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Chapter 11
Leadership and Decision Making in Groups
CHAPTER OUTCOMES
• Explain how a leader’s power, style, and personal qualities impact effectiveness
• Identify how culture affects appropriate leadership behavior
supervisor, or coach.
to others.
are most effective when group members are unsure of expectations or tasks.
© 2018 Bedford/St. Martin’s. All rights reserved.
o Leadership Qualities
− There are unique qualities that enable leaders to effect change on a larger scale.
− Vision: Visionary leaders are able to see the bigger picture and consider the long-range
possibilities.
− Charisma: Charismatic leaders are likeable communicators that can motivate people and
encourage them to respond receptively
o Unethical Leadership
− Unethical leaders use tactics to try to acquire and keep control over the entire group or
Japan), which tend to be less direct.
− Leaders in high power distance cultures may have to encourage participation in discussion
more than leaders in lower power distance cultures.
o Gender and Leadership
− Even though research has provided little support for the popular notion that men and
− The symptoms of groupthink include:
• Disagreement is avoided
© 2018 Bedford/St. Martin’s. All rights reserved.
− Generate solutions.
• Brainstorming involves group members coming up with as many ideas as possible
without initially judging the merits of those ideas.
− Evaluate and choose a solution.
− Implement the solution.
− Assess the results.
o The Problem-Solving Process generally follows six steps:
− Identifying the problem helps establish a clear problem that the group agrees they want
o Planning Meetings Effectively
− Plan ahead.
− Justify the meeting.
− Clarify the roles of those who need to attend the meeting.
− Set a clear agenda.
• Leaders should urge members to strive for consensus, or group solidarity in sentiment,
© 2018 Bedford/St. Martin’s. All rights reserved.
o Research shows that face-to-face is more productive in the beginning, but then virtual
meetings can be just as valuable.
• Evaluating Group Performance explores the importance of regular evaluation by a group of
its performance, which includes three specific aspects to consider.
o Informational Considerations
− Consider how the group is interacting and progressing toward the goals.
needed); and demonstrate respect (such as focusing disagreements on issues rather than
personal character).
o Individual Performance
− Consider the individual participation of each member.
− Assess the predispositions you yourself bring to your group. One negative disposition is
1.
Who are some different leaders that you know? Of the kinds of power described in Chapter
11 of Real Communication, what kinds of power do they hold? Do they hold more than one
kind of power?
2.
A common stereotype argues that a more feminine style of leadership may be less effective
than a masculine style of leadership. Do you agree? Why or why not?
3.
Can leadership be shared? Why or why not?
4.
How do new technologies change what meetings can look like? What are the benefits and
challenges of leading meetings virtually?
nonverbals of members, or some members just deciding not to “appear” online.
5.
Have you been a participant in meetings that have been run effectively? Ineffectively? What
are some things that make meetings effective or ineffective?
PERSONAL WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
1. Who Are Your Leaders?
evidence from the textbook to defend your definitions of effective or ineffective leadership.
2. The Shape of Your Groups
3. Which Leader Will Survive?
they? Do you see them as effective leaders? Why or why not? Write a two- to three-page paper
outlining your ideas.
4. Your Arch Nemesis
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1.
Do You “Do” Groups Well?
© 2018 Bedford/St. Martin’s. All rights reserved.
Materials: None, but completion of the classroom activity “Do You ‘Do’ Groups?” from
Chapter 10 (p. 000 in this manual) is a prerequisite for this activity.
Directions:
1.
Have students evaluate their group members from a past group project. For example, how
did they know if someone was a good group member? Encourage students to be specific.
each other when speaking.)
2.
Group Speech Processes
Goal: To have students understand and practice the various processes of group decision making
2.
Have the students review the different steps for group decision making as outlined on pp.
3.
As a group, have students reflect on how they have come to make decisions (such as the
topic of the speech) in their group. Does the group see their particular decision- making
process as effective or ineffective? Why or why not? What steps can the group take to make
the decision-making process more effective?
3.
If You Build It, They Will Come
Goal: To have students be able to evaluate leadership roles and the processes of choosing a
1.
One box of toothpicks for each group (Note: You will break the class into groups of four
to six students each.)
3.
Fifteen index cards for each group
1. Break the class up into groups of four to six students.
2. Assign an “observer” to each group to take notes on the processes that the group goes
© 2018 Bedford/St. Martin’s. All rights reserved.
3. Assign a group leader, or “project manager,” to half of the groups; do not assign a leader
to the other half.
4. Tell students they have fifteen minutes to build a bridge using the materials provided. (No
5. As students are building the bridges, the observers should be watching and making notes
about how the groups are making their decisions.
more effective?
4. Critiquing a Meeting
1. Access to the internet
1.
Ahead of class, find an online meeting with an attached agenda (if you search for “city
2.
Show the meeting to the class, asking students to analyze what occurs during the meeting.
Have them analyze who is the leader and why they think that person is the leader, and have
them identify other roles they notice in the group.
5. Guess the Leader
Goal: To have students understand one of the different leadership styles as discussed in the
1. Give the note cards to students at random. Be sure they don’t show the cards to anyone
else.
2. Have students act out the leadership style they have been given. Have them see if others
can guess which style they are portraying.
6. Power
Goal: To have students understand the types of power leaders use
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© 2018 Bedford/St. Martin’s. All rights reserved.
Materials:
1. Blank sheets of paper and marker for each student
2. Find clips of various leaders on TV, movies, or Netflix; for example:
a. Frank Underwood, House of Cards
1. Watch clips of various leaders with class.
2. After each clip, ask students to identify the type of power exhibited by this leader:
• Legitimate power
3. Have students write their answers on the sheet of paper and hold it up.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. What are the five sources of power? Define each one.
3. What does the research in your textbook suggest about the differences between masculine and
feminine leadership styles?
4. Define power distance.
6. Explain the steps in effectively planning a meeting.
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MEDIA
Apollo 13 (Universal, 1995)
attention to the nature of teamwork and leadership under unbelievable pressure as the crew
of three and an army of engineers back in Houston struggle to bring the team safely back
home.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Warner Bros. Pictures, 2010)
The first part of the final set of Harry Potter movies brings Harry, Hermione, and Ron away
from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In this film, Harry, Ron, and Hermione
group through physical and emotional difficulties as he leads Hermione and Ron over the
English countryside, searching for the objects?
Hoosiers (Orion, 1986)
In this classic sports story, Gene Hackman’s character, Coach Norman Dale, overcomes
is how the boys come to trust their coach and each other and go out and beat the odds.
Iron Jawed Angels (Home Box Office, 2004)
This vibrant film tells the story of Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, two leaders of the early-
two brave women led a movement resulting in the successful passage of the Nineteenth
Amendment in 1920. Ask students to discuss their impressions of the two leaders, and
whether their styles would seem unusual today.
Jaws (Universal Pictures, 1975)
In this early Spielberg thriller, a giant shark terrorizes a small coastal town. Residents are
Mad Men (AMC, 2007–2015)
Nearly every possible dimension of leadership is explored during the run of this acclaimed
cable-TV drama series, which revolves around the career of 1960s advertising executive
Don Draper. As Draper rises through the professional ranks by way of his charisma,
episodes from Mad Men, ask students to identify which leadership techniques bolster the
self-images of subordinates, and which techniques merely gain short-term results through
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intimidation and threats. When do Don and Peggy engender loyalty, and when do they
invite sedition?
Prisoners (Warner Bros., 2013)
