Real Communication An Introduction

Chapter 9  Communicating in Groups 247

GROUPS COME in all

shapes and sizes. Although

the design team from Extreme

Makeover: Home Edition and

a hip-hop dance crew might

vary in size and purpose, both

are considered groups. (top left)

David Furst/AFP/Getty Images; (top right)

© 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights

reserved. Courtesy Everett Collection;

(bottom left) AP Photo/Vail Daily, Shane

Macomber; (bottom right) ABC/Photofest

management functions, such as arranging their schedules, buying equipment,
and setting standards for productivity, quality, and costs. They also conduct
their own peer evaluations and coordinate their future plans with management.
Their complementary skills and experiences enable the team to accomplish more
together than any individual member could achieve independently (Katzenbach
& Smith, 1993).
Perhaps the most dramatic impact of self-directed teams is the improved
performance and cooperation of employees throughout the organization. Orga-
nizations are shifting their structural power and decision making from upper
levels to lower levels of management in efforts to implement change and growth
and empower employees (Douglas, Martin, & Krapels, 2006). Federal Express
and Minnesota-based 3M are among an increasing number of companies that
involve employees through work teams. (See Table 9.1 for tips on working in a
self-directed work team.).

Models of Group Development

If you’ve ever become wrapped up in a reality TV show such as Survivor, The
Biggest Loser, or The Amazing Race, you know how fascinating and dramatic
group interactions can be. In each of these shows, a season typically opens with
the forming of a group: cast members start off as strangers but are quickly thrust
into a group situation—sharing a living space and working together to accom-
plish certain tasks. As the season progresses, the group members bond, conflicts
erupt, and alliances are forged. In fact, much of the drama in reality television
stems from the tensions that arise between cast members as they struggle to work
with—or against—one another (and, of course, editing can heighten the drama
even more). Research shows that as a group progresses, it goes through several
specific stages. Let’s look at two different research perspectives on the stages of
group development.

In your first job out of college,

do you think you would

prefer to work as part of a

self-directed work team or in

a more traditionally arranged

team where a manager takes

control? What would be the

advantages of each?

AND YOU?