SMALL GROUP

COMMUNICATION
DEPARTMENT OF DEVEELOPMENT
COMMUNICATION AND EXTENSION
AUGUST, 2020
TRANSACTIONS INTER-CULTUR
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 DEFINITION OF SMALL GROUP
COMUNICATION
■ Interactions among three or more people connected through a
common purpose, mutual influence, and a shared identity.
■ A small group includes 3-9 people and is characterized by a
sense of collective identity, is interdependent and is created
and sustained through interaction among the group members.
■ Three or more people working interdependently for the
purpose of accomplishing a task.
■ “A collection of three or more individuals who interact about
some common problem or interdependent goal and can exert
mutual influence over one another.” (Wilson and Hanna, 1990)
 Why do individuals join groups?
■ Affection: It is the central motivating force to join groups. Humans
have a need for affection by way of warmth, support, empathy and
respect from others in the group.

■ Inclusion: The need to be included in a group is one of the strongest

motivating factors for membership in groups.

■ Control: Being a part of a certain group may give us more control

over our environment, over others (friends, family, colleagues) and
ourselves. Control may take positive and negative forms such as
dominating another person with manipulation, emotional blackmail or
positive ways such as giving reward, affection, etc.
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■

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 ADVANTAGES vs. DISADVANTAGES
ADVANTAGES
1. Group synergy: two heads are
better than one and capable of
higher quality work
2. Greater pool of knowledge
3. Better decision making and
problem solving
4. Different perspectives
5. Specialization and division
of work lead to greater
productivity
6. Direct involvement in task
leading to greater
comprehension of the task
7. Increased acceptance of
decisions made by group
■ DISADVANTAGES
1.Social pressures to Conform: People may
not wish to be ridiculed, ostracized, teased,
silenced etc. by not agreeing to certain
issues.
2. Minority Domination: Some people may
feel strongly about a course of action and
are very vocal, may dominate over others
3. Logrolling: Occurs when political
agendas take over. In a political forum, it
refers to trading votes to obtain passage of
actions.
4. Goal Displacement: Occurs when
members lose sight of the group’s goals.
For example, members may let personal
concerns may override group goals.
5. Groupthink: Occurs when group
cohesion leads to faulty decision making
because the group is unwilling to
 SIZE OF SMALL GROUPS
■ A small group requires a minimum of three people (two people are
pair/dyad), but the upper range of group size is contingent on the
purpose of the group. When groups grow beyond fifteen to
twenty members, it becomes difficult to consider them a small
group based on the previous definition.
❖ 6 persons goup-15 potential dyadic connections
❖ 12 persons group- 36 potential dyadic connections.
■ However, no set upper limit on the number of group members,
■ Number of group members be limited to those necessary to
accomplish the goal or serve the purpose of group
TYPES OF SMALL GROUPS
1. Task oriented vs. relational groups :
■ Task groups are formed to solve a problem, promote a cause, or generate
ideas or information. such groups, like a committee or study group, interactions
and decisions are primarily evaluated based on the quality of the final product or
output. The three main types of tasks are production, discussion, and
problem-solving tasks. Task-oriented groups require honed problem-solving
skills to accomplish goals, and the structure of these groups is more rigid than
that of relational-oriented groups.
■ Relational-oriented groups are formed to promote interpersonal connections
and are more focused on quality interactions that contribute to the well-being of
group members. Decision making is directed at strengthening or repairing
relationships rather than completing discrete tasks or debating specific ideas or
courses of action.
Types of small groups
2. Assigned vs. Emergent groups:
Assigned groups are based occur when members are appointed to a group or a team. Being
appointed to a work committee is an example of an assigned group. Emergent groups evolve
from the environment. Friends what meet in school are an example of an emergent group.
3. Primary vs. Secondary groups:
■ Primary groups are long term groups, include family, friends, roommates who meet on a regular
basis.
■ They offer love, affection, comfort, provide kinship support, meet physiological and safety needs
and higher order social and self-esteem needs.
■ They form the basis of society and met the human need of inclusion.
Secondary groups- Formed to accomplish work, perform a task, solve problems and make decisions.
Have a specific performance objective, recognizable goal to be attained and require coordination among
members.
There may be less frequent face to face interaction, less emotional and relational communication and
more task related communication.
 TYPES OF SECONDARY GROUPS
■ Problem solving group: the aim is to get people collectively figure out effective solutions
to problems before them, created by Govt. as well as other organizations
■ Task oriented groups: members are dedicated to the group and are loyal, have clear and
inspiring shared goals, results driven structure, competent team members, collaborative
climate, high standards of performance, external support and recognition, ethical and
accountable leadership.
■ Activity groups: formed for the purpose of organising activities such as sports, theater,
music, cycling, play, entertainment etc. Events may be arranged by these groups
■ Personal growth groups: Created out of personal needs of people, who come together
such as book reading, spiritual guidance, weight management
■ Service groups: People come together to provide services to people as well as fulfill their
own objectives such as to feed the poor, educate and enable people
■ Learning groups: focus is on obtaining new information and gaining knowledge about
birds, plants, saving energy, water, recycling of wastes
■ Advocacy groups: work for change in policies of the government, create awareness
among people and work for the same
 Virtual groups
■ Engage in virtual interaction by the use of new technology.
■ Can be used for any type of group-primary or secondary
■ Are becoming very important means of communicating such as in the
pandemic
■ Can bring together people geographically scattered
■ Increase probability of inclusion of diverse members
■ Are energy and money saving as no travel costs are involved
■ However participants must have access to technology, internet and be
digitally literate
 Characteristics/Requirements of
effective small group communication
• Trust: Trust is the foundation of any group. Trust means being
comfortable enough to be vulnerable., "trust is like the oil that keeps
things running smoothly.". But growing trust is essential for any group.
• Competency: of the team members and the leader is very important.
Their prior experience in the field can add to their value in the group.
• Unified Commitment :commitment to attend by all the members and to
keep up with any requirements of the group
• Communication: the members should have open lines of
communication using different channels such as face to face, or through
texts, emails and phone calls. The leader must ensure open lines of
communication.
Characteristics/Requirements of Small Groups

• Collaborative climate to work is extremely important to get the best out of

people.
• Encouragement/External support and recognition: Encouraging and
supporting other team members is very important.
• Respect The Rules: All group members must learn to respect the rules set
by the group otherwise it may be difficult to function. These may include
listening to each other and the leader, respecting others point of view, not
shouting or looking down on others etc.
• A clear goal
• A results driven structure
• Standards of excellence
• Principled leadership
Group formation: Fisher's Model

THE FOUR STAGES ARE

■ Orientation
■ Conflict
■ Emergence/Consensus
■ Reinforcement /Closure
 STAGES OF GROUP
❖ FORMATION
Orientation –
• Group members get to know each other, the problem, look at operational definitions,
criteria, resources and limitations.
• They experience primary tension, the awkward feeling people have before communication
rules and expectations are established.
• Groups should take time to learn about each other and feel comfortable communicating
around new people.

• Conflict -- Secondary tension, or tension surrounding the task at hand.

• Group members will disagree with each other and debate ideas.
• Remember that healthy conflict is essential and good, because it helps the group
achieve positive results.
• Problems associated with the task, suggestions, concerns, hesitations and
reservations are spoken up and discussed. Unproductive conflict needs to be
avoided.
❖ Emergence/Consensus – Conflict is brought to an end by merging ideas,
compromising, choosing alternatives discussed during the conflict stage. Voting
may be resorted to if required. The outcome of the group's task become apparent.
❖ Closure/Reinforcement -- In this stage, group members bolster their final decision,
statement of group consensus is brought out and members reaffirm their support
for the final decision.
2. Tuckman's Model

■ Forming
■ Storming
■ Norming
■ Performing
■ Adjourning
Forming
• Most team members are positive and polite, some anxious, as they haven't fully understood what work the team will
do. Others are excited about the task ahead.
• The leader plays a dominant role as group starts to work together, and people make an effort to get to know their
new colleagues.
Storming
• People start to push against the boundaries established in the forming stage. This is the stage where many teams
fail.
• Storming often starts where there is a conflict between team members' natural working styles. People may work in
different ways for all sorts of reasons but, if differing working styles cause unforeseen problems, they may become
frustrated.
• Team members may challenge authority of the leader, or ask for position as their roles are clarified. If not clearly
defined, how the team will work, people may feel overwhelmed by their workload, or they could be uncomfortable
with the approach being used.
• Some may question the worth of the team's goal, and they may resist taking on tasks.
• Team members who stick with the task at hand may experience stress, particularly as they don't have the support of
established processes, or strong relationships with their colleagues.
Norming
■ Gradually, the team moves into this stage. People start to resolve their differences, appreciate
colleagues' strengths, and respect the authority of the leader.
■ Team members know one another better, they may socialize, ask one another for help and
provide constructive feedback. People develop a stronger commitment to the team goal.
■ There is often a prolonged overlap between storming and norming, because, as new tasks come
up, the team may lapse back into behavior from the storming stage.
Performing
■ Work put in by the team leads, without friction, to the achievement of the team's goal. The
structures and processes help in providing support system.
■ The leader can delegate a lot of work and concentrate on other important tasks.
■ It feels easy to be part of the team at this stage.
Adjourning
■ Many teams will reach this stage eventually. For example, project teams exist for only a fixed
period, and even permanent teams may be disbanded through organizational restructuring.
Difference Between Centralized and
Decentralized small groups
 Basis for Comparison Centralization Decentralization

Retention of power and authority The dissemination of authority,

Meaning of planning and decisions, with the responsibility and accountability to
top management the various management levels

Communication Flow Vertical Open, multi-directional and free

Decision Making Slow
Proper coordination and
Advantage Leadership are important to
manage affairs
Power of decision making Lies with the top management.
Inadequate trust over the people in
Reasons the organization leading to
centralized control
Best suited for Small sized organization
Comparatively faster
Sharing of burden and
responsibility among different
leaders
Multiple persons have the power of
decision making
Considerable trust over people in
the organization
Large sized organizations