Small Group Midterm study guide

Creativity

is the generation, application, combination, and extension

of new ideas.

1. Idea Generation

(Come up with 10 different companies.) 

2. Application

3. Combination

4. Extension

Myth #1: Creativity is a mysterious process that can’t be learned. 

Myth #2: Only a few gifted people are creative. 

Myth #3: Creativity just happens. 

Barriers are keeping us from being creative. 

• Premature Evaluation of Ideas. 

• Poor Physical Surroundings. 

• Too many people. 

• Poor timing. 

• Stinking Thinking.

Principles:

• Appropriately Analyze and Define the Problem. 

• Create a Climate of Freedom. 

• Listen to minority points of view. 

• Encourage People to See Things and Themselves Differently. 

Strategies: 

Brainstorming

1. Served Solution.

2. Time- 50 minutes.

3. Remove Judgements. 

4. Evaluate.

5. Record.

6. Select.

-Infinity Technique. 

1/29/2025 Notes 

Chapter 1 

• Small group (3 no more than 12).

Communication

• Making and sharing sense 

• Symbols

SMCR

• Sender 

• Message 

• Channel 

• Receiver 

A small group of people 

• Dyad (2 people)

• Small group (more than two people.)

Meeting with a common purpose 

• Individual goal

• Collective goal

Feeling a sense of belonging 

• Sense of belonging

• Sense of identity

Exerting Influence 

• Leadership

Team 

• Teams develop well- defined goals. 

• 1. Clear, 2. Elevating, 3. Goals 

• Define responsibilities for team members. 

• Roles 

• Clear elevating goal

2/3/24

• Categories of the Reasons why people join groups. 

• Interpersonal needs. 

• Individual goals.

• Interpersonal attraction. 

• Group attraction. 

• FWS

• Safety 

• Belonging 

• Self- Esteem 

• Self- Actualization

• Shutes 

• 1. Control

• 2. Inclusion

• 3. Affection

Attraction 

• 1. Similarity 

• 2. Complementarity 

• 3. Proximity 

• 4. Physical

2/5/25

Group Activities 

• Attraction to group activities. 

Group Goals 

• Attraction to group goals. 

Group Membership

• Attraction to group membership. 

Individualism and Collectivism 

• Individual autonomy versus collective well- being. 

High- Context and Low- Context Cultures.

• Nonverbal versus verbal expression. 

Effects of High-Contact and Low-Contact Cultures.

–Being physically close versus preferring personal space.

Homogeneity and Diversity.

–Similar versus diverse group members.

• Different Cultures fall on the context scale. 

Bruce Tuckman’s Scheme of Stages of Group Development. 

–Forming- Intros, first impressions, Judgement, 

–Storming- Goal- clash

–Norming- Pattern- How you fight the storms. (Surviving)

–Performing- In the role you were created to do. (Feel good.) (Thriving.)

(This is a cycle.)

With a New Member, the Reformation Presents its Own Stages of Development.

–Anticipation.

–Encounter.

–Adjustment.

2/10/25

• 4.1 Develop a plan in preparation for a group discussion

• 4.2 Formulate a question of fact, prediction, value, or policy for a group discussion

• 4.3 Use appropriate logic and reasoning to develop sound conclusions  

• Identify appropriate ways to use facts, examples, opinions, and statistics in group discussions

• 4.5 Avoid reasoning fallacies by critically analyzing the reasoning and evidence presented in group discussions

1. Info- Sharing 

2. Discussion- debate, creative sessions, Generate solutions.

3. Decision

• Objective 4.1 Develop a plan in preparation for a group discussion.

• Agenda

Questions of Value

 Question of value

Attitude

Belief

Value

Policy 

• Inductive Reasoning 

• Deductive Reasoning

• Causal Reasoning 

2-12-25

DISC

• Things 

• People

• Go- Getter 

• Analper

• 5.1 Identify the task, maintenance, and individual roles that group members assume.

• 5.2 Identify several group norms that often develop in small-group discussions.

• 5.3 Describe several effects of status differences on small-group communication.

• 5.4 Describe how five power bases affect relationships in small groups.

• 5.5 Identify factors that foster trusting relationships with others.

• 5.6 Describe how relationships develop over time among group members.

• Who Are You?

  - Self-concept

    - Roles

1. Task 

• Initiatiator 

• Elaborator 

• Coordinator 

• Orientor (summarizer)

• Evaluator/ Critic (C)

• Energizer 

2. Maintenance (People)

3. Individual 

2-19-25 

Task:

1. Initiator 

2. Elaborator 

3. Coordinator 

4. Summarizer 

5. Evaluator- Critic 

6. Energizer 

People:

1. Encourager 

2. Gatekeeper 

3. Harmonizer 

4. Compromizer 

5. Observer 

6. Opinion Seeker 

7. Opinion Giver 

1. Past + Current Experiences. 

2. Acceptable Behavior? 

3. Personalities.

• Establishing Ground Rules.

1. Legitimate Power 

2. Reward Power 

3. Coercive Power 

4. Expert Power 

5. Referent Power 

2-24-2024

•Evaluation versus Description

• Defensive: Evaluation- (objective)

• Supportive: Description-(subjective)

Always reduce language to your subjective language if you want to reduce defensiveness. 

2-26-2025

1. Supportive 

2. Description (I)

• Subjective 

• Problem Orientation

• Empathy

3. Spontaneity (Authentic)

4. Empathy 

5. Equality

6. Provisionalism

1. Defensive 

2. Defensive (You) 

• Objective (“One-truth”)

• Control

• No empathy- one solution

3. Strategy

• (Manipulative)

4. Neutrality 

5. Superiority

6. Certainty

2-28-2025 

• Evaluation versus Description

• Evaluation

• Description

• Control versus Problem Orientation

• Control

• Problem orientation

• Strategy versus Spontaneity

• Strategy

• Spontaneity

• Neutrality versus Empathy

• Neutrality

• Empathy

•Superiority versus Equality

• Superiority

• Equality

• Certainty versus Provisionalism

• Certainty

•  Provisionalism

• Disconfirming Responses

  - Disconfirming responses

    - Types of disconfirming responses: 

1. Impervious. 

2. Can’t get through. 

3. Interrupting.

4. Irrelevant Responses.

5. Tangential.

6. Impersonal.

7. Incongruous. 

• Confirming Responses

• Confirming responses

• Types of confirming responses:

• Self- worth in the group. 

1. Direct Acknowledge. 

2. Supportive Response. 

3. Clarifying Response. 

4. Expression of Emotion. 

Cohesiveness.

• A task people play. 

No Cohesiveness in Virtual Teams: 

• No water color moments. 

• No process oversight. 

Cohesiveness in Virtual Teams: 

• Breakout Rooms. 

• Async Comms- all the time. 

• 1 on 1s.

• Group Meetings- Trust (See them interact often.)

Group Size

• Effect of group size. 

• Ideal group size. (5)

Positive group climate:

• A trusting atmosphere.

Short Answer: 

1. A difference between a group and a team.

2. 4 stages a group goes through developing and they all rhyme with each other.