Chapter 10 Participating in Groups Participants Those in the group Leaders Those who guide the group Leadership Those who influence the group to accomplish a goal 1 Groups as a Whole a Cultural Differences in Groups i Some cultures such as American focus on getting the task done Other cultures such as Japan focus on maintenance roles b Gender Differences in Groups ii Think about the effects of cultures while working with a group of diverse members i Women are more likely than men to engage in caring personal communication ii Women tend to exceed men in collaborative participative communication that enables others iii Men are encouraged by groups to contribute their expertise more than women b c women are not thought of iv Men considered more competitive than women even though women are becoming more and more competitive as they enter the workforce in larger numbers v Men are more argumentative than women vi Women are inclined to view verbal aggressiveness and argumentativeness as strategies of dominance and as experts control vii Classes led by women more discussion oriented viii Classes led by men more structured and demonstrate content mastery ix Male professors less supportive less innovative x Male students initiate more interactions with teachers than female students initiate xi Males dominate class talk c Group Participation i Silent Majority Those who say nothing during the decision making process ii Maintenance Task Roles 1 Social Dimension of the Group Interpersonal Needs a Treat others with respect b Maintain a positive attitude c Encourage Others d Pay attention to nonverbal messages e Assume an active role 2 Performing Group Task Roles Initiate ideas a b Encourage diverse ideas c Use reasoned thought d Stay open minded e Be aware of hidden agendas f Be sensitive of time restraints i An objective or purpose that goes beyond the interest of the group Group Communication Networks Different formal and informal patterns that link members together All Communication is controlled by the leader centralized group communication network Ideas flow freely and there is no leader decentralized group communication network 2 Dealing With Difficult Group Members a Don t give in to the troublemaker and let him or her manipulate the group b Resist the temptation to fight back with the person causing the fights do not reciprocate the negative actions c Convert disruption to construction Use one person s negative idea to change it into a positive one d Confront the difficult person directly e Separate yourself from the difficult person if needed 3 Leadership Power a Coercion Offering a selection of undesirable choices but can be put into action because of the legitimacy of the ruler ability to influence others to perform or produce results i Transformational Leadership Leadership has the ability to transform the behavior and outlook of his or her followers ii Super Leadership People lead themselves and release their own leadership potential b Authoritarian Leader Dominates and directs a group according to personal goals and objectives regardless of how consistent or inconsistent these goals are with the group members goals c Democratic Leader Facilitates a group according to the goals of its members and allows them to form their own conclusions d Laissez Faire Leader Nondirective and empowers group members to do their own thing e Why People Desire to Be Leaders i Information to be in the know ii Rewards to receive praise attention payment power special privileges iii Expectations people believe that they can accomplish the task better than others can iv Acceptance people believe that leadership will make them accepted liked and admired v Status if you have been elected leader for other positions you have credibility and will most likely be elected leader for other positions f Communicative Perspective i Leaders must be 1 Be aware of their own nonverbal communication and that of others 2 Listen explain clearly while moving group toward their task 3 Get the task accomplished Think of innovative ideas 4 Draw out silent member 5 Prevent one person from dominating the conversation plan of action
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