In Mixed Company 11e - Communicating in Small Groups and Teams

A brief, affordable text that combines theory, applications, and current research on small group communication through humor and a conversational style.

List of contents

• Brief Contents


• Preface


• 1 Communication Competence in Groups


• 2 Groups as Systems


• 3 Meetings: Standard and Virtual


• 4 Group Development


• 5 Developing the Group Climate


• 6 Roles in Groups


• 7 Group Leadership


• 8 Developing Effective Teams


• 9 Defective Group Decision Making and Problem Solving


• 10 Effective Decision Making and Problem Solving


• 11 Power in Groups: A Central Dynamic


• 12 Conflict Management and Negotiation


• Appendix A: Group Oral Presentations


• Appendix B: Critical Thinking Revisited: Arguments and Fallacies


• Glossary


• References


• Index


• TABLE OF CONTENTS


• Preface


• Chapter 1: Communication Competence in Groups


• Myths about Communication


• Myth 1: Communication Is a Cure-all


• Myth 2: Communication Can Break Down


• Myth 3: Effective Communication Is Merely Skill Building


• Myth 4: 93% of Meaning Is Communicated Nonverbally


• Myth 5: Effective Communication Is Just Common Sense


• Communication Defined


• Communication as Transactional: Mutually Influential


• Communication as a Process: The Continuous Flow


• Communication as Sharing Meaning: Making Sense


• Verbal Communication: Telling It Like It Isn't


• Nonverbal Communication: Wordless Meaning


• Communication Competence


• Effectiveness: Achieving Goals


• A Matter of Degree: From Deficiency to Proficiency


• We (Not Me) Oriented: Primacy of Groups


• Appropriateness: Following the Rules


• Rule Violations: Consequential Effects


• Rule Changes: Context Specific


• Achieving Communication Competence


• Knowledge: Learning the Rules


• Skills: Showing, Not Just Knowing


• Sensitivity: Receptive Accuracy


• Commitment: A Passion for Excellence


• Ethics: The Right and Wrong of Communication


• Culture and Communication Competence


• Individualism-Collectivism Dimension: The Prime Directive


• Applying the Communication Competence Model: Several Steps


• Self-Assessment: Be Ye Individualist or Collectivist?


• Definition of a Group


• Groups: More than People Standing at a Bus Stop


• Interpersonal Communication and Public Speaking: Ungroups


• Questions for Critical Thinkers


• TED Talks and YouTube Videos


• Video Case Studies


• Chapter 2: Groups as Systems


• Interconnectedness of Parts


• Ripple Effect: A Chain Reaction


• Synergy: One Plus One Equals a Ton


• Negative Synergy: Results Beyond Bad


• Adaptability to a Changing Environment


• Dynamic Equilibrium: Regulating Stability and Change


• Dealing with Difficult Group Members: Disruptive Change


• Self-Assessment: Are You a Difficult Group Member?


• Boundary Control: Communication Methods for Regulating Input


• Physical Barriers: Protecting Group Space


• Psychological Barriers: Member in Name Only


• Linguistic Barriers: Having to Speak the Language


• Rules: Permission Not Granted


• Roles: Staying in Bounds


• Networks: Controlling Information and Interaction Flow


• Open and Closed Systems: Setting Effective Boundaries


• Influence of Size


• Group Size and Complexity


• Quantitative Complexity: Exponentially Complicated


• Complexity and Group Transactions: Size Matters


• An Organization: A Group of Groups


• Questions for Critical Thinkers


• TED Talks and YouTube Videos


• Video Case Studies


• Chapter 3: Meetings: Standard and Virtual


• Standard Meeting Preparation


• Clarify the Purpose: Avoid Aimlessness


• Create an Effective Meeting Agenda: Simple Steps


• Get There First: Expect Problems


• Conducting a Meeting


• Type of Meeting: Formal or Informal


• Begin on Time; End on Time: Punctuality Is a Virtue


• Communicate Ground Rules: Avoid Chaos


• Use the Best Processes: No One-Size-Fits-All


• Stay on Track: Parking Lots, Jellyfish, and Perception Checks


• Concluding the Meeting: Don't End with a Whimper


• After the Meeting: Clean-Up Time


• Participating in Meetings


• Be Prepared: Don't Act Like a Potted Plant


• WAIT: Avoid Stage Hogging


• Be Attentive: Monitor Your Nonverbal Communication


• Recognize Cultural Diversity: Is Silence Golden?


• Increase Participation: Constructive Engagement


• Virtual Meetings


• Types of Virtual Meetings: Audio and Visual


• Pros and Cons: A Mixed Bag


• Facilitating a Virtual Meeting: New Challenges


• Virtual Meeting Participation: A Few Unique Considerations


• Questions for Critical Thinkers


• TED Talks and YouTube Videos


• Video Case Studies


• Chapter 4: Group Development


• Primary Dimensions of Groups


• Task and Social Dimensions: Working and Relating


• Building Cohesiveness: Bringing Us Together


• Encourage Compatible Membership


• Develop Shared Goals


• Accomplish Tasks


• Develop a Positive History of Cooperation


• Increase Proximity


• Nurture Virtual Group Social Relations


• Periodic Phases of Group Development


• Forming: Gathering Members


• Reasons We Join Groups: Motivation


• Member Diversity: The Benefits and Challenges of Difference


• Storming: Feeling the Tension


• Primary Tension: Initial Uneasiness


• Secondary Tension: Later Stress and Strain


• Norming: Regulating the Group


• Types of Norms: Explicit and Implicit


• Degree of Conformity: Strength of Group Pressure


• Why We Conform: Fitting In


• Conditions for Conformity: When We Bow to Group Pressure


• Addressing Nonconformity: When Groups Get Tough


• Performing: Group Output


• Motivation to Perform: Social Loafing and Social Compensation


• Self-Assessment: Social Loafing


• When Groups Outperform Individuals: Three Heads Are Better than One


• When Individuals Outperform Groups: No Group Magic


• Questions for Critical Thinkers


• TED Talks and YouTube Videos


• Video Case Studies


• Chapter 5: Developing the Group Climate


• Positive versus Negative Climates


• Negativity Bias: Short-Circuiting a Positive Climate


• Positive Emphasis: The "Magic Ratio"


• Competition and Cooperation


• Definitions: Conceptual Clarity


• Constructive Competition: Tempering Hypercompetitiveness


• Cooperative Group Climates: Cultivating Positivity


• Communication and Group Climate


• Praise and Recognition: Basic Building Blocks


• Defensive and Supportive Communication: Shaping Climates


• Self-Assessment: Reactions to Defensive and Supportive Communication


• Criticism versus Description


• Control versus Problem Orientation


• Manipulation versus Assertiveness


• Indifference versus Empathy


• Superiority versus Equality


• Certainty versus Provisionalism


• Incivility versus Civility


• Listening: Enhancing Positivity


• Shift Response versus Support Response: Focusing on Me or Thee?


• Competitive Interrupting: Seizing the Floor


• Ambushing: Preparing Rebuttals


• Virtual Group Climate


• Questions for Critical Thinkers


• TED Talks and YouTube Videos


• Video Case Studies


• Chapter 6: Roles in Groups


• Influence of Roles


• Role Status: Playing by Hierarchical Rules


• Role Conflict: Torn Between Two Roles


• Role Reversal: When Students Become Teachers


• Types of Roles


• Task Roles: Focusing on Maximum Productivity


• Maintenance Roles: Focusing on Cohesiveness


• Disruptive Roles: Focusing on Self


• Self-Assessment: Playing by the Roles


• Role Emergence


• Group Endorsement: Accepting a Bid?


• Role Specialization: Settling into One's Primary Role?


• Role Adaptability


• Role Flexibility: Adapting to Context


• Role Fixation: Failure to Adapt


• Newcomers and System Disturbance


• Nature of the Group: The Challenge of Acceptance


• Group Socialization: Mutual Adaptation to Change


• Questions for Critical Thinkers


• TED Talks and YouTube Videos


• Video Case Studies


• Chapter 7: Group Leadership


• Definition of Leadership


• Leadership and Followership: Let's Dance


• Leader and Manager: Different Types of Influence


• Difference #1: Positional versus Interpersonal Influence


• Difference #2: Maintaining versus Changing


• Differences Not Categorically Exclusive: Matter of Emphasis


• Leadership Emergence


• How Not to Become a Leader: Communication Blunders


• General Emergence Pattern: Process of Elimination


• Two Phases of Emergence


• Virtual Group Leader Emergence


• Additional Factors: Implicit Theories of Leadership


• Perspectives on Competent Leadership


• Traits Perspective: The Born Leader View


• Styles Perspective: One Style Doesn't Fit All


• Self-Assessment: What Is Your Leadership Style Preference?


• Situational Perspective: Matching Styles with Circumstances


• Distributive Leadership: Sharing Functions


• Servant Leadership Perspective: Ethical Necessity


• Culture and Leadership: Are There Universal Theories?


• Communication Competence Perspective: The Overarching View


• Virtual Group Leadership


• Questions for Critical Thinkers


• TED Talks and YouTube Videos


• Video Case Studies


• Chapter 8: Developing Effective Teams


• Standard Groups versus Teams


• Distinctions: The Fourmost Four


• Level of Cooperation: The Working Together Imperative


• Diversity of Skills: Looking for Complementarity


• Group Identity: Operating as a Unit


• Time and Resources: Commitment to the Team


• Definition of a Team: A Special Kind of Group


• Team Members


• Team Slayers: Members' Bad Attitudes and Bad Behavior


• Egocentrism: Me-Deep in Omnipotence


• Cynicism: Communicating a Can't-Do Attitude


• Communicating Abuse: Incompetent Behavior Kills Teams


• Team Builders: Choosing and Developing Team Members


• Experience and Problem-Solving Abilities: Core Competencies


• Communication Training: Developing Members' Competence


• Developing Teamwork


• Developing Team Goals: The Four Cs


• Clear Goals: Everyone on the Same Page


• Cooperative Goals: Interdependent Challenges


• Challenging Goals: Denting the Universe


• Commitment to Goals: A Passion to Succeed


• Developing a Team Identity: Unifying Members


• Symbolic Convergence: Communicating Fantasy Themes


• Solidarity Symbols: Unifying Nonverbally


• Team Talk: The Language of We


• Designating Roles: Room for One Quarterback


• Team Empowerment: Enhancing Members' Capabilities


• Definition of Empowerment: Four Dimensions


• Hierarchical Organizations: The Enemy of Team Empowerment


• Self-Managing Work Teams: The IDEO Model


• Impediments to Team Empowerment: No Buy-In


• Establishing Individual Accountability: Providing Feedback


• Competent Team Leadership


• Nurturing Empowerment: A Shared Responsibility


• Requiring a Psychologically Safe Environment: Killing Fear and Ego


• Virtual Teams


• Questions for Critical Thinkers


• TED Talks and YouTube Videos


• Video Case Studies


• Chapter 9: Defective Decision Making and Problem Solving


• Information Overload


• Scope of the Problem: The Information Avalanche


• Consequences: The Downside of Information Overload


• Critical Thinking Impairment: Separating Wheat from Chaff


• Indecisiveness: Conclusion Irresolution


• Inattention: Difficulty Concentrating


• Diminished Creativity: Preoccupation with the Mundane


• Coping with Information Overload: Wrestling the Beast


• Ruthlessly Filter Information: Scan the Spam


• "Eat the Frog": Tackle the Unpleasant Tasks First


• Shut Down Technology: Hitting the Off Switch?


• Become Selective: On a Need-to-Know Basis


• Limit the Search: When Enough Is Enough


• Discern Patterns: Recognizing Irrelevant Information


• Focus: Don't Multitask


• Information Underload


• Mindsets: Critical Thinking Frozen Solid


• Confirmation Bias: One-Sided Information Searches


• The Problem: Poor Decisions and Solutions


• Combating Confirmation Bias: A Plan


• False Dichotomies: Either-Or Thinking


• Collective Inferential Error: Uncritical Thinking


• Prevalence of the Problem: It's a Group Thing


• Sources of Inferential Errors: Distortions and Correlations


• Unrepresentativeness: Distorting the Facts


• Self-Assessment: The Uncritical Inference Test


• Correlation Inferred as Causation: Covariation


• Error Correction: Practicing Critical Thinking


• Group Polarization: Extremely Uncritical Thinking


• Polarization: From Gambling to Guarded


• Why Groups Polarize: Comparison and Persuasion


• Combating Group Polarization: Necessary Steps


• Groupthink: Critical Thinking in Suspended Animation


• Conditions: Excessive Cohesiveness and Concurrence Seeking


• Identification of Groupthink: Main Symptoms


• Overestimation of the Group's Power and Morality: Arrogance


• Closed-Mindedness: Clinging to Assumptions


• Pressures toward Uniformity: Presenting a United Front


• Preventing Groupthink: Promoting Vigilance


• Questions for Critical Thinkers


• TED Talks and YouTube Videos


• Video Case Studies


• Chapter 10: Effective Decision Making and Problem Solving


• Group Discussion Functions and Procedures


• Phases and Functions: General Considerations


• Multiple Sequence Model: Phases of Decision Making


• Functional Perspective: Being Systematic


• The Standard Agenda: Structuring Group Discussion


• Problem Identification: What's the Question?


• Problem Analysis: Causes and Effects


• Solution Criteria: Setting Standards


• Solution Suggestions: Generating Alternatives


• Solution Evaluation and Selection: Deciding by Criteria


• Solution Implementation: Follow-Through


• Decision-Making Rules: Majority, Minority, and Unanimity


• Majority Rule: Tyrannical or Practical


• Minority Rule: Several Types


• Unanimity Rule: Consensus


• Evaluating Information: Countering "Truth Decay"


• Credibility: Is It Believable??


• Currency: Is It Up to Date??


• Relevance: Looking for Logical Connections


• Representativeness: Reflecting the Facts


• Sufficiency: When Enough Really Is Enough


• Creative Problem Solving


• General Overview: The Creative Process


• Creative Techniques: Systematic Procedures


• Idea Generation: Several Techniques


• Framing/Reframing: It's All in the Wording


• Virtual Groups and Decision Making


• Pace of Decision Making: Synchronous and Asynchronous Media


• Virtual Creativity: Finding Your Comfort Zone


• Questions for Critical Thinkers


• TED Talks and YouTube Videos


• Video Case Studies


• Chapter 11: Power in Groups


• The Nature of Power


• Forms of Power: Dominance, Prevention, and Empowerment


• Communication Indicators of Power


• General Indicators: Defining, Following, and Inhibiting


• Verbal Indicators: Language Choices


• Nonverbal Indicators: Silent Exercise of Power


• Status Cues: Virtual Groups


• Power Resources: The Raw Materials of Influence


• Information: Good and Plenty


• Expertise: Information Plus Know-How


• Legitimate Authority: You Will Obey


• Rewards and Punishments: Pleasure and Pain


• Personal Qualities: A Powerful Persona


• Consequences of Power Imbalances


• Bias Against Women and Ethnic Minorities: Leadership Gap


• Bullying: Verbal and Nonverbal Aggression


• Power Distance: Cultural Variation


• General Description: Horizontal and Vertical Cultures


• Communication Differences: With Whom May You Communicate?


• Balancing Power: Prevention Strategies


• Defiance: Digging in Your Heels


• Resistance: Dragging Your Feet


• Sluggish Effort: How Slow Can You Go?


• Strategic Stupidity: Smart People Acting Dumb


• Loss of Motor Function: Conscious Carelessness


• The Misunderstanding Mirage: Confusion Illusion?


• Selective Amnesia: Fake Forgetfulness


• Tactical Tardiness: Late by Design


• Purposeful Procrastination: Deliberate Delays


• Balancing Power Positively: Enhancing Empowerment


• Developing Assertiveness: Exhibiting Confidence and Skill


• Alliances: Forming Coalitions


• Increasing Personal Power Resources: Benefiting the Group


• Questions for Critical Thinkers


• TED Talks and YouTube Videos


• Video Case Studies


• Chapter 12: Conflict Management and Negotiation


• Nature of Conflict


• Definition: Incompatible, Interconnected Struggle


• Benefits of Conflict: Dissent Can Be Productive


• Destructive and Constructive Conflict: Differences


• Communication Styles of Conflict Management


• Collaborating: Problem Solving


• Confrontation: Directly Addressing the Problem


• Integration: Seeking Joint Gains


• Smoothing: Calming Troubled Waters


• Accommodating: Yielding


• Compromising: Halving the Loaf


• Avoiding: Withdrawing


• Competing: Power-Forcing


• Comparing Styles: Likelihood of Success


• Situational Factors


• Task Conflict: Routine and Nonroutine


• Relationship Conflict: It's Personal


• Values Conflict: Deeply Felt Struggles


• Culture and Conflict: Communication Differences


• Negotiating Strategies


• Positional Bargaining: Hard and Soft Negotiating


• Principled Negotiation: Interest-Based Bargaining


• The Four Principles: Appropriate Rules


• Remaining Unconditionally Constructive: Sound Judgment?


• The BATNA: Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement


• Anger Management


• Constructive and Destructive Anger: Intensity and Duration


• Managing Your Own Anger: Taking Control


• Managing the Anger of Others: Communication Jujitsu


• Virtual Groups and Conflict


• Questions for Critical Thinkers


• TED Talks and YouTube Videos


• Video Case Studies


• Appendix A: Group Oral Presentations


• Appendix B: Critical Thinking Revisited: Arguments and Fallacies


• Glossary


• References


• Index

About the author

J. Dan Rothwell: Professor Emeritus and former chair of the Communication Studies Department at Cabrillo College. He has a B.A. in American History from the University of Portland (Oregon), an M.A. in Rhetoric and Public Address, and a Ph.D. in Communication Theory and Social Influence. His M.A. and Ph.D. are both from the University of Oregon. He is the author of four other books: Practically Speaking, In the Company of Others: An Introduction to Communication, Telling It Like It Isn't: Language Misuse and Malpractice, Interpersonal Communication: Influences and Alternatives (with James Costigan), and In Mixed Company: An Introduction to Group Communication.

Summary

A brief, affordable text that combines theory, applications, and current research on small group communication through humor and a conversational style.

Additional text

In Mixed Company is extremely well written and developed. It includes all of the information/scholarship you would like in a class on small group/team communication." - Marla Lowenthal, University of San Francisco

Product details

• Authors: Rothwell , J. Dan Rothwell, Rothwell J. Dan
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 05.05.2022
• EAN: 9780197602812
• ISBN: 978-0-19-760281-2
• No. of pages: 480
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Media, communication > Communication science; LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Communication Studies, Communication Studies