. Then wrote something on the FB page about the changes now to the group. A few responded, but not many. Today one 'original person' said "see no one has even commented after 27 hours!". So I wrote, "Lol didn't know we had to. Some things I find strange, but I'm not an admin person. Hope to see everyone in 2 weeks for the xmas party, should be a blast". Then got told "no you have no input as you are not one of the original", and got kicked off the group!

Am reeling. And their motto is "we're just a family". Problem is, hubby was part of the group first and has friendships with a lot of them and don't want me being 'kicked off' affecting him.

What do I do about the xmas party I have organised for them???? Obviously I'm not keen on going, but .... arg...

Fucking small minded people.....god forbid you have a difference of opinion.

(any other red smilies there?! LOL)

 

This may be psychology 1.01, but I'd love to hear the thoughts of someone who knows about group dynamics. I know a very little about team-building from a sort of management, MBA viewpoint, but I hasten to add this would be all pretty simplistic to a properly qualified behavioural scientist. Is there a common expiry date beyond which no group of people with [insert interest] as their common interest factor can bear each other? Could it be that no such groups ever think about conflict resolution as we might if we were, for example, starting a business? In the same way as two people who marry are pressured to work things out between them because they are... married.

The sort of social assembly that we have (and ...er, had) is easy to join and quite easy to leave - people can depart with a final petulant email or just fade away. And so there isn't any pressure really on trying to get over our differences, however small they may be.

We haven't been through the 'Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing' stages of Team building (familiar to many Army personnel) largely because we don't really have to - I guess if a group survives in some form, it will be because all the members are of a similar type and character; so perhaps we'll get to the 'Norming' stage, losing some along the way.

Sorry to hear your story, Yappa. It sounds like some parts of the group were disruptive and disfunctional and have initiated a potential break-up; it's incidents like this that cause most of us to sit on our hands when a volunteer is called for! Any thoughts on this, anyone?

 

Internet forums are funny things, a lot of the time I liken them to a playground in a junior school on the open day before term starts.
You're left alone to do pretty much whatever you like. Small sub groups naturally form between the people and from there small conflicts or alliances exists between other groups. There's no need to resolve anything as the playground is large, so unless a 'dinner lady' comes and tells you off you can do pretty much as you please, running about and shouting whether what you're shouting is relevent, polite or factual. The internet has given everyone a voice and an opinion and as there's nothing more than text on a screen whoever talks loudest is often listened to, right or wrong.
I think its the size of the internet that causes the decline of conflict management, as you say PM there's no need to because there's no proximity urging us to get along.

In any group of people certain personalities evolve, roles if you like. Often those roles are clear and easily identifiable but where the line gets fuzzy is often where conflict arises, several people of the same caste trying to assert themselves within a role. Many years ago I was on a team building exercise (as opposed to the getting all your clothes wet and lots of loud noises exercises I prefered) and we took part in a Belbin report. It was a series of tests / games / call 'em what you will, that defined your role within a team or group. The outcome of which was used to plot your groups effectiveness. Too many of one type and not enough of another and your group couldn't function well.
I wonder if there's a similar test for pure social interaction (there must be of course), could be good fun to get it up online and see what we all are I reckon!

As far as group survival, most people would as you say shy away from making a stand or stepping forward when the lines are drawn. Until there's no escape route, it's easier to stay quiet than pick a side. Groups that survive tend to do so by good moderation before those conflicts reach the line drawing phase, be it by a mod stepping in or even a lively forum member just leavening the tension with a quip. Defusing the problem is key.

Like they say, "Arguing on the internet is like participating in the special Olympics, you might win in the end but you're still retarded."

<-- You missed that one, _Yapppa _

 

Dave, you were thinking of the nine roles identified by Howard Belbin as being required for any successful team - and people can fill multiple roles, hence some successful groups have fewer than nine members! I do wonder sometimes whether the managerial guff written to great fanfare by folks who hold themselves out as Gurus is just a formalised version of the great consultants' trick: tell you what you know already and then charge you for it.

I do like your play ground analogy, though!

 

I studied this at Uni and found it all fascinating. Tuckman is the main man when it comes to group dynamics, development and psychology (forming, norming etc) http://www.learningandteaching.info/teaching/group_development.htm but their is a lot of crossover between other theorists such as Belbin who focuses more on 'functioning teams''.

Talking very generally, forums do seem to be an escape for people's alter egos (mine as well sometimes) the difference related to the models of thought is that these models tend to be most accurate and useful when the group regularly meets in person and interacts. What is also required is someone with the knowledge of group dynamics and ability to help the group safely navigate through 'inevitable but necessary' choppy waters. Sometimes this means expelling members who cant behave within the expected norms and often these people will have little invested in the group anyway. One of the main issue of group management/development is, who prescribes what the norms are, why and what is their agenda? With us, SECB, it certainly helps that we have a strong common interest. Just my thoughts..

 

Absolutely true, its amazing how rude and aggressive people will be to each other over the internet but they would never dream of doing it face-to-face. Spineless twats!

 

This bloody bike as much as I love her has not being lucky for me. Second Monday in a row Ive gone out to start her up and no sale! Push start doesnt even work. Apparently its because the battery is cold and a mate measured it last week and it was under 9.5V when it should be registering at least 10. Take into account that the battery is only 4 months old! What do I do, it starts fine in the evening, I cant have this every Monday and I land up having to take the car or tube to work!!!

 

Get an Optimate? Is that practical?