Small Group Communication Final

Communication Skills in a Small Group

20 core skills, 20 leadership skills, 9 followership skills, and 12 deviant communication behaviors

Work Against Premature Consensus

A group must facilitate an analysis of the problem and a consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of proposed solutions

Hold Group Consensus Meetings

A group's final face-to-face discussion of a plan of actions is important in terms of gleaning commitment from members on the group effort

Avoiding

A noncompetitive and noncollaborative response in the face of interpersonal and team conflict. The belief that conflict is bad so you do not deal with it. Strategies are no response and delay

Aggressing

Abusive, overly dominant

Observing/Self-Monitoring

Act as an observer, and check the group

Perform Leader Role

Act as the leader if necessary

Rules and strategies when planning and calling a meeting

Advance notice, Create a realistic agenda, Schedule meetings at the best time, Start and end meetings on time, Regulate participation, Get the agenda covered, Follow up the meeting

Six Sigma Step 3

Analyze and identify. Run studies to ensure that the causal analysis is correct

Competing

Assertive and noncooperative. You look to achieve your goals. Strategies are use of legitimate power, and use of higher authority

Collaborating

Assertive and very cooperative. You look for a solution that lets everyone win. Strategies are comparing needs and creating win-win solutions

Relationship management Patterns of Talk

Avoid deviant behaviors, use face-saving behaviors, assess risk-taking ability

Team Management Patterns of Talk

Avoid extreme CR states, build pride on work behavior, use identity renewal meetings

Focus on Role

Avoid personalizing

Encourage Reciprocal Communication

Best to use incremental reciprocity. If you compromise a little, others will compromise a little

Esprit de Corps

Build team spirit

Differences in Professional Consciousness States

Burnouts, Young Hawks, Old Buffaloes, Company Loyalists, and Cynics

Monthly Meetings

Calls for a "sell" leadership style. There is a need to spend time celebrating the group and how good its doing. Often have guests speakers. Report presentations. Don't let it become a "shopping list" of complaints built up throughout the month

Monday Morning Meetings

Calls for a "tell" leadership style on the part of the supervisor. Communicating directions from higher up in the organization. Don't let it become a social event. Finish it within a brief time

Dysfunctional Group Problems

Communication Skills, Egocentric Behavior, Nonparticipation, Interruptions, Poor Leader Behavior, Negative Attitudes

Hedgehog Method Step 2

Confront the brutal facts. Team needs to develop high tolerance for open debate.

Complaining

Continuous dissatisfaction

Six Sigma Step 5

Control the new product. Measure and maintain performance with a clear plan

Hedgehog Method Step 5

Create a measuring stick for assessing economic sustainability of your company.

Central Negative

Criticizes ideas

Negative Attitude

Defensive, evasive, argumentative, personal accusations

Six Sigma Step 1

Define and identify problems. Starts and ends with customer needs

Hedgehog Method Step 3

Determine the core values. What does the company feel passionate about?

Hedgehog Method Step 6

Discover your Hedgehog Concept. What are your core values?

Cynic

Distrust the company. Does not want to be part of the group, and would prefer to be independent of the group's and organization's influence.

Assist in Procedure

Do routine tasks

Egocentric Behavior Problems

Dominating conversation, one-upmanship, show of power, talking to hear self-talk, clowning around

Understand Meeting Rituals

Don't violate the norms that are in the office

Master Time

Everyone guards his or her own time jealously. Use rules when planning and calling meetings.

Playing the Clown

Excessive horseplay

Decision Making Defects of Groupthink

Failure to examine alternative ideas

Decision Making Defects of Groupthink

Failure to reexamine rejected alternatives

Decision Making Defects of Groupthink

Failure to reexamine the preferred alternatives

Roles in a Small Group

Five major roles, five minor roles

Airheading

Flaunting ignorance

Eggheading

Flaunting knowledge

Hedgehog Method Step 1

Form a council. Group should represent a wide range of perspectives within the company

Information Provider

Gives information to the group after doing the necessary research

Asses individual Risk-Taking Ability

Group must assess each member's ability to risk the consequences of the group's activities and decisions

Company Loyalist

Has an only positive view of the organization. Thinks that the organization is perfect

Young Hawk

Highly consciousness-raised group member. If there is no fire in the eyes of a burnout, their eyes are blazing. Constantly seeks ways to improve the group and raise its status in the organization.

Hedgehog Method Step 4

Identify what you are best at. What is your core business?

Groupthink: Invulnerability

If there are few alternatives, maximize ideational conflict

Groupthink: False Consensus

If there are no contingency plans, then use a problem solving agenda system

Groupthink: Unquestioned Morality

If there are no reexamination of plans, develop central negatives

Groupthink: Self-Censorship

If there is biased treatment of information, then examine the advantages and disadvantages of all proposals

Groupthink: Rationalization of Mistakes

If there is no reexamination of rejected plans, then reduce leader dominance

Groupthink: Vilification of Opposing Groups

If there is rejection of expert opinions, then keep group pride within limits

Signpost Ideas

If you believe some issues cannot be negotiated, the sooner you identify them the better.

Differences in Propensity to Take Risks

If you join a work group that has a tradition of high-risk taking, and you perceive yourself to be overly cautious, or vice versa, there will be conflict.

Blocking

Impedes decision making

Six Sigma Step 4

Improve the product. Test the validity of the solutions and standardize the new procedures

Maintain Role Stability

Know your role, and keep that in check

Task Leader

Lead the group

Decision-Making Meetings

Leader must allow a collaborative decision, Everyone should participate, Leader must be willing to live with the results

Avoid Deviant Interpersonal Group Behaviors

Like the dozen deviant communication behaviors.

Task Management Patterns of Talk

Maintain spirit of inquiry, work against premature consensus, encourage reciprocal communication, signpost ideas

Call Group Satisfaction Meetings

Major point is to increase member satisfaction, praise individuals for doing good

Theory X Management

Managers exercise authority and closely supervise

Six Sigma Step 2

Measure and gather statistical data. Measure company performance compared to company requirements

Decision Making Defects of Groupthink

No contingency plans

Self-Centered Follower

Works against group for their own agenda

Decision Making Defects of Groupthink

Selected bias in processing information

Encouraging

Show a positive attitude

Negative Predispositions Toward Groupthink

Some individuals often develop negative attitudes toward working in groups. If one or more of your team members brings a negative attitude to a group project, this can be a course of considerable conflict

Foddering

Spreads gossip

Planning Meetings

Successful planning committees typically go through three phases: Calls for the leader to adopt a "tell and sell" leadership style to explain the project. Requires the leader to change to a participatory or collaborative leadership style to gather info. The structuring of the activities that the planning committee will perform to reach final goal

Theory Y Management

Supervisors are sensitive to the needs of their workers and the workers are allowed input

Active Listener

Supports ideas

Expand Your Role

Take on a new role if you need to

Recorder

Takes notes, the secretary role

Groupthink

Teams tend to avoid ideational conflict when this occurs. The group stamps out a deviant idea before it has the chance to spread, but the group also develops insulation to protect itself from any ideas outside the group that threaten the group's consensus

Self-Centered Behaviors

The Dirty Dozen

Maintain Spirit of Inquiry, not Advocacy

The less the group resembles a formal negotiation group the better

Groupthink

The practice of thinking or making decisions as a group in a way that discourages creativity or individual responsibility

Hedgehog Method

Three basic questions: What are your core values? What is your core business? What does the company feel passionate about?

Number of People in a Small Group

Three to eleven, ideal five to seven.

Help Seeking

Unnecessary sulking, wastes time with talk

Poor Leader Behavior

Unorganized, not prepared, lack of control

Recognition Seeking

Wants attention

Accommodating

Noncompetitive and cooperative response to conflict. Belief that one should be obliging, complacent, pliable, yielding, unselfish, etc. Strategies are apology and disclaimers

Social Emotional Leader

Nurtures group members

Compromising

One should engage in mutual yielding or mutual concessions. Give a little to get a little. Strategies are restate your opinions, and state others' opinions

Self-Confessing

Overly personal, wastes time with personal talk

Doormatting

Overly submissive

Nonparticipation

Passive, does not show up

Communication Skill Problems

Poor listening, lack of clarity, use of jargon

Engage in Face-Saving Behavior

Positive and consistent image people have of themselves, and their desire of approval

Questioner

Probes ideas by asking many questions

Old Buffalo

Provides stability. Puts in a reliable eight hours of work, the leaves their professional identity at work. Tells the young hawks to calm down, and the burnouts to keep up.

Burnout

Putting in your time until retirement. Police, high school teachers, etc. are common examples

Silent observer

Quiet, passive, listens more than speaks

Decision Making Defects of Groupthink

Rejections of expert opinions

Tension Releaser

Relieves tension through humor

Six Sigma

Represents a standard deviation of a population. The pursuit of perfection