436 A.2 speaKinG in sMall GroUps
efforts through a clearly defined structure of who does what. Think of a sports
team in which members play by rules, have assigned roles, and have a clear
objective—to win the game. Work teams too have well-defined procedures for
accomplishing tasks. Teams are formed for a variety of reasons, such as to sell
products, elect a political candidate, or build an international space station.
Working in groups and teams has several advantages compared to working
on projects alone. Groups typically make better-quality decisions than do indi-
viduals for several reasons:^3
• Groups usually have more information available.
• Groups are often more creative; the very presence of other people can spark
innovation.
• When you work in groups, you’re more likely to remember what you dis-
cussed, because you’re actively involved in processing information.
• Group participation usually results in group members being more satisfied
with their results than if someone simply told them what to do.
Although we have characterized working in groups as a positive experi-
ence, you know that working in groups can also be challenging, mainly for these
reasons:^4
• Groups members may use excessive pressure to get others to conform to
their point of view.
• One person may dominate the discussion.
• Group members may rely too much on others and not do their part.
• Group work is more time-consuming (many people consider this the big-
gest disadvantage).
The goal of this appendix is to help decrease the disadvantages and increase
the advantages of working with others.Solving Problems in Groups
and Teams
A central purpose of many groups and teams is solving problems. Problem solv-
ing is a process of finding ways of overcoming obstacles to achieve a desired
goal: How can we raise money for the new library? What should be done to
improve the local economy? How can we make higher education affordable for
everyone in our state? Each of these questions implies that there is an obstacle
(lack of money) blocking the achievement of a desired goal (new library, more
local income, affordable education).
Imagine that you have been asked to suggest ways to make a college edu-
cation more affordable. The problem: The high cost of higher education keepsA.2
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