© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Communication & Group Culture © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. C H A P T E R 8 Twelfth Edition Theory and Practice EFFECTIVE GROUP DISCUSSION

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Chapter Content  Structuration Theory  Task & Social Concerns  Symbolic Convergence Theory  Group Socialization of Members  Development of Group Norms  Development of a Group’s Climate

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Structuration Theory  Communication among members creates a group’s culture  Constraints of the surrounding culture  Choices of group members  Continuous process  Adaptive structuration theory  Focus on computer technology

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Primary & Secondary Concerns  Primary tension  Socioemotional focus  Dominates formation phase  Must be banished for group success  Symbolic Convergence  Icebreakers  Teambuilding  Norms of a supportive environment Continued

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Primary & Secondary Concerns  Secondary tension  Task focus  Emerges during production phase  Inevitable in an effective group  Must be managed for group success

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Managing Secondary Tension  Valuing & integrating  Forces the group to examine issues  Makes the process more interesting  Decreasing Secondary Tension  Showing solidarity  Agreeing  Tension release

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Status Hierarchy  Ascribed status  Earned status  Idiosyncracy credit

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Status Hierarchy Group member interactions:  Guide status relationships  Reinforce status relationships  Modify status relationships Continued

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Group Socialization of Members  Group socialization  New members challenge the existing group

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Phases of Group Socialization  Antecedent phase  Anticipatory phase  Encounter phase  Assimilation phase  Exit phase

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Development of Group Norms  Rules  Norms  General  Role-specific  Conformity

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Development of Group Norms Evidence of group norms: 1.Repeated and regular behaviors 2.Punishment for nonconformity  Changing norms

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Development of a Group’s Climate  Cohesiveness  Supportiveness  Teambuilding  Supporting virtual groups Continued

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Supportiveness Supportive Communication  Description  Problem orientation  Spontaneity  Empathy  Equality  Provisionalism Defensive Communication  Evaluation  Control  Strategy  Neutrality  Superiority  Certainty

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Supporting Cohesiveness & Productivity in Virtual Groups  Establish identity  Manage uncertainty  Manage technology issues H Get the group together in real space H  Clarify the rules  Have a location  Encourage frequent communication

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. We use what we learn from an number of theories, notably:  Structuration  Symbolic Convergence  Group Socialization to develop tactics to support cohesiveness and productivity in the small group.