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Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
Define the term small group and list the uses and value of teams in the effective
organization
Briefly describe the seven characteristics of successful problem-solving teams and
determine which ones are normally the most important and why
List the steps of the basic problem-solving procedure, including how to use criteria
correctly in step 5, and determine which steps are the most crucial to successful problem-
solving
Briefly summarize these group formats: roundtable, panel, symposium, and forum
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
1. Learning groups are involved in seeking or sharing information.
2. Self-maintenance groups seek to inspire desirable attitudes, understanding, and
communication patterns, not merely inform (e.g., companies that project a corporate
culture use such groups to train employees).
3. Problem-solving groups make a series of decisions attempting to solve a specific
problem (e.g., passengers on Flight 93 on 9/11).
Exchange Theory offers insights on why people volunteer to be part of a group
and why assigned people contribute at different levels.
1. The theory uses economic concepts to explain interactions.
2. Cost-reward analysis is an example.
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
In groupthink,
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
Most teams suffering from groupthink can try again (but, in frequently cited case
Columbia and Challenger).
Groupthink
Write the
any
topics
the guidelines a group agrees to follow in
1. There are two types of criteria.
2. Criteria must be divided into must criteria (required) and want criteria (desired).
a. Must criteria need not be ranked.
b. Want criteria must be ranked (possibly numerically or weighted) to be effective.
d.
improved by open exchanges of information, ideas, and criticism.
The combination
1. If Steps 1 4 are well done, this step should be simple.
2. Read alternatives and eliminate any that do not meet Step 3 criteria.
8. Group problem-solving can be time consuming, but effective use of criteria can cut
the time to reach a solution by limiting the solutions that must be considered.
1. The best solution is the one that best fulfills the criteria, but several alternatives can
meet the criteria.
2. A decision can be reached by three means.
a. The best decision is a consensus (all members agree, even if the solution was
not their original choice), with greater solution commitment (being wary of
a. If the best alternative is too costly or infeasible, return to Step 5 and the second-
best alternative.
b. The team then reports all recommendations.
c. If the team, if not disbanded, follows up on implementation for lessons learned.
H. The basic problem-solving procedure can be modified to fit specific needs but tends to
work best when the leader and members are trained in the process, the group is
relatively small, and members have ample time to prepare.
9.1 Ask your students to work in groups of four. They are to assume that someone
within their organization must be transferred to a branch store, and that the
9.2 Ask the class to work in groups of six, and give them the following instructions:
6. The jury has received the testimony and is now in the process of deliberating after a
weary five-day trial. The judge has instructed the jury to determine two things: (1) if the
mother or the father should receive custody and (2) how much child support should be
paid by the parent who does not receive custody. Here are the facts of the case that were
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
9.3 Organize the class into four or five groups. Review the skills for brainstorming,
and have each group appoint a recorder. Tell the groups they are competing
against each other for the longest list of items. Guide the groups through the
following exercises:
9.4 Randomly divide the class into groups of five to eight members (or use teams).
Either assign a problem-solving topic to each group or allow them to select their
own topic. You may want your students to select their topics from the following
list:
Reduction of overhead
How to increase employee productivity
Flexible scheduling
Employee benefits (health, life insurance, dental, and so on)
Give the class time to work through Step II.A (p. 291 in the text) in the Basic Problem-
Solving Procedure outlined on text p. 288. Check the wording of the students topics to
make sure they have followed the guidelines listed in Chapter 9. From this point on,
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
Hint: The assignment could be done in two days instead of three by limiting the group
in-class time discussion to 1 day instead of 2 days. The group members can continue
their discussion outside of class in a virtual conference room (www.centranow.comon
MindTap using YouSeeU). Five class members can use the conference room without
charge.
9.5 For a week, students should watch the local newspaper for articles that may
adversely affect employees at local companies. For example, they might find an
article about a company closing down or laying off employees. Some companies
9.6 Show the video Twelve Angry Men. Divide students into groups to discuss the
following: Was a systematic procedure used to determine the solution? Why or
9.7 Have students discuss the traits of group behavior as isolated by Dr. Irving Janis
in his article, Victims of Groupthink. He discusses the problems created when
the tendency to agree interferes with critical thinking.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/3791464?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
MindTap support materials for Chapter 9 include the following:
solving group in action so that they can reflect on, personalize, and apply the concepts
learned in the chapter
Flashcards to practice defining key terms
Quiz questions that reinforce student learning and understanding
Case study 3 of a real-life situation and associated questions for Chapter 9 (captured in
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
A number of useful webpages can be employed in conjunction with Chapter 9:
Assignment 9.4 can be adapted for an Internet class. The Nominal Group Technique is
excellent for Internet brainstorming. Have an initial round requesting discussion topic
suggestion, send the results of the initial round asking students to rank their choices for
the discussion topic, and then demonstrate the calculating process by posting your
ranking tally.
Assignment 9.4 can be adapted for an online class by having the groups hold their entire
Use MindTap to assign students the Speech Video Library (SVL) video clip,
Leadership Styles. Click the SVL icon in Apps Doc/use Search and Filter functions to
find specific the speech and its video, transcript, outline, and speech-based questions. To
assign to students, click the plus sign (+) on top blue bar or Unit View/select Add
Activity/click SVL/follow steps provided.
Who do you think the Peace House will hire? Why?
In addition, online sites provide a number of useful videos that support Chapter 9 topics:
The Best Cooperative Team Building Activities for All Ages and Organizations. 2005, 58
minutes. This program presents 20 cooperative teambuilding activities that develop a
variety of skills. The activities teach team members of all ability levels to develop
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
1. Group decisions are often less accurate than individual decisions.
2. Teams participating in decision making with people from other parts of the world require
additional effort because not all cultures view or solve problems in the same way.
3. In effective brainstorming, only words of praise and encouragement should be allowed
because negative comments usually put an end to creative thinking.
4. In questions of fact, the group tries to assess the worth or desirability of some object, idea,
or person.
5. The elaboration likelihood model explains that the peripheral route processing means
people take time to thoroughly consider the argument.
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
Multiple Choice
1. Compared to individual problem-solving, with group problem-solving:
a. Less time is required. c. Productivity is increased.
b. Hostility is increased. d. There is less personal satisfaction.
2. Small group communication works best when groups are no greater than:
a. 8 people c. 10 people
b. 12 people d. 15 people
3. A major electronics firm holds various committee meetings to improve employee morale.
However, upper management discovers that one group always delivers quick decisions,
agrees with the leader's opinions, and does not thoroughly consider the feasibility of the
solutions. This group most likely exhibits:
a. Poor leadership c. Groupthink
b. Low morale d. Poor organization
4. The reservations department of a major airline meets weekly to discuss ways to improve
the sales quota. Whenever they meet, Sam (a new employee), is the only one to express a
differing opinion. At first the leader just asked him not to rock the boat, but as time went
on, the group began to ignore Sam and speak as though he had not said anything. This is a
sign of what symptom of groupthink?
a. Self-censorship c. Illusion of unanimity
b. Rationalization d. Direct pressure
5. Annie does not agree with her boss, but she is reluctant to speak against the proposal,
because she does not want to be seen as putting her boss on the spot at the staff meeting.
Annie decides not to say anything. This is a sign of what symptom of groupthink?
a. Self-censorship c. Illusion of invulnerability
b. Shared stereotypes d. Rationalization
6. Which of the following meets the requirements for a small group?
a. Four employees discussing ways to
encourage the boss to give a Christmas
bonus
c. Five personal assistants typing papers
for their boss
b. Three people sitting in an office
waiting to be interviewed for a
position
d. Four people discussing the weather
while sitting on a park bench waiting
for a bus
7. Which of the following is the most effectively worded question for use by a problem-
solving group?
a. What position should Zee Company
take toward noncompany use of its
facilities?
c. What are some suggestions for saving
energy in our company?
b. Should smoking on the job be allowed
to continue?
d. What can the union do to stop the
unfair practice of merit pay?
12. Once a team reaches a solution, it must:
a. Continue to meet periodically c. Appoint an implementation team
b. Follow up on implementation d. Disband
13. The basic problem-solving procedure works best when:
a. The leader is trained in the process c. The members are trained in the process
b. The group is large d. Both the leader and the members are
trained in the process
14. The characteristics that define a small group or team are:
a. Size, type of interaction, and action
toward a common goal
c. Size, independence, and action toward
a common goal
b. Attention, cooperation, and
independence
d. Cooperation, type of interaction, and
action toward a common goal
15. The idea that people choose to continue to be a part of a group when the rewards outweigh
the costs.
a. Learning groups c. Social rewards theory
b. Groupthink d. Elaboration likelihood model
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
1. What are the four pairs of questions in step two of the basic problem-solving procedure that
are helpful to ask if the cause of a problem is unclear or unknown? What are two
additional questions for each pair?
ANS:
2. What are two things a group can do to decrease the chances that groupthink will negatively
affect its decisions? What are at least two things a leader can do to keep from unduly
influencing the team?
ANS:
Groupthink can be avoided by taking certain steps. A group can do two things: bring in outside
