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Chapter Nine Communication in Groups and Teams (Characteristics of Groups…
Chapter Nine
Communication in Groups and Teams
The Nature of Groups and Teams
Group:
A small collection of people whose members interact with one another, usually face-to-face, over time in order to reach goals.
Virtual Groups:
People who interact with one another via mediated channels, without meeting face-to-face.
Example From Text:
Members of winning teams get the job done. They do whatever necessary to accomplish the task.
Personal Example:
In high school when we would work in groups, the people who were dedicated and determined got the best grades.
Goals of Groups and Their Members
Group Goals:
Goals that a group collectively seeks to accomplish.
Individual Goals:
Individual motives for joining a group.
Hidden Agendas:
Individual goals that group members are unwilling to reveal.
Example From Text:
Mandela's quote, "If one or two animals stray, you go out and draw them back to the flock. That's an important lesson in politics."
Personal Example:
When someone in my group got off task or was lost, I always tried to bring them up to speed or get their focus centered again.
Characteristics of Groups and Teams
Social Loafing:
The tendency of some people to do less work as group members than they would as individuals.
Rule:
An explicit, officially stated guideline that governs group functions and member behavior.
Norms:
Shared values, beliefs, behaviors, and procedures that govern a group's operation.
Social Norms:
Group norms that govern the way members relate to one another.
Procedural Norms:
Norms that describe rules for the other group's operation.
Task Norms:
Group norms that govern the way members handle the job at hand.
Sociogram:
A graphic representation of the interaction patterns in a group.
All-Channel Network:
A communication network pattern in which group members are frequently together and share all information with one another.
Chain Network:
A communication network in which information passes sequentially from one member to another.
Wheel Network:
A communication network in which a gatekeeper regulates the flow of information from all other members.
Gatekeeper:
Person in a small group through whom communication among other members flows.
Roles:
The patters of behavior expected of group members.
Formal Role:
A role assigned to a person by group members or an organization, usually to establish order.
Informal Role:
A role usually not explicitly recognized by a group that describes functions of group members, rather than their positions. AKA "Functional Roles".
Task Roles:
Roles group members take on in order to help solve a problem.
Social Roles:
Emotional roles concerned with maintaining smooth personal relationships among group members. AKA "Maintenance Functions".
Dysfunctional Roles:
Individual roles played by group members that inhibit the group's effective operation.
Trait Theories of Leadership:
A school of thought based on the belief that some people are born to be leaders and others are not.
Example From Text:
There is a diagram of a wheel network. It has the gatekeeper in the middle receiving all the information from the other members in the group.
Personal Example:
I work best with a wheel network. I normally am the gatekeeper but I could be any role.
Leadership and Communication
Situational Leadership:
A theory that argues that the most effective leadership style varies according to leader members relations, the nominal leader's power and the task structure.
Authoritarian Leadership:
A style in which the designated leader uses coercive and reward power to dictate the group's actions.
Democratic Leadership:
A style in which the leader invites the group's participation in decision making.
Laissez-Faire Leadership:
A style in which the designated leader gives up his or her formal role, transforming the group into a loose collection of individuals.
Servant Leadership:
A style based on the idea that a leader's job is mostly to recruit outstanding team members and provide the support they need to do a good job.
Leadership Grid:
A two-dimensional model that identifies leadership styles as a combination of concern for people and for the task at hand.
Transformational Leaders:
Defined by their devotion to help a team fulfill an important mission.
Emergent Leader:
A member who assumes leadership roles without being appointed by higher-ups.
Example From Text:
There's a diagram that shows why you shouldn't do it yourself. Things like, "Trying to do everything yourself can slow down the process".
Personal Example:
I used to end up doing it all myself a lot in high school and I used a lot of the phrases they listed, but now that I see the counterargument, I wish I wouldn't have done it all myself.
Followership and Communication
Power:
The ability to influence others' thoughts and/or actions.
Legitimate Power:
The ability to influence a group owing to one's position in a group.
Nominal Leader:
The person who is identified by titles as the leader of a group.
Expert Power:
The ability to influence others by virtue of one's perceived expertise on the subject in question.
Connection Power:
The influence granted by virtue of a member's ability to develop relationships that help the group reach its goal.
Reward Power:
The ability to influence others by the granting or promising of desirable consequences.
Coercive Power:
The power to influence others by the treat or imposition of unpleasant consequences.
Referent Power:
The ability to influence others by virtue of the degree to which one is liked or respected.
Example From Text:
There's a list of types of followers and bystanders are people who hang in the back and don't really play an active role.
Personal Example:
I am defiantly not a bystander, but most of my friends are. I try my best to get them out of the corner and into the light at least just once.
Question One:
I was surprised by how many types of leadership there were, along with types of powers, norms, rules, and networks. A lot more complex than I thought.
Question Two:
I was bothered by how much control a person has within a group. One person is all it takes to make or break a group. Not necessarily the product, but the dynamic.
Question Three:
I want to learn more about the different kinds of networks. I would like to experiment and see what works best for me.