Week 3 Hirokawa et al. Part III: Organization of Groups & Part IV: Group Processes By Sherri L. Ter Molen

Thinking & Learning in Week 3! 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 groups & teams. 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 compare various models of group development and decision-making and the phases that occur within these processes To examine different types of physical workspaces and to understand that these spaces are integral in relationship development, resource allocation, and small group communication overall To understand the role of feedback and the affect of influence in small group communication 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 read People & US Weekly! 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!

17 What happens next? What happens after the groups are formed & patterns are set?

Well, it’s funny you should ask! 18 Other group processes begin to take shape, & group members negotiate for POWER! Korean food is awesome! Just FYI!

Shotgun! Have you ever called shotgun when riding in a car? Calling shotgun means that you get to sit in the front seat next to the driver. The other passengers are relegated to the back seat. What’s the big deal? Why does it matter where passengers sit in a car? 19

Spatial Relationships in Small Groups Believe it or not where you sit in any space matters. Workers in cubes might have less power than their boss who has a corner office. Sitting close to others often sparks conversations & relationships. Wow! I think I might want to sit right outside my boss’ office! Sitting close to others who have resources might also benefit me. Hmmmm! 20

This Week’s Links Think about who you are. What kind of spatial arrangement in a workplace would be best for you? Why? Think about the section entitled “Comfort” on pp. 88-90, and look at the office styles on these links. Early Office Museum Vintage Photographs of Office Interiors 1930s-1950s http://www.earlyofficemuseum.com/photo_gallery_1930s_1940s.htm Hongkiat.com -- Creative & Modern Office Designs Around the World http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/creative-modern-office-designs/ These links are also posted on D2L! 21

A Sherri Story Many years ago, I was the producer of the Grand Rapids, Michigan edition of The Bozo Show. I had access to free movie passes that we put in gift bags for the kids who appeared on the show. We had many more passes than we needed and just before they expired, I gave them away to my co-workers. I gave some to people in other departments. However, the people in my office received the most! Because we sat near each other and had developed relationships, these co-workers benefited the most from the bounty! I wasn’t a manager, but I controlled a valuable resource! That’s how spatial relationships work! 22

The Moral of the Story You might have a job you love but might hate sitting in a cube all day. Your co-worker might drive you nuts because she’s always in your cube gabbing at you. Your co-worker might get a promotion over you because the manager knows who she is because she sits right outside his door. You might never get a bagel because they’re gone by the time you trek across the entire office to get one. Your officemate might invite you to a private box at a basketball game. Spatial relationships matter! 23

Another Group Process: Feedback 24 This is Carla. She’s a news producer at a broadcast TV affiliate in Indianapolis. She’s excellent at her job; she always meets deadlines, & she’s very well respected. One reason she’s respected is that she gives great feedback. She always points out the things that her team members do well, but she’s also good at addressing the things that others could do to improve in polite, professional, & encouraging ways!

Feedback Shmeedback You might not think that feedback is important, but I ask you to reconsider. Feedback is the response that listeners/observers give to others about their performances. If we learn from feedback, we’re able to improve ourselves so that we can achieve our goals (e.g. earning a promotion)! 25

Carla’s team values her feedback. Why? 26

Carla also knows a few other important factors. There’s more to delivering feedback than having an awesome personality & reputation. The message characteristics are important too. Content (type of information) Timing (The feedback needs to occur ASAP!) Channel (f2f, written, etc.) Message Valence (whether the feedback is positive or negative) Read more about these factors on pp. 102-103! 27

What are your personal qualities? The more self-esteem you have, the easier it will be to accept negative feedback. What is your mind-set? If a customer just upset you, you might not be able to accept negative feedback right now. How tough are you? It’s pretty easy to accept a compliment, but it’s not so easy to take constructive criticism. 28 Be confident in yourself & read more on p. 103!

Giving Feedback If you’ve been in a leadership role, you know it’s just as hard to give feedback as it is to accept feedback. There is a fantastic table with recommendations for giving feedback on p. 105. Table 10.3 will not only help you become a better leader, but it will help you understand feedback when others offer it to you! 29

My way or the highway, baby! Another group process is influence. Let’s say that you want to go to Hot Doug’s, but your 3 roommates would rather stay in & order Girodano’s. Let’s also say that your roommates concede, & the 4 of you traipse on over to Hot Doug’s for rattlesnake sausages. You won! Why? How? You were outnumbered! 30

There are a few theories & models that might help us understand this scenario. Social Comparison Theory 31 Persuasive Argument Theory Distributed Valance Model Group Valance Model

Social Comparison Theory Which one is which? Group members guess where others might stand on an issue & then choose their initial positions based on these assumptions. When the group meets, members reveal their positions, & group members compare these positions. Some group members may change their positions during this stage. 32

Persuasive Argument Theory Which one is which? 33 Group members bring ideas to a meeting and assume that one of these ideas will be chosen. However, these ideas inspire a new novel idea. Group members change their initial positions and adopt the novel idea!

Distributed Valance Model Which one is which? Group members end up choosing the idea or position that elicits the most positive & the least negative comments from the largest subgroup during discussion. Majority rules! 34

Group Valance Model Which one is which? 35 Group members end up choosing the idea or position that elicits the most positive & the least negative comments from the whole group during discussion.

Well, which one is it? You’re going to have to decide for yourself. How do you think you’d be able to persuade your roommates to go to the restaurant of your choice when everyone else wants to go somewhere else? What theory or model would come into play? The ability to persuade is a valuable skill! It’s not necessarily about manipulation. It’s about getting things done! Just keep thinking! 36

It’s good advice in school & in the rest of your life too! 37 Have a good week!