In Mixed Company: Communicating in Small Groups and Teams

Title page
Copyright
Dedication
Brief Contents
Contents
Preface
1 Communication Competence in Groups
	Myths about Communication
		Myth 1: Communication Is a Cure-All
		Myth 2: Communication Can Break Down
		Myth 3: Effective Communication Is Merely Skill Building
		Myth 4: Effective Communication Is Just Common Sense
	Communication Defined
		Communication as Transactional: Mutually Influential
		Communication as a Process: The Continuous Flow
		Communication as Sharing Meaning: Making Sense
			Verbal Communication: Telling It Like It Isn’t
			Nonverbal Communication: Wordless Meaning
	Communication Competence
		Effectiveness: Achieving Goals
			A Matter of Degree: From Deficiency to Proficiency
			We (Not Me) Oriented: Primacy of Groups
		Appropriateness: Following the Rules
			Rule Violations: Consequential Effects
			Rule Changes: No Sacrosanct Rules
		Intercultural Challenges: Individualism-Collectivism
	Achieving Communication Competence
		Knowledge: Learning the Rules
		Skills: Showing, Not Just Knowing
		Sensitivity: Receptive Accuracy
		Commitment: A Passion for Excellence
		Ethics: The Right and Wrong of Communication
	Definition of a Group
		Groups: More than People Standing at a Bus Stop
		Interpersonal Communication and Public Speaking: Ungroups
	QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THINKERS
	VIDEO CASE STUDIES
2 Groups as Systems
	Interconnectedness of Parts
		Ripple Effect: A Chain Reaction
		Synergy: One Plus One Equals a Ton
		Negative Synergy: Results Beyond Bad
	Adaptability to a Changing Environment
		Dynamic Equilibrium: Managing Stability and Change
		Dealing with Difficult Group Members: Bad Apple Spoilage
		Boundary Control: Regulating Input
		Communication Methods of Boundary Control: Erecting Barriers
			Physical Barriers: Protecting Group Space
			Psychological Barriers: Member in Name Only
			Linguistic Barriers: Having to Speak the Language
			Rules: Permission Not Granted
			Roles: Staying in Bounds
			Networks: Controlling Information and Interaction Flow
		Open and Closed Systems: Setting Effective Boundaries
	Influence of Size
		Group Size and Complexity
			Quantitative Complexity: Exponentially Complicated
			Complexity and Group Transactions: Size Matters
		An Organization: A Group of Groups
	QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THINKERS
	VIDEO CASE STUDIES
3 Group Development
	Primary Dimensions of Groups
		Task and Social Dimensions: Working and Relating
		Building Cohesiveness: Bringing Us Together
			Encourage Compatible Membership
			Develop Shared Goals
			Accomplish Tasks
			Develop a Positive History of Cooperation
			Promote Acceptance of Group Members
	Periodic Phases of Group Development
		Forming: Gathering Members
			Reasons We Join Groups: Motivation
			Member Diversity: The Benefits and Challenges of Difference
		Storming: Feeling the Tension
			Primary Tension: Initial Uneasiness
			Secondary Tension: Later Stress and Strain
		Norming: Regulating the Group
			Types of Norms: Explicit and Implicit
			Sources of Norms: Without and Within the Group
			Degree of Conformity: Strength of Group Pressure
			Why We Conform: Fitting In
			Conditions for Conformity: When We Bow to Group Pressure
			Addressing Nonconformity: When Groups Get Tough
		Performing: Group Output
			Motivation to Perform: Social Loafing and Social Compensation
			When Groups Outperform Individuals: Three Heads Are Better Than One
			When Individuals Outperform Groups: No Group Magic
	QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THINKERS
	VIDEO CASE STUDIES
4 Developing the Group Climate
	Positivity versus Negativity
		Negativity Bias: Agile, Funny, Smart, Friendly, but Unethical
		The Magic Ratio: Emphasizing the Positive
	Competition and Cooperation
		Definitions: Conceptual Clarity
			Competition: Winners Take All
			Cooperation: Winners All
			Individual Achievement: Going It Alone
			Hypercompetitiveness: Winning Is Everything
		Constructive Competition: Tempering Hypercompetitiveness
		Culture and Hypercompetitiveness: Different Values
		Cooperative Group Climates: Cultivating Positivity
	Communication and Group Climate
		Defensive and Supportive Communication: Shaping Climates
			Criticism versus Description
			Control versus Problem Orientation
			Manipulation versus Assertiveness
			Indifference versus Empathy
			Superiority versus Equality
			Certainty versus Provisionalism
			Incivility versus Civility
		Listening: Enhancing Positivity
			Shift Response versus Support Response: Focusing on Me or Thee
			Competitive Interrupting: Seizing the Floor
			Ambushing: Preparing Rebuttals
	QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THINKERS
	VIDEO CASE STUDIES
5 Roles in Groups
	Influence of Roles
		Role Status: Playing by Hierarchical Rules
		Role Conflict: Torn between Two Roles
		Role Reversal: When Students Become Teachers
	Types of Roles
		Task Roles: Focusing on Maximum Productivity
		Maintenance Roles: Focusing on Cohesiveness
		Disruptive Roles: Focusing on Self
	Role Emergence
		Group Endorsement: Accepting a Bid
		Role Specialization: Settling into One’s Primary Role
	Role Adaptability
		Role Flexibility: Adapting to Context
		Role Fixation: Failure to Adapt
	Newcomers and System Disturbance
		Nature of the Group: The Challenge of Acceptance
		Group Socialization: Mutual Adaptation to Change
	QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THINKERS
	VIDEO CASE STUDIES
6 Group Leadership
	Definition of Leadership
		Leadership and Followership: Let’s Dance
		Leader and Manager: Different Types of Influence
	Leadership Emergence
		How Not to Become a Leader: The Thou Shalt Nots
		General Emergence Pattern: Process of Elimination
		Additional Factors: Implicit Theories of Leadership
	Perspectives on Effective Leadership
		Traits Perspective: The Born Leader View
		Styles Perspective: One Style Doesn’t Fit All
		Situational Perspective: Matching Styles with Circumstances
		Distributive Leadership: Sharing Functions
		Ethical Leadership: Serving Group Members
		Culture and Leadership: Are There Universal Theories?
		Communication Competence Perspective: The Overarching View
	QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THINKERS
	VIDEO CASE STUDIES
7 Developing Effective Teams
	Standard Groups versus Teams
		Distinctions: The Foremost Four
			Level of Cooperation: The Working Together Imperative
			Diversity of Skills: Look for Complementarity
			Group Identity: Operating as a Unit
			Time and Resources: Commitment to the Team
		Definition of a Team: A Special Kind of Group
	Team Members
		Team Slayers: Members’ Bad Attitudes and Bad Behavior
			Egocentrism: Me-Deep in Omnipotence
			Cynicism: Communicating a Can’t-Do Attitude
			Verbal/Nonverbal Abuse: Bad Behavior Kills Teams
		Team Builders: Choosing and Developing Team Members
			Experience and Problem-Solving Abilities: Core Competencies
			Communication Training: Developing Members’ Competence
	Building Teamwork
		Developing Team Goals: The Four Cs
			Clear Goals: Everyone on the Same Page
			Cooperative Goals: Interdependent Challenges
			Challenging Goals: Denting the Universe
			Commitment to Goals: A Passion to Succeed
		Developing a Team Identity: Unifying Members
			Symbolic Convergence: Communicating Fantasy Themes
			Solidarity Symbols: Unifying Nonverbally
			Team Talk: The Language of We
		Designating Roles: Room for One Quarterback
		Team Empowerment: Enhancing Members’ Capabilities
			Definition of Empowerment: Four Dimensions
			Hierarchical Organizations: The Enemy of Team Empowerment
			Self-Managing Work Teams: The IDEO Model
			Impediments to Team Empowerment: No Buy-In
		Establishing Individual Accountability: Providing Feedback
	Competent Team Leadership
		Nurturing Empowerment: A Shared Responsibility
		Requiring a Cooperative Environment: Killing Fear and Ego
	QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THINKERS
	VIDEO CASE STUDIES
8 Defective Decision Making and Problem Solving
	Information Overload
		Scope of the Problem: The Information Avalanche
		Consequences: The Downside of Information
			Critical Thinking Impairment: Separating Wheat from Chaff
			Indecisiveness: Conclusion Irresolution
			Inattention: Difficulty Concentrating
			Diminished Creativity: Thwarting Showerthoughts
		Coping with Information Overload: Wrestling the Beast
			Screen Information: Separating the Useful from the Useless
			Shut Down Technology: Hitting the Off Switch
			Become Selective: On a Need-to-Know Basis
			Limit the Search: When Enough Is Enough
			Discern Patterns: Recognizing Irrelevant Information
			Focus: Don’t Multitask
	Information Underload
	Mindsets: Critical Thinking Frozen Solid
		Confirmation Bias: One-Sided Information Searches
			The Problem: Poor Decisions and Solutions
			Combating Confirmation Bias: A Plan
		False Dichotomies: Either–Or Thinking
	Collective Inferential Error: Uncritical Thinking
		Prevalence of the Problem: It’s a Group Thing
		Sources of Inferential Errors: Distortions and Correlations
			Unrepresentativeness: Distorting the Facts
			Correlation Inferred as Causation: Covariation
		Error Correction: Practicing Critical Thinking
	Group Polarization: Extremely Uncritical Thinking
		Polarization: From Gambling to Guarded
		Why Groups Polarize: Comparison and Persuasion
		Combating Group Polarization: Necessary Steps
	Groupthink: Critical Thinking in Suspended Animation
		Conditions: Excessive Cohesiveness and Concurrence Seeking
		Identification of Groupthink: Main Symptoms
			Overestimation of Group’s Power and Morality: Arrogance
			Closed-Mindedness: Clinging to Assumptions
			Pressures toward Uniformity: Presenting a United Front
		Preventing Groupthink: Promoting Vigilance
	QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THINKERS
	VIDEO CASE STUDIES
9 Effective Decision Making and Problem Solving
	Group Discussion Functions and Procedures
		Phases and Functions: General Considerations
			Multiple Sequence Model: Phases of Decision Making
			Functional Perspective: Being Systematic
		The Standard Agenda: Structuring Group Discussion
			Problem Identification: What’s the Question?
			Problem Analysis: Causes and Effects
			Solution Criteria: Setting Standards
			Solution Suggestions: Generating Alternatives
			Solution Evaluation and Selection: Deciding by Criteria
			Solution Implementation: Follow-Through
		Decision-Making Rules: Majority, Minority, and Unanimity
			Majority Rule: Tyrannical or Practical
			Minority Rule: Several Types
			Unanimity Rule: Consensus
	Critical Thinking and Effective Decision Making
		Gathering Information: Accumulating Input
		Evaluating Information: Countering “Truth Decay”
			Credibility: Is It Believable?
			Currency: Is It Up to Date?
			Relevance: Looking for Logical Connections
			Representativeness: Reflecting the Facts
			Sufficiency: When Enough Really Is Enough
	Participation
		Cultural Diversity: Is Silence Golden?
		Increasing Participation: Constructive Engagement
	Conducting Effective Meetings
		Group Meetings: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
		Responsibilities of Chairs and Members: Guiding Discussion
	Creative Problem Solving
		General Overview: The Creative Process
		Creative Techniques: Systematic Procedures
			Brainstorming and Nominal Group Techniques: Generating Lots of Ideas
			Framing/Reframing: It’s All in the Wording
	QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THINKERS
	VIDEO CASE STUDIES
10 Power in Groups
	The Nature of Power
		Forms of Power: Dominance, Prevention, and Empowerment
		Communication Indicators of Power
			General Indicators: Defining, Following, and Inhibiting
			Verbal Indicators: Language Choices
			Nonverbal Indicators: Silent Exercise of Power
		Power Resources: The Raw Materials of Influence
			Information: Good and Plenty
			Expertise: Information Plus Know-How
			Legitimate Authority: You Will Obey
			Rewards and Punishments: Pleasure and Pain
			Personal Qualities: A Powerful Persona
	Consequences of Power Imbalances
		Bias against Women and Ethnic Minorities: Leadership Gap
		Workplace Bullying: Blatant Aggression
	Power Distance: Cultural Variation
		General Description: Horizontal and Vertical Cultures
		Communication Differences: With Whom May You Communicate?
	Balancing Power
		Defiance: Digging in Your Heels
		Resistance: Dragging Your Feet
			Sluggish Effort: How Slow Can You Go? 250
			Strategic Stupidity: Smart People Playing Dumb
			Loss of Motor Function: Conscious Carelessness
			The Misunderstanding Mirage: Confusion Illusion
			Selective Amnesia: Fake Forgetfulness
			Tactical Tardiness: Late by Design
			Purposeful Procrastination: Deliberate Delays
		Alliances: Forming Coalitions
		Developing Empowerment: Exercising Positive Power
			Developing Assertiveness: Neither Doormat nor Boot Wiper
			Increasing Personal Power Resources: Expanding Choices
	QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THINKERS
	VIDEO CASE STUDIES
11 Conflict Management and Negotiation
	Nature of Conflict
		Definition: Incompatible, Interconnected Struggle
		Benefits of Conflict: Dissent Can Be Productive
		Destructive and Constructive Conflict: Differences
	Styles of Conflict Management
		Collaborating: Problem Solving
			Confrontation: Directly Addressing the Problem
			Integration: Seeking Joint Gains
			Smoothing: Calming Troubled Waters
		Accommodating: Yielding
		Compromising: Halving the Loaf
		Avoiding: Withdrawing
		Competing: Power-Forcing
		Comparing Styles: Likelihood of Success
	Situational Factors
		Types of Conflict: Task, Relationship, and Value
			Task Conflict: Routine or Nonroutine
			Relationship Conflict: It’s Personal
			Values Conflict: Deeply Felt Struggles
		Culture and Conflict: Communication Differences
	Negotiation Strategies
		Positional Bargaining: Hard and Soft Negotiating
		Principled Negotiation: Interest-Based Bargaining
			The Four Principles: Appropriate Rules
			Remaining Unconditionally Constructive: Sound Judgment
			The BATNA: Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement
	Anger Management
		Constructive and Destructive Anger: Intensity and Duration
		Managing Your Own Anger: Taking Control
		Managing the Anger of Others: Communication Jujitsu
	QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THINKERS
	VIDEO CASE STUDIES
12 Virtual Groups and Social Media
	Technological Virtual Group Options
		Text Messaging: Typing Gone High Tech
		Audioconferencing: Voice-Only Technology
		Videoconferencing: Sight and Sound
	Benefits and Challenges of Virtual Groups
		Time and Space: The Death of Distance
		Decision Making: Quality of the Output
		Decision-Making Delays: Increased Frustration
		Social Relationships: Developing Personal Connections
		Power Differences: Prominence of Status Cues
		Conflict: Constructive and Destructive
	Improving Virtual Group Effectiveness
		General Factors: Getting Set for Success
			Team Identification: Connecting
			Media Richness: The Lean and Meaty Theory
			Media Synchronicity: Extending MRT
		Specific Suggestions: Unique Advice
			Choosing Media: Richness and Synchronicity
			Conducting Virtual Meetings: Special Challenges
	QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THINKERS
	VIDEO CASE STUDIES
Appendix A: Group Oral Presentations
Appendix B: Critical Thinking Revisited: Arguments and Fallacies
Glossary
References
Index