2/3 of U. S. Employers Use Formal Work Teams

1/3 2/3 use teams

• Group Three or more people

• Common goal• Interact over time• Depend on each

other• Follow shared rules

• Team Special kind of group

• Different and complementary resources

• Strong sense of collective identity

• Diverse skills

All teams are groups, but not all groups are teams.

Limitation of Groups

• Time Group decisions

take longer than individual ones.

Groups shouldn’t be used for routine policies, emergency tasks, or when time is crucial.

• Conformity pressures When a majority has

an opinion different from that of a minority

When one member • Is extremely

charismatic

• Has high prestige

• Has greater power

Strengths of Groups

1. Have greater

resources

2. Are more thorough

3. Are more creative

4. Generate greater

commitment

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Synergy

A special kind of energy that combines and goes beyond the

energies, talents and strengths of individual members.

Cohesion (Cohesiveness)

• Cohesion is the degree of closeness, bonding and group identity of members. It can be encouraged by:

1. Common objectives of all members

2. Interests, goals, experiences, and ways of thinking that are common to different people in the group

3. Members feeling valued and part of the group

Communication and Cohesion

High Levels of Participation

High Levels of Participation

StrongCohesiveness

StrongCohesiveness

High Levels of Participation

High Levels of Participation

Groupthink

Members may cease to think critically and independently about ideas generated by a

group if they are too cohesive.

Group Size

Most researchers agree that five to seven members is the ideal size for a

small group.

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Power Structure

• Power is the ability to influence others. Power over is the ability to help or harm others.

• Positive power includes mentoring, positive reports to superiors and visibility to the group.

• Negative power includes withholding benefits, assigning unpleasant tasks, and responding negatively to the members’ during a meeting.

Power to is the ability to empower others to reach their goals.

• A distributed power structure occurs when all members have equal power.

• A hierarchical power structure occurs when one or more members have greater power.

Social Climbing--trying to increase personal status in a group by winning the

approval of high-status members.

High power members tend to find group discussion more satisfying than members

with less power.

Group Norms

Norms are standardized guidelines that regulate how members act, as well as how they interact with each other.

• Individualism

• Assertiveness

• Equality

• Progress and change

• Risk and uncertainty

• Informality

Western Values that Shape Group Communication

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Teams

A special kind of group in which members have specific and different resources and in which cohesion and a sense of collective identity exceed

those typical of most groups.

Types of Communication in Groups

• Constructive Task Climate Procedural

• Dysfunctional Egocentric

Task Communication

• Initiates ideas

• Seeks information

• Gives information

• Elaborates ideas

• Evaluates, offers critical analysis

Climate Communication

• Establishes and maintains healthy climate

• Energizes group process

• Harmonizes ideas

• Recognizes others

• Reconciles conflicts

• Builds enthusiasm for group

Procedural Communication

• Establishes agenda

• Provides orientation

• Curbs digressions

• Guides participation

• Coordinates ideas

• Summarizes others’ contributions

• Records group progress

Egocentric Communication• Aggresses toward others

• Blocks ideas

• Seeks personal recognition (brags)

• Dominates interaction

• Pleads for special interests

• Confesses, discloses, seeks personal help

• Disrupts task

• Devalues others

• Trivializes group and its work

Experiencing Communication in our Lives . . .

View the following video clip and then answer the questions that follow based on material presented in this chapter. A script of the scenario can be found at

the end of Chapter 10.

1. Classify each statement in the scenario as one of the forms of group communication (task, procedural, climate, egocentric). Is the balance appropriate for a decision-making group?

2. Does this group seem to have a single leader or do different members provide leadership?

3. How do you perceive the interaction pattern among members? Does everyone seem to be involved and participating?

4. Are any of the potential values of group vs. individual decision making evident in this discussion?

You may go to your student CD that accompanies the text to compare your answers to Julia Wood’s.