Small Group Communication: Forming & Sustaining Teams

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary terms and concepts related to small group communication, focusing on definitions and key elements important for understanding the dynamics of group interactions.

Small Group Communication

Interactions among three or more people who are connected through a common purpose, mutual influence, and shared identity.

Cohesion

The degree to which group members identify with and like the group’s task and other group members.

Groupthink

Group pressure phenomenon that increases the risk of making flawed decisions by reducing mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment.

Social Loafing

A phenomenon where individuals exert less effort when working as a group than when working independently.

Task Roles

Expected behaviors or functions of group members that contribute directly to the group’s completion of a task or achievement of its goals.

Maintenance Roles

Roles that function to create and maintain social cohesion and fulfill the interpersonal needs of group members.

Virtual Teams

Groups that take advantage of new technologies and meet exclusively or primarily online to achieve their purpose or goal.

Tuckman's Model of Group Development

A model proposing that groups move through five stages: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.

Consensus Decision-Making

A method where group members engage in discussion to reach a decision that all members can support, requiring participation and compromise.

Negotiating Power

The process of discussing and reaching an agreement regarding power dynamics and influence within a group.

Interdependence

The degree to which group members share a common purpose and outcomes, meaning the fate of each member is connected.

Symbolic Convergence Theory

A theory suggesting that group cohesion develops through shared stories and communication that create a collective identity.

Diversity in Groups

Emergence of varying perspectives, which can enhance decision-making and problem-solving but also presents challenges.

Power-Over

A type of power exercised through control or dominance over others.

Power-From-Within

A more personal sense of strength or agency that an individual possesses.

Power-With

A power that arises from shared strength or cooperation among equals.

Empathy

The ability to understand and share the feelings of another, crucial for creating a supportive group climate.