In Mixed Company Communicating in Small Groups and Teams

by Rothwell, J. Dan

• ISBN13: 9780495007265
• ISBN10: 0495007269
• Edition: 6th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-01-23
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing

Summary

IN MIXED COMPANY: COMMUNICATING IN SMALL GROUPS AND TEAMS, the author uses the central unifying theme of cooperation and a communication competence model to guide discussions of key small group concepts and processes. Visually appealing and practical, this text will help you succeed in your small groups course.

Table of Contents

Preface	xix
Communication Competence in Groups	1	(36)
Myths about Communication	4	(4)
Myth 1: Communication Is a Panacea	4	(1)
Myth 2: Communication Can Break Down	5	(1)
Myth 3: Effective Communication Is Merely Skill Building	5	(1)
Myth 4: Effective Communication Is Just Common Sense	6	(2)
Communication Defined	8	(8)
Communication as Transactional: The Four-Legged Perspective	8	(2)
Communication as a Process: The Continuous Flow	10	(1)
Communication as Sharing Meaning: Making Sense	10	(1)
Verbal Communication: Telling It Like It Isn't	11	(2)
Nonverbal Communication: Wordless Meaning	13	(2)
Verbal and Nonverbal Interconnectedness: Joined at the Hip	15	(1)
Context: The Communication Environment	15	(1)
Communication Competence	16	(8)
Effectiveness: Achieving Goals	17	(1)
A Matter of Degree: From Deficiency to Proficiency	17	(1)
We (Not Me) Oriented: Primacy of Groups	17	(1)
Focus on Culture: Individualism versus Collectivism: A Basic Cultural Difference	18	(5)
Appropriateness: Following the Rules	23	(1)
Achieving Communication Competence	24	(8)
Knowledge: Learning the Rules	25	(1)
Skills: Showing, Not Just Knowing	26	(1)
Sensitivity: Receptive Accuracy	27	(1)
Commitment: A Passion for Excellence	27	(1)
Ethics: The Right and Wrong of Communication	28	(2)
Focus on Gender: Gender and Communication Competence	30	(2)
Definition of a Group	32	(5)
Groups: More Than People Standing at a Bus Stop	32	(2)
Interpersonal Communication and Public Speaking: Ungroups	34	(3)
Groups as Systems	37	(31)
Interconnectedness of Parts	40	(10)
Ripple Effect: A Chain Reaction	40	(3)
Closer Look: Dealing with Difficult Group Members	43	(3)
Synergy: One Plus One Equals a Ton	46	(1)
Negative Synergy: Results beyond Bad	47	(3)
Adaptability to Change	50	(10)
Dynamic Equilibrium: Managing Stability and Change	50	(1)
Boundary Control: Regulating Input	51	(1)
Methods of Boundary Control: Erecting Barriers	52	(1)
Physical Barriers: Protecting Group Space	52	(1)
Psychological Barriers: Member in Name Only	52	(1)
Linguistic Barriers: Having to Speak the Language	52	(1)
Rules: Permission Not Granted	53	(1)
Closer Look: Cult Boundary Control: Bound and Gagged	54	(1)
Roles: Staying in Bounds	54	(2)
Networks: Controlling Information Flow	56	(2)
Boundary Control and Group Effectiveness: Open and Closed Systems	58	(2)
Influence of Size	60	(8)
Group Size and Complexity	60	(1)
Quantitative Complexity: Exponentially Complicated	60	(1)
Complexity and Group Transactions: Size Matters	61	(2)
An Organization: A Group of Groups	63	(5)
Group Development	68	(40)
Primary Dimensions of Groups	71	(3)
Task and Social Dimensions: Working and Socializing	71	(1)
Building Cohesiveness: Bringing Us Together	72	(1)
Closer Look: The Case of ``Hormones with Feet''	73	(1)
Periodic Phases of Group Development	74	(29)
Forming: Why We Join Groups	75	(1)
Need to Belong: No One's an Island	75	(1)
Interpersonal Attraction: The Drawing Power of Others	75	(1)
Attraction to Group Activities: Joining for Fun and Frolic	75	(1)
Attraction to Group Goals: A Purpose-Driven Membership	76	(1)
Establishment of Meaning and Identity: Groups-R-Us	76	(1)
Fulfillment of Unrelated Needs: Our Miscellaneous Reasons	76	(1)
Storming: Feeling the Tension	77	(1)
Primary Tension: Initial Uneasiness	77	(1)
Secondary Tension: Later Stress and Strain	78	(2)
Norming: Regulating the Group	80	(1)
Types of Norms: Explicit and Implicit	80	(1)
Purpose and Sources of Norms: Achieving Group Goals	81	(1)
Degree of Conformity: Strength of Group Pressure	82	(2)
Why We Conform: Fitting In	84	(1)
Conditions for Conformity: When We Bow to Pressure	84	(1)
Closer Look: High School Cliques: A Lesson in Conformity	85	(2)
Closer Look: Hazing Rituals: From Water Torture to Liver Swallowing	87	(3)
Addressing Nonconformity: When Groups Get Tough	90	(3)
Performing: Group Output	93	(1)
Motivation to Perform: Social Loafing and Social Compensation	94	(2)
When Groups Outperform Individuals: Three Heads Are Better Than One	96	(2)
When Individuals Outperform Groups: No Magic in Groups	98	(2)
Risk-Taking and Polarization: From Gambling to Guarded	100	(3)
Newcomers and Group Development	103	(5)
Nature of the Group: The Challenge of Acceptance	103	(1)
Newcomer Strategies: Gaining Acceptance	104	(1)
Focus on Gender/Ethnicity: Member Diversity and Group Development	105	(3)
Developing the Group Climate	108	(30)
Competition and Cooperation	110	(14)
Definitions: Conceptual Clarity	110	(1)
Competition: Winners Take All	110	(1)
Cooperation: Winners All	111	(1)
Individual Achievement: Going It Alone	111	(1)
Hypercompetitiveness: Winning Is Everything	112	(1)
Constructive Competition: Tempering the Need to Win	113	(1)
Focus on Gender: Gender and Hypercompetitiveness	114	(1)
Necessary Conditions: A Trinity	114	(4)
Competition and Communication Competence: Can Me Be We?	118	(1)
Intragroup Competition and Cooperation: Challenging Orthodoxy	119	(1)
Group Productivity: Achievement and Performance on Tasks	119	(1)
Group Cohesiveness: Social Relationships among Group Members	120	(1)
Intergroup Competition and Cooperation: Them versus Us	120	(2)
Focus on Culture: Competition and Culture	122	(2)
Communication and Group Climate	124	(14)
Defensive and Supportive Communication: Shaping Group Climate	124	(1)
Evaluation versus Description	124	(4)
Control versus Problem Orientation	128	(1)
Manipulation versus Assertiveness	129	(1)
Indifference versus Empathy	130	(1)
Superiority versus Equality	131	(1)
Certainty versus Provisionalism	131	(2)
Reciprocal Patterns: Like Begets Like	133	(1)
Competitive and Noncompetitive Listening: Shifting and Supporting	133	(1)
Shift Response versus Support Response: Focusing on Me or Thee	134	(1)
Competitive Interrupting: Seizing the Floor	135	(1)
Ambushing: Preparing Rebuttals	135	(3)
Roles and Leadership in Groups	138	(38)
Group Roles	140	(10)
Influence of Roles: Not Just Playing Games	140	(1)
Role Reversal: When Students Become Teachers	140	(1)
Closer Look: The Stanford Prison Study	141	(3)
Role Conflict: Torn between Two Roles	144	(1)
Types of Roles: Formal and Informal	145	(3)
Role Emergence: Springing to Life	148	(1)
Group Endorsement: Accepting a Bid	148	(1)
Role Specialization: Settling into One's Role	149	(1)
Role Fixation: Stuck Playing One Part	149	(1)
Leadership	150	(26)
Definition of Leadership: An Evolving Consensus	151	(1)
Leadership and Influence: A Two-Way Process	151	(1)
Leadership and Followership: It Takes Two to Tango	151	(1)
Leader versus Manager: Interpersonal versus Positional Influence	152	(1)
Leadership and Communication: Duct-Taped Together	153	(1)
Gaining and Retaining Leadership: Getting There Is Just the Start	154	(1)
How Not to Become a Leader: Thou Shalt Not	154	(1)
General Pattern of Leader Emergence: Process of Elimination	155	(2)
Retaining the Leader Role: Hanging onto Power	157	(1)
Focus on Gender/Ethnicity: Gender and Ethnic Bias in Leader Emergence	158	(4)
Perspectives on Effective Leadership: An Evolving View	162	(1)
Traits Perspective: The Born Leader View	163	(2)
Styles Perspective: One Style Doesn't Fit All	165	(1)
Situational (Contingency) Perspective: Matching Styles with Circumstances	166	(3)
Functional Perspective: Leadership Responsibilities	169	(2)
Culture and Leadership: Are Leadership Theories Universal?	171	(1)
Closer Look: ``Chainsaw Al'' and the Ethics of Leadership	172	(4)
Developing Effective Teams	176	(34)
How Teams Differ from Groups	179	(3)
Level of Cooperation: The Working Together Imperative	179	(2)
Diversity of Skills: Looking for Complementarity	181	(1)
Group Identity: Operating as a Unit	181	(1)
Time and Resources: Commitment to the Team	181	(1)
Team Members	182	(5)
Team Slayers: Members' Bad Attitudes	183	(1)
Egocentrism: Me-Deep in Omnipotence	183	(1)
Cynicism: Can't-Do Attitude	184	(1)
Team Member Removal: Purging the Rotten Egg	184	(1)
Team Builders: Choosing and Developing Team Members	185	(1)
Experience and Problem-Solving Abilities: Core Competencies	185	(1)
Cultural Diversity: Members with Different Perspectives	185	(1)
Communication Training: Developing Members' Competence	186	(1)
Building Teamwork	187	(18)
Developing Goals: The Four C's	187	(1)
Clear Goals: Everyone on the Same Page	187	(1)
Cooperative Goals: Interdependent Challenges	188	(1)
Challenging Goals: Denting the Universe	189	(1)
Closer Look: The U.S. Women's Olympic Basketball Team	190	(1)
Commitment to Goals: A Passion to Succeed	191	(1)
Developing a Team Identity: Unifying Members	192	(1)
Symbolic Convergence: Developing Fantasy Themes	192	(1)
Solidarity Symbols: Unifying with Uniforms	193	(1)
Team Talk: The Language of We	193	(2)
Designating Clear, Appropriate Roles: Room for One Quarterback	195	(1)
Appropriate Roles for Team Members: Choosing Wisely	196	(1)
Formal Role Designations: Spreading Responsibility	196	(2)
Structuring Team Empowerment: Enhancing Members' Capabilities	198	(1)
Definition of Empowerment: Four Dimensions	198	(1)
Hierarchical Organizations: The Enemy of Empowerment	199	(1)
Quality Circles: Lame First Attempt	199	(1)
Self-Managing Work Teams: The IDEO Model	200	(1)
Impediments to Team Empowerment: No Buy In	201	(1)
Closer Look: IDEO and Team Empowerment	202	(2)
Establishing Individual Accountability: Minimum Standards	204	(1)
Competent Team Leadership	205	(5)
Foster Participative Leadership: Nurturing Empowerment	205	(1)
Insist on a Cooperative Climate: Jerks Need Not Apply	206	(1)
Structure Decision Making and Problem Solving: Using a Plan	207	(3)
Group Discussion: Defective Group Decision Making and Problem Solving	210	(38)
Information Overload: Too Much of a Good Thing	213	(6)
Scope of the Problem: The Information Avalanche	213	(1)
Consequences: The Downside of Information	214	(1)
Impairs Critical Thinking: Separating Wheat from Chaff	214	(1)
Indecisiveness: Conclusion Irresolution	215	(1)
Information Bulimia: Binging and Purging	215	(1)
Group Attention Deficit Disorder: Difficulty Concentrating	215	(1)
Coping with Information Overload: Wrestling the Beast	215	(1)
Closer Look: Technology and the Bias of Speed	216	(1)
Screening Information: Separating the Useful from the Useless	216	(1)
Shutting Off Technology: Hitting the Off Switch	217	(1)
Specializing: Knowing More and More about Less and Less	217	(1)
Becoming Selective: On a Need-to-Know Basis	218	(1)
Limiting the Search: When Enough Is Enough	218	(1)
Narrowing the Search: Databases and Patterns	219	(1)
Information Underload: Poor Sharing	219	(2)
Mindsets: Critical Thinking Frozen Solid	221	(4)
Confirmation Bias: One-Sided Information Searches	221	(1)
The Problem: Poor Decisions and Solutions	221	(2)
Combating Confirmation Bias: A Plan	223	(1)
False Dichotomies: Either-Or Thinking	224	(1)
Collective Inferential Error: Uncritical Thinking	225	(13)
Prevalence of the Problem: It's a Group Thing	226	(1)
General Sources of Inferential Errors: Quality and Quantity	227	(1)
Faulty Information Base: The Problem of Misinformation	227	(3)
Limited Information Base: Information Insufficiency	230	(1)
Closer Look: The Blandina Chiapponi Case	231	(1)
Specific Sources of Inferential Errors	232	(1)
Vividness: The Grim, Grisly, and Graphic	232	(3)
Unrepresentativeness: Distorting the Facts	235	(1)
Correlation Inferred as Causation: Covariation	236	(1)
Error Correction: Practicing Critical Thinking	237	(1)
Groupthink: Critical Thinking in Suspended Animation	238	(10)
General Conditions: Excessive Cohesiveness and Concurrence Seeking	239	(1)
Identification of Groupthink: Main Symptoms	240	(1)
Overestimation of the Group's Power and Morality: Arrogance	240	(1)
Closed-Mindedness: Clinging to Assumptions	241	(1)
Pressures toward Uniformity: Presenting a United Front	241	(2)
Preventing Groupthink: Promoting Vigilance	243	(5)
Group Discussion: Effective Decision Making and Problem Solving	248	(43)
Discussion Procedures	251	(16)
Phases and Functions: General Considerations	251	(1)
Multiple Sequence Model: Phases of Decision Making	251	(1)
Functional Perspective: Being Systematic	252	(1)
The Standard Agenda: Structuring Group Discussion	252	(1)
Problem Identification: What's the Question?	253	(1)
Problem Analysis: Causes and Effects	253	(1)
Solution Criteria: Setting Standards	254	(1)
Solution Suggestions: Generating Alternatives	255	(1)
Solution Evaluation and Selection: Deciding by Criteria	255	(1)
Solution Implementation: Follow-through	256	(2)
Closer Look: Murphy's Law	258	(2)
Group Decision-Making Rules: Majority, Minority, Unanimity	260	(1)
Majority Rule: Tyrannical or Practical	260	(2)
Minority Rule: Several Types	262	(1)
Unanimity Rule: Consensus	263	(1)
Focus on Culture: Japan's Nuclear Emergency and Consensus Decision Making	264	(3)
Participation	267	(2)
Cultural Diversity and Participation: Is Silence Golden?	267	(1)
Increasing Constructive Participation: Jump-Starting Low-Participators	268	(1)
Conducting Effective Meetings	269	(3)
Group Meetings: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly	269	(1)
Chair's Responsibilities: Controlling the Meeting Monster	270	(2)
Critical Thinking and Effective Decision Making	272	(7)
Gathering Information: Accumulating Input	273	(1)
Evaluating Information: Applying Criteria	274	(1)
Credibility: Is It Believable?	274	(1)
Currency: Is It Up-to-Date?	275	(1)
Relevance: Looking for Logical Connections	275	(1)
Representativeness: Reflecting the Facts	275	(1)
Closer Look: The Internet: Resource for Information and Misinformation	276	(2)
Sufficiency: When Enough Really Is Enough	278	(1)
Creative Problem Solving	279	(12)
General Overview	279	(1)
Specific Creative Techniques	280	(1)
Brainstorming and Nominal Group Techniques: Generating Lots of Ideas	280	(4)
Framing/Reframing: It's All in the Wording	284	(2)
Integrative Problem Solving: Satisfying Everyone	286	(5)
Power in Groups: A Central Dynamic	291	(46)
Power Defined	294	(2)
The Nature of Power: No One Is Powerless	294	(1)
Forms of Power: Competition and Cooperation Revisited	295	(1)
Indicators of Power	296	(5)
General Indicators: Labeling, Following, and Opposing	297	(1)
Verbal Indicators: Powerless and Powerful Speech	297	(1)
Focus on Gender/Culture: Powerful Language Differences	298	(2)
Nonverbal Indicators: Silent Power	300	(1)
Power Resources	301	(12)
Information: Restricted or Scarce	302	(1)
Expertise: Knowing and Showing	303	(2)
Rewards and Punishments: Carrots and Sticks	305	(3)
Personal Qualities: A Powerful Presence	308	(1)
Legitimate Authority: You Will Obey	309	(1)
Closer Look: The Milgram Studies	310	(3)
Effects of Power Imbalances	313	(2)
Physical Violence and Aggression: Waging Power Struggles	314	(1)
Verbal and Nonverbal Contempt: Insulting Others	315	(1)
Addressing Power Imbalances	315	(22)
Focus on Culture: Power Distance and Cultural Differences	316	(2)
Compliance: Group Power	318	(1)
Alliance: Coalition Formation	319	(1)
Resistance: Dragging Your Feet	320	(1)
Strategic Stupidity: Smart Members Acting Dense	320	(1)
Loss of Motor Function: Attack of the Clumsies	321	(1)
The Misunderstanding Mirage: Feigning Confusion	322	(1)
Selective Amnesia: Forgetting the Distasteful	322	(1)
Tactical Tardiness: Not So Grand an Entrance	323	(1)
Purposeful Procrastination: Intentional Delaying Tactic	323	(2)
Defiance: Digging in Your Heels	325	(1)
Threat of Contagion: Spreading Dissension	325	(1)
Variable Group Reaction: Discriminative Defiance	326	(1)
Defiant Member's Influence: Alone against the Group	327	(1)
Significance: Self-Empowerment	328	(1)
Assertiveness: Neither Doormat nor Foot Wiper	328	(3)
Increasing Personal Power Resources: Mentoring and Networking	331	(6)
Conflict Management in Groups	337	(33)
Definition of Conflict	340	(2)
General Definition: Interconnectedness, Incompatibility, and Interference	340	(1)
Destructive and Constructive Conflict: It's All in the Communication	341	(1)
Styles of Conflict Management	342	(7)
Collaborating: Problem Solving	343	(1)
Confrontation: Addressing the Problem	343	(1)
Integration: Seeking Joint Gains	344	(1)
Smoothing: Calming Troubled Waters	344	(1)
Accommodating: Yielding	344	(1)
Compromising: Halving the Loaf	345	(1)
Avoiding: Withdrawing	345	(1)
Competing: Power-Forcing	346	(1)
Comparing Styles: Likelihood of Success	347	(2)
Situational Factors	349	(8)
Types of Conflict: Task, Relationship, and Value	349	(1)
Task Conflict: Routine or Nonroutine	349	(1)
Relationship Conflict: It's Personal	350	(1)
Interconnectedness of Task and Relationship Conflict: A Critical Concern	350	(1)
Values Conflict: Deeply Felt Struggles	351	(1)
Closer Look: Kill Radio Conflict Case Study	352	(3)
Culture and Conflict: Stylistic Differences	355	(2)
Negotiating Strategies	357	(7)
Tit for Tat: Do unto Others	357	(1)
Reformed Sinner: Spreading Redemption	358	(1)
Positional Bargaining: Hard and Soft Negotiating	359	(1)
Principled Negotiation: Interest-Based Bargaining	360	(1)
The Four Principles: Appropriate Rules	360	(2)
Remaining Unconditionally Constructive: Sound Judgment	362	(1)
The BATNA: Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement	363	(1)
Anger Management	364	(6)
Constructive and Destructive Anger: Intensity and Duration	364	(1)
Managing Your Own Anger: Taking Control	365	(1)
Managing the Anger of Others: Communication Jujitsu	366	(4)
Technology and Virtual Groups	370	(22)
Technological Group Options	372	(3)
Text-Messaging: Typing Gone High-Tech	372	(1)
Audioconferences: Voice-Only Technology	373	(1)
Videoconferences: Sight and Sound	373	(2)
Benefits and Challenges of Virtual Groups	375	(8)
Time and Space: The Death of Distance	375	(1)
Decision Making: Quality of the Output	375	(2)
Social Relationships: Developing Personal Connections	377	(1)
Power Distance: Prominence of Status Cues	377	(1)
Conflict: Constructive and Destructive	378	(2)
Member Participation: Motivation to Perform	380	(1)
Social Anxiety: Reticence to Participate	380	(1)
Social Loafing: Virtually Unproductive	380	(2)
Conversational Documentation: Transactional Transcripts	382	(1)
Virtual Group Effectiveness	383	(9)
General Factors: Getting Set for Success	383	(1)
Temporality: Long-Term versus Short-Term Virtual Groups	383	(1)
Media Richness: The Lean and Meaty Theory	384	(1)
Media Synchronicity: Extending MRT	385	(1)
Specific Suggestions: Tentative Advice	386	(1)
Choosing Media: Richness and Synchronicity	386	(2)
Closer Look: ComCorp Case Study	388	(1)
Conducting Virtual Meetings: Special Challenges	388	(4)
Appendix A: Group Oral Presentations	392	(14)
Appendix B: Critical Thinking Revisited: Arguments and Fallacies	406	(5)
Glossary	411	(11)
References	422	(28)
Index	450