How Open Minded are You in a Group Discussion

Open-mindedness is another name of liberalism or progressiveness. But here in the context of Group discussion, open-mindedness is being directly referred to the traits which make you a good employee in an organization.

Being open minded means that you are willing to listen to others views and have the mindset to learn without being biased about someone or something. Some of us are biased about our self.

We sometimes tend to become so self-obsessed or self-absorbed that we outrightly deny or reject the possibility of others being right. Open mindedness is yet another trait that is generally being judged while conducting group discussions amongst candidates.

Let us understand how and through which personality traits a candidate’s open-mindedness can be judged:

• Understanding the Difference: While participating in a group discussion, there might be various candidates in front of you who are having their views, ideas and opinions. They are bringing different thoughts and mindsets on the table.

  Understanding the difference between good and bad, ethical and unethical, negative and positive is a valuable skill set which is appreciated in many organizations.

• Pro-activeness: Some people or some employees tend to procrastinate a particular task and wish that someone else may take up and complete that for them. This attitude is not at all appreciated by organizations or employers.

  Rather people who are proactive and ensure that they perform beyond what is expected out of them are the ones who exhibit their open-minded behavior through their action. They do not follow the traditional path but also walk an extra mile to achieve their objectives.

• Adjustable: People, who are adaptable, can adjust to any environment soon with their flexible nature. Employers look for those employees who can be molded according to their work environment. They look for someone who can fit into their culture and can perform well with the given facilities.

  Open minded employees usually gel well with other co-workers and can help sustaining a positive environment within the organization.

  In today’s times, workplaces are quite varied. People from different cultural, religion and diverse background come together to work under one roof. In such scenario, open-mindedness plays a very vital role for an employee.

  

• Multi-tasking: Gone are those days when only one task is assigned to a designated person and lifelong he works according to that. In today’s progressive and competitive world, employers hire people who are multi-tasking.

  Organizations give an opportunity to work on broad and extensive projects, where none might need to work with diverse teams from a different background. Willingness to work, learn and try new things and taking up new challenges not only motivates you as an employee but also creates a right place for yourself within the organization.

• Working within a Team: Working as an individual is a different thing. But when it comes to working in a team, an open minded person can perform a lot better than a conservative one.

  To work in a team together, one has to be open-minded to listen to others and co-operate with them. Without a sense of team spirit, no team can find success. If members of the team are unprejudiced, they can together perform a task well and find a better solution to a particular problem.

• Less Conflict: With increased focus on teamwork, it is required to be unbiased. People who just think about their own selves will end up being narrow-minded, and greater success as a team cannot be achieved with such mindset. Hence it is extremely important to be open minded during a group discussion which has the power to avoid conflicts to a larger extent.

• Open to Change: During a group discussion or even in an organization, employers check and examine in several ways whether an employee is open to change or not. Is there any blockage? Is there any hindrance? If that is the case, there is very less scope of learning new things and growing up.

  Hence an employee should be open to any kind of change within the organization. Every situation teaches something or the other. This does not mean that you accept anything and everything even it is not serving you anymore. It means that any new opportunity to learn should be openly taken up.

• It leads to critical thinking: When one thinks and speaks without any bias in his/her mind, he/she can think critically. Some of us are too obstinate and just stick to our own point even if it making no sense. This should be avoided.

  One should not nurture the feeling of superiority during a discussion. Rather if there is an opportunity where you can learn from others, take it open-heartedly. But at the same time, do not become a mindless robot that has no opinion and just works and lives on others views.

• Non-judgmental Attitude: Even if in personal life, it is really essential to be non-judgmental. Many a time, we take a decision about someone or something without even knowing the complete facts. We tend to assume something for everyone we meet.

  Open-mindedness can also be termed as a non-judgmental approach towards people and life. During a discussion, one should not presume anything in their mind for their co-participants in the discussion. Listen to them, put your points forth and then draw a conclusion.

• During a Group Discussion: Now the question arises, how is it beneficial in a group discussion? During a group discussion, it is essential that you not only speak but listen to others as well.

  A broad mind will listen to others, understand it, know the crux of it and accordingly mold the topic or discussion towards a better conclusion.

Hence, concluding the topic, we can say that open-mindedness is an essential mindset for transforming views and experiences. This is also an important trait that employers look forward in an employee. In a group discussion, these skills are closely checked and judged by judgment panel for further decision making.

Authorship/Referencing - About the Author(s)

The article is Written and Reviewed by Management Study Guide Content Team. MSG Content Team comprises experienced Faculty Member, Professionals and Subject Matter Experts. We are a ISO 2001:2015 Certified Education Provider. To Know more, click on About Us. The use of this material is free for learning and education purpose. Please reference authorship of content used, including link(s) to ManagementStudyGuide.com and the content page url.