Hirokawa et al. Part III: Organization of Groups By Sherri L. Ter Molen

Thinking & Learning! Remember the kid in the movie, The Sixth Sense or the kid in Little Man Tate? Imagine knowing things that others don’t know or seeing things that others don’t see. This week, we’re delving into more detail about the organization of groups. If you soak up this stuff, you may be able to leverage this knowledge to help you be a successful team member or team leader! Who doesn’t want to be successful? Yeah, that’s what I thought. 1

Learning Objectives To recognize various models of group development and decision-making To understand the phases that occur within these processes To explain the lifecycles of groups 2

Models, Phases, & Other Stuff That Just Sounds Boring I’m the instructor. I love Communication. Yet when I look at words like “models” or “phases,” I just don’t get that excited. Well if this is going to put us all to sleep, we might as well turn it into a bedtime story! 3

Once upon a time… 4 …there were two main streams of research. The first dealt with group dynamics, & the second examined the phases of group development.

…smart people realized that this research was a joke. Okay, they really didn’t use the word “joke.” Whatever. One day… 5

One of these smart people… 6 ..was Connie J. G. Gersick. She developed a new model. She named it the “punctuated equilibrium model!”

Basically… 7 ...this model says that groups decide how to do things the very first time they meet. Groups follow the same patterns for about half their lifetimes.

But at the half way mark… 8 …groups change the way they do things because they learn a few things along the way. Groups make good choices & bad ones too. They have to live with these choices.

Isn’t that interesting? 9 The End

Is this a better story? 10 Once upon a time, an instructor tried to make the punctuated equilibrium model interesting. She failed. Her students formed a posse, captured her, & forced her to watch American television! Aarrgghh! The end.

Okay, but can you see it working? There are several “Implications for Action” of the punctuated equilibrium model that are discussed on pp. 72-73. What are they? Can you recognize these implications in your clubs, service groups, bands, sports teams, etc? 11

Not a fan of the punctuated equilibrium model? Then maybe you’ll like this one better. It’s the… 12 Multiple Sequence Model of Group Development You’ve got to admit the tiger makes it cute!

What is it? The multiple sequence model of group development is… 13

What is it? There are three activity types in this model. They are… 14

Can you see it working? There are several advantages discussed on pp. 80-81. They are: The model provides greater accuracy than previous models. The model allows for researchers to observe more activities and in greater combinations. The model allows researchers to apply more weight to some breakpoints over others. 15

Can you see it working? In your reggae bands, lacrosse teams, & 4H groups, what kinds of breakpoints have you observed? Do you think all breakpoints are equal, or do you think this model is correct in attributing more weight to some breakpoints over others? 16 What is a breakpoint? Find out on p. 80!

What can you do with this information? 17 I bet someone understood how groups form & evolve in these circumstances. Top 25 Most Successful Non-Profit Organizations in the World http://www.mastersinnonprofitmanagement.com/top-25-most-successful-non-profit-organizations-in-the-world.html NFL Super Bowl Rings - Historic List of Winning Teams http://gmagoldie.hubpages.com/hub/NFL-Super-Bowl-Rings Have a good week!