Chapter 11
Problem-Solving and Leading a Small Group
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CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
• Explore the different characteristics small groups must consider when identifying a problem.
• Identify the various ways members can effectively problem-solve as a group.
• Distinguish types of leadership in groups, including virtual groups.
• Examine tips for leading meetings and managing conflict effectively.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
CHAPTER INTRODUCTION
• The chapter opens with the 2012 sale of Lucasfilm. George Lucas, the creator of the Star Wars
series, sold his film and television production company to The Walt Disney Company. Soon
after that transaction, producer Kathleen Kennedy announced that the company would create a
trilogy sequel featuring original cast members. Several roadblocks were met in the development
GROUP PROBLEM SOLVING
• When a group is faced with a problem—or the realization that reality doesn’t match with what’s
desired—its members must determine how to solve the problem.
• When people work in groups to solve problems, employing a multistep procedure will help them
complete the work in a focused and effective way.
• An agenda—a standardized problem-solving plan—helps groups coordinate their work by
focusing on four steps:
Define the problem.
• Establish Criteria for Evaluating Solutions.
After your group has generated possible solutions, you can now talk about the factors
you’ll use to evaluate them.
Using factors or criteria to make decisions is something you likely do all the time,
although you may not refer to it in these terms.
• Select the Best Solution.
After you and your group have defined the most important criteria, you can use them to
evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of your list of solutions.
A decision occurs any time you make a choice between alternative solutions.
Although voting is a common way to make decisions, groups have other options.
• A group can base its choice of solutions on group consensus, meaning a
TIPS FOR USING PROBLEM-SOLVING AGENDAS
• Make Sure Group Members Understand the Task.
Don’t assume that everyone sees the problem in the same way or understands what it is.
The following questions can help you explore all the facets of your task:
• What parameters will we need to work within to address the problem?
• How difficult is our problem to solve?
Consider these questions:
• Are we talking about solutions too early without having discussed the problem?
• Are fellow members beginning to lose interest in the project?
• Carefully Observe Your Process.
Effective groups consistently pause and reflect on their process and make appropriate
adjustments.
• They also are willing to review what has been accomplished during the group
process—and not just when it’s over.
It’s always better to reconsider and change course than to reach the end with a poor
decision.
• Technology and Group Problem Solving.
Group support systems (GSS) and group decision support systems (GDSS) are
computer-aided programs that are designed to quicken the pace of problem-solving
without sacrificing its quality.
EFFECTIVE GROUP LEADERSHIP
• Leaders versus Leadership
Although groups may function effectively without a leader, they will not succeed without
leadership.
A leader acts in ways that move the group toward its goal.
• Leadership is behavior that does the same.
Everyone in a group can exhibit leadership over the course of a project.
Typically, one group member emerges as someone who consistently guides the group
toward its goal and is able to facilitate similar actions from others.
• Types of Leadership
• Leadership Challenges
Both types of leaders can face challenges leading a group, and being labeled a leader does
not guarantee leadership behaviors.
LEADING MEETINGS AND MANAGING CONFLICT
• Leading Meetings
Effective leaders conduct meetings in ways that enable members to work together
productively, contribute their ideas, and make well-informed decisions.
Address procedural needs.
• A leader should consider include the following procedural questions:
o Where and when will meetings take place?
o What is the purpose of the meeting?
o Who will start meetings and record notes?
o How will notes be circulated to members who cannot attend a particular
meeting?
Model the behavior you expect.
• Avoid interrupting others or dismissing their questions or comments.
• Show up on time, and be prepared for meetings.
Facilitate decisions.
• Managing Conflict
Although conflict is unavoidable, leadership can determine whether a group falls apart
from it or grows.
Refer to ideas by topic, not by person.
• Conflict can be caused by personality clashes—in which people’s differing
outlooks cause disagreements.
• To help avoid clashes, leaders should focus on the content of a suggestion rather
than the person expressing the suggestion.
Manage conflicts respectfully.
LIST OF KEY TERMS
problem
agenda
criteria
decision
consensus
CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What is an agenda, and what steps does a group need to perform to manage its work? What are
the benefits to following these steps when resolving a problem?
• This chapter’s definition of agenda is different from Chapter 10’s definition, where an agenda
was used as a guideline for running a meeting. Make sure students understand this. When
2. What is the difference between a designated leader and an emergent leader? Have you been in
either of these positions before? How can all group members exhibit leadership over the course of a
project?
• Designated leader: Group members can be labeled as leaders in two ways. Sometimes an
external authority selects a designated leader to help the group move forward quickly with its
task. Allow students to provide examples of when they were designated leaders, and ask
3. What is “groupthink”? Have you ever been a part of a group that exhibited groupthink, and did
you go along with a decision that you didn’t necessarily agree with? What are the consequences of
doing so?
4. Have you ever led a meeting that seemed to go awry? What are some tips for effectively leading
meetings? If you are not leading the meeting, how would you want it to be led so that you felt it to
be productive?
• Most students have participated in group meetings, and some have led them. Cohesiveness
depends on the level of commitment to the project from each group member. Some
students will note that they’ve led some meetings that were productive and others that were
unproductive. But many students likely have not used agendas, had a well-thought-out plan
5. What sorts of conflict have you witnessed when working with groups? What are some ways to
manage conflict effectively as it arises?
• Allow students to speak freely on this first question. They will notice that others can
empathize with them and have had similar experiences. Some students aren’t comfortable
addressing conflict because they feel it presents an awkward situation. However, by
APPLY YOUR SKILLS
APPLY YOUR SKILLS FROM CHAPTER 11
1. Look at the “Apply Your Skills” activity on page 345 in the text. After students complete the
activity, have them review the illustration “Keep Members on Task” on page 337 in the text and
answer the following questions, either in a small group, in a class discussion, or in writing:
MORE “APPLY YOUR SKILLS” IDEAS
1. Review the illustration “Four Ways to Select the Best Solution” on page 326 in the text. Have
students think of a time when they’ve made group decisions. What was the scenario, and what group
decision making method did they use and why? What other situations might constitute other
methods of decision-making?
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PERSONAL WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
1. Have students reflect on the people in leadership positions that they’ve known. If someone is in a
leadership position, does that automatically make them a good leader? Why or why not? What
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Provide the students with the following scenario: University enrollment is the highest it’s ever
been. Although high enrollment typically is a good thing, it is making it difficult for faculty, staff,
and students to find parking spaces for their cars. People are parking illegally in various spots around
2. Provide the students with the following scenario: You are a college student working 15 hours per
week at a local home improvement store, where you make $9.50 per hour. You have no savings.
Your old but reliable car was recently damaged in an accident that wasn’t your fault, and the
insurance company declared it a total loss. The other driver’s insurance company valued your vehicle
at $1,200 and sent you a check for that amount. Because you need a car to drive to school and to
work, your task is to find and purchase one within the next two weeks. What criteria will you use to
select your next car, and why have you selected these?
3. Have students take out their phones or laptops, and give them 15 minutes to find a leadership
quote that resonates with them and to research the person who said or wrote the words in the quote.
Then have students form groups of four or five people, and give them 15 minutes to do the next
part of this activity. Each person will have one to two minutes to share the quote, explain the
background of the person who said the quote, and discuss how the quote can apply to their lives.
5. Provide your students the following scenario: For your communication class, you are instructed
to debate this topic: “Carrying a concealed weapon should be allowed on campus.” Your instructor
divides the class into five-person groups and makes this a group assignment—where two people in
the group will argue for the right to carry concealed weapons on campus, two people in the group
will argue against the right to carry weapons on campus, and one person will play the role of
A
ADDITIONAL MEDIA RESOURCES AND ACTIVITIES
1. Watch the TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) Talk by Simon Sinek titled “How
Great Leaders Inspire Action” (2009). What does Sinek mean when he says, “People don’t buy what
you do. They buy why you do it?” What does he mean when he says, “There are leaders, and then
there are those who lead?”
2. Watch the movie Remember the Titans (Buena Vista Pictures, 2000). Was Coach Boone a designated
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HANDOUTS AND READY–TO–PRINT ACTIVITIES
Leadership
Collage
Download a collage app on your smartphone, and use it to create an inspirational
collage that is filled with leadership quotes. One recommendation is PicCollage.
Search for various quotes and pictures (using sites like Google and Instagram) that
illustrate what leadership means to you, and save the pictures to your phone. Next,