Small Group Relationships, Leadership, and

1
Chapter 7

• Small Group Relationships, Leadership, and
• Decision Making

2
How We Study Small Groups, and Why

• Small groups affect our lives in many ways
• We need these groups to make good decisions
• Scholars look at the psychology, identity
  formation, networking, and processes of small
  groups
• Less attention is paid to relationship-building
  in small groups

3
How Do We Know if We Are in a Small Group?

• Groups have a common purpose
• Groups are organized, aware of each other as
  members, and communicate among themselves
• Groups view themselves as a part of something
  shared

4
Types of Groups

• Formal (task-oriented, outcome focused)
• Advisory (task-specific, focused on best
  answers)
• Creative (evaluates concepts, new products,
  problems)
• Support (Advises, shares knowledge, raises
  consciousness)
• Networking (Building and sustaining
  relationships)
• Primary vs. secondary

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Types of Groups
6
Types of Groups, Continued
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How Groups are Created

• Forming
• Storming
• Norming
• Performing
• Adjourning (Tuckman, 1965)

• Orientation
• Conflict
• Emergence
• Reinforcement (Fisher, 1970)

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Features of Groups

• Togetherness (common motives/goals)
• Commitment (desire to be team players and to
  achieve common goals)
• Cohesiveness (ability to work together degree to
  which members are able to get along)

9
Expectations of Groups

• Follow norms or rules for member behavior
• Fulfill particular roles within the group
• Create and sustain a group culture

10
Leadership in Groups

• Leadership is not always power power in groups
  is transactional
• Leadership can be transacted by
  task/socioemotional/team leaders
• Leadership is a process, not a personal
  characteristic
• Leaders are interdependent with their teams

11
Group Decision Making

• Informal or formal
• Functional theory
• Define problem
• Analyze issues
• Establish criteria for solution
• Generate solutions
• Evaluate solutions
• Choose and implement best solution
• Develop action plan to track the solution)
• Promotive vs. disruptive communication

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Group Decision Making and Relationships

• Group culture (relationships among members)
• Group history (sense of common past and
  experiences)
• Group future (desire to remain connected)
• Group norms (set standards for relational
  interaction)

13
Group Decision Making and Relationships

• Cohesiveness vs. conformity
• Groupthink
• Persuasion (purposive vs. incidental)