Instructor’s Manual and Test Bank for Essentials of Human Communication, Eighth Edition
Unit Planner
CHAPTER
9:
S
MALL
G
ROUP
C
OMMUNICATION
CONCEPTS OF THIS CHAPTER
· essentials of small groups and teams
· brainstorming groups
· information-sharing groups
· personal growth groups
· problem-solving groups
KNOWLEDGE OBJECTIVES
After completing this chapter, students should be able to:
· understand the nature of small groups, whether face–to-face or online
· explain the types of small groups and the influence of culture
· identify the formats that different types of groups follow
SKILLS OBJECTIVES
After completing this chapter, students should:
·
communicate in groups with an understanding of the unique nature of the small group
·
communicate in brainstorming groups more creatively and more effectively
· share information (learn and teach) in groups more effectively
·
solve and manage problem in groups more efficiently and more effectively
INSTRUCTIONAL OUTLINE
I. Essentials of Small Groups and Teams
•
The Small Group –
a collection of individuals who are connected to one another by some
common purpose, are interdependent, have some degree of organization among them, and see
themselves as a group.
o
Small Group Types
•
Collection of Individuals
– approximately 3 to 12 individuals
•
Common Purpose –
members must be connected through some type of purpose
•
Interdependence –
the behavior of one impacts the other members
•
Organizing Rules –
the structure of the group, sometimes rigid, sometimes loose
•
Self-Perception as a Group –
the more members see themselves as part of a group, the
more cohesive the group will be
o
The Team is a specialized type of small group which is/has:
•
A Specific Purpose
•
Clearly Defined Roles
•
Goal Oriented
•
Content Focused
o
Virtual Groups and Teams –
groups and teams that take place online. These maybe social
(small groups) or business related (teams.) Social network sites would also be included.
o
Small Group Stages
– groups develop similarly to the way conversations develop:
•
opening (getting-acquainted time)
•
feedforward (identify what needs to be done)
•
business (discussion of the task to be done)
•
feedback (reflection on what has been done or what remains to be done)
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Instructor’s Manual and Test Bank for Essentials of Human Communication, Eighth Edition
•
closing (focus returns to individuals) – group focus generally shifts from people to task
back to people
o
Small Group Formats
•
roundtable
: informal group interaction; usually members sit in a circular or semicircular
pattern
•
panel
: “experts” interact informally before an audience; the format of many television
talk shows
•
symposium
: a series of prepared presentations before an audience
•
symposium-forum
: a series of prepared speeches before an audience followed by
responses from the audience
o
Small Group Apprehension –
Similar to public speaking anxiety, you may experience small
group apprehension, varying depending upon the nature of group and the degree of
familiarity you have with the group members.
o
Small Group Culture
– groups, especially long-standing groups, develop distinctive
cultures.
•
Group Norms
: rules or standards identifying which behaviors are considered appropriate
and inappropriate; apply to individual members and the group as a whole; differ from one
group to another; people are more apt to accept group’s norms if they feel their group
membership is important and they plan to remain members of the group. Online groups
also have group norms, and different sites allow different types of posts. Culture also
affects group norms.
•
High-Context
and Low-Context Cultures:
a cultural distinction that has special
relevance to small group interaction is that between high– and low-context cultures. In
high-context cultures,
the perception of shared knowledge is generally prevalent
and
much of meaning created in communication is perceived to be embedded in the context
and implicitly understood; therefore, little needs to be made explicit. In low-context
cultures, perceptions of meaning in communicative acts is generally the opposite of that
in high-context cultures (i.e., the general perception is that little or no shared knowledge
exists or can be derived from the context) and therefore people generally perceive a need
to be explicit. Being unaware of these differences can cause misunderstandings and
unproductive conflict in small groups that have some members who may identify with
high-context cultures (e.g., Asians, Africans, South Americans) and some members who
identify with low-context cultures (e.g., North Americans, Northern Europeans).
II.
Brainstorming Groups
– many small groups exist solely to generate ideas; brainstorming is a
technique for analyzing a problem by generating as many ideas as possible; it encourages
creativity, cooperative teamwork, and builds pride and ownership in the final solution or product.
Brainstorming occurs in two phases:
•
the actual brainstorming period
o
a problem is selected
o
before the meeting, group members are informed of the problem so they can think about it
o
at the meeting, members contribute as many ideas as they can
o
all ideas are recorded so that all members can review them
o
group members follow four rules:
no evaluation is permitted
quantity of ideas is the goal
combinations and extensions of ideas are encouraged
freewheeling (developing as wild an idea as possible) is desirable
•
the evaluation phase -the entire list of ideas is evaluated by the group; unworkable ones are
eliminated; those showing promise are retained, evaluated, criticized, modified, extended
Instructor’s Manual and Test Bank for Essentials of Human Communication, Eighth Edition
III.
Information-Sharing Groups –
serve the purpose of acquiring new information or skills by
sharing knowledge; in most groups all members have something to teach and to learn (e.g.,
student study groups); in others, some members have information that others do not (e.g., patients
meeting with health care professionals)
•
Educational or Learning Groups
– members may follow a variety of discussion patterns
including topical, chronological, spatial, cause and effect, problem and solution, and structure
and function
•
Focus Groups –
a different type of learning group; a kind of in-depth interview of a small
group; designed to discover what people think about an issue or product; focus groups usually
have the following structure:
–
The facilitator tries to discover the beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, and feelings of group
members to better guide decisions on how to market a product or present an idea.
–
The focus group stands in for the entire population that the idea or product will be
presented to.
IV.
Personal Growth Groups –
also referred to as support groups
;
aim to help members cope with
certain difficulties. There are four well-known types of personal growth groups:
•
The Encounter Group
or “sensitivity group” fosters member’s ability to deal effectively
with other people.
•
The Assertiveness Training Group
aims at increasing the willingness of its members to
stand up for their rights and act more assertively.
•
The Consciousness-Raising Group
aims at helping members cope with problems that
society confronts them with.
•
The Intervention Group
members gather to help one of their members overcome some
problem.
V.
Problem-Solving Groups –
meet to solve problems or reach decisions; most demanding kind of
group
•
The Problem Solving Sequence
– many problem–solving groups follow Dewey’s six-step
problem-solving sequence because it is presumed to be efficient and effective.
Step #1:
define and analyze the problem
– the problem should be defined as an open-
ended question, not as a statement to allow for greater freedom of exploration of
solutions
Step #2:
establish criteria for evaluating solutions
– the group establishes standards to
evaluate possible solutions; usually criteria for evaluation include practical
considerations (e.g., staying within a particular budget) and more elusive value
criteria (e.g., human rights considerations, potential for interpersonal conflict, etc.)
Step
#3:
identify possible solutions
– brainstorming is effective during this phase
Step #4:
evaluate solutions
– after all solutions have been proposed, evaluate each one
Step #5:
select the best solution(s
)
– methods for making a decision include:
–
authority
: group members voice their feelings and opinions but the leader, boss,
or CEO makes the final decision
–
majority rule
: the group takes a vote and abides by the majority decision
– consensus: the group deliberates until unanimous agreement is reached
Step #6:
test selected solution(s
)
: if the solution proves ineffective, the group should
Instructor’s Manual and Test Bank for Essentials of Human Communication, Eighth Edition
– The Nominal Group Technique: uses limited discussion and confidential
voting to obtain a group decision; works well with sensitive topics and when members
are
reluctant to voice their opinions; time efficient; includes eight steps:
o
Problem is defined and clarified.
o
Each member writes down (without discussion) his or her ideas/solutions.
o
Each member in sequence states one idea from his or her list; this process is repeated
until all ideas have been voiced and recorded; duplicates are eliminated.
o
Each suggestion/idea is clarified without debate.
o
Each member privately and anonymously rank orders the ideas/solutions.
o
The rankings are tallied and a group ranking is presented.
o
Clarification, discussion, and possible reordering may follow.
o
Highest-ranking or several high-ranking solutions are put into operation and tested.
–
The Delphi Method:
group of experts is established, but there is no interaction among
them. They communicate by repeatedly responding to questionnaires. Useful when
members are geographically distant from each other. There are eight steps:
o
Problem is defined.
o
Each member anonymously contributes five ideas in writing.
o
The ideas of the members are combined, written up, and distributed.
o
Members then select 3 or 4 best ideas and submit these.
o
From these responses, another list is produced and distributed.
o
Members then select 1 or 2 best ideas and submit these.
o
From these responses, another list is produced, This process may be repeated but
usually three rounds is sufficient.
o
The “final” solutions are identified and communicated to all members.
–
Quality Circles
: group of employees (usually 6 to 12) whose task is to investigate and
make recommendations for improving the quality of some organizational function
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1.
How many task and relationship groups do you belong to? Would you classify any of these
groups as information-sharing groups or problem-solving groups? Why?
2.
What are some the norms evident to you in a task group and a relationship group you belong to?
3.
How does a task group you belong to follow the five stages (i.e., opening, feedforward, business,
feedback, and closing) when interacting?
4.
What are the differences between the following small group formats: the roundtable, the panel,
the symposium, and the symposium-forum?
5.
What are the six steps in the problem-solving process? How have you used this process in task
groups you have belonged to? How effective do you think this process really is?
6.
When is it effective to use the nominal group technique? When is it effective to use the Delphi
method?
ACTIVITIES FOR SKILL DEVELOPMENT
9.1 Brainstorming
Guidelines:
[from Skill Development Experience, text p. 181] Review the dynamics and guidelines of
brainstorming. In small groups or with the class as a whole, students should brainstorm one of the topics
listed in the Skill Development Experience text p. 187. A person should be appointed to write down all
the ideas that are generated. It is important that the rules of brainstorming be followed: no evaluation is
permitted, quantity is desired, combinations and extensions are desired, and freewheeling is desired. After
the brainstorming session is completed, lead the class in a discussion of the questions presented in the
exercise.
9.2 Combating Idea Killers
Guidelines:
Have students first individually consider how they might respond to each of the idea killers
listed
below. After students have formulated their individual responses, have them review them with
another
class member. Ask for volunteers to role-play each idea killer and response and lead the class in
a discussion
of other effective ways to combat idea killers.
Idea Killers
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Instructor’s Manual and Test Bank for Essentials of Human Communication, Eighth Edition
•
It’ll never work.
•
It’s not logical.
•
It’s a waste of time and money.
•
It won’t fly with the boss.
•
Our customers aren’t ready for it.
•
No one would vote for it.
9.3 Solving Problems in Groups
•
It’s too expensive.
• We’ve tried it before and it didn’t work.
•
We don’t have the facilities.
•
It’s impossible.
•
It’s too simple.
•
It’s too complex.
Guidelines:
[from Skill Development Experience, text p. 187]
The instructor should assign individual
class members one of the issue questions listed in the exercise and ask them to develop a discussion
outline following the steps of the problem-solving process (e.g., the questions included in the exercise).
This may be assigned as out–of-class work. Divide the class into groups based on their assigned issue
question. Encourage students to follow the problem-solving process and to try to adhere to their
discussion outlines. Inform them that each group will make a short presentation on their solution to the
issue after group discussion has proceeded for an appropriate amount of time (15-20 minutes). Before the
students give their presentations, allow students to reflect on the group process that unfolded as they
discussed their issue: Did they stick to the discussion outlines? Did the problem’s definition change from
their individual conception of what it was? Did they generate solutions that none of them had considered
alone? This will allow students to consider how they may use Dewey’s process in a flexible way as well
9.4 Let’s Apply the Concepts
Description:
Either alone or in groups: students should consider their responses to one or more of the
following scenarios. Relate their responses to concepts indicated in the brackets.
·
The first twenty minutes of just about every meeting at work invariably revolves around personal
talk. You really don’t enjoy this interaction; you want to participate in the work part of the
meeting but not in the interpersonal part. What do you say? To whom? Through what channel?
[Group Norms]
·
Everyone at your new job pads expense accounts. You don’t want to go along with this but, if you
don’t, everyone else will be found out. You don’t want to make waves and yet you don’t want to
do something unethical. What do you say? To whom? Through what channel? [Group Pressure]
·
You’re in charge of a brainstorming group to generate ideas for improving the company website.
The problem that you anticipate on the basis of past experience is that a few of the members will
just
sit there, afraid to offer any suggestions. What do you say? To whom? Through what
channel?
[Brainstorming]
AVAILABLE ASSETS ON MYCOMMUNICATIONLAB
“Politics of Sociology”
“Conflict Management”
“First Impressions”
“Helping Annie”
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