Source: While I was taking my fourth year of Resident Assistant Group Process at Worcester Polytechnic Institute I began to think, how could it be improved? Now I have to admit that there is nothing wrong with starting a group process. This is a standard 3-hour process where a professional staff facilitator gives the group activities to work on for a specified time while current resident assistants observe the interactions. It is very similar to the resident assistant and orientation team processes that I have worked with in the past and which have worked very well. However, I still like to look for ways to improve processes whenever possible. So I started thinking about eliminating the structure of the program, especially the time limits and perks. What I've noticed more and more over the years is a reluctance on the part of candidates to share opinions or be fully honest in the process. My thought is that this may be related to the structure of the program and whether there is a facilitator. Within our process the facilitator does absolutely nothing other than give the group activities to work on and track time, yet the groups still seemed to direct their comments and discussions towards this person. The question I began to ask myself was whether the structure limits the growth potential of the group or the personalities of the individuals within the group. Working under the assumption that group process is more about the interaction of the group than the outcome of activities, I believe that removing facilitation will create a more realistic representation of group behavior. Theory: The ideal setup would be to remove a facilitator and specific time limits from the group process. The group would enter the room and find a piece of paper... to issue challenges, remove supplies, etc. Of course, having spent most of their time on the first activity added a valuable opportunity for observation – working under pressure – which may not have occurred if they had simply been given an allotted time for each activity. Summary: Removing the facilitator ultimately did not change the outcome of the group process. It contributed new methods of observing the behaviors we were evaluating, putting the onus on candidates to move through the process, evaluate their own engagement, and manage scheduled activities appropriately. I can't say for sure that it changed who we hired, but I can say that it brought a different clarity to the skills of some candidates. As for accuracy and success in trying things this way? Check back with me in a year after they have formal performance evaluations.