chapter 8 Communications

When his group members begin to argue about the most efficient way to organize data, Dante plays on his phone because he feels the conflict is over a trivial detail. Other group members become irritated, stating that he doesn't care about the group or the task they must complete. What conflict-handling style is Dante using?

Avoiding

Which of the following conflict-handling styles would likely involve the person in question physically leaving the room?

Avoiding

As a group leader, what should you keep in mind for work environments used for brainstorming?

Be sure chairs are comfortable.

______ occurs when members engage in a struggle that stops task completion.

Group conflict

Which of the following should occur during the adjourning stage of group development?

Group members feel comfortable having open disagreements.

emergent leader approach to leadership

Leadership emerges through the communication that occurs among group members by members choosing to eliminate those individuals who do not demonstrate leadership behaviors.

At which stage of group development is the most work completed?

Performing

In his group, Humberto plays a boundary-spanning role. Which of the following tasks would he likely engage in to fulfill this role?

Publicizing the group's mission to others

Deepika, Mayim, and Jezebel are all working together on a small volunteer committee that is planning a fundraising event for a local nonprofit. Since Deepika is a public relations professional, she leads efforts to publicize the event. Mayim, a web designer, is creating a website and leading discussions on handling payments through the website. Jezebel, who works as an event planner, is handling the logistics for the actual event. What are these three exhibiting?

Shared leadership approach

Which stage of Tuckman's model of small group development may involve open disagreements?

Storming

Which of the following phrases refers to the skills needed to manage a group job, such as the ability to analyze a problem?

Task communication competencies

Which of the following scenarios is an example of a substantive group conflict?

Tia and Matt disagree on the best way to complete a group task.

the harmonizer role

You mediate disagreements as they arise among your group members, and you attempt to ease group tension by engaging in humor

interdependence

captures the effects that you and your group members have on one another

TRUE/FALSE: Researchers agree that a small group must have 5-7 members in order to function effectively.

false

grouphate

feelings of dread that arise when faced with the possibility of having to work in a group

the initiator-contributor role

implicitly assumes the role of the group task leader.

______ is the feature of small groups in which group members work together and depend on each other.

interdependence

A person with low interest in their own needs and high interest in the needs of others would likely use the ______ conflict-handling style.

obliging

groupthink

occurs when a group makes a faulty decision due to its members' collective inability to critically examine an issue

A boundary-spanning role

one in which a group member acts as a liaison between the group and the larger entity in which the group exists, such as the workplace or a school system.

Most of the work is produced in the ______ stage of group development.

performing

orienter role

responsible for challenging group members' ideas in a constructive manner.

norms

the guidelines or rules your group implements about not only how members should behave, but also how your group should approach its tasks

During their first meeting, Christina's group decides that all group members need to attend all meetings, be prompt to all meetings, and contribute to all tasks. However, a group member, Brooke, consistently shows up late and does not complete the tasks assigned to her. Brooke has ______.

violated group norms

the storming stage

Begins once you and your group members have established a sense of comfort and some degree of familiarity with one another. While you and your group members begin to actively participate by sharing ideas, contributing to discussions, and engaging in low levels of self-disclosure, you and your group members also begin to struggle with the assigned task and the procedures that need to be utilized to accomplish. Begin to disagree openly about the group goals and the task and criticize the lack of progress that is being made on the task.

The adjourning stage

Begins when a group reaches the end of its involvement. Typically, your group will disband for one of four reasons: The group has finished its task, has run out of the time allotted to complete the task, has failed at its task, or is unable to function in its present form or condition.

The performing stage

Begins when the group begins to focus on task completion. Considered to be the stage at which group members produce the most work, you and group members focus your energy on task accomplishment and goal achievement; develop a sense of responsibility to, and consciousness of, the task; and spend a significant amount of time using the appropriate problem-solving and decision-making procedures that allow your group to accomplish the task. In this stage, your group also must overcome any task-related or relational obstacles that may impede your progress.

the forming stage

Begins when you are first introduced to your group. In this stage, members communicate in a courteous yet cautious manner because they are fearful of rejection, alienation, and exclusion and are concerned more with feeling a sense of belonging than with the task.

TRUE/FALSE: Group roles only emerge in face-to-face groups due to formal interaction among group members.

False

TRUE/FALSE: The emergent leader approach to leadership is when leadership emerges when a group member decides to be in charge of the other members.

False

TRUE/FALSE: Trying to help everyone find a middle ground to resolve any conflicts, will result in everyone feeling like they are being treated equally.

False

TRUE/FALSE: When individuals engage in conflict, they choose a conflict-handling style based solely on their concern about meeting the needs of other individuals involved in the conflict.

False

Which of the following occurs during the first stage of Bruce Tuckman's model of small group development?

Group members form impressions about one another.

Cohesion

Occurs when members feel a sense of belonging to a group and can emerge in the forms of task cohesion (the degree to which members work toward a common goal) and social cohesion (the sense of community that develops among member).

Which group role is sometimes referred to as the "devil's advocate?"

Orienter

Which group role involves keeping the group's documents such as the agenda and minutes?

Recorder

Which of the following statements reflects the input of slackers?

They may contribute to group hate.

small group researcher Bruce Tuckman's model

This model proposes that small groups progress through five sequential stages (i.e., forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning). In each stage, group members encounter issues that pertain to task accomplishment and group member relational development. As a group matures and moves through the stages, members become adept at accomplishing the task, learning how to work with one another, and identifying their attitudes toward group work. This model explains how both face-to-face groups and virtual groups move through the developmental process

functional perspective of small group communication

a group's performance is directly related to how well members engage in each of the five communicative functions necessary to make an informed choice

brainstorming

allows group members to generate more ideas or solutions to problems by working together rather than working alone; it also is a process that creates cohesion among group members

group task

an activity in which a decision or solution cannot be made without the input of all group members

group member role

an established and repetitive pattern of communicative behaviors that members expect from one another

group talk

centered on the specific types of communication in which you and your group members engage

problem-solving talk

defines and analyzes the problem, identifies several solutions, and chooses one solution

the information giver role

demonstrates the ability to provide and synthesize ideas and alternatives to and for group members.

Task roles

designated specifically to facilitate progress toward problem solving or decision making and attainment of group goals

The ______ leader approach notes that leadership is born out of group communication that eliminates those who do not have leadership skills.

emergent

the six features of small group communication

group size, interdepended, group talk, norms, identity, and

dominating conflict-handling style

individuals that are more interested in satisfying your own needs than satisfying the needs of your group members

avoiding conflict-handling style

individuals that have a low concern for meeting the needs of both yourself and your group members

integrating conflict-handling style

individuals who are concerned with meeting the needs of both yourself and all your group members

obliging conflict-handling style

individuals who are highly concerned with meeting the needs of your group members while ignoring your own needs

If you use a compromising conflict-handling style in your group, you strive to find a middle ground between meeting your own needs and meeting the needs of your group members

individuals who strive to find a middle ground between meeting your own needs and meeting the needs of your group members

The group's ______ synthesizes information.

information giver

Which of the following terms describes a member who is expected to be proficient in using technology and seeking relevant information on the Internet?

information giver

A group has met every week for the last month working on a semester-long project. Recent group meetings have focused on evaluating the progress each group member has made, and engaging in decision-making and problem-solving techniques to keep moving forward. Most of the disagreements that have occurred lately center on not following the meeting agenda. Everyone is currently focused on producing a large volume of work to help the group achieve its goal. This group is likely at the ______ stage of group development.

performing

When a group engages in ______, they attempt to identify many different solutions to a particular challenge.

problem-solving talk

shared leadership

refers to the communicative behaviors any group member can enact to demonstrate leadership. all group members can participate in leadership this way.

decision-making talk

selects an option from a set of already selected options in which no externally correct option exists

After a frustrating second meeting with their small group of 5 people, Camilla and Miguel get coffee to discuss their opinions of the group and strategize how they can resolve some of the issues that have arisen. During the next meeting, Camilla and Miguel text message each other, privately discussing what is happening in the meeting. What stage of group development does this likely exemplify?

storming

small group communication

take-ordinated and goal-directed

the recorder role

takes the minutes of meetings and records any other group actions that need to be stored as permanent records.

Which are roles that facilitate a group's progress toward solving a problem or reaching a goal?

task roles

Small group communication is ______.

task-oriented

group size

the general consensus is that for a small group to function most effectively, it should have a minimum of 3 members and a maximum of 15 members. ideal size is in-between 5-7 people.

small group conflict

the process that occurs when group members engage in an expressed struggle that impedes task accomplishment and usually arises due to the real and perceived differences that exist [Page 189]among group members.

identity

the psychological and/or physical boundaries that distinguish a group member from a non-group member

Task communication competencies

the skills needed to manage the group task.

Relational communication competencies

the skills needed to manage the interactions among group members as they work on the group task.

group meeting environment

the time and place where a meeting is held

slackers

those group members who fail to contribute equally or equitably to a group task.

TRUE/FALSE: In shared leadership, any group member may take the leadership role, depending on their area of expertise.

true

TRUE/FALSE: Informational diversity and value diversity are two examples of the kinds of resources that group members can share among themselves to the advantage of the whole group.

true

building and maintenance roles

used to develop and maintain the interpersonal and social development of the group

the norming stage

you and your group members have resolved your initial conflicts and have begun to work together on the task. Communication among members becomes more open and task-oriented as you and your group members begin to clarify your group roles, develop norms, and determine the appropriate courses of action to take.

the encourager role

you recognize the contributions made by your group members and communicate with them in a warm and supportive manner.