Enhancing Group & Team
Performance
HCOM 100
Instructor Name
Communication Principles
Enhancing Group & Team
Performance Preview
What Effective Group Members Do
Structuring Group & Team Problem
Solving
Enhancing Group & Team Leadership
Enhancing Group & Team Meetings
Research Regarding Group &
Team Performance
Groups and teams come up with more
creative solutions to problems than a
person working along.
Working with others in groups improves
the comprehension of the ideas presented.
Group and team members are more
satisfied with the conclusions and
recommendations if they participated in
the discussion.
Groups have more available information
by tapping the experience of group
members.
Effective Group Members
Functional
Approach
– Describes the kinds
of functions that
lead to better
quality solutions
and decisions
– Vigilant thinkers
pay attention to the
process of how
problems are
solved.
Effective Group Members (Cont.)
Identify a Clear, Elevating Goal
Gather and Use Information
Effectively
– Identify the data
– Effectively communicate information
– Draw accurate conclusions
Develop Options
Evaluate Ideas
Develop Sensitivity Towards Others
Effective Group Members (cont.)
Prescriptive Approach
– Offers a sequence of steps and
techniques to help your group stay on
task and remain productive
– A structured problem is one in which
there is a single-best solution
– Structure refers to the way a group
discussion is organized
– Interaction refers to the give-and-take
discussion
Groups need a balance of
Structure and Interaction
Structuring Problem Solving
Step 1: Identify and
Define the Problem
Step 2: Analyze the
Problem
– Develop criteria
– Force field analysis
technique
Step 3: Generate
Possible Solutions
– Brainstorming
– Silent brainstorming
– Nominal group
technique
Structuring Problem Solving (cont.)
Step 4: Select the
Best Solution
– Strategies to reach consensus
Be goal oriented, listen,
promote honest dialogue
and discussion
– Be cautious of groupthink
Encourage critical thinking
Don’t agree with someone
just because she or he is
high status
Consider asking a third
party to evaluate the
group
Assign a devil’s advocate
Break into dyads consider
pros and cons
Structuring Problem Solving (cont.)
Step 5: Test and implement the
Solution
RECAP:
Top Six Reasons Why Groups Make Bad Decisions
No Common Goal …….. Group does not begin with the end in mind
Analysis Paralysis …….. Team members over analyze unimportant
details
Jumping to Solutions .. People propose solutions before facts are
known
Groupthink ………………… Group members agree too quickly just to get
on with it
Topic Hopping …………… Lack of agenda and structure
Killer Inch …………………. Group argues over minor points
Enhancing Team Leadership
Leadership is the
ability of a person
to influence others
Approaches to
Leadership Preview
–
–
–
–
–
Trait
Functional
Styles
Situational
Transformational
Approaches to Leadership
Trait Approach
– Suggests that there are certain traits
that make leaders
Intelligence
Confidence
Social Skills
Administrative Skills
Physical Energy
Enthusiasm
Approaches to Leadership (cont.)
Functional Approach
– Categorizes the essential leadership
functions that need to be performed to
enhance the workings of the group
– Task functions
Behaviors that help the group get the work
done
– Process functions
Help maintain a harmonious group climate
by encouraging amiable relationships
Approaches to Leadership (cont.)
Styles Approach
– Authoritarian
Influence by giving orders and controlling
others
– Democratic
Consults with the group before issuing
edicts
– Laissez Faire
Takes a hands-off, laid back approach to
influencing
Approaches to Leadership (cont.)
Situational Approach
– Views leadership as an
interactive process that
links a particular style
of leadership with
various factors
– Paul Hersey and
Kenneth Blanchard’s
Situational Leadership
Model
Relationship behavior
Task behavior
Maturity of group
members
Approaches to Leadership (cont.)
Transformational Approach
– Transformational leader influences by
transforming the group by giving it new
vision, energizing the culture, or giving
the group new structure
– Fundamental Skills of Transformational
Leadership
Build a shared vision
Challenge existing ways of thinking
Be a systems thinker
Enhancing Group Meetings
Manage Meeting Structure
– Step 1: Determine your Meeting Goals
– Step 2: Identify What Needs to be Discussed
to Achieve the Goal
– Step 3: Organize the Agenda
An agenda is a list of the key issues, ideas, and
information that will be discussed, giving the
order/sequence in which each item will be discussed.
Enhancing Group Meetings (cont.)
Manage meeting interaction
–
–
–
–
Use gatekeeping skills
Use metadiscussion
Monitor time
Use structure to manage interaction
Enhancing Group Meetings (cont.)
Mosvic and Nelson’s Suggestions for
Meeting Participants
– Organize what you say
– Speak to the point
– Make one point at a time
– Speak clearly and forcefully
– Support your ideas with evidence
– Listen
What questions do you have?
Homework:
1.) Reading?
2.) Turn in assignments?