Small Group Communication Flashcards
What is a group?
A collection of individuals who see themselves as belonging to the group, who interact verbally & nonverbally, who occupy certain roles with respect to one another & who co-operate to accomplish a definite goal.
What is a small group?
A group of at least 3 people that is small enough for individual members to perceive one another as individuals during interaction & these individuals are involved in a transactional process of influence.
What determines the effectiveness of a group?
The understanding of group dynamics, as well as the way the members communicate with one another, will to a larger extent determine the effectiveness of the group
What are the advantages of small group communication?
People who work in group usually accomplish more than people who work alone because of the increased opportunities for interaction. Sharing or work and ideas
Working in a group results in increased individual motivation to find a solution to a problem, as well as greater commitment to the task at hand. There seems to be a desire not to let the group down.
Superior decisions & solutions are often reached as groups are better equipped than individuals to foresee difficulties such as weaknesses.
The decisions or solutions arrived at by a group tend to be better received by others than those made by an individual.
Virtual groups can be formed to save time & energy through the effective use of available social media tools such video conferencing, email, web discussion forums etc.
Access to diversity materials, expertise, opinions, and exposure to different cultural and identities perspectives of the group members.
What are the disadvantages of small group communication?
There is a temptation for some people to sit back & allow others to do all the work, yet still take credit for the group’s achievements.
There is temptation for forceful people to take over & dominate the group, such people often refuse to make compromises & allow others to be heard
The personal goals of group members sometimes conflict with group goals
Decisions take longer to reach.
Anxiety
Lack of interconnectivity
Conflict causes the group leader to make final decisions for every member.
What are the characteristics of small groups?
Optimum number of members
Climate
Goals & Norms
Member Roles
Stages of Group Formation
Team decision-making (be able to make decisions)
Team conflict (different people with different opinions coming to together)
Interconnectedness for tasks in teams (team members working together and overcoming conflict to find a solution)
Team member dependency (rely on one other incase of emergencies or help)
Multiplicity of team members (the variety and diversity within a team)
What is meant by optimum number of members?
A small group is limited to about 12 people .
The most productive size is five to seven people. An odd number is preferable in a group of any size because the odd number will prevent tied votes. If the group is too large, not every person will partake in the discussion.
What is meant by climate?
A good working environment is one that promotes interaction among its members.
The environment includes the room space, the seating arrangements. Seating positions should accord everyone equal status & equal opportunity to participate.
Equal status establishes a climate in which all members have equal opportunity to participate. The group climate or atmosphere is largely dependent on the communication styles of the members
Effective group climates have the following ingredients:
Supportiveness
Participative decision making
Trust among group members
Openness & Honesty
High performance goals
What is meant by goals and norms?
Group norms are the explicit and implicit rules of behavior that are established to enable the group to operate effectively & develop cohesiveness
Two important areas of norm development are:
Group interaction- the expected manner of the interaction.
Group procedure- way of doing things
What is meant by member roles?
A role is defined as a pattern of behavior that is appropriate for a person’s position in a group.
Members roles in small groups are categorized according to what they do for the group: task, maintenance & individual.
Task Roles: Reflect the work a group must do to accomplish its goals. These roles are usually interchanged among the members.
Maintenance Roles: reflect the behavior that keeps the group working together smoothly. These roles support & encourage others by offering praise or agreement, relieve tension, control conflict and act as gatekeeper by keeping lines of communication open & giving everyone a chance to participate.
Individual Roles: give rise to problems in small group communication when members deliberately play self centered roles. They achieve this by being aggressive, seeking attention , promoting personal interest or not contributing at all. Such people dominate discussion, verbally attack others, clown around, & engage in criticizing everything the group attempts.
What is meant by stages of group formation?
Forming: This is when members are entering a group situation filled with tension & anxiety because of the uncertainty about the new situation.
Members depend on the designated leader to find out about the task, group norms and the nature of the situation
Storming: This is the stage in group development marked by conflict between individual members or between a member and the leader. There can also be resistance to groups norms & demands of the task.
Conflict at this stage is important in order to come up with norms.
Norming: This is the stage where conflicts are resolved and cohesiveness develops.
At this stage a degree of trust develops between group members. The group can begin to negotiate about group goals ,procedures , rules & division of labor, as well as standards of behaviors to which members are expected to conform.
This is the stage you have reached agreement of how things should be done.
Performing & Co-operation: In this stage work begins to lead to observable performance. Members co-operate to solve interpersonal problems & reach agreed goals.
Adjourning: It is at this stage that the group terminates its work and members reflect on their achievements & assign meaning to their shared experience. They also have to decide how to end or maintain the interpersonal relationships that may have formed.
What are the kinds of conflict that may arise in small group communication?
Disagreements about the content and outcomes of the task being performed
Personal incompatibilities among group members.
Unclear or overlapping responsibilities can lead to confusion and conflict.
Disputes arising from differences in status, power, or influence within the group.
Misunderstandings or miscommunications can easily lead to conflict.
Differences in values, beliefs, or ethics can lead to disagreements.
What are the strategies to resolve conflict?
Collaboration: makes all parties feel satisfied with the outcome. To achieve win-win situation to gain consensus or negotiations. Every member gets an opportunity of say their opinion with active listening.
Negotiation: Used when arguments seems unresolvable and neither sides seem willing to come to a conclusion. It involves foraging a resolution between opposing points of view, assuring that each side benefits.
Accommodation: a win-lose strategy because it means giving up all of most of ones own views and benefits for the sake of others. Give in to the majority.
Compromise: it is appropriate when the issue is not of major importance. It can be constructive or destructive.
Avoidance
What are the type of leadership styles?
Autocratic. Authoritarian, Democratic, Laissez-faire
What is meant by autocratic
Leader holds all the power and refuses to engage with team members at all.
