Group Comm Test 2
Your textbook suggests optimum group size is how many people?
5 - small enough for meaningful interaction yet large enough to generate an adequate number of ideas
T/F: Kinzel (1969) research discovered that men who committed violent crimes had what?
A larger "personal space buffer zones" than nonviolent offenders Yes, they had one twice as large. Violent groups stated they felt threatened when a person came close to them.
The term of "machiavellian" suggests someone is a
A manipulator
Groupthink
A quick and easy way to refer to a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in group, when the members striving for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action. Represents a form of social influence of the majority that results in a dangerous level of agreement by all member of the group, even if the decided-upon action is obviously wrong. Result in a close-minded approach to problems and poor decision making. To prevent, alternative viewpoints should be fostered by the leaders Blind conformity in cohesive groups
Which type of communication network is best for solving simple problems? Why do you think this is so?
All-Channel Feedback is more immediate and consequently communication accuracy is better
P-Shaped work surface? Ever seen? Experienced? The value of one?
Allows the person to have meetings in their offices and have people pull up to a round table that are attached to the end of the work surface Curved part of the P sticks out in the direction where the guests would sit When you're at a round table, there's an equal setting, environment is more conducive to communication
Self-Directed Work Team (SDWT)
An intact group of employees who are responsible for a whole work process or segment that delivers a product or service to an internal or external customer Autonomous work teams appear to reduce the potential for interpersonal and group conflict that may be experienced by employees. Shift from individualistic hero to the team successes of self-directed work teams
Arabs and South Americans feel more comfortable with which type of special use?
Arabs/South Americans will try to step close, reducing the space between them and their listeners
What is ascribed and attained status? Does some research that men- by the virtue of their sex - can have an increased perceived ascribed status?
Ascribed - status' based on inborn characteristics, such as gender Attained - status' that individuals gain through their own effort You can have both ascribed and attainted status (Ex: Kardashians) Being a male can result in ascribed status in groups that are discussing topics that are perceived as mostly masculine in nature
What is the best leader-follower style partnership
Autocratic - dependant Democratic - independant Laissez-faire - counterdependent
3 types of leadership styles
Autocratic - high need to maintain control Democratic - representation attempt to find a reasonable compromise Leader does attempt to provide direction and to perform both task and social leadership function, but at the same time he or she tries to avoid dominating the group with one person's views. Laissez-faire - no concern for control, but there is no direction, concern for task accomplishment, or interest in interpersonal relationships "Non Leadership"
Which type of seating arrangement is preferred for casual conversation?
Casual conversation: corner to corner or face to face
Centralized networks
Chain Wheel
Decentralized networks
Circle All-Channel
Competing paris?
Competing pairs: face to face or distant opposite arrangement
Cooperative?
Cooperative/study group: side by side
Which communication networks are faster, more accurate and results in higher member satisfaction?
Decentralized
Social loafing
Decreased effort of each member in the group Occurs more as the number of people in a group increases Dispersed accountability - social loafing occurs because groups participating perceive that their individual efforts cannot be calculated
3 types of followership styles
Dependant - followers who work for organizations which produce a higher level of dependence in people. Thought to have resulted from over punitive parents Counterdependent - type of behavior that is rebellious and anti authoritarian Thought to have resulted from over permissive parenting This type of person would be dissatisfied with any type of leadership, even democratic leadership styles may prove to be ineffective Independant - one who can either take over and lead when the situation demands or follow the lead of others when that role is more approximate Role flexibility is required of both an effective leader and an effective follower
What are the benefits of online classes and discussion groups?
Discussion groups - 5-8 people to discuss a topic in an ongoing discussion page that allows interactive responses Students respond more freely without immediate presence of an authority figure Flexible, at-home parents, international students can meet in the same virtual space and share perspectives with other students from around the world
Who coined the term "territoriality"?
Edward Hall Tendency for humans and other animals to lay claim to and defend a particular area or territory
1968 Paris peace talks - how long to negotiate size and shape of table
Example of ecology in group discussion in our nation's history
T/F: satisfaction in group experiences comes from listening, not talking.
False: satisfaction comes from talking, not listening The bigger the group, the less possibility to participate. Individuals who send more than they receive are not only more chosen as good discussants, but they are more satisfied with the discussion than members who receive more than they send.
Followers and leaders contribute which % to the success of an organization
Followers contribute 80% to the success of the organization, and the leader contributes a mere 20%. Organizations and groups should set objectives that encourage continuous and positive interaction between the leaders and followers, including a relationship built on trust
Which leadership theory seems to hold the most promise for teaching us how to improve our own leadership abilities?
Function theory
Germans and North Americans feel more comfortable with which types of spatial use?
German's/North American's Will step backwards to establish what they feel is a comfortable distance for conversation
As groups get larger than 5, what occurs?
Group gets too large and members are not able to participate as much. Tendency for sub-groups to form, which can result in side conversations Groups of 10 or more tend to spend an inordinate amount of time simply organizing themselves, and more attention is put on the group function than the task
5 results of studies on conformity (600 population)
Group pressure produces conformity Yielding can be induced even in attitudes having personal relevance Yielding is greater on difficult decisions When the subjects are tested again without group pressure, a major part of the original yielding disappears
Risky shift
Groups tend to take more risks in their decision than an individual would - the burden of accountability is shared
Sherif's 1963 conformity study showed what?
He showed subjects a pinpoint of light in a dark room. The light appeared to move even when the subjects knew that it was stationary. Optical illusion called the autokinetic effect After they discussed, they all changed the average rate of movement based on the other person's answers. The group discussion influenced each person's judgement of the amount of light's movement
T/F: most groups will tolerate deviations from those who were highly valued in groups.
Highly successful people are notoriously idiosyncratic (individual). Most groups will tolerate deviations from those who are highly valued in the group One rule of thumb is that new members are not allowed to deviate as much as those who are old-timers.
What is environmental psychology? (how people interact with their environment in a variety of contexts)
How people interact with their environment in a variety of contexts. Based the premise that individuals are "active participants in their world" Learning and performance are highly affected by the environment Environments that promote creativity and productivity can actually improve group performance. Personal and cultural expectations affect how an individual interprets and functions in a particular workspace.
Understanding of Function theory of leadership
Idea that leaders are made, not born Leadership consist of certain behaviors or functions that groups must have performed. These can be learned by anyone. - offers hope Simply participating at all is one primary requirement of becoming a leader
Forsyth's 6 ways to minimize social loafing
Increase personal involvement When people feel that poor group performance will affect them personally, they do not loaf Minimize free riding Free riding tends to decrease as group size is kept smaller Clarify group goals Clear goals simulate more productivity Set high standards Groups that set high goals tend to outperform those that set lower goals Increase collective efficacy Motivation is greatest when people that the goal is within their reach Increase unity People work harder for groups that are important to them
Hall's 4 types of distances in North America
Intimate - touching to 18 inches Personal - 18 inches to 4 ft Social - 4 to 12 ft Public - 12 ft and beyond
Problem solving/decision making group
Labels task-oriented, problem-solving, and decision-making groups have been used interchangeably to stress or emphasis on the cognitive end products of group discussion. Although interpersonal relations are often discussed, they are not as important and as merely means to an end.
T/F: technical skills are a starting point for possible leadership. There's a trend to valuing "softer" leadership skills.
Leader - influencing others to accomplish organizational goals. An effective leader is essential for optional group performance. True: technical skills are the bare minimum. To thrive as an executive, an individual needs to be a good communicator, a strategic thinker.. The person today needs to be more team-oriented, capable of multitasking continuously and leading without rank.
In contingency theory, 3 factors contribute to leader's effectiveness. What are they?
Leader-member relations - interpersonal skills or people orientation. If the leader is people-oriented, the relations are likely to be good. If they aren't, they are likely to be poor Task structure If a group's task is highly structured and the leader has a manual of procedures to be follower, it will be harder group member challenge the leaders approach. Position of power - can either be strong or weak. Belief that effective leadership is dependant upon how the leader adapts to particular situations.
3 factors of environment
Lighting Space Sound
What is a joint family
Many generations of families living under the same roof Seen in India Becoming less and less common
Steinzor effect
Members of a group with minimal leadership directed many more comments to those facing them than to those sitting on either side. With a dominant, assertive leader, the behaviors were reversed, and significantly more conversation was directed towards sitting next to them
College students have been labeled by one writer as "natives" to digital technology and their parents what?
Migrants
In function theory of leadership, does leader him/herself have perform both task and people roles?
No. The implication is the reverse. To the extent that all group members learn to perform these two functions, overall group leadership will be improved. Often referred to as shared or democratic leadership
What is "hoteling"
Occupying a desk and a work space, just for that day, much as they would a hotel room They don't have a regularly assigned office, or a desktop. Everyone uses a laptop.
Tokenism
Occurs when one member of a group is of very different status from other members the group. Group members tend to minimize the difference among themselves and to emphasize the differences from the token member. Chronic status - a status that people have at all times. Ex: gender, race and religious affiliation
What are the strategies for decreasing groupthink?
Offering differing ideas Get outside expert opinion Offer second chance after decisions have been made Have members play devil's advocate Discuss groups report with trusted friend
Enlightenment discussion
One which members may attempt to solve problems without having the authority to implement their discussions
In "internet time", one month is how long?
One year
What are the 4 phases of group development, their chronological order, and what occurs in each?
Orientation - breaking the ice, establishing some minimal social relationship before group members feel comfortable getting down to work Conflict Typically in this phase the group begins to thrash out decisions for procedures as well as for determining the solution to the group task Conflict over procedures may be one way in which group members fight for influence or control in the group Emergence - resolution of the conflict experienced in phase 2 Group cohesiveness begins to emerge, and the group settles into working more comfortably as a unit. Reinforcement - phase of maximum productivity and consensus
What does Brooks research reveal about our friendship group?
Our friendship group has an influence over us Ex: if your friends are thin, you might be thin. If your friends smoke, you're more likely to smoke.
What is a "pecking order"? An "order of precedence"
Pecking order - order of dominance. Chickens pecking at one another in an attempt to determine which animal dominates. The eventual result is that one chicken rises to the dominant position, a second chicken dominates all others but the top chicke, the third all but the top two, and down the line. When a new chicken is introduced, it must fight all the others to establish its position in the pecking order. Order of precedence - example of pecking order in US government. It formally designates who preceded whom in the pecking order. (or in order of importance as they might be officially introduced to a visiting dignitary or head of state) President, vice president, speak of the house, chief justice, etc.
Solomon Asch's study on judgment of line size
People sat in a line and gave their answers one after another. Ultimately, everyone began agreeing/saying what the others had said. Over a number of trials, the confederates a "false norm" several times.
Impact of height, weight, physical attractiveness & body shape in trait theory
Physical traits associated with leadership Taller people are sometimes associated with higher status, and shorter individuals with power status. People that are too thin or too heavy are either considered too self-indulgent or too weak and fragile to be good leaders.
Mydans 1990 study discovered what?
Poor academic achievement by black students was, in part, attributable to group norms.
Cherry's 1996 four categories of students
Popular cliques - consist as may as 15 members Keep group members dependant on group membership by randomly building up and then tearing down their individual status Ridiculing individuals was a key activity of the popular clique. Extends beyond children and young adults Wannabes - occasionally get invited into the popular's groups activities Social isolates - a few friends Groups of 3 or 4 friends - who don't care about attaining social status and enjoy secure relationships with each other
What is "personal space"?
Portable space bubble of about 18 inches in each direction that we let only certain people violate. Personal space is varied around while territory is relatively stationary. Boundaries are invisible. Personal space has the body at its center, while the territory does not.
French & Raven's 5 types of power and give examples
Power - capability to influence others in a state of dependence Reward power - ability an individual has to give or withhold rewards. Giving a raise, course evals, giving a promotion, giving grades, etc. Coercive power - opposite of reward power in that it utilizes punishment rather than reward. Firing an employee, being sent home, robber waiving a gun at you Legitimate power (or position power) - the influence we allow others to have over us on the basis of they hold or function they perform. Your boss, a parent, police officer, President, teacher Referent power (or personal power) - the power a person has to persuade us because we want them to admire, respect or like us. It is based on our identification with the source of power. Famous actors, John F. Kennedy, Princess Diana, etc. Expert power - our acceptance of influence from those who knowledge or expertise we respect Medical doctor in a medical context, you in your jobs, soldier during war
T/F: Recent research shows that power decreases ability to understand how other see, think and feel
Power reduces the ability understand how others see, think and feel Power can inhibit empathy the ability to perceive another person's emotional states.
What are the 5 types of groups?
Primary - family and closest friends Sometimes referred to as our significant others, because they're the most important Casual and social Work groups - works that are the formation of people on the job Hawthorne effect - productivity increase resulting from special attention Problem-solving - groups that form in order to solve one or more problems Spend a great deal of time and energy in careful deliberation. An effective problem-solving discussion begins with an effectively structured discussion question limited to one issue.
Hawthorne effect
Productivity increases from special attention that was resulted from the workers changed social situation, increased satisfaction and a new patterns of social interaction brought about by creating an experimental condition and paying special attention to the workers. Productivity was much less affected by changes in work conditions than by the attitudes of the workers themselves
Types of discussion questions
Questions of fact, definition, value and policy and be able to identify examples
Now 4 stages of conformity pressure, their chronological order, and what occurs in each
Reason - logically convincing the deviant that he or she is wrong. Even at this stage, it is clear that we expect the deviant to change to conform to the group, and not vice versa Seduction - we attempt to appeal to the deviant's social needs Coercion - threat commences Isolation - group gives up on and ignores the deviant. This tactic may finally bring conformity if it is prolonged.
What does the rope tug-of-war study reveal? (q: how specific with numbers?)
Research suggests that social loafing occurs because participants perceive that their individual efforts cannot be identified or evaluated In situations where our performance can be evaluated, there's more interest in doing well. If our performance is more anonymous and free from evaluation, apprehension is reduced and social loafing tends to increase. When the tug of war was one on one, they pulled 100%, when a second person was added, it dropped to 93%, when a third 83%, and if 8 it dropped to 49% Members not "pulling their share"
Research on work groups = Western Electric Hawthorne Plant in Chicago revealed what?
Research was designed to determine the influence of illumination on industrial productivity. It was hypothesized that improved lighting would improve productivity. First study showed that provide city increased whether lighting levels were increased or decreased to a level darker than moonlight. Second study was conducted to determine the effect of periodic rest breaks on productivity. It was found that productivity kept increasing whether a rest break was added or taken out of the work schedule.
Korda recommends a strategy to gain power. What is it?
Sit in meetings with your back to the windows so that light looking at your would have to look into the sunlight
Tiger teams
Small groups of high-performing people who are challenged by a company's executive team to tackle problems and find workable solutions Look at issues such as: What is the required solution? How will it produce superior vale? How Large will the potential market be? costs/benefits? Critical factors?
Centralized is better for what?
Solving simple problems
What is a norm
Standardized patterns of belief, attitude, communication and behavior within groups. Grow out of member interaction, then they influence future interaction. Written or unwritten laws or codes that identify acceptable behavior.
Is status related to the concept of power? If so, how?
Status - one's position or rank relative to other members of a group Status is related to power - those with higher status generally have more power within the group High status tends to result in greater personal power or ability to influence others Increased power, in turn, tends to elevate an individual's status level. Power and status influence one another
Proxemics is the study of what?
Study of personal space Territoriality is a component of proxemics
2003 University of Los Angeles revealed emotional stress can occur because of what?
The emotional distress caused by being left-out of a social group actually caused blood flow to the position of the brain that is stimulated by physical pain
Italian political philosopher Machiavelli would argue that the end justifies."
The ends justify the means In other word's do whatever it takes to get what you want
What is a communication network?
The five patterns that demonstrate the different forms of communicating between group members
General understanding of contingency theory of leadership
The leader's effectiveness is dependant upon the abomination of his or hers behaviors and the situation
Miner's 1988 major findings of Hawthorne studies
The level of productivity is set by group norms, not by physiologic capabilities Noneconomic rewards and sanctions significantly affect the behavior of workers and largely limit the effect of incentive plans Often workers act or react not as individuals, but as members of a group
What's a non-conformist?
The person that tries to deviate from the group He or she gets many more comments directed toward him or her as these variables increase (group cohesion, relevance of the topic, as well as acting in a noticeably different way)
What does research on "latchkey" children reveal?
They are twice as likely to use cigarettes, alcohol and majorca are young people who are cared for adults after school
What is social facilitation?
This theory focuses on impact an audience on performance. The impact an audience has on performance Some individuals perform their tasks better while in the presence of a group, while others perform better on their own The key is find out which context facilitates group member performance to capitalize on this information
Rosenfeld's 1965 study found that those with high need of affiliation in personality sit closer or father her to their target person?
Those with a high need for affiliation sat an average of 57 inches away from a target person, whereas those low in affiliation averaged 94 inches in distance
Comments in small groups tend to be direct more often (via eye contact) to who?
To higher-status group members than those of lower status. If you want to determine a group's high-status member, notice to who m people direct their comments to This upward communication acts as a substitute for a member's own upward mobility in the group's pecking order.
Having an understanding of trait theory of leadership
Trait theory - idea that leaders are born, not made. Physical traits Height - taller people are sometimes seen with more status Weight - mesomorphic (muscular), ectomorphic (very thin), and endomorphic (heavy and soft) It's predicted that we think expert leaders come from mesomorphic body type Ex: alexander the great, cleopatra, john f kennedy, obama, etc. Assumption was that certain physical traits or personality traits enable a person to be a leader.
Internal influences/throughputs are somewhat under the control of group members? Provide a personal example
True
T/F: Internal influences/throughputs are somewhat under the control of group members?
True
T/F: The egyptians has symbols for leadership
True
T/F: educational groups are increasingly becoming more electronic based
True
T/F: group consensus drops significantly as the group gets larger than 5
True
T/F: learning and performing are highly affected by environments (think back to when LML asked about the classroom)
True
T/F: norms vary from one group to another
True
T/F: social impact theory says that when social pressure for a group member is only to completely a portion of the task, group member motivation is decreased
True
T/F: Cohesion tends to be weaker and morale lower in larger groups than comparable small groups
True How often groups meet varies inversely with size and duration and directly with closeness of feelings
T/F: those seated at the head of head of a table were chosen significantly often often as as leaders
True Those found seated in positions along the side were frequent talks and frequently scored high on personality tests Those sitted in more distant positions were perceived to be less friendly, less well acquainted and less talkative
T/F: as group size increases linearly, the potential number of interactions increases exponentially
True As you have more people, there are more possible interactions
T/F: educational groups are also called learning and enlightened groups
True Members get together for the primary purpose of study or instruction
T/F: Groupthink can occur in any group
True Symptoms to group think: Overestimation of the group Closed-mindedness Pressures toward uniformity
T/F: Some research suggests attractive people are perceived to have higher credibility
True.
T/F: power can overlap (one person can have all 5 types of power, for example
True. The different types of power usually overlap: a person may be in a position to use reward power as well as coercive power, but may prefer to rely on referent power, legitimate power, or expert power.
T/F: Per groups exert enormous pressure on individuals.
True. The more we are attracted to the group, the more pressure we will feel to change towards the group norms.
T/F: Research suggests that when a person is perceived as having power, he/she is also perceived to be effective
True. When a person is seen by others as having power, they are also perceived to be effective Power tends to equate to effectiveness in the eyes of others.
What is a superleader?
Type of leadership that seems to be the ultimate extension of democratic leadership
How does a superleader lead to self-leadership
Ultimately, we are responsible for our own choices The challenge is to channel those choices in a desirable direction.
Geier 5 negative behaviors that prevent group members from emerging as leaders hers?
Uninformed about the problem being discussed Non Participative Extremely rigid in holding to pet ideas Authoritarian in bossing others around Offensive and abusive in language style
T/F: the fisher group introduced a new course called the "distance manager"
Virtual leadership develop program to help leaders with the challenges of managing computer-assisted and virtual teams.
Impact of warm and cool colors to encourage certain types of communication/conversation?
Warm colors (orange, red, brown) facilitate interaction Cool colors (blue and green) tend to encourage reserved, formal conversation
Which type of leadership style is best?
We must establish criteria for judging effectiveness Democratic style got better results in each case except in time taken to accomplish the task. Quality of group output was better, took more time, member satisfaction was higher, had lowest amount of absenteeism, fostered more independence Autocratic leader gets fast results in the short run, but that these results may be poor quality or may be resisted by others. Took less time, member dissatisfaction was highest, fostered dependence Most effective leaders were those who created a process in which people have confidence
Are certain groups particularly vulnerable to groupthink?
What are the characteristics? Those with members who are high in need for affiliation Those that are cohesive Those that have autocratic leadership style
Tuddenham research on conformity shows what?
When the majority opinion lies well outside the range of acceptable judgments, yielding occurs among fewer individuals and to a lesser degree. Group cohesiveness caused an increase in conformity, and the second-higher-status group member conformed the most of anyone in the group Individuals factors related to conformity.. Conformists are less intelligent Conformists are lower in ego strength and in their ability to work in stress situations Conformists tend to toward feelings of personal inferiority and inadequacy Conformists show an intense preoccupation with other people, as opposed to more self-contained, autonomous attitudes of the independent emerson Conformists express attitudes and values of a more conventional (conservative) nature than non yielders
Bank Wiring room experiment revealed what?
Workers were observed as they wired, soldered and inspected switchboards or "banks" of switches. Workers were on an economic incentive system that allowed them to each more if they produced more. The experiment showed that workers were producing far below what they were capable of producing, because of the group's social norm enforced by co-workers. Researchers referred to this as artificial restriction of output The workers were producing far below was they were capable of producing because of the group's social norm enforced by the co workers The level of productivity is set by group norms, not by physiological capacities
Do norms influence group creativity in corporations?
Yes - the "urge to merge" Many groups tend to want to get the solution prematurely..
Disadvantages
ability to connect with other group members.. Individuals in virtual groups have their own tasks in many cases, and if they do not meet online as a group enough, they may have no idea how their work fits into the big picture.
All-Channel
all members can interact freely with each other
Phillips 66
allows members of an audience to form groups of about six people to discuss a specific topic for about six minutes and the report the group's conclusion through a spokesperson. More useful if longer time limits are allowed.
Role playing
allows participants to adopt a "role" or set of behaviors other than their own.
Groupware
allows you to do computer-supported cooperative work. Uses the same input as regular mall group communication, but changes the mechanics of the interaction. Individuals put their ideas down, they appear on the screen, but no one knows who ideas is whose. Group members are freer and less constrained.
Case discussion
an educational discussion centered on a real or hypothetical event The case problem or student is presented to the group, and members attempt to solve it as best as they can. As case study is included at the beginning of each chapter in the book to illustrate the ways in which small group theory and research apply to real-life problems
Advantages
enables the group members to have their own ideas and to work together more easily than would be the case if the same people were together in a room. Allow the integration of more data and more seamless integration of decision from group to group.
Decentralized is better for what?
faster and more accurate and result in
Symposium
increases several participants, each of whom gives a short formal presentation on a prepared topic, usually built around a certain theme. Participants do not interrupt each other, but a less formal discussion usually follows.
Colloquy
may take a number of forms, but each involves the questioning of experts by other experts on the panel, lay persons on the a second panel, or laypersons in the audience. Format is very similar to the panel discussion, expect that experts are involved and a second pane of laypersons may also be involved
Circle - members may only communicate with the individuals to their immediate right and to their immediate left
members may only communicate with the individuals to their immediate right and to their immediate left
Fishbowl
one small group attempts to solve a problem for a specific period of time (often 30 minutes), while a second group, seated around the outside of the first group, observed the process
Forum
question and answer period designed to allow audience members to interact with the discussion group. A forum period often follows a panel discussion or a symposium. It is customary for the chairperson to introduce the panel or symposium members to serve as a moderator for the forum
Conference
series of meetings on topics common interest between and among people who represent different groups.
Dialogue
simply a discussion or conversation between two people.
Wheel
the central person in the wheel usually becomes the leader and enjoys the position more than persons on the periphery, whole communication is much more restricted. The central person can communicate to any them, but they must direct all their comments to the center
Chain
the individuals at either end of the chain communicate only with the person next to them. The three in the middle of the chain can communicate with the individuals on each side of them. Chain of command.
Panel
usually involves a small number of people (up to 5 or 6) conducting an informal discussion on a topic that they have all thought about and possibly researched beforehand. One person is the moderator to help move the group along on its planned agenda. COnversation is spontaneous, and participants may interrupt one another
The women's "glass ceiling" has been replaced by what? What does this mean?
"Labyrinth" Believed to be a better image to help organizations understand address the obstacles to women's progress. Rather than depicting one absolute barrier, as the glass ceiling did, a labyrinth conveys the complexity and variety of challenges that can appear along the way