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Chapter 10
Leadership and Decision Making in Groups
CHAPTER OUTCOMES
• Describe the types of power that effective leaders employ
• Describe how leadership styles should be adapted to the situation
LECTURE NOTES
• Understanding Group Leadership
ƒ Leadership has a number of definitions, but all incorporate the ability to direct or
influence other’s behaviors and thoughts toward a productive end.
ƒ Five Sources of Power exist, but are not mutually exclusive.
ż Legitimate power comes from an individual’s role or title, such as president,
supervisor, or coach.
ƒ Shared Leadership
ż Leadership can be shared by a few members of a group who each control specific tasks
ƒ Leadership Styles exist; the effectiveness of each style is dependent on the conditions of
the group.
ż Directive leaders control communication by conveying specific instructions to
members.
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ż Achievement-oriented leaders set challenging goals and high expectations for
members. This requires competent, motivated, creative group members.
ƒ Competence and Ethics
ż Effective leaders hold themselves and the group accountable for achieving group goals.
• Culture and Group Leadership examines three cultural factors that affect a person’s
effectiveness when leading a group.
ƒ Gender and Leadership
ż Little support exists for the notion that men and women lead differently, although
popular culture persists in believing in differences.
ƒ Context and Power Distance
ż Leaders from low-context cultures (the United States) may clarify points more directly
• Decision Making in Groups examines the forces that influence the ways in which groups
make decisions.
ƒ Forces That Shape a Group’s Decisions and affect how groups discuss and arrive at
decisions include:
ż Cognitive forces, or group members’ beliefs and thoughts, which influence how
members perceive, interpret, evaluate, store, and retrieve information.
ż Psychological forces refer to group members’ emotions, attitudes, motives, and values.
• Leadership in Meetings examines the importance of meetings in group decision making
when led by an effective leader.
ƒ Planning Meetings Effectively
ż Proper planning is important to effective meetings.
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ż Justifying the meeting includes identifying the goals to be accomplished and who
should be in attendance.
ż Clarify the purpose of the meeting and the roles of those who need to attend.
ż Set a clear agenda that details the subject and goal of the meeting, plus logistics such
as time, location, and so on.
ƒ Managing Meetings Effectively is the responsibility of the leader and includes the
following steps:
ż Arrive prepared by knowing the goals and background ahead of time.
ż Keep the group focused on the task at hand.
ƒ Using Technology in Meetings
ż Virtual meetings are becoming more popular and allow for long-distance participation.
• Evaluating Group Performance explores the importance of regular evaluation of three
aspects of a group’s performance.
ƒ Informational Considerations
ż Consider whether the group is actually needed and how the group is interacting and
progressing toward goals.
ż Regular assessment can help to address problems promptly.
ƒ Procedural Effectiveness
ż This involves an evaluation of how the group coordinates its activities and
ƒ Interpersonal Performance
ż This explores the relationships among group members while members are working
together to accomplish a task.
ż This examines the following questions:
Ɠ Do members provide positive reinforcement for one another?
Ɠ Do members feel a sense of solidarity with one another?
Ɠ Do members cooperate freely with each other?
Ɠ Do members demonstrate respect for one another?
CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Who are leaders that you know? Of the five kinds of power described in Chapter 10 of
Communication and You, 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 does new technology change what meetings can look like? What are the benefits and
challenges of leading meetings virtually?
• Ask students to think about the virtual groups they are in (or have been in). What
5. Have you been a participant in meetings that are run effectively? Ineffectively? What are
some things that make meetings effective or ineffective?
• This is a great time for instructor sharing! Traditionally aged students may have limited
PERSONAL WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
1. Who Are Your Leaders?
Think of three groups you belong to or have been in. What kind of leadership was
displayed in those groups? Do you see those leaders as effective or ineffective? Why?
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2. The Shape of Your Groups
Think about a classroom group you have been (or are) a part of. What kinds of cognitive,
3. Which Leader Will Survive?
Watch an episode of the CBS show Survivor and analyze how group leadership occurred
4. Your Arch Nemesis
Have you ever experienced conflict in a group that you have been in? Detail your
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Do You “Do” Groups Well?
Goal: To examine the ability to evaluate group performance
Time Required: 20–30 minutes
Materials: None, but completion of the classroom activity “Do You ‘Do’ Groups?” from
Chapter 9 (p. 138 in this manual) is a prerequisite for this activity.
Directions:
1. If you completed the “Do You ‘Do’ Groups?” exercise from Chapter 9, have
2. Ask students to design a “group contract” that outlines good behavior for the group
project they created in Chapter 9. (For example, group members will not interrupt
each other when speaking.)
Debriefing: Have students pass their group contracts to other students to share. What are
2. Group Speech Processes
Goal: To understand and practice the various processes of group decision making
Time Required: One class period
Materials: None, but note that this activity can be done if the class is expected to
complete a group speech and they have not yet given the speech.
Directions:
2. Have the students review the different steps for group decision making as outlined
on pp. 219–223 of the text.
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?
Debriefing: Have groups share their ideas with the class. After groups share ideas, have
each group make a list of things they can do (continue to do and/or change) to make their
3. If You Build It, They Will Come
Goal: To evaluate leadership roles and the processes of choosing a leader
Time Required: 30 minutes
Materials:
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
4. Blank paper and writing implements for students
Directions:
1. Break the class into groups of four to six students.
3. Assign a group leader, or “project manager,” to half of the groups; do not assign a
leader to the other half of the groups.
4. Tell students they will have 15 minutes to build a bridge using the materials provided.
5. As students are building the bridges, have the observers watch and make notes about
how the groups are making their decisions.
Debriefing: After bridges are built (and awards are given), ask students (particularly the
observers) how decisions were made. Did students find that appointed leaders were better
or worse than leaders who rose to the occasion and emerged during the process? Why or
why not? How well did groups follow the group processes? What would have helped the
groups to be more effective?
4. Critiquing a Meeting
Goal: To evaluate how an actual meeting is run
Time Required: Varies depending on meeting time
Materials:
2. Copies of meeting agenda for students
Directions:
1. Before class, find an online meeting with an attached agenda (if you search for “city
2. Show the meeting to the class. Ask students to analyze what occurs during the
meeting. Have them analyze who is the leader and why they think that person is the
leader. Have them identify other roles they notice in the group.
Debriefing: What worked about the meeting? What didn’t? What roles were helpful to the
group? Did they notice any that were harmful to the group’s goals? If the group used
5. Guess the Leader
1. Give the note cards randomly to the students. Be sure they don’t show the cards to
anyone else.
2. Have students interact while acting out the leadership style they have been given.
Have them see if others can guess what kind of leadership style they are portraying.
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.
7. What is an agenda and why is it important?
8. How can one evaluate group performance? Provide specific examples.
9. What does the research in your textbook say about the use of technology in meetings?
10. How can conflict be helpful in meetings?
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MEDIA
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I (Warner Bros. Pictures, 2010)
In this film, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are on a desperate hunt for horcruxes in which the
Jaws (Universal Pictures, 1975)
In this early thriller, a giant shark terrorizes a small coastal town, causing distress and
angst to town members, especially the police chief who makes it his mission to stop the
man-eating monster.