Chapter 9 The Concepts of Groups Groups Defined Groups traditionally has been defined as a system which is characterized by interconnectedness of its constituent parts more than a collection of individuals has a goal purpose members interact Small groups usually consist of 3 12 ppl Large groups normally have more than a dozen Group vs Individual Actions Advantages of groups input from many ppl challenge ideas an idea receives scrutiny before acceptance better thought out decisions greater commitment among participants to the decision reached risky shift phenomenon says that decisions reached after discussion by a group display more experimentation are less conservative and contain more risk than decisions reached by ppl working alone Disadvantages tasks take longer some members have to give up individuality to compromise groupthink ppl blindly commit themselves to group cohesion at the expense of careful analysis social loafing group membership leads ppl to work less than they would individually Types of Groups Work team small group of workers who function as a team to make and implement decisions about their own work Study groups are established to enable individuals to work together to study and learn with the assistance of others Support group is a system that allows ppl to interact with others who share similar goals or problems Committee a small group responsible for study research and recommendations about an issue organizations rely heavily on this Focus groups designed to test reactions to a particular product process or service offered by an organization Family groups some operate under stress chaos others cooperative harmony with open channels most follow a structure that resembles a sculptural mobile Public meetings members or interested individuals may attend the sessions o Symposium participants give prepared speeches with no interaction among themselves or with the audience often followed by a forum a question and answer session during which the participants field questions from each other as well as from any audience o Most public meetings operate under parliamentary procedure a person moderator who is well versed in the rules of order and meeting management to conduct the meeting Town meetings a presenter opens with a short prepared statement that establishes the framework for the meeting individuals in audience engage in forum with the speaker Group Operations Groups go through 6 phases 1 Group Forming o Membership comes together to accomplish a task 2 Group Norming o Ppl in the group establish rules and procedures get to know each o Group norms the rules by which the group will operate implicit or other explicit 3 Group Storming conflicts erupt o Can be positive alerts group to underlying problems o Primary group tension social tensions refers to the normal jitters and feelings of uneasiness that group members experience when they first congregate o Secondary group tension social tension stress that occurs within a group later in its development o Major trigger of storming role of power 4 Group Conforming power have been settled 5 Group Performing o Issues like norms group s purpose and how to handle the role of o Action stage start to work towards goals o Task dimension of groups includes decision making informing appraising and examining problem solving and creating interest in staying on track o Maintenance dimension of groups meeting the interpersonal needs of the members develop group cohesion 6 Group Adjourning o Going out of existence Making Group Decisions Formal vs informal rules Agenda the order of business for a meeting or discussion allows group to cover topics systematically accomplish task in most efficient way o Discussion question the issue or problem that will be dealt with Voting takes place when members are given an opportunity to indicate agreement disagreement or no opinion on an idea or candidate o Consensus every member agrees o Majority vote winner must receive more than half of the votes o Plurality one that gets the most wins o Part of the whole voting a certain of those eligible to vote must agree ex 75 of the voters must agree to put plan into action Decision Making Techniques Effective group decision making requires an analysis and understanding of the problem before hand and creative exploration of unusual ideas during discussion Two methods of discussion making 6 step Standard Agenda 1 3 6 6 Step Standard Agenda o Is a direct outgrowth of the traditional reflective thinking process which stresses that a problem be identified and analyzed solutions sought and solution selected and implemented o Step 1 problem identification question of fact value or policy o Step 2 problem analysis o Step 3 solution criteria workability will the solution solve the problem practicability can the solution be put into effect desirability will harm be caused by this solution o Step 4 solution suggestions brainstorm consists of generating possible solutions without evaluation of them at the time of their proposal o Step 5 select a solution apply RISK o Step 6 solution implementation Nominal Group Technique for Decision Making centers on brainstorming individually to avoid criticism destructive conflict and long winded speeches o Berko 1 3 6 Decision Making Technique is a format of this Step A each individual lists what he thinks should be done to solve the problem Step B participants divided into groups of 3 solutions combined into one list Step C groups of 6 Step D whole group meets together Continues page 261 Group Setting Seating choice configuration of the tables can affect group action Meet while standing theory ppl forced to stand will make decisions more rapidly bc they will get tired of standing Mediated Meetings Mediated meetings are electronically held teleconferences video conferences web conferences that allow for meetings to be held anyplace where someone who needs to participate in a meeting is located o Teleconferencing telephone conference calls speakerphone meetings Advantages easy Disadvantages feel isolated cant observe nonverbal feedback cant share visual elementse o Video Conferencing one way video two way audio two way video two way audio o Web conferencing real time conference everyone at computer at same time asynchronous conference participants contribute to online database at different times Advantages inexpensive take place over time minimal Disadvantages delay in message sending impersonal more training time consuming o
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