250 Part 3 Group and Organizational Communication
NAME: Jack MacKenzie
OCCUPATION: Media Research ProfessionalAs executive vice
president of a national
media research con-
sulting firm, I know
the importance of understanding group dynam-
ics. Our office is made up of teams that work
together to provide valuable information about
marketing and design for a diverse client base.
These clients include broadcast networks,
cable channels, Internet start-ups, and video
game producers, as well as product providers
of everything from apple juice to mobile phone
features.
Our research is conducted by two teams of
highly qualified people. The quantitative team
crunches the data and the qualitative team
focuses on the majority of the in-person interac-
tion with consumers (meaning interviews and
focus groups). These groups work together as
an even larger team to generate the feedback we
give clients. Obviously, it is important that they
work together smoothly.
Our teams are mainly self-directed, mean-
ing that they take the responsibility for producing
high-quality work without a lot of supervision. My
part in encouraging this outcome is to hire inde-
pendent, efficient, and responsible employees.
If I’m successful in picking the right candidates,
then I don’t need to step in and supervise too
closely. Some of the skills I would say are most
important for self-directed work teams are flex-
ibility, ability to process and analyze information,
mindfulness of fair treatment of others, and a
sense of what responses are appropriate in any
given situation.
Another important aspect of self-directed
teams is that teammates are able to figure out
their roles and arrange their workflow based on
work style and intellectual or emotional compat-
ibility. As team members work together, they
negotiate responsibilities, demonstrate theirstrengths, and rely on one another to get the job
done in the most efficient way possible. If you’ve
ever worked in groups at school, work, or in your
community, you may have experienced some
frustrating behavior: group members not listen-
ing, hogging the floor, or not doing their share of
the work. I remind my teams that a lot of people
pay more attention to what comes out of their
mouths than what comes into their ears and that
they should be doing the opposite. Listening
is what makes a good consultant—and a good
team member.
Research consulting is a fast-paced busi-
ness that requires the ability to listen, acquire
information, and share that information with
clients—all within a team setting. One of the most
rewarding parts of my job is hearing that a client
has found one of our teams so helpful that the
client has requested to work with the same group
for further research and analysis. When this hap-
pens, I know the team has functioned very well.
I’ve studied generational groups at length:
Millennials, GenXers, Baby Boomers, and the
emerging Pluralist Generation. I enjoy open-
ing the eyes of our clients to seeing the world
through a generational lens—how to understand
generational transition and how it affects pro-
gram development and revenue streams. On a
personal note, the results of this research are
comforting to me. I have confidence in the young
adults who are going to lead us in the future;
I understand where they are coming from and
where they will lead us. Perhaps because of this,
society makes more sense to me than it does to
other people.
My job does not get old. Conducting
research on human behavior and attitudes
necessarily means the information is changing
every day. Sharing that information with our
clients and helping them make smart business
decisions with our information is very rewarding.real communicator