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Chapter5BecomingaGroup.pptxBecoming a Group
Chapter 5
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
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How Communication Structures the Small Group
Challenges in Group Development
Group Socialization of Members
Group Roles
Rules and Norms
Development of a Group’s Climate
Ethical Behavior during Group Formation
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
How Communication Structures the Small Group
Group communication creates, maintains, and continually recreates a group’s norms is called structuration
Three important assumptions from the theory:
Group members do not have clean slate
Not required to follow rules of behavior
Group is constantly being recreated
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Challenges in Group Development
Group’s must manage task and socioemotional tensions simultaneously
At the beginning socioemotional is important
Even so, members must still attend to the task at this time
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Challenges in Group Development
A Group’s Major Functions
First issue is managing social tensions, which involves the task and the relationship among members
Task concerns revolved around the charge of the group, while socioemotional concerns revolve around creating and maintaining harmonious relationships among group members.
Task and socioemotional concerns surface at predictable periods in a group’s life cycle. Initially socioemotional concerns are of importance as members get to know one another, but at the same time they are managing their task
Groups never stop dealing with these two main functions
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Challenges in Group Development
Groups experience three types of tensions
Primary tensions arise as members work out their relationships and roles
Secondary tensions stem from differing opinions about the work
Tertiary tensions stem from power struggle
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Primary tension defined: Anxiety arising early in a group’s formation, as members work out their relationships and roles
Secondary tension defined: Task-related tension that stems from differing opinions about the substantive work of the group
Tertiary tension defined: Tension that stems from power and status struggles in a group
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Challenges in Group Development
Groups can manage these tensions in a variety of ways
Primary tension is easier to navigate when people know each other
Primary and secondary tension will minimize as people share they knowledge of the problem
Secondary and tertiary tension can be managed by tolerance for disagreement
Secondary and tertiary tension can be managed by humor
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Social tension must be managed effectively
Groups can move through primary tension stage quickly if they are not strangers
Primary and secondary tension can be lowered if group members are willing to share what they know about the problem
Secondary and tertiary tensions can be reduced if there is a group climate of tolerance for different opinions
Humor can be an effective way to manage secondary and tertiary tensions
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Challenges in Group Development
Groups undergo phases of development
Tuckman’s Model of Group Development: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning
Gersick’s Two-Phase Model: groups must manage periods of stability and change within their system
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Tuckman’s Model of Group Development
Forming phase defined: Phase where members begin to both form initial impressions of other group members and get a handle on the task requirements of the group.
Storming phase defined: Phase where group members start tackling the group important issues and where strong feelings to begin to surface.
Norming phase defined: Phase where member have worked through their initial conflicts, learn to appreciate the skills and abilities of their fellow group members, and begin to feel that they are part of a group.
Performing phase defined: Phase where group members are able to work smoothly and effectively. However, not all groups reach this phase. The groups that do reach the performing stage have become interdependent, shift responsibilities appropriately, and group identification is high.
Adjourning phase defined: A phase later added to the model, is the phase where the group completes its task and the group members prepare to disband.
Gersick’s Model of Punctuated Equilibrium
This model explains the often non-linear patterns group exhibit as they move through their phases (e.g., back and forth between stasis change).
Regardless of how long a group has to complete its task major changes will occur at midpoint in the group’s life.
Prior to midpoint the groups identifies charge and methods of approaching the task
At the midway point groups realize their time frame is nearly over breaks from routine to assess progress – then the group continued its work.
Successful groups made constructive adjustments
Unsuccessful teams made no adjustments
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Group Socialization of Members
Group socialization is the process by which new and/or established members learn to fit together through communication
Adapting occurs through communication
Socialization requires individual and group goal balance
Socialization is an ongoing process
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Group Socialization of Members
Five typical stages of socialization
Antecedent – Right before groups form
Anticipatory – Expectations of members
Encounter – Expectations/Reality Clash
Assimilation – Adjustment
Exit – End of project
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Stages of Group Socialization
Antecedent stage defined: Stage in group socialization during which members bring previous group experiences, attitudes, beliefs, motives, and communication traits to the process
Anticipatory stage defined: Stage in group socialization describing individual and group initial expectations of each other
Encounter stage defined: Stage in group socialization in which members’ expectations meet with reality as members adjust and fit with each other
Assimilation stage defined: Stage in group socialization in which group members show full integration
Exit stage defined: Stage in group socialization in which individuals leave a group or entire group disband
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Group Roles
A role is the part a member plays in a group
Two main types of roles: positional (formal) and behavioral (informal)
The main behavioral roles are:
Task
Maintenance
Individual
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Role Functions in a Small Group
Task Roles contribute directly to the accomplishment of the group’s task
Maintenance Roles help the group maintain harmonious relationships and a cohesive interpersonal climate
Individual Roles consist of self-centered behaviors
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Group Roles
Roles emerge through group member communication
Specific roles are unique to the group in which you are participating
Role demands in one group may conflict with other groups
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The Emergence of Roles in a Group
Each group of which you are a part will requires you to play a different roles
Groups bring different combinations of skills and personality characteristics
The advent of technology may impact role creation, for example, people who are more skilled with technology may develop a more leadership role than before
Managing Group Roles
As the Bona Fide Group Perspective mentions, we are often a member of many groups simultaneously and some of your roles within these group will clash
Members must segment or integrate their membership to manage these clashes
In segmenting, you make clear limits of your involvement in the group
In integrating, boundaries are less defined and you might try to manage both roles
Because the group constantly re-creates itself, roles will constantly change
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Rules and Norms
Rules are formal, explicit standards of behavior and procedures by which a group operates
Norms or informal, implicit standards of behavior and procedures by which members operate
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Rules and Norms
Norms develop in four main ways:
Primacy – First dictates
Explicitly – Clearly articulated
Critical Events – Things that happen
Cultural – Given the context
Group members encourage deviants to conform to norms verbally and nonverbally
Groups should change unproductive norms
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Development of Group Norms
Primacy is important to norm development WHAT FIRST HAPPENS BECOMES NORM
Explicit remarks by a leader or group member may emerge into a norm
Critical events may play a role in norm development
Many group norms are taken from the large culture of the members
Enforcement of Group Norms
The most obvious indicator of a norm is a behavior that is punished by peer pressure.
Deviants defined: Members who consistently violate group norms
Groups will try to pressure the deviant to conform
Deviants are can be useful to effective functioning of the group
Changing a Group Norm
Changing a norm is not always easy
One way to change a norm is to bring the group’s attention to the norm and the negative effect it has on the group.
Allow the group to come up with ideas on how to change the norm rather than imposing your own ideas.
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Development of a Group’s Climate
A group’s climate is the psychological atmosphere or environment within a group
To achieve positive climates
Trust – reliance on one another
Cohesiveness – bonds of attachment
Guard against Groupthink, which is the tendency of cohesive groups to not critically analyze information
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Group climate defined: The psychological atmosphere or environment within a group
Many dimensions are involved in creating the group’s climate
Trust defined: General belief that members can rely on each other
Hidden agenda defined: An unstated private goal a member wants to achieve through a group
Trust evolves over the life span of the group
Components of task and interpersonal trust emerge at different times
Cohesiveness defined: The bonds of attachment members have for each other and the consequences of groupthink
There are two types of cohesiveness, task and social. In highly task cohesive groups members are committed to project completion, in contrast, highly socially cohesive groups like to spend time with one another
Highly cohesive groups must guard against “groupthink” or the tendency not to examine critically all aspects of a decision or a problem.
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Development of a Group’s Climate
To achieve positive climates
Support – group members respect and encourage one another
| Defensive and Supportive Behaviors | |
| Defensive | Supportive |
| Evaluation | Description |
| Control | Problem orientation |
| Strategy | Spontaneity |
| Neutrality | Empathy |
| Superiority | Equality |
| Certainty | Provisionalism |
Table 5.5 Page 115
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Supportiveness (and defensiveness)
In a supportive climate, members encourage each other, care about each other and treat each other with respect
In a defensive climate, members try to control, manipulate, and criticize each other.
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Ethical Behavior during Group Formation
Communicate to develop a supportive climate
Do not tolerate disrespectful communication
Encourage divergent opinions
Express ideas, especially when they counter others’
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Ethical Behavior During Group formation
Group members should communicate in ways that help establish a supportive climate.
Communication that degrades other members must not be tolerated.
Freedom of expression, diversity of perspective, and tolerance of disagreement must be encouraged.
Members must be willing to express their genuine personal convictions, even if this requires courage to disagree with other members.
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Summary
How Communication Structures the Small Group
Challenges in Group Development
Group Socialization of Members
Group Roles
Rules and Norms
Development of a Group’s Climate
Ethical Behavior during Group Formation
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
