Reference no: EM132302332

Aroup Communication After considering best practices for virtual groups, we discussed three guidelines for effective communication in groups and teams. Developing skill in task, procedural, and climate communication and avoiding egocentric comments will make you a valuable member of any group. The second guideline for effective communication in groups and teams is to ensure leadership, which may be provided by one or more members. Good leadership exists when members communicate to organize discussion, ensure careful work on the task, and build cohesion, morale, and an effective climate for collective work. A third guideline is to manage conflict so that it enhances, rather than detracts from, group processes. pply what you’ve learned in this chapter by analyzing the following case study, using the accompanying questions as a guide. These questions and a video of the case study are also available online with your MindTap Speech for Communication Mosaics. As members of the Student Government Financial Committee, Davinia, Joyce, Thomas, and Pat make decisions on how much funding, if any, to give various student groups that request support from the funds collected from student fees. They are meeting for the first time in a campus cafeteria. Thomas: Well, we’ve got 23 applications for funding and a total of $19,000 that we can distribute. Davinia: Maybe we should start by listing how much each of the 23 groups wants. Joyce: It might be better to start by determining the criteria that we’ll use to decide if groups get any funding from student fees. Davinia: Yeah, right. We should set up our criteria before we look at applications. Thomas: Sounds good to me. Pat, what do you think? Pat: I’m on board. Let’s set up criteria first and then review the applications against those. Joyce: Okay, we might start by looking at the criteria used last year by the Financial Committee. Does anyone have a copy of those? Thomas: I do. [He passes out copies to the other three people.] They had three criteria: service to a significant number of students, compliance with the college’s nondiscrimination policies, and educational benefit. Davinia: What counts as “educational benefit”? Did last year’s committee specify that? Joyce: Good question. Thomas, you were on the committee last year. Do you remember what they counted as educational benefit? Thomas: The main thing I remember is that it was distinguished from artistic benefit—like a concert or art exhibit or something like that. Pat: But can’t art be educational? Davinia: Yeah, I think so. Thomas, Joyce, do you? Thomas: I guess, but it’s like art’s primary purpose isn’t to educate.: I agree. It’s kind of hard to put into words, but I think educational benefit has more to do with information and the mind, and art has more to do with the soul. Does that sound too hokey? [Laughter.] Pat: Okay, so we want to say that we don’t distribute funds to any hokey groups, right? [More laughter.] Davinia: It’s not like we’re against art or anything. It’s just that the funding we can distribute is for educational benefit, right? [Everyone nods.] Joyce: Okay, let’s move onto another criterion. What is a significant number of students? Thomas: Last year, we said that the proposals for using money had to be of potential interest to at least 20 percent of students to get funding. How does that sound to you? Pat: Sounds okay, as long as we remember that something can be of potential interest to students who aren’t members of specific groups. Like, for instance, I might want to attend a program on Native American customs even though I’m not a Native American. See what I mean? Chapter 11 Communication in Groups and Teams 235 Davinia: Good point; we don’t want to define student interest as student identity or anything like that. [Nods of agreement.] Thomas: Okay, so are we agreed that 20 percent is about right, with the understanding that the 20 percent can include students who aren’t in a group applying for funding? [Nods.] Okay, then do we need to discuss the criterion of compliance with the college’s policies on nondiscrimination?

1. Classify each statement in this scenario as one of the forms of group communication (task, procedural, climate, egocentric). Is the balance among forms appropriate for a decision-making group?

2. Based on this discussion, does this group seem to have a single leader, or do different members provide leadership to the group?

3. How do you perceive the interaction pattern between members? Does everyone seem to be involved and participating?

4. Are any of the potential values of group versus individual decision making evident in this discussion?