SPC Exam 3 Chapter 18 Functional Perspective on Group Decision Making Of Rany Hirokawa and Dennis Gouran Group interaction has a positive effect on the final decision Desire decisions that are appropriate Seek quality solutions Functional perspective a prescriptive approach that describes and predicts task group performance when four communication functions are fulfilled Specifies what communication must accomplish for jointly made decisions to be wise Four Functions of Effective Decision Making The decision making process needs to fulfill four task requirements if members are to reach a high quality solution These conditions are called requisite functions requirements for positive group outcome problem analysis goal setting identification of alternatives and evaluation of pluses and minuses for each 1 Analysis of the Problem Group members take a realistic look at current conditions Problem analysis determining the nature extent and cause of the problem facing the group 2 Goal Setting Goal setting establishing criteria by which to judge proposed solutions If the group fails to satisfy this task requirement it s likely that the decision will be driven by power or passion rather than reason You don t know you re winning if you don t keep score 3 Identification of Alternatives Identification of alternatives generation of options to sufficiently solve the problem if there aren t a lot of ways to fix the problem the corresponding possibility of finding the acceptable answer will be low Combination of ideas is made possible 4 Evaluation of Negative and Positive Characteristics A point by point comparison that doesn t take place automatically Often need one group member to remind others to consider the benefits and costs Evaluation of positive and negative characteristics testing the relative merits of each option against the criteria selected weighing the benefits and the costs Some groups have a negative bias in that spotting the downside of each alternative is more important than identifying its positive qualities Prioritizing the Four Functions How do we address the four requisite functions in a logical progression Groups that successfully resolve especially difficult problems usually take a common decision making path Studies show that evaluation of negative consequences of alternative solutions is by far the MOST crucial to ensure a quality decision Progression Problem analysis goal setting identifying alternatives evaluating positive and negative characteristics of each alternative final choice The Role of Communication in Fulfilling the Functions Verbal interaction makes it possible for members to 1 Distribute and pool information 2 Catch and remedy errors 3 Influence each other Ivan Steiner claimed that Actual Group Productivity Potential Productivity Losses Due to Process Hirokawa and Gouran outline three types of communication in decision making groups 1 Promotive interaction that moves the group along the goal path by calling attention to one of the four requisite decision making functions Disruptive interaction that diverts retards or frustrates group members ability to achieve the four task functions Counteractive interaction that members use to get the group back on track 2 3 Note that most group decision making is disruptive Someone has to say something counteractive that will get them back on track Function Oriented Interaction Coding System FOICS a tool to record and classify the function of utteances during a group s discussion o Requires researchers to categorize each functional utterance an uninterrupted statement of a single member that appears to perform a specific function within the group interaction process o Raters are asked to make two judgments Which of the four requisite functions does an utterance address Does the remark promote disrupt or counteract the group s focus on that function This process is fraught with difficulty A single comment may serve multiple functions Comments may have the hidden power to disrupt Thoughtful Advice For Those Who Know They Are Right Promote clear thinking don t be convinced of your opinions without Reflective thinking thinking that favors rational consideration over intuitive hunches or pressure from those with clout evidence Ethical Reflection Jurgen Habermas states that people within a given culture can pretty much agree on what good they want to accomplish Discourse ethics Jurgen Habermas vision of the ideal speech situation in which diverse participants could rationally reach a consensus on universal ethical standards Ideal Speech Situation a discourse on ethical accountability in which discussants represent all who will be affected by the decision pursue discourse in a spirit of seeking the common good and are committed to finding universal standards If these three requirements are met Habermas thinks the validity of an ethical consensus can be reached 1 Requirement for access all people affected by the ethical norm being debated can attend and be heard regardless of their status 2 Requirement for argument all participants are expected to exchange their points of view in the spirit of genuine reciprocity and mutual understanding There aren t merely trying to advance their own interests 3 Requirement for justification everyone is committed to a standard of universalization Critique Extremely highly regarded theory Some research advocated adding a historical function that requires the group to talk about how past decisions were made Chapter 19 Symbolic Convergence Theory Of Ernest Bormann Robert Bales Harvard social psychologist discovered that dramatizing was a significant type of communication that often fostered group cohesiveness Bormann continued with his studies and set force the central explanatory principle of SCT sharing group fantasies creates symbolic convergence Dramatizing messages Creative Interpretations of There and Then Many advocates of rational discussion believes it s usually disruptive and counterproductive when someone cracks a joke describes a movie or starts talking about plans for the weekend SCT classifies these examples and many other forms of speaking as dramatizing messages Dramatizing messages imaginative language by a group member describing past future or outside events creative interpretations of there and then o Anecdote double entendre allegory fable analogy creative expression of ideas o A group member s words must paint a picture or call to mind an image in order to be labeled a
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