Argue the advantages or disadvantages of either groupism or individualism
A budding designer should consider the best starting platform in order to achieve the best result: a successful design. In order to do this, he often stumbles upon the dilemma of clashing cultural systems – groupism versus individualism. It depends upon the designer whether he would want to stand out or blend in; obviously, one would choose to stand out. But it should be kept in mind that it is just a starting platform, a launching pad for a successful design. For a budding designer, it is best to stick with groupism as a starting platform because it promotes cooperation and involvement, vital to a design’s success.
Looking closely at this dilemma, we could first consider the advantages of the cultural systems we are taking into consideration. The first one is individualism. This cultural system focuses on the individual as the most important entity of the society (1). The individual is the unit of achievement, wherein there is always an individual behind every success story. If we relate this to the starting platform for a design, then we have to consider the designer as the individual responsible for the design’s success. Whether he worked alone or not, the achievement would always have to be attributed to him alone.
However, individualism shouldn’t be confused with isolation. The concept of individualism doesn’t mean the absence of other people; rather, it regards the individual as the main element of the society. An individualist would want the best for himself, and in order to achieve this, he would resort to whatever means necessary, and this includes working with other people just to achieve the best results. Probably the best advantage of individualism is that the success of the design is guaranteed to the individual, that is, if the design is successful. Also, it teaches the designer to look out for his interests, and should always have a mindset of individual achievement no matter what it takes.
One the other hand, the concept of groupism would always have to consider collaborative effort. It gives high regard the successes as a group, and it holds that achievement is always the product of society (2). Individuals are still present, but they are all just components of a collective process of progress. Applying this to design, we would have to give value to the efforts of others in whatever we would achieve. People deal with other people, and these deals become a significant factor in the achievement of the group’s goals. Instead of focusing on the individual, it sheds light to every other member of the group. Every individual is still important, but the achievement wouldn’t be directed to any specific individual alone, instead it would be attributed to the group.
The advantage of groupism in design is that it promotes collaboration and cooperation. Every individual is capable of contributing something, but the success wouldn’t be solely his, instead it is that of the whole group. Groupism is a picture of people helping others in order to achieve goals. This means that the pressure is not only in a single individual, but it is also divided to the whole group. The contribution of one is just as essential as that of another person. Because of this, there is a good chance for success for the design, as more people could pitch in and do the work.
Both cultural systems have advantages and disadvantages, so we again have to consider the designer’s situation: it is the starting platform for the designer, so the decision would have to be his. What he should consider is the likelihood of success for the design. It is best for him to choose cooperation and collaboration rather than individual achievement. As a starter, he needs to have a firm footing in whatever endeavors he’s taking. In this case, he clearly needs the help and support of others. This can be achieved by taking the groupism route instead of individualism.
References:
1. Stata R. What is Individualism. 1992 [updated 1992; cited 2009 June 15]; Available from: http://rous.redbarn.org/objectivism/writing/RaymieStata/WhatIsIndividualism.html.
2. Coyne R, Snodgrass A. Cooperation and individualism in design. Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design. 1993;Vol. 20(No. 2).
