small group communication chapter 5

self concept

who you think you are --- shapes how you communicate with others and how others communicate with you

roles

sets of expectations -- to others

roles in small groups

1peoples expectations about their own behavior their self concepts, 2the perceptions others have about the individuals positions in the group and 3peoples actually behavior and interaction with others

self concept- gender

people's communication differs depending on sex, ex- how masculine or feminine you are.

researchers priya and ana agree

gender does make a difference in how groups work

self concept- sexual orientation

affects how others can relate to others in a group but effective groups should not judge and should not let it effect group communnication

self concept- culture of origin

different cultures foster different beliefs and attitudes abt communication and behavior. ex america and japan (selfish vs non selfish lol)

culture influences...

the way the behaviors and people are willing to communicate in a group , ample evidence that different cultures interpret situations very differently

self concept is defined

by various groups or anything you are part of, ex- being catholic, being in a sorority

small group self concept

as you interact with group members you learn more about yourself and how others think of you helping you to determine your role

formally

can be assigned a role in a task oriented group

informally

can be assigned a role just off of what knowledge of a persons ability

task roles

aimed at accomplishing the group's goal

maintenance roles

are part of a groups job of maintaining the atmosphere of a group keeping it functioning well

individual roles

call attention to individual contributions and tend to be counterproductive to the overall group effort

initiator contributor

proposes new ideas or approaches to a group problem by solving may suggest a different procedure or approach to organizing a problem-solving task

information seeker

asks for clarification of suggestions also asks for facts or other information that may help the group deal with the issues at hand

opinion seeker

asks for a clarification of the values and opinions expressed by other group members

information giver

provides facts, examples, statistics, and other evidence that pertains to the problem the group is attempting to solve

opinion giver

offers beliefs or opinions about the ideas under discussion

elaborator

provides examples based on his or her experience or the experience of others that help to show how an idea or suggestion would work if the group accepted a particular course of action

coordinator

tries to clarify and note relationships among the ideas and suggestions that have been provided by others

orienter (summarizer)

attempts to summarize what has occurred and tries to keep the group focused on the task at hand

evaluator-critic

makes an effort to judge the evidence and conclusion that the group suggests

energizer

tries to spur the group to action and attempts to motivate and stimulate the group to greater productivity

procedural technician

helps the group achieve its goal by performing tasks such as distributing papers, rearranging the seating, or running errands for the group

recorder

writes down suggestions and ideas of others; makes a record of the group's progress

encourager

offers praise understanding and acceptance of other's ideas and suggestions

harmonizer

mediates disagreements among group members

compromiser

attempts to resolve conflicts by trying to find an acceptance solution to disagreements among group members

gatekeeper and expediter

encourages less talkative group members to participate and tries to limit lengthy contributions of other group members

standard setter

helps to set standards and goals for the group

group observer

keeps records of the groups process and uses the gathered information gathered to evaluate the group's procedures

follower

basically goes along with the suggestions and ideas of other group members serves as an audience in group discussions and decision making

agressor

destroys or deflates the status of other group members; may try to take credit for someone else's contribution

blocker

is generally negative, stubborn, and disagreeable without apparent reason

recognition seeker

seeks the spotlight by boasting and reporting on his or her personnal achievements

self confessor

uses the group as an audience to report personal feelings, insights, and observations

joker

reflects a lack of involvement in the group's process by telling stories and jokes that do not help the group, lack of enthusiasm for the group

dominator

makes an effort to assert authority by manipulating group members or attempting to take over the entire group, may use flattery

help seeker

tries to evoke a sympathetic response from others; often expresses insecurity or feelings of low self worth

self interest pleader

works to serve an individual need; speaks for a special group or organization that best fits his or her own biases

formal roles

to be established and be cleared lack of clarity results in a loss of team productivity

understanding group roles

helps group become more effective and studies show groups who have people take on the roles listed above get more ish done

norms

rules or standards that determine appropriate and inappropriate behavior in a group.

how are norms developed

1) people develop based on previous group experience 2) and what happens early in the group's existence

structuration

groups do things based on the way things were done in other groups, previous structures

norms- characteristics of group members

ex intelligent ppl less likely to conform to not intelligent people

norms- clarity/punishment

clearly defined rules for the new members

norms- # of ppl

people who already conformed to the norm and expect you to fall into place

norms- quality of interpersonal relationships

respect one another another will respect you

norms- sense of identification

if group members idenitify all with the goals then they take pride in the work they are supposed to do.

susan shimanoff rule

a followable prescription that indicates what behavior is obligated,preferred, or prohibited in certain contexts

ground rules

explicit agreed on prescriptions for acceptable and appropriate behavior

status

is an individual's relative importance (ex- social status)

status affects

the role he/she assumes in the group

power

at its core involves the ability of one person to control or influence some other person or decision

power in a small group

reflected in an individuals ability to get other members to conform to his or her wishes, power is about influence

legitimate power

stems from group member's ability to influence others because of being elected, appointed, or selected to exert control over a group

referent power

is the power of interpersonal attraction

expert power

stems from a group members ability to influence others based on the knowledge and information a group member presents

reward power

based on a person's ability to reward behaviors. gain money status etc.

coercive power

the negative side of reward power you can have stuff taken away punished i.e

power & gender

stereotypes portray women as being more influenced thatn man, however some research says that women have more power

trust

the degree of trust you have in small groups effects your interpersonal relationships with them

trust in groups

has been defined as the extent to which a person is confident in, and willing to act on the basis of the words, actions, and decisions of another

trust can be based off of

experiences in previous groups

primary tension

the social unease and stiffness that accompanies with getting aquatinted to something

secondary tension

occurs when conflicts arise within the group as members try to solve problems and such, also power struggles

monochronic

some people are only comfortable doing one thing at a time like to concentrate at the job at hand

polychronic

some individuals can do many things at once and are less influenced by deadlines and schedules