300 Part 3 Group and Organizational Communication
Individual Performance
One of the most important assessments you can make is about yourself and what
predispositions you bring to the group. According to Keyton and Frey (2002),
grouphate is the extent to which you detest (or otherwise feel negatively about)
working in groups. To assess grouphate, group members are asked a series of
questions about the degree to which they like or dislike working in groups:c I like working in groups.c I would rather work alone.c Group work is fun.c Groups are terrible.
c I would prefer to work in an organization in which teams are used.c My ideal job is one in which I can be interdependent with others.To what extent to you agree or disagree with each of these questions? Your
basic orientation to group interaction can influence your communication. It
is not always easy to work with others but it is a fact of organizational (and
academic) life. This process of self-introspection will foster personal growth
and learning.
Conversely, your group can also benefit from systematic assessments of team
members. Simple evaluation forms can be created and used to evaluate team
members on a variety of qualities. For example, you can rate your team members
on the quality of their contributions. Specific questions pertaining to a team
member could include the following:c Was the team member prepared for meetings and well informed?
c Did the team member meet individual responsibilities and deadlines?c Was the team member respectful and tactful with fellow team members?c Did the team member listen to, understand, and follow the group’s discussions?c Were the team member’s comments relevant and well timed?
c Was the team member open-minded?c Did the team member deal with conflict appropriately and effectively?Both self-assessment and peer evaluations can provide information that can ben-
efit the group by identifying areas of concern or deficiency and suggest specific
areas for improvement. This information will only help improve the group proc-
ess and decision making. In sum, assessment is healthy for the life and success of
a group.