CHAPTER 11 MEMBERS AND LEADERS
In this chapter we will explore these 3 major topics: -
·
Members in Small Group Communication
·
Leaders in Small Group Communication
·
Membership, Leadership, and Culture
Members in Small Group Communication
A structure for understand the functional roles of group
members. They classified members’ roles into THREE general
types: -
Group Task Roles
Group Building and Maintenance Roles
Individuals Roles
Group Task Roles
·
Roles
performed by group members to make sure that the tasks of the group are
accomplished.
For example:
If one group
member tends to take notes in meeting, then the group might give that person
the role of recorder. Discuss who is doing what and group member’s expectations
for what they should do help the group identify any ignored tasks.
Two
researchers (Benne &Sheats) identified 12different task roles include the
following: -
1.
Initiator
– Contributor
o Providing new ideas to the group
o May help the group brainstorm new and
innovative ways to go about understanding at a problem.
2.
Information
seeker
o Focus on ensuring that the group has
accurate and relevant information about problem solving.
3.
Opinion
seeker
o This is not concerned with the
accuracy of information, but it is more interesting in understanding the
group’s value.
4.
Information
giver
o Someone within a group that has some
authoritative that can help inform a group’s decision making process.
o This person can use their knowledge/
personal experience to help group member making decision.
5.
Opinion
giver
o Like opinion seeker, is concerned less
with surrounding a specific problems, but is more concerned with ensuring to
group values.
6.
Elaborator
o Takes the ideas from other people and
tries to elaborate the ideas in a different way.
7.
Coordinator
o Find the common links between the
various ideas from group member and combine it and tries to organize the
various activities.
8.
Orienter
o To showing the position of group by
summarizing progress made, and the group will point out when the group
completed their task and will be refocus the group back to the decision at
hand.
9.
Evaluator
– critic
o Evaluates the group’s accomplishments
to some criterion. This may include questioning the practically, logic, or
procedure of a suggestion.
10.
Energizer
o Stimulating the group action or a
decision and trying to increase the level or quality of activity.
11.
Procedural
technician
o Helping group movement by doing things
for the group.
12.
Recorder
o Writing down suggestion, recording
group decisions. The recorder fills the role of “group memory”.
Group
Building and Maintenance Roles
·
Roles
performed by group members to maintain good relations within the group.
There are 7specific group building and
maintenance roles: -
1.
Encourager
·
Praises,
agrees with, and accepts the support of the others.
For example:
I like that idea,
Sally’s suggestion is attractive to me. Could we discuss it further?
2.
Harmonizer
·
Mediating
the differences among the other members, trying to settle disagreements and
conflict.
For example:
Good hearted jokes
and a soothing attitude can releases conflict situations.
3.
Compromiser
·
Operating
from within a conflict in someone idea is involved, uses self – discipline to
admit errors to maintain group harmony.
For example:
Mary, Sandy and
Candy have offered many great solution. Why don’t we integrate them?
4.
Gatekeeper
– expediter
·
Enables
participation from everyone in group.
For example:
We haven’t heard any
comment from Samuel yet.
5.
Standard
setter
·
To
make sure the group decision making meet a certain level.
For example:
How do we want to
operate as a group?
6.
Group
observer and commentator
·
Evaluates
group progress.
For example:
I think we have
learned a lot so far. Sarah and Joanna gave us many great information.
7.
Follower
·
Accepts
ideas of others in group.
For example:
Joseph had a great idea. Let’s follow his plan.
Individual
Roles
·
Roles
performed by group members that are not productive for keeping the group on
task.
There are 8 types of individual roles: -
1.
Aggressor
·
Someone
who act unfriendly to their group member and their ideas with expressing
disapproval values, act, feeling and showing envy toward to another.
For example:
Playing desert
survival is the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard.
2.
Blocker
·
Someone
who rejects to cooperate with other’s ideas.
For example:
I won’t join the
Desert Survival.
3.
Recognition
seeker
·
Someone
who showing how themselves are such as an important person in group by boasting
about their successful.
For example:
Sam was get the
champion in the football competition, it is because of me who help him in
training.
4.
Self
- confessor
·
Expresses
his/ her own feelings, ideology, and value.
Someone who no problem self-disclosing
to group members.
For example:
I really like coffee. Yesterday I went to Starbucks. Their coffee is
better than what you get elsewhere.
5.
Playboy/playgirl
·
Someone
who lack of involve in the group processes.
For example:
Why don’t we just go have drinks instead of finishing this project?
6.
Dominator
·
Someone who
try to control the group discussion and decision making processes.
For example:
I’m going to tell you the six reasons why this is a bad idea
7. Help seeker
·
People who act helpless to avoid work.
For
example:
I don’t think I can put together a magazine. Can you do it for me?”
8.
Special interest pleader
·
Someone who presents their own idea and
needs.
For
example:
I cannot attend the class tomorrow, because I want to sleep late.
Interaction Process Analysis
It was a method used to classify and
observe social interaction among the members of small face – to – face groups.
In this system classify four general categories: -
·
Social – emotional positive contributions
·
Social – emotional negative contributions
·
Attempted answers
·
Questions
Member Participation
Guidelines for effective participation in
a small group communication: -
Be group or Team Oriented
·
Your participation
value = group’s goals and member satisfaction
·
Your talents,
knowledge can lead to better solution.
·
Your individuality is
not discarded, don’t give up the personal values.
Center Conflict on Issues
·
Conflict in small
group situations leads to miscommunication.
·
If everything is
thinking similar, then everybody is thinking.
Be Open - minded
·
Share, hear and see
before you conclude/decide.
·
Be willing to go
through your suggestion during the discussion.
·
Receive the comments
from the members in effective way.
·
Evaluate before you
accept/reject any suggestion.
·
Support your comments
with reasons and objectives.
Ensure
Understanding
Make sure all participants get what you are
trying to say.
Eyes contact
Everything is
clear?
|
Any questions
|
If there is
anything you can’t understand, please ask me.
|
As I
understand, you want to teach us how to ask questions during discussion, right?
|
What about if
I do this essay, is that correct?
Beware of Groupthink
The method of
thinking that group members engage in when agreement becomes all important. The
following symptoms should help you recognize groupthink: -
·
Illusion of invulnerability
·
Avoidance
·
Assumption of morality
·
Intolerance of differences of opinion
·
Self – censorship
·
Assumption of unanimity
·
Gatekeeping
·
Peer pressure
Leaders in Small Group Communication
One
person in the group taking responsibility for trying tasks and maintaining good
relationships.
·
The ownership of certain traits that society sees as
leadership traits.
·
It was once believed that people were born with these
certain traits.
·
Focuses on the leaders and not the followers.
·
Emphasizes that having a leader with a certain set of
traits is important to having effective leadership.
For example:
Functions and Skills of Leadership
A leader must
be able to: -
1.
Be
Ready
2.
Activate
the Group Agenda
3.
Promote
Group Interaction
4.
Maintain
Effective Interaction
5.
Empower
Group Members
6.
Keep
Members on Track
7.
Ensure
Member Satisfaction
8.
Encourage
Ongoing Evaluation
9.
Manage
Conflict
10.
Follow
up
Membership, Leadership, and Culture
Individual
and Collectivism
A truly talented
leader can be able to lead in individual society and leader must be aim to be
collectivist.
Cultural
beliefs
Japanese executives use variety strengthening –
creation of uncertainly and analysis of many alternatives regarding future
action.
US executives tend to use variety
reduction – limiting of uncertainly and the focusing of action on a limited
number of alternatives.