CHAPTER
10
Fundamentals of
Group Communication
Chapter Objectives
1. Understand why groups are important in business.
2. Identify the characteristics of an effective group.
3. Recognize the factors that contribute to or hinder
group communication.
4. Improve your participation in groups.
5. Understand the function and types of group
leadership.
6. Evaluate the role of special groups in business.
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What is a Group?
1.
Participants know each other by name/role.
2.
Considerable amount of interaction among the
participants.
3.
Each participant has some degree of influence on each
of the other members.
4.
Each participant defines him/herself as a member of
the group and is also defined by outsiders as a
member.
5.
The participants share some common goal, interest, or
benefit by holding membership in the group.
6.
There is leadership.
Copyright © 2008 Allyn & Bacon
Copyright © 2008 Allyn & Bacon
Factors Influencing
Group Communication
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Cohesiveness

The degree to which a group hangs
together.

Highly cohesive groups are much more
likely to meet challenges successfully and
overcome obstacles than are groups that
have low cohesiveness.
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Norms
Recurring patterns that define acceptable
behavior.
 Examples:

 There
is no such thing as a stupid comment.
 Being on time for meetings is required.
 Listening with an open mind is encouraged.
 Negative criticism of another person is
unacceptable.
 Taking risks with ideas is encouraged.
 Meetings are “strictly business.”
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Role


Behavior or expectation for behavior within a
group.
Types:
 Task
Roles: Performed to achieve the goals of the
group and to facilitate participation and decisionmaking (e.g., Information Agent, Elaborator, Initiator).
 Personal Roles: Enacted for the purpose of initiating,
developing, or managing interpersonal relationships
among group members (e.g., Harmonizer,
Gatekeeper, Sensor).
 Problem Roles: Attempt to satisfy individual vs. group
needs (e.g., Blocker, Recognition Seeker, Digressor).
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Conformity

Agreement with or
correspondence to a
set of ideas, rules, or
principles.

Reasons for
conformity:

Conformity and group
functioning:
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Groupthink

The tendency of group members to seek
agreement solely for agreement’s sake.

Causes: Being out of touch, out of order,
overruled, and/or out of resources.

Symptoms: Perception of omnipotence,
closed-mindedness, pressure toward
uniformity.

Minimizing Groupthink: Use critical
evaluation to question group decisions.
Copyright © 2008 Allyn & Bacon
Copyright © 2008 Allyn & Bacon
Advocacy
Presentation of competing views on a
controversial issue.
 Devil’s Advocate

 The
group member who introduces dissent
into decision-make processes.

Dialectical Inquiry
 An
advocate who opposes a prevailing
opinion—like the Devil’s Advocate—but goes
one step further by proposing another opinion
or plan of action.
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Conflict

Conflict does NOT
signal that a meeting
is disorderly, raucous,
or rude.

It is a sign that people
are actively
discussing issues.
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Groups as Systems

Systems Theory: Refers to
interdependency, or how various parts are
related to each other; if one part changes
the other parts are also affected.
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Leader

The member of a
group who speaks the
most, speaks the
most to the group as
a whole, is spoken to
the most, and directs
communication in the
group to productive
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Group Leadership

Trait Approach: Presumes leaders exhibit
different traits/qualities than non-leaders.

Leadership Style: The behaviors that leaders
use when interacting with group members.

Situational Leadership: Involves adapting
behaviors to the situation at hand rather than
relying on one “best” style in all situations.

Functional Leadership: When groups rise to an
occasion and perform needed leadership
functions.
Copyright © 2008 Allyn & Bacon
Copyright © 2008 Allyn & Bacon
Factors Affecting Group Participation

Approachability: Being open to ideas/opinions.

Commitment: Willingness to care personally for
the group and its members.

Participation/Decision-Making Styles:
 Authoritarian:
Leader hands down a decision to the
group.
 Laissez-Faire:
 Participative:
Minimal involvement by the leader.
Leader makes decisions with the group.
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Teleconferences & Videoconferences

Quality Circles
 Groups
of employees who meet on a regular basis
during work time to improve quality control and job
methods.

Self-Managing Teams
 Small
groups of employees who share the
responsibility for a significant task.

Affinity Group
 Consists
of 8-12 members in a sponsoring
organization that meet on a regular basis to exchange
information, ideas, opinions, and experiences on a
variety of issues in a safe and supportive atmosphere,
resulting in personal/professional growth.
Copyright © 2008 Allyn & Bacon
Copyright © 2008 Allyn & Bacon