Functional Perspective on Group Decision Making

Flashcards on Functional Perspective on Group Decision Making

What is the functional perspective on group decision making?

A prescriptive approach that describes and predicts task-group performance when four communication functions are fulfilled, with the goal of coming to a high-quality decision.

What are the four requisite functions of effective decision making?

Problem analysis, goal setting, identification of alternatives, and evaluation of positive and negative characteristics.

What is involved in 'problem analysis' as a function of effective decision making?

Determining the nature, extent, and cause(s) of the problem facing the group.

What is involved in 'goal setting' as a function of effective decision making?

Establishing criteria by which to judge proposed solutions.

What is involved in the 'identification of alternatives' as a function of effective decision making?

Generating options to sufficiently solve the problem.

What is involved in the 'evaluation of positive and negative characteristics' as a function of effective decision making?

Testing the relative merits of each option against the criteria selected; weighing the benefits and costs.

According to Hirokawa, what role does communication play in group decisions?

Communication plays an active role in quality decisions.

What are the three types of communication in decision-making groups, according to Hirokawa and Gouran?

Promotive, disruptive, and counteractive.

What is 'promotive' communication in group decision-making?

Interaction that moves the group along the goal path and calls attention to one of the four requisite decision-making functions.

What is 'disruptive' communication in group decision-making?

Interaction that diverts, hinders, or frustrates group members' ability to achieve the four task functions.

What is 'counteractive' communication in group decision-making?

Interaction that members use to get the group back on track.

To whom do Hirokawa and Gouran owe their intellectual debt?

Early-twentieth-century American philosopher John Dewey.

What is Habermas' discourse ethics?

Ideal speech situations in which diverse participants could rationally reach a consensus on universal ethical standards.

What is an 'ideal speech situation' in the context of Habermas' discourse ethics?

A discourse on ethical accountability in which discussants represent all who will be affected by the decision and pursue discourse in the spirit of seeking the common good.

What are the three requirements for the validity of any ethical approach, according to Habermas?

Requirement for access, requirement for argument, and requirement for justification.

What are the three leading theories of group decision making according to Cragan and Wright?

Bormann's symbolic convergence theory, Poole's adaptive structuration theory, and Hirokawa and Gouran's functional perspective theory.

According to Stohl and Holmes, what is a bonafide group?

Intact groups with stable, yet permeable boundaries and interdependent with their immediate context; real-life groups.