Olivia Wolf COMM250 Final Review Sheet Group Think Janis 1972 Affiliative constraints the extent to which group members are willing to Goal to understand the nature of decision making in small groups Concepts related to groupthink Group cohesiveness work together than face rejection from the group group similarity same levels of education experience etc if they have the same characteristics they may think the same Group insulation group s ability to remain unaffected by outside influences High stress internal and external pressure exerted on the group by issues refers to when members withhold their input rather Homogeneity of group members failure to provide norms for solving group when the leader is a member it can be problematic No impartial leadership Problem solving groups No decision making procedures and events both inside and outside of the group when groups are led by individuals who put their personal agenda first issues Assumptions decisions and provide policy recommendation completing jobs assigned to them Cohesiveness together than face rejection from the group the extent to which group members are willing to work sets of individuals whose main task is to make Affiliative Constraints Task oriented groups group similarity Homogeneity set of individuals whose main goal is to work toward refers to when members withhold their input rather Difference Between Problem Solving Groups vs Task Oriented Groups Problem solving groups work on making decisions and giving recommendations on policy whereas the task orientated groups just do the work provided to them Vigilant 1 Looking at the range of objectives group members wish to achieve 2 Develop and review action plans and alternatives 3 Explore the consequences of each alternative 4 Analyze previously rejected action plans when new information emerges 5 Having contingency a plan for failed suggestions Helps to alter group think because it will reduce stress and lead to healthier decision making processes Groupthink Video Conditions That Prevent Groupthink Embracing Whistle Blowing Requiring Oversight and Control voice doubts avoid suppressing concerns establishing a parliamentary committee develop resources to proactively monitor ongoing policy ventures establish incentives to intervene link personal fate to fate of group members about group processes continue to disagree and debate when no satisfactory answers are given question assumptions member s exits do not play down the moral implications of a course of action acknowledge private concerns about ethical issues in the group alter rules governing choice relieve pressure on groups in minority positions dissuade the development of subgroups introduce a multiple advocacy approach to decisions protect conscientious objectors provide for group Balancing Consensus and Majority Rule Allow for Objection Evaluation of Theory Positives o Heuristic o Withstood the test of time Negatives o Narrow scope o Testability Define Communication Socio psychological Small group Organizational Positivistic empirical Metatheoretical Assumptions Organizational Information Theory Weick 1969 Goal to describe how organizations collect manage and use the information they receive needs to find a way to manage information in order to be successful General Systems Theory interrelationship among organizational units Relations to OIT departments highly interrelated something happens in one department can affect another department and then affect the department as a whole feedback cycles Darwin s Theory Assumptions theory of socio cultural evolution survival of the fittest Organizations exist in an information environment The information on organization receives differs in its equivocality information varies in terms of level ambiguity to the organization as a whole Information processing reduces equivocality makes it less ambiguous so you can achieve communication goals How it fits with communication Equivocality Key Concepts Information environment ambiguous or unpredictable Rules information availability of all stimuli in an organization the extent to which organizational messages are uncertain guidelines in organizations as they review responses to equivocal o Duration take the least amount of time o Personnel who should receive the information o Success develop rules that have been successful in the past o Effort want to accomplish things by doing things quickly efficiently as possible minimal effort Communication Cycles members of an organization used to reduce the ambiguity of information series of communication behaviors used by 3 Stages o Act behavior that indicated ambiguity exists original message o Response behavior that attempts to lessen that ambiguity o Adjustment response to the response have to go through it again feedback why it is a cycle Double Interact Loops adjustment to reduce the ambiguity of the situation can take multiple cycles of this act response Cycles series of communication behaviors that serve to reduce equivocality The more ambiguous the message the more cycles needed to reduce this ambiguity Act response adjustment cycle is often used Double interact loops are essential for feedback in this cycle assist the organization s members in reducing equivocality of information Principles Reduction of equivocality depending on o Amount of equivocality o Number of rules in place o Number of cycles that are needed o Enactment o Selection the equivocality select one that s good for me assigning message importance analyzing the situation interpreting the inputs select the rule to help deal with o Retention used so you can use it again remembering the small stuff remembering what you Few rules in place more cycles will be needed to reduce equivocality More cycles used the less equivocality remains Evaluation of the Theory Positives o Utility focus on communication process resonates with communication scholars o Heurism 4 models of PR serve as a concrete application of OIT and how organizations manage and use information according to particular process Negatives o Logical Consistence do people really follow rules make choices Metatheoretical Assumptions O make choices social context matters humanistic E social scientific A social scientific Overall middle but more towards social scientific Traditional Rhetorical Theory Rhetoric the ability to determine in any particular case all the available means of persuasion Aristotle Relation to Communication public communication context one to
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