Chapter One

1
Chapter One

• What is Small Group Interaction?

2
Definition

• Small groupsgenerally somewhere between 3 and 20
  or so people.
• Interactioncommunication, including both verbal
  and nonverbal components.

3
Why should I study groups?

• Work groups and teams are becoming commonplace
  knowledge of group process will benefit your
  career.
• Groups pervade our liveswork, school, family,
  organizations.

• Groups can be very helpful in your work as a
  student.
• Being a good manager/supervisor requires
  knowledge of group dynamics.

4
Empowerment

• A leadership style that involves giving more
  responsibility to group members the leader
  serving as a facilitator rather than a
  controller.
• Being applied more in work and school settings.

5
Empowerment (contd)

• Empowerment has certain inherent advantages
• Greater productivity
• Quicker response to problems
• Improved quality of communication between groups
• Increased individual motivation
• Improved overall organizational effectiveness

6
Systems Perspective

• An open system an organized set of interrelated
  and interacting parts that attempts to maintain
  its own balance but also has inputs from outside.
• The consequences, or outputs, of the group are
  fed back into the system through the feedback
  loop.

7
General Systems Concepts

• Inputthe raw materials of the group
  background factors of the members.
• Throughputthe internal influences.
• Outputthe consequences.

• Cyclesthe out-comes of a group often become the
  inputs for the future.
• Negative Entropymust combat the tendency of a
  group to fall apart, lose focus.

8
General Systems Concepts (contd)

• Feedbackgroups need feedback in order to adjust,
  change.
• Dynamic Equilibriumgroups constantly looking for
  a balance of personalities, outcomes, conflict,
  etc.

• Differentiationspecialization of tasks
• Integrationco-ordination, connection.
• Equifinalityvariables are such that many
  outcomes are possible.

9
The Tubbs Model ofSmall Group Interaction

• Relevant Background Factors
• Personalities
• Age
• Health
• Values/Attitudes
• Gender

10
Tubbs Model (contd)

• Internal Influences
• Physical environment
• Type of group
• ? including virtual groups
• Status and power
• Leadership
• Group norms
• Decision making
• Conflict

11
Tubbs Model (contd)

• Consequences
• Solutions to problems.
• Improvements in interpersonal relations.
• Improvements in the flow of information between
  and among people.
• Organizational change.

12
Attraction

• People want to be in a group due to
• Attraction to others in the group
• Proximity, similarity, physical attractiveness
• Attraction to group activities
• Attraction to group goal
• Attraction to being affiliated with the group