Group Communications Final

CH.8 Which style of conflict management attempts to find a solution that meets, to a certain extent, the needs of all concerned?

Compromise

CH.8 When individuals become defensive about their positions because they think they are being personally attacked, it causes

Ego conflict

CH.8 Despite the fact that it can be useful during group discussions, it hinders the decision-making abilities of the group, thus reducing the group's effectiveness and output. What is being referred to here?

Conflict

CH.8 Martha is from the US and Zheng is from China. Due to lack of understanding, most likely because of the language barrier, they end up arguing only to realize at a later stage that they share the same opinions.

Which type of conflict is this?

Pseudo

CH.8 Sandy doesn't like to deal with conflicts. So she always tries to ignore disagreements.

Which conflict-management style is this?

Avoidance

CH.8 Conflict

An expressed struggle between at least two interdependent people who perceived incompatible goals, scarce resources, and interference from others to achieve specific goals

CH.8 What 3 things result from negative conflict

-Keeps the group from completing a task

-Interferes with the quality of the group's decision or productivity

-Threatens the existence of the group

CH.8 What are the 6 Causes of conflict:

-Perception

People see the world differently

A difference in attitudes, beliefs, values

-personality

Tolerance for taking risks

-knowledge

Difference in knowledge

More exp or more read

-culture

Different cultural backgrounds

-power and status

Differences increase conflict

Powerful try to control but most people don't like to be controlled

-procedural expectations

Disagreement of processes and procedures

How decisions will be made, rules, norms

CH.8 What is pseudo conflict:

- When people agree but bc of poor communication they believe they disagree

Pseudo = fake

CH.8 How do you fix pseudo conflict?

-Ask for clarification

-Establish supportive rather than a defensive climate if misunderstandings occur

-Become an active listener

CH.8 What is simple conflict?

-When two people's goals or ideas are mutually exclusive or incompatible

CH.8 What 2 categories of conflict are associated with simple conflict?

-Task conflict

-Process conflict

CH.8 What is task conflict?:

Disagreement about WHAT should be done

CH.8 What is Process conflict?

Disagreement about HOW the task should be done

CH.8 What is ego conflict:

Occurs when individuals become defensive about their positions because they think they are being personally attacked

CH.8 How do you manage ego conflict?

-Encourage active listening

-Return discussion to key issues under discussion

-Try to turn the discussion into a problem to be solved rather than a conflict someone has to win

CH.8 What is relationship conflict?

When one or more group members do not like, respect, or value another person

CH.8 What conflict is the most difficult to manage?

Relationship conflict

CH.8 What are 2 factors of conflict management styles?

-How concerned you are for other people

-How concerned you are for yourself

CH.8 What are the 5 conflict management styles?

-Avoidance

-Accommodation

-Competition

-Compromise

-Collaboration

CH.8 What is avoidance conflict management style?

A person attempts to ignore disagreements

CH.8 What are the advantages of avoidance conflict management style?

-Gives cool down time, to think

-May not be worth time and effort to manage

CH.8 What are the disadvantages of avoidance conflict management style?

-Cause of conflict may remain

-Emotions may escalate

-Signal that u don't care for needs/interests of group

CH.8 What is Accommodation conflict management style?

Make conflict go away by giving in to the wishes of others

lose-win approach

CH.8 What are the advantages of Accommodation conflict management style?

-Indicates you are reasonable

-High need for approval/ reduce threats to their sense of self worth

-Trivial matters don't need too much focus

CH.8 What are the disadvantages of Accommodation conflict management style?

-Bad decisions b/c not much thought

-Lose-win approach

-Stubbornness creates defensive climate

CH.8 What is Competition conflict management style?

When people stress winning a conflict at the expense of one or more other people

CH.8 What are the advantages of Competition conflict management style?

-Scale of assertiveness might be good

-If u have accurate info vs their bad info

CH.8 What are the disadvantages of Competition conflict management style?

Result in greater defensiveness, messages that blame others, efforts to control

CH.8 What is Compromise conflict management style?

-Attempts to find a middle ground

-Solution that somewhat meets everyone's needs

-Can be win win or lose lose

CH.8 What are the advantages of Compromise conflict management style?

-Meet timed demands

-Save face

-Balance power

CH.8 What are the disadvantages of Compromise conflict management style?

-May end up bad

-No one really wins

-Doesn't solve the issue

CH.8 What is Collaboration conflict management style?

-High concern for both yourself and others

-View conflict as a problem to be solved

-Long run have better results

CH.8 What are the advantages of Collaboration conflict management style?

-Prospect of a better solution to issues facing the group

-Most satisfied members

-Need for fresh, new ideas

CH.8 What are the disadvantages of Collaboration conflict management style?

-Time, effort, and skill needed

-Requires patience

-Pretence to compete

CH.8 What did Aubrey's Fisher (Fisher's model) find?

Found that group deliberations can be organized around four phases

CH.8 What 4 parts are part of the Fisher Model?

-orientation

-conflict

-emergence

-reinforcement

CH.8 What is orientation (Fisher's Model)

Orientation phase suggests group member's communication is directed at orienting themselves toward others as well as to the group's task

CH.8 What is the primary tension in the orientation phase of the fisher model?

When group members are uncertain how to behave and feel somewhat awkward about what to say or do

CH.8 What is conflict in the fisher model?

Communication characterized by persuasive attempts at changing others' opinions and reinforcing one's own position

CH.8 What is the secondary tension in the conflict phase of the fisher model?

Jockeying for leadership, power, and position in a group

CH.8 What is emergence in the fisher model?

-Resolve conflict

-Divided but has clarity

-Leadership patterns and roles have been established, issues and problems confronting the group have been identified

-Need to settle differences and reach consensus

CH.8 What is reinforcement in the fisher model?

-Spirit of unity

-Positive feelings toward the group and its decisions

-Genuine sense of accomplishment

CH.8 What is groupthink?

Illusion of agreement

CH.8 What is the advantage of Groupthink?

Minimize conflict, maximize cohesiveness and reach a consensus

CH.8 What are examples of Groupthink going wrong?

-Space shuttle Challenger disaster

-Mount Everest Tragedy

-Texas A&M Bonfire Tragedy

-September 11

CH.8 When does groupthink occur?

-Group is apathetic about the task

-Low expectations about their ability to be successful

-At least one highly qualified, credible group member

-One group member is exceptionally persuasive

-There is a norm that group members should conform rather than express negative opinions

CH.8 What are the symptoms of Groupthink?

-Critical thinking is not encouraged or rewarded

-Members believe that their group can do no wrong

-Members are too concerned about justifying their actions

-Members apply pressure to those who do not support the group

-Members often believe they have reached a true consensus

-Members are too concerned about reinforcing the leader's beliefs

CH.8 How do you minimize Groupthink?

-Encourage critical, independent thinking

-Be sensitive to status differences that may affect decision making

-Invite someone from outside the group to evaluate the group's decision-making process

-Assign a group member the role of devil's advocate

-Ask group members to subdivide into small groups to consider potential problems with the suggested solutions

-Consider using technology to help your group gather and evaluate ideas

CH.9 Making suggestions, offering new ideas, giving information or opinions, asking for more information, and making procedural observations or recommendations can all have an impact on a group's effectiveness.

These behaviors are typical of which style of leadership?

Task

CH.9 During team meetings, Clarke keeps suggesting all the ideas and continually tries to hog the limelight. Zara, the manager, realized that this was hampering the team's creativity and effectiveness. Thus, to curb one person from stealing other members' thunder, she imposed a four-minute time limit for each member to provide their suggestions. Furthermore, to enhance group participation, Zara individually asked each member to share their opinion.

Zara showcased the _________ process as a leadership behavior.

gatekeeping

CH.9 The members of a group were very different, which resulted in numerous conflicts between them. During department meetings, the members would fixate on personal issues instead of focusing on generating solutions for the problems at hand. Their manager tried to help them resolve their differences and come to conclusions amicably.

Which process of leadership behavior did the manager use?

Mediating

CH.9 Benita is an inherently introverted person. She feels inhibited during team meetings, while talking with strangers, and when she gets negative feedback. Having realized this, Gianluca, her supervisor, always supports her during difficult times, commends her whenever she performs well, and generally tries to give her confidence a boost. As a result of this, Benita has started taking more initiative during group discussions and has begun to come out of her shell.

Which process of leadership behavior did Gianluca employ?

Offering encouragement

CH.9 After working for ten hours straight in order to meet a deadline, Samuel, the team leader, noticed that all his members were mentally and physically saturated. Therefore, he asked them to temporarily leave their work and join him for some snacks in the break room. After a thirty-minute hiatus, in which the team members let off some steam and engaged in a bit of tomfoolery, they came back to their stations with their energy replenished and attacked the pending work with renewed vigor. As a result, the team completed their work on the same day and met their deadlines.

Which process-leadership behavior did Samuel display?

Releasing tension