Real Communication An Introduction

298 Part 3  Group and Organizational Communication

THINK ABOUT whether
each group member’s exper-
tise is necessary to achieve a
goal. If not, those members
don’t need to be present. Jon
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possible, so that team members can get to know one another and get a sense of

the others’ styles and personalities. But as the teams develop, electronically medi-

ated communication—especially e-mail—can often take the place of face-to-face

group meetings.

Evaluating Group Performance

Groups that intend to work together and meet on a regular basis should evalu-

ate their decision-making performance periodically. By assessing how well the

group makes decisions, achieves its goals, and solves problems, a group can

identify and address areas needing improvement. Regular and consistent

assessment helps ensure quality and improvement (Beebe, Mottet, & Roach,

2012). When evaluating your group’s performance, it’s helpful to assess the

group’s overall effectiveness as well as the performance of individual members

and leaders.

Kowitz and Knutson (1980), scholars with extensive research on evaluating

groups, recommend assessing three aspects of a group’s performance: the infor-

mational, procedural, and interpersonal considerations.

Informational Considerations

Ask yourself whether your group is working on a task that requires everyone’s

expertise and insights. If not, the group doesn’t actually need to be a group! In

this case, it should select a different task or assign just one or two members to

deal with the current task.