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Chapter 9
Communicating in Groups
CHAPTER OUTCOMES
• List the characteristics and types of groups and explain how groups develop
• Describe ways in which group size affects communication
LECTURE NOTES
• Understanding Groups explores what it means to be in a group, the types of groups that
exist, and how groups develop.
ƒ Characteristics of Groups
ż A group is a collection of more than two people who have some kind of relationship,
communicate interdependently, and collaborate toward a shared purpose.
ƒ Group Types
ż Primary groups are long-lasting groups that consist of those we care about the most,
ƒ Group Development includes the following five stages:
ż Forming occurs when group members begin to negotiate the group’s roles and goals.
This includes making friends, fitting in, and identifying.
ż Storming occurs when conflict leads the group to more strongly from the roles
members will play.
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ż Performing occurs when the group begins to accomplish tasks by combining skills and
knowledge to work toward the group’s goals.
ż Adjourning occurs when a group’s mission is accomplished and the group disbands.
This does not occur with all groups.
• Group Size and Communication explores how group communication grows more complex
as the number of individuals in the group increases.
ƒ Size and Complexity refers to the ways a group’s communication changes as the group’s
size increases. Examples of such changes include:
ƒ Size and Formation of Cliques
ż Cliques (coalitions) are small subgroups of individuals who bond together within a
group.
subgroup.
ƒ Group Size and Social Loafing
ż When a group gets larger, social loafing (not putting in the same amount of effort you
would if you were doing the job alone) is more likely to occur.
ż Social loafing affects different kinds of group activities, such as sports or professional
assignments.
ż Its causes include shyness or feeling anonymous within a larger group.
ƒ Group Networks
ż Networks are patterns of interaction that govern who speaks and when within a group.
ż Two main positions within a network are centrality, or the degree to which an
individual sends and receives messages from others in the group, and isolation, a
• Understanding Group Roles examines three types of roles persons assume within a group.
ƒ Task Roles are concerned with accomplishing the group’s goals.
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ż Online groups may have a moderator or master, and members can be named as elders
or newbies, depending on their experience level within the group.
ƒ Social Roles evolve to reflect group members’ individual personalities.
ż Social roles include harmonizers, gatekeepers who make sure everyone contributes, and
sensors who express group feelings and moods to the betterment of the group.
ż Each group member can play task and social roles; this happens particularly if a group
member feels a certain role requires filling.
ƒ Antigroup Roles are roles that promote an individual’s goals over group goals.
ż Blockers use destructive communication to oppose ideas introduced by the group and
reintroduce ideas rejected by the group.
ż Avoiders refuse to engage in group proceedings by expressing cynicism or nonchalance
toward ideas presented or by joking or changing the subject.
ƒ Role Conflict occurs when expectations for members’ behavior are incompatible.
• Additional Factors Affecting Group Communication
ƒ Cohesion
ż Cohesion is the degree to which group members feel they are one entity and helps
create a positive group climate.
ż Cohesive groups generally perform better than noncohesive groups on decision-making
tasks.
ƒ Groupthink
ż Groupthink occurs when conflict is minimized in a group to the point where ideas are
not critically examined.
ƒ Norms
ż Norms are determined and imposed by the group.
ż Norms can have positive or negative consequences.
ż Unproductive norms can be modified by expressing loyalty to the group, citing specific
examples of the norm’s harm to the group, and asking for others’ opinions on the issue.
ƒ Clarity of Goals
ż Goal clarity, or understanding the purpose of the group, is important for getting tasks
accomplished efficiently.
ƒ Individual Differences
ż Cultural factors such as diversity can broaden a group’s viewpoint, yet also lead to
misunderstandings.
CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Think of a group you are currently in and have been in for a length of time. How have
some of the group development stages, such as forming, storming, and norming,
happened within that group?
2. Think of a time when groupthink affected you, either in school or in a social setting. How
could you have prevented it?
• If people are unfamiliar with the Challenger disaster, have them watch the video clip
3. How do online groups affect the dynamics of group communication?
• Have students think of online groups they are a part of (e.g., Facebook groups,
LinkedIn groups). Ask them how group communication does (or doesn’t) work online
4. If we think of the classroom as a group, what are some norms that have formed in this
class? How are those norms different compared to classroom norms that exist in other
classes?
• Get students to talk about your attendance policies, how you manage discussions (do
you have students raise their hands or not?), how you react to tardy students, and so on.
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norm in each class? For example, when thinking about the notion of centrality, has the
teacher been the most central figure in each class or not?
5. What are some role conflicts you encounter in your family, with other students, in your
workplace, or in your social groups? What are some ways you resolve a role conflict?
• Give students an example of a role conflict (you have to study for an exam, but your
best friend is celebrating her birthday). How could they resolve the conflict? What
factors weigh in to resolving that conflict?
PERSONAL WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
1. Identify Your Network
Looking at the different types of networks, which type are you a part of? Do you find
yourself primarily in a chain network, a wheel network, or an all-channel network? What
do you think influences their formation? Write a two- to three-page paper reflecting on
2. Communication Apprehension
Communication apprehension is a big problem for many people, especially in group
settings. In fact, most employers want their employees to be able to communicate not just
in writing but also in person. What are some ways for people to be less nervous about
speaking in public? Write a letter to someone who is afraid of public speaking to give
3. That’s Not What I Meant
Have you ever been involved in a misunderstanding in a group because of cultural
differences? Be sure to think broadly about cultural differences. Perhaps you
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Do You “Do” Groups?
Goal: To understand how culture affects reactions to group projects; to examine the issue
of social loafing
Time Required: 30 minutes
Materials: Blank paper and writing implements for students
Directions:
1. Ask students to share their opinions on group projects in classes. (Note: Most will say
2. Ask students to design a group project. Tell them that they must design a group
3. Give students 10 minutes to design their projects and then 5 minutes to share their
ideas in pairs. Ask volunteers to describe their projects to the rest of the class.
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Debriefing: Ask students how they think their culture affects how they view group
projects (individualist versus collectivist orientation). Ask students how they addressed
the social loafing problem. Again, talk to students about how this problem is affected by
cultural outlooks.
2. Forming a Web
Goal: To understand how different types of networks form in groups
Time Required: 15 minutes
Materials: None
Directions:
2. Tell students you will be putting them in groups and that you want them to pay
attention to which people they are grouped with.
3. Ask all the men to step forward and form a smaller circle inside the larger circle.
4. Repeat this same process by calling on the following groups, or choose other group
names based on the make-up of your class:
• Communication majors
• Education majors
• Fraternity/sorority members
• Members of an academic student organization
Continue with more groups if you wish.
Debriefing: Once you have created several group configurations, ask students to stand
next to the two people she or he was in groups with the most. Discuss what kinds of
networks you see forming. Chain? All-channel? Wheel? What causes these formations?
3. Measuring Goals
Goal: To understand strategies for setting group goals
Time Required: 15 minutes
Materials:
2. Projector for the computer
Directions:
2. Ask students to choose three goals from the front page of this Web site and evaluate
them based on the communication strategies for setting group goals described on
pp. 204–205 of the text. Strategies include the following:
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• Identify the resources your group will need to accomplish its goals.
• Recognize contingencies that may arise.
• Determine how you will monitor and report progress toward your group’s goals.
3. Have students form pairs and share their evaluations. Have each pair rewrite the
goals to make them fit the standards laid out in the text.
4. Be a Clown
Goal: To recognize the different roles that are part of group interaction
Time Required: 30 minutes
Materials:
1. “Group Role Information” handout (provided at the end of this chapter)
3. Survival exercise that you create or choose from the following Web site:
wilderdom.com/games/descriptions/SurvivalScenarios.html
(Note: You can also bring in props related to the survival exercise that you choose.
Replace dangerous items such as cans of gasoline with harmless props.)
Directions:
1. Break students into groups of five to six.
3. Explain that they have been assigned the roles listed on their cards and that they are
to follow those roles as closely as possible.
4. Give students a group survival exercise and have them carry it out within the
classroom.
Debriefing: Students should have enacted their roles during the group exercise. Have
students guess which roles everyone played during the exercise. How did people react to
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
REVIEW QUESTIONS
2. What is social loafing? If we consider it to be a negative behavior, why does it happen so
often? Why do we allow it?
3. Describe various types of networks in groups and explain how one goes about changing
the shape of a network.
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5. What are cohesion and interdependence? How can groups develop these characteristics?
6. What is groupthink? Provide an example of groupthink from the media or your own life.
MEDIA
High School Musical (Disney Channel, 2006)
This popular film, which spawned two sequels, looks at how two high school students
work to break free from the stereotypes that their group memberships have set on them.
HANDOUTS
Group Role Information
Use this handout to complete the classroom activity Be a Clown.
Each group should have ONE group member with ONE of the following cards (with a role and
a definition of that role from the text):
Gatekeeper
Recognition seeker
All other index cards in the group should have the following on them:
Observer
