Group Behaviour Communication - Report Example

Group behaviour-Communication Introduction A group can be defined as a collection of different individuals who come together for a certain task or mission. The behavioral and attitudinal characteristics of a group are what are referred to as group dynamics, and therefore, group dynamics deals with issues to do with group formation, their process and structure, and how they operate. However, it is important to note that group dynamics is relevant when it comes to both types of groups, the formal and informal group. This paper will look into two types of groups, friendship group and a task group, all of which I am actively involved in, and examine the aspect of communication. In any type of group, communication is considered an essential function because it is the only way we can deal with conflicts and controversies. Each group member may have a differing opinion or decision regarding a certain aspect or idea and the only way to attain a consensus is through communication. Communication also aids in the attainment of group objectives and goals. The paper seeks to compare and contrast the functional and the dysfunctional behaviours of both the friendship and task groups and come up with recommendations that can be implemented to enhance the functional behaviour of a group. Identification of the chosen aspect of group behaviour In this assignment, the aspect of group behavior to be discussed is communication. In both formal and informal groupings, communication is essential. Communication is defined as the procedure by which we assign and transmit meaning in an effort of creating shared understanding (Barnlund, 2008). Effective communication is vital and it only occurs when the receiver comprehends the exact idea or information that the sender aimed to transmit. Many predicaments that occur in groups are a result of ineffective communication, which results to confusion and misunderstandings leading to the failure of achievement of group goals and objectives. Concepts and theories Functions of communication within a group In a group or organization, the functions of communication include control, emotional expression, motivation and information (Dheerumt, 2011). Control: communication is seen as a measure of controlling individual’s behaviour in both formal and informal groupings. For instance, when individuals are obliged to communicate any grievances to their bosses, communication is seen as performing a control function. Motivation: communication promotes motivation by clarifying to individuals what needs to be done, and what they can do to improve their current performance. Emotional expression: communication that occurs within groups acts as a stepping stone for individuals to express their frustrations and feelings. Thus communication offers a discharge for emotional expression. Information: communicating suitable information in a group assists in making important decisions that are useful. Different persons give diverse information and the best is selected among the other choices. It is apparent that, control, motivation and information functions of communication are very noticeable in task group, while emotional expression and control functions are evident in the friendship group. These functions are well demonstrated in these groups and they assist in ensuring attainment of group goals and objectives. As seen in this case, the two groups are seen two differ on these communication functions. Barriers to effective communication Anything that averts understanding of the intended message is defined as a barrier to effective communication. Barriers to effective communication are very noticeable in both the task and friendship groups. Our culture, ourselves, our perception and stress at every moment influences our communication with other people. This makes these two groups alike, as where these barriers exist; communication becomes a problem and may lead to misunderstandings and conflicts. Some psychological and physical barriers that exist include: Culture: the communication process can be adversely affected by our background, culture and bias. These can change the intended meaning of information thus interfering with communication. Ourselves: in most cases, focusing on ourselves can lead to conflict and confusion. Effective communication can be interfered with by such factors as superiority, defensiveness, and ego. To ensure effective communication, individuals have to focus on the other person. Perception: our perception contributes so much to the understanding of ideas. For instance, if we feel that, a person is not articulation information clearly, we may dismiss him/her. Additionally, our attitude affects our listening ability. We tend to dismiss individuals of low status and listen uncritically to those of high status. Stress: our understanding at a given moment is adequately controlled by our psychological frames-values, beliefs, experiences, knowledge, and goals. How to avoid misunderstanding while communicating with people from a different culture Various skills can be used to reduce misunderstanding while communicating to people from a different culture (Heidi, 2003). It is clear that, groups are made up of individuals from different cultures, and our case in not excludable. Both the task and friendship groups consist of people from diverse cultures therefore, effective skills to reduce misunderstandings are essential. As a result, both groups are very similar as they are seen to employ similar misunderstanding avoidance skills. Some of them include: Speaking directly to the listeners as this increases understanding Speaking about oneself but not about the listener, this includes focusing on one own feelings and perceptions Active listening to enhance clear interpretation Lastly, people should speak for a purpose Theories of communication Theories dictate our thinking, our actions and how we interpret the world. Theories are developed to assist us organize and interpret our actions. These theories are important in my examination as developing different communication theories will assist in understanding the aspect in different ways. Additionally, application of theories assist us understand better and more deeply issues that are entailed in a phenomenon (Miller, 2005). Communication accommodation and dramatism theories are very significant in my analysis of the task and friendship groups. These two theories assist individuals in a group understand how they construct meaning and how such meanings are influenced by various factors. As a result, the task and friendship groups in our case are seen alike in how they apply these theories which are testable and observable to allow effective communication. Communication Accommodation Theory Communication accommodation theory scrutinizes the underlying motivations and impacts of what happens after two speakers change their communication styles. Communication accommodation theorists state that, in both formal and informal communications, individuals will adjust their speaking styles in order to accommodate their listeners. This is done through convergence and divergence. Divergence is used by groups with strong racial prides in order to highlight their group identity, while convergence is used when there is a requirement for social approval, often from powerless persons. Dramatism This theoretical perspective compares real life to drama. A dramatic action requires a scene, an act, an actor, means for the action to happen and a purpose. This is similar to communication. Communication requires that, there be a speaker, mode of communication that will be understood by every one, and a purpose. According to Malcolm (2000) the motive of communication in a group is to convey information or ideas, thus, individuals should incorporate these features to ensure effective communication. Task group A task group is made up of people working together either temporarily or permanently, to attain a common task. In order to come up with an effective group, there are stages the group has to go through. The first stage we considered in establishing our task group is known as forming, and focuses on the desire to be understood by others in order to avoid conflict or controversies. The major issues considered we were basically interested in during this stage, include team organization and task allocations. It is also the stage where we gathered information and personal impression about other group members, the scope of the tasks involved and how to attain them. The second stage was the storming where conflicts and interests started to emerge since the important group issues had to be addressed. Each member had his own opinion and we found it challenging to merge these diverse opinions. The third stage is the norming, where the rules of engagement were established and group responsibilities spelled out. It was the stage where some form of understanding and respect was experienced considering the fact that each one had his own experiences and skills. Performing is that last stage, characterized by flexibility and interdependence since every member now knows his responsibilities, and conflicts, and controversies have been eliminated. Members hold respect for one another. Like any other type of formal group, a task group needs to be structured and managed properly, and each member has to be assigned a specific duty in the group’s activities. We came together on a mission to help one another when it comes to class work, whereby we can help each other in understanding various concepts regarding our class work. Each member had a specific task, for instance, I was in charge of coming up with all the meanings of the new words learnt in the topic to be discussed in the group. The group chair managed the group matters such as ensuring the goals are attained and that each member performs the assigned duties. Friendship group This is a type of group that is formed by members who have the same social values, religious beliefs, political beliefs and other types of common bonds. The main objective of this group is to become friends who can help each other in times of need. The group members often meet and take part in these activities. I have friends who we often met to discuss issues such as politics and other social matters affecting us. We meet once a week where we can discus upcoming issues related to our group activities. It is important to note that this type of group seeks maintain friendship. Group communication In any type of group, whether formal or informal, communication is considered as an essential aspect that propels the group to attain its goals and objectives (Greenberg and Baron 2000). As it has always been noted, lack of communication or the presence of barriers to effective communication often results into numerous problems for both the group and its members. In a task group for instance, the different modes of communication used may lead to a situation where there may be message misinterpretation, especially in a case where the members have been drawn from different professions or where most of its members are non-professionals. For example, one of the members, who is a doctor may use a professional jargon that may seem meaningless to other group members, who belong to other professional field, which therefore calls for effective communication (Hellriegel and Slocum 2004) In my task group, the main mode of communication is the face-to-face communication where we meet twice a week to re-evaluate our group’s objectives and goals. During such meetings, we discuss and raise issues concerning class work activities as well as areas requiring clarification regarding our class work. We also receive and send emails to our group members concerning maters related to our group’s activities. However, the use of email as a mode of communication sometimes presents challenges to some of the group members since the message may be misinterpreted. In such a case, some of the members end up getting the wrong concepts since we post explanations of various concepts and send them through the email. The other barrier presented by this mode of communication is that it limits the ability of members to raise further questions regarding areas where the explanation seems unclear. This makes is difficult for us to communicate effectively since most of the group members always complain of cases related to misunderstanding. In the friendship discussion on the other hand, we meet once a week and engage in face-to-face discussion about our social interests, and political beliefs and other peer related issues that affects our lives. At times, we also use emails reminding our members about the next meeting and the issues that will be discussed in the upcoming meetings. However, there are few cases of misunderstanding especially when it comes to the use of email as a mode of communication since the message is always prone to distortion. A small mistake such as a spelling error may lead to distortion of the whole message as well as its meaning. This is because the group is composed of members having similar interests and commitments, but each member views things from a different perspective. The only way these members can have a similar understanding and come to a consensus is through effective communication. My experience about communication as an active member of these groups is that effective communication enhances the development of trust and respect in the group, it fosters leaning and promotes the attainment of the group’s goals. Comparison of Functional and dysfunctional behaviours of friendship group and task group Group behaviors are very important in the success of every group as they enable such groups to meet their intended objectives. It is certain that, both of these groups feature functional behaviours such as group participation, tolerance, respect, time consciousness, team building and honesty. Lack of these behaviours in a group will result in confusion and conflicts (Heidi, 2003). For instance, understanding and respecting other people’s culture is very essential in order to avoid misunderstandings. In this case, individuals should be tolerant to reduce conflicts. Nevertheless, this can be avoided through various measures such as speaking for a purpose, active listening, and focusing on ones own perceptions. Group participation and team building are very important especially in the task group. As explained earlier, the task group is formed with a purpose, thus people need to contribute adequately by giving their ideas which will enhance the efficiency of the group. In the friendship group also, people should communicate to make the group lively. As a member of these two groups, I have evidenced the above functional behaviours which have enhanced the success of the groups. However, dysfunctional behaviours on the other hand are also evident in these two groups. For instance, group members are seen to lack serious commitments for instance, some are not time conscious and in some cases lack of tolerance. This is evidenced in the fact that, some group members attend group meetings ten to twenty minutes late. This has influenced almost every individual, resulting to lateness thus; meeting agendas are not completed in the scheduled time. Contrast of the functional and dysfunctional behaviours between the two groups Some of the functional behaviours in the task group include active participation, respect for each other, time consciousness, team building, tolerance and honesty. On the other hand, some of the functional group behaviours in the friendship group basically revolve around tolerance, respect and team building. The dysfunctional group behaviours in the task group include lack of total commitment, whereby some of the group members fail to carry out the assigned duties on the claims that some issues cannot be tackled solely. Another dysfunctional behaviour in the task group is conflict due to lack of agreement concerning group matters. The dysfunctional behaviours in the friendship group, on the other hand include lack of seriousness since the group lacks defined goals and objectives, and lack of guidelines that guide the groups activities. Similarities of the group Studies have shown that, formal and informal groupings have more similarities than differences. In our case, the friendship group is considered an informal grouping while the task group is considered a formal grouping. It is evident that, in both of these groups, efficient communication is vital (Conway, 2000). Individuals understanding will depend on how the sender conveys the information, for instance, the modes of communication he/she uses and other personal attributes. Though listening is essential, clear delivery of the information is seen more essential. Additionally, both the task group and friendship group are formed with an objective, although the task group’s objective is formal while the latter is informal. It is also clear that, people in these groups should communicate with a purpose. This means that, the speaker should ask himself the reasons behind his/her communication, how to communicate, and the people he/she is communicating to, considering cultural differences as a major factor. Differences between the two types of groups A task group is a formal type of group that is established for a specific purpose. The major aim of setting up such group is to attain a specific goal (Wheelan et al. 2003). For instance I belong to a task group whose main aim is to enable students have a deeper understanding of their class work. On the other hand, a friendship group is classified as an informal type of group. This type of group exhibits some form of social cohesion whereby members have similar interests and values. In the task group, strict rules and regulations are established that guide members in their endeavor to attain the set targets. It is therefore a major requirement that members have to adhere to these standards and in most cases, penalties are charged on those who breach the established rules and regulations. Considering the friendship group on the other hand, rules and regulations is not a necessary part of the group activities. In cases where such rules exist, they often tend to be flexible and can be adjusted whenever necessary. A task group can be composed of members not necessarily from the same field of study while a friendship group is often composed of members who share common interests and values. They can be even composed of members from the same age bracket. Conclusion As discussed in this essay, communication is a major aspect of group behavior. The essay focused on comparing and contrasting task and friendship groups in terms of functional and dysfunctional behaviours and by use of various concepts and theories of communication. Based on these, it is clear that, these two groups are similar in some way and different in another. For instance, based on the concepts and communication theories, the groups are seen to be very much alike. However, some functional and dysfunctional behaviour of the two groups are different which makes the two groups dissimilar. It is true that, in order to ensure attainment of group goals and objectives, effective communication is essential which assures cooperation and collaboration. Therefore, the task and friendship groups should try to eliminate communication barriers, dysfunctional behaviours and enhance functional behaviours in all aspects. This can be attained through using suitable communication channels, enhancing measures to reduce misunderstanding, and setting rules and regulations that should be followed by all group members. This will ensure that, misunderstandings, which result to group conflicts, are resolved. Recommendations To enhance functional behaviour, both groups should come up with strict rules and regulations that can be applied to facilitate the attainment of group objectives and goals. This can only be facilitated through communication as members can come up with ideas on how to make the group effective and through collaboration, an effective solution could be reached at. However, penalties should also be devised to deal with members who fail to adhere to the group’s standards. For our friendship group, which lacks defined objectives and goals, it is a requirement that the members set forth the objectives and goals that the group seeks to attain. The members should come together and communicate on how to establish the group goals, considering the fact that the major aim of this group is to promote friendship. All group members should make a commitment to take an active role in the group’s activities. This can help eliminate some of the barriers that prevent the group from attaining its objectives. It is apparent that task groups are always in apposition to choose differing opinions. This means that the group has to come up to an agreement where no member feels his opinion has been marginalized. This is one of the major issues leaders face when it comes to group decision making. It is therefore important for leaders to come up with effective communication strategies to ensure such issued are resolved in the group and a consensus is achieved. References Barnlund, D. 2008. A transactional model of communication. In. C. D. Mortensen (Eds.), Communication theory. New Brunswick: Transaction. Conway, S. 2000. 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New York: McGraw-Hill. Rupert, B. 2000. Group processes: dynamics within and between groups. New York: Wiley-Blackwell. Wheelan, S., Davidson, B. and Tilin, F. 2003. Group development across time: Reality or illusion? Small Group Research, vol. 34 no.2, pp. 223-245. Read More