Ch8 Small-group communicationMARIA SUBERT

Defining small-group communication oSmall-group communication is the interaction among 3 to 9 people who are working together to achieve an interdependent goal.oIt involves sending verbal and nonverbal signal that are perceived, interpreted, and responded to by other people.

Types of small-group communication:

Assigned groups: when individuals are appointed to be members (student union advisory board)

Emergent group: when a group of individuals decide to form a group (group of friend who meet at college)

Task-oriented group: formed for completing tasks. (Students studying for an exam)

Relationship-oriented group: (family)

Group-culture group-culture: socially negotiated system of rules that guide group behavior.Groups develop a unique group-culture through NormsRolesgroup climate

Norms Norms are positive or negative

Roles Roles: every group member enacts a role, which is a consistent pattern of interaction or behavior exhibited over time. Two major types of group roles are formal and informal roles.

Formal or positional role: an assigned role based on an individual’s position or title within a group.

Informal or behavioral role: the role that is developed spontaneously within a group.

Roles are defined by behaviors

Various types of behaviors performed by group members: taskmaintenanceself-centered behaviors

Various types of behaviors Task functions: behaviors directly relevant to the group’s purpose. Help group members to productively focus on their assignment.

Maintenance function: behaviors that focus on interpersonal relationships among group members

Self-centered function: behaviors that serve the needs of individual at the expense of the group.

Group climate The emotional tone or atmosphere members create within the group.

Three factors that contribute to group climate are: TrustSupportivenesscohesiveness

Group think Cohesiveness generally is desirable. Though there is an unintended outcome of cohesion: Groupthink.

Groupthink happens when the desire for cohesion and agreement takes precedence over critical analysis and discussion.

Groupthink can destroy effective decision making.

Observable signs of groupthink (by Irving Janis)

An illusion of invulnerability by the group

An unquestioned belief in the morality of the group

Collective efforts to rationalize faulty decisions

Stereotypic views of enemy leaders as evil

Self-censorship of alternative view-points

A shared illusion that all group members think the same thing

Direct pressure on group-members expressing divergent opinion

The emergent of mind-guards o screen the group from information contradictory to the prevailing opinion 167.

Group-culture is influenced by the diversity of the group.

Within-group diversity: the presence of observable and/or implicit differences