Real Communication An Introduction

Chapter 9  Communicating in Groups 251

We should point out, however, that not all groups experience the criti-
cal transition that gets them to mobilize and adapt their behavior successfully
(Okhuysen & Eisenhardt, 2002; Okhuysen & Waller, 2002). Thus, it might be
wise from the beginning of a group project to take note of the inactivity or pro-
crastination your group is experiencing so that you can help spur action earlier
an d avoid a stressful rush or failure to finish the project by the deadline.

Complexity of Group Communication

When you chat with an instructor in her office, you probably speak freely and
informally. The two of you may exchange questions and comments rapidly,
interrupt one another, and prompt each other for more information. But when
you sit with that same professor in a classroom full of other students, the nature
of your communication changes; you might be expected to raise your hand,
defer to other students who are already speaking, or not ask questions at all.
What has changed? Why is the nature of your communication so different in
the classroom from the way you converse in her office? In this section, we’ll take a
look at how complex group communication can be, depending on the number of
individuals involved, their relationships, and their patterns of interaction.

Size and Complexity of Groups

As you’ll recall from Chapter 1, dyadic communication refers to interactions
between just two people (a dyad). When a third person joins the interaction,
the dyad becomes a small group. Scholars generally agree that small group
communication involves at least three members (Bormann, 1990), with a
maximum of fifteen to twenty-five members (Sosha, 1997). Some communica-
tion scholars argue that in order to effectively perform tasks within classrooms
or work projects, five to seven members may be optimum (Cragan, Wright,
& Kasch, 2008). The basic logistics of communication—the need to take
turns speaking and listening, for example—grow more complex the larger a
group gets, creating the need for more structured exchanges among members.

WHEN YOU’RE chatting

with a professor during office

hours, you are the focus of

your professor’s attention.

However, in the classroom,

you have to respect that other

students want to speak as well!

(left) © Bob Mahoney/ The Image Works;

(right) AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

When you work indepen-

dently, do you work in a linear

fashion or does your pattern

of activity resemble the punc-

tuated equilibrium model?

Does that behavior change

when you work in a group?

AND YOU?