Chapter 8 - Group communication

Question 1

Group

Answer 1

refers to a system of three or more individuals who are focused on achieving a common purpose and who influence and are influenced by each other.

Question 2

Aggregate

Answer 2

a set number of individuals.
(a group is not an aggregate)
o People standing at a bus stop / people on an elevator.

Question 3

Team

Answer 3

ongoing, coordinated group of people working together.
 Self-directed and self-regulating: teams are empowered to complete a task from start to finish.
 Not all groups are teams (if control is primary external)
 But all teams meet the qualification of being a group.

Question 4

Group communication, must balance:

Answer 4

1. Task communication – communication focused on achieving the instrumental goal the group is trying to achieve.
   (NL: zorgen dat de taak behaald wordt)
2. Socioemotional communication – communication focused on developing, maintaining and repairing the relationships between group members. (NL: band goed behouden in groep)

Question 5

Group role

Answer 5

the kind of behavior a person shows in a group, based on what other members expect from them. It is classified as:

• Task-oriented roles > focused on getting the work done.
  o (planner, leader, note-taker)
• Maintenance-oriented roles > focused on keeping good relationships.
  o (mediator, joker, listener)
• Disruptive roles > roles that hurt the group’s progress, because that person focuses more on themselves than on the group.
  o Isolate (doesn’t take part)
  o Zealot (tries to make everone agree with their own beliefs)
  o Stage hog (talks all the time and doesn’t let others speak.

Question 6

System

Answer 6

a group of individuals who interrelate to form a whole.
 Family, work group, sports team.

Systems are embedded in hierarchy.
Hierarchy – systems existing within other systems

Question 7

Subsystem

Answer 7

smaller part of a bigger group/system.
o 🏈 The defensive line is a subsystem of the whole football team.

Question 8

suprasystem

Answer 8

larger system that the smaller system is part of.
o 🏆 National football league is a suprasystem for an individual football team.

Question 9

System approaches: 2

Answer 9

1. Macro approach – Looks at the big picture — how large social structures (like culture, politics, or economy) affect smaller groups, such as families or workplaces.
    How an economic crisis changes teamwork in companies.
2. Micro approach – Focuses on the small level — how individual people and their relationships can influence the whole group.
    How a conflict between two coworkers affects the entire team.
   Macro = van groot naar klein (maatschappij > groep)
   Micro = van klein naar groot (individu > groep)

Question 10

nonsummativity

Answer 10

the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
“The system as a whole might work together to create mor than what might be accomplished by those individuals alone.”

Question 11

System theories hinge on…
waar hangt een systeem vanaf?

Answer 11

nonsummativity

Question 12

nonsummativity is an ability that’s…

Answer 12

positive synergy

Question 13

negative synergy

Answer 13

the group achieves less than the individual parts would

Question 14

nonsummativity takes places because…

Answer 14

Interdependence

Question 15

Interdependence

Answer 15

all system members are dependent on all other system members: if one group member drops the ball, the group as a whole is unlikely to achieve its goals.

Question 16

Homeostasis
(2nd system concept)

Answer 16

refers to the natural balance within groups.
It doesn’t mean that no change happens, but that the group tries to stay stable even when change occurs. This stability can be good or bad:
- In a healthy group, balance helps success.
- In a group full of conflict: that conflict can also become its ‘normal’ balance.

Question 17

Equifinality
(3rd system concept)

Answer 17

There are multiple ways to achieve the same goal.
Example: The goal is increasing revenues by 10%.
 Multiple ways: selling more product/ increasing the price/ developing new products etc.

Question 18

The interactional perspective
Communication is built on 5 fundamentel principes (axioms).

Answer 18

1: The impossibility of not communication
2: Content and relationship levels
3: The problem of punctuation
4: Digital and analogic communication.
5: Complementary and symmetrical communication

Question 19

1: The impossibility of not communication

Communication is built on 5 fundamentel principes (axioms).

Answer 19

All the behavior has the potential to be communicative, regardless of whether the sender intended the behavior to be interpreted as a massage.
 Example: silent treatment

Question 20

2: Content and relationship levels

Communication is built on 5 fundamentel principes (axioms).

Answer 20

Content level – when people interact with each other they are sending particular messages. This can be verbal and non-verbal.
Relationship level – how the content should be understood.
 There is a difference between:
o “Peter, can you work on getting that brochure copy done?”
o “Peter, get the brochure copy done”.
The first one is more of a request, and there’s an equal footing & respectful.
The second one is more of a command, and there is dominance over a status equal.

Question 21

3: The problem of punctuation

Communication is built on 5 fundamentel principes (axioms).

Answer 21

Punctuation – use of marks to separate sentences, clauses and so fort. This is a metaphor for communication > people see interaction as a series of beginnings & endings, causes & effects.

People always interpret communication differently.
(Each person has their own idea of who started it or who causes what. No one’s right or wrong.
 Example: If Peter said, “Yes ma’am, whatever you say ma’am.”
o He sees the command as the reason for his sarcasm.
o The command sees his sarcasm as the reason why he had to give a command.
These different interpretations often lead to conflict or misunderstanding between people.

Question 22

4: Digital and analogic communication.

Communication is built on 5 fundamentel principes (axioms).

Answer 22

Analogic codes – nonverbal forms – tone of voice, facial expression, gestures, posture. They express feelings, attitude, and relationship.
- Saying “I’m fine” while frowning or crossing your arms.
Digital codes – verbal forms of communication – words, numbers, symbols that have specific, agreed meaning.
- Clear and precise, saying: “I’m fine”.

Digital = what you say.
Analogical = how you say it.

Question 23

5: Complementary and symmetrical communication

Communication is built on 5 fundamentel principes (axioms).

Answer 23

Two patterns for communication:
Symmetrical pattern – both people act the same way.
- Mike is sarcastic to you, and you are sarcastic to Mike.
Complementary pattern – people act in different ways.
- Mike is sarcastic, and you whine.

Question 24

functional group decision-making theory

Answer 24

The functional group decision-making theory says that communication helps groups make better decisions.
People build their group experience through how they talk and interact.

Question 25

Function

Answer 25

what communication does

Question 26

A group can make bad and good decisions, depending on 5 requisite functions:

Answer 26

1. problem analysis. * The group must take a realistic look at the nature of the problem. The group asks questions to get to the root cause to form solutions. 2. Determine standards. * Group members decides the basic requirements for a good enough solution. 3. Identify alternatives. * Group members brainstorm to generate many possible solutions. * They can brainstorm to come up with as many solutions as possible. 4. Evaluate. * The group must evaluate the viable solutions. 5. Select. * The group must select the best alternative based on the analysis of available options.

Question 27

There are three main types of communication in small groups:

Answer 27

1. Promotive communication – helps the group stay focused and work toward its goals. 2. Disruptive communication – distracts, delays, or blocks progress (off-topic chatting). 3. Counteractive communication – helps the group get back on track after being disrupted.

Question 28

Groupthink

Answer 28

happens when people in a group care more about agreeing with each other than about making the best decision or considering all options.

Question 29

groupthink, It represents a failure of the group to demonstrate

Answer 29

critical thinking. When people in a group just agree to keep the peace, their decisions are usually not as good as when they think critically, ask questions, and consider different opinions.

Question 30

There are three conditions that make groupthink more likely.

Answer 30

1: Cohesion – how connected and united group members feel. Groupthink happens more easily when a group is very close, because people want to keep the peace instead of disagreeing. - Being too focused on harmony can stop people from speaking. 2: Structural flaws – the problems with the way the group is organized. - Group insulation: the group is cut off from outside opinions. - Biased leadership: the leader’s personal views influence decisions. - Lack of procedural norms: There’s no set process for making decisions, no clear rules. - Homogeneity: Members are too similar, so they rarely challenge each other. 3: Situational characteristics – Groupthink is more likely when a group experiences high stress. This can come from outside pressure (deadlines, legal rules, company expectations) or within the group (past failures or moral dilemma).

Question 31

Symptoms of Groupthink There are 8 symptoms of groupthink, which are grouped into 3 categories:

Answer 31

Category 1 – overestimation - Symptom 1- illusion of invulnerability: belief that the group won’t/can’t fail. - Symptom 2 - belief in the inherent morality of the group: because the group is good, the decisions the group makes must be good. Category 2 – closed-mindedness - Symptom 1- stereotyping out-groups: the act of blaming or portraying other groups and their leaders as evil. - Symptom 2 – collective rationalization: the group members tend to justify their decisions by talking themselves into it. Category 3– pressure toward uniformity - Symptom 1 – self-censorship: Group members stay quiet about their doubts or concerns because they don’t want to go against the group. - Symptom 2 – illusion of unanimity: Because everyone is silent, it looks like everyone agrees — even if they don’t. - Symptom 3 – self-appointed mindguards: Some members protect the group by hiding information or opinions that might cause disagreement. - Symptom 4 – direct pressure on dissenters: If someone does speak up or disagree, the group pressures them to stop or conform.

Question 32

Adaptive Structuration Theory

Answer 32

Groups create structures — rules, roles, and patterns — through their interactions. These structures then influence (or limit) how the group continues to interact

Question 33

Symbolic Convergence Theory

Answer 33

group members cooperatively create and sustain a shared consciousness, including shared meaning, through interaction.

Question 34

Symbolic convergence happens when...

Answer 34

happens when a fantasy chain brings people together and turns them from separate individuals into a real group that shares the same way of thinking and feeling.

Question 35

Fantasy

Answer 35

does not refer to something desired or something fictional: It means a creative way of understanding events that meets an emotional or persuasive need.

Question 36

a fantasy starts with an...

Answer 36

dramatizing message: joke, anecdote, figure of speech, metaphor. It refers to things in the past or might happen in the future.

Question 37

fantasy, Some emotion in them and work on two levels:

Answer 37

1. Surface level (make people laugh/relax) 2. Deeper level (show meaning or appreciation)

Question 38

Example: Trevor just solved a very hard problem at work. In the next meeting, his coworker Kyle waves an imaginary magic wand and says “What magic spell did you use to fix that, Harry Potter?”. This makes everyone smile (1) but also shows respect for Trevor’s work (2). If the group reacts to this message and continues the story or joke together, a (3) is created.

Answer 38

1: surface level 2: deeper level 3: fantasy theme

Question 39

When the group keeps building on that shared story — for example, later calling someone a muggle or joking about magic spells — it becomes a ...

Answer 39

fantasy chain That means the idea has grown through group interaction and has become part of the group’s shared way of thinking.

Question 40

Rhetorical vision

Answer 40

when a group shares one big story or way of seeing the world. It combines all the group’s smaller stories (fantasy themes) into a single, unified picture of what they believe, value, and want to achieve together.