Group Communication

INTRODUCTION

Group communication is an extension of interpersonal communication where more than two individuals are involved in exchange of ideas, skills and interests. A group is a number of people with a common goal who interact with one another to accomplish their goals, recognize one another existence and see themselves as part of the group. Groups provide an opportunity for people to come together to discuss and exchange views of common interest. There could be many different groups for as many different reasons. For instance, casually formed groups with friends over a drink, coffee break, games, dances or religious gatherings have a different purpose than that of groups attending a meeting or seminar to help fight AIDS or interacting with committee members to draft a proposal.

Group communication is considered effective as it provides an opportunity for direct interaction among the members of the group; it helps in bringing about changes in attitudes and beliefs. Group communication has limitations too, as group interaction is time consuming and often inefficient, especially in an emergency. Besides, imbalances in status, skills and goals, may distort the process and the outcome sharply.

TYPES OF GROUPS: FORMAL & INFORMAL

Formal

A group is formal when it is purposely designed to accomplish an organizational objective or task. It is created via formal authority for some defined purpose.

The formal groups usually work under a single supervisor, even though the structure of these groups may vary. For example, in one form of group such as in production, the members of the work group depend on each other as well as on the supervisor and in another form of group, such as sales force, the members of the group work fairly independently and their common contact may be the district sales manager.

Other types of formal groups include task forces and committees. The task forces are temporary in nature and are set up for some special projects. The committees can be permanent, such as a planning committee, a finance committee or a budget committee and may become an integral part of the organizational structure.

A committee can also be temporary such as a special task force that is set up for a particular purpose and is then disbanded when the purpose is achieved. For example, the committee to select the President is temporary in nature and is disbanded after the election.

Informal

Groups which are not formal are informal. In other words, these are groups that are neither formally created nor controlled by the organization. Whereas formal groups are established by organizations to achieve some specific objectives, informal groups are formed by the members of such groups by themselves. They emerge naturally, in response to the common interests of organizational members. They are formed spontaneously, without any formal designation, and with common interests such as self-defense, work assistance and social interaction.

They exist outside the formal authority system and without any set rigid rules. Though officially unrecognized, they exist in the shadow of the formal structure as a network of personal and social relations that must be understood and respected by the management.

Informal work groups are based upon socio-psychological support and reasoning and depend upon member’s interaction, communication, personal likings and disliking and social contacts within as well as outside the organization. How powerful these informal groups can be seen from the fact that if one member of the group is fired, sometimes all workers go on strike in support of that member of the group.

Informal groups may have their own leaders and followers, group goals, social roles and working patterns. They have their own unwritten rules and a code of conduct that every member implicitly accepts.

The leadership of the informal groups develops from within rather than a formal election. An individual, who is working in a group for a long time and has a good rapport with other members, may emerge as a leader due to his technical expertise and his seniority. For any problem within the group, either technical or social, the members would go to this leader rather than the formally assigned supervisor.

The various kinds of informal groups are:

1. Friendship Groups: Friendship groups are associations of people who like each other and who like to be together. Such groups are formed because members have one or more common characteristics, such as age or ethnic heritage, political beliefs, religious values and other bonds of attraction.

2. Interest Groups: Interest groups are composed of individuals who may not be members of the same organization (command or task groups), but they are united by their interest in a common issue. Example of interest groups may include a group of University Professors.

3. Reference Group: A reference group is a special type of informal group that people use to evaluate themselves. A reference group may not be an actual one that meets together; it can be an imaginary group. The reference group for a new university Lecturer, for example, may be other scholars in the same discipline at other universities.

Key Differences Between Formal and Informal Groups 

The following are the differences between formal and informal groups:

1. The groups formed by the management of the organization for accomplishing a specific task are known as Formal Groups. The groups that are formed by the employees themselves as per their likes and prejudices is known as Informal Groups.
2. The formal groups are deliberately created by the organisation, whereas the informal groups are established voluntarily.
3. The formal groups are big in size as compared to an informal group. Moreover, there can be sub-groups in a single formal group.
4. The structure of a formal group is designed in a hierarchical manner while the informal group lacks structure or says it has no structure.
5. In a formal group, the position of a member defines its importance in the group, but in an informal group, every member is as important as any other member.
6. In a formal group, the relationship between the members is professional, they gather just to accomplish the task allotted to them. On the other hand, in an informal group, there is a personal relationship between members, they share their opinions, experiences, problems, information with each other.
7. In a formal group, the flow of communication is restricted due to the unity of command. In contrast to an informal group, the flow of communication stretches in all directions; there is no such restriction.

FORMAL	INFORMAL
-          Formed on the basis/purpose by the   management.	Formed voluntarily when people have dissatisfaction towards the management.
Authority
-          Authority structure is given by the       top management	Authority is given by the people in the peer group
Nature
-          Formed for a specific purpose, it       may be permanent or temporary.	The informal group is permanent group, members may join or leave the group with their own interest
Behavior of Members
-          Behavior of the members of the formal group is according to rules and regulations set by the management.	Behavior of the members of the informal group is according to the individual and group interests.
Communication Pattern
-          A systematic communication pattern is followed while communication in the formal organization.	Members of the informal group communicate according to the relationship what they maintain with others in the group.
Supervision
-          The Job of managing the people in the formal organization is easy.	The Job of managing the people in the informal organization is difficult.
Superiors
-          The members of the formal group face pressures from the superiors.	The members of the informal group have no pressures from superiors and have freedom.

THE ROLE OF COMMUNICATION IN THE SMALL GROUP

Definition: “Small group communication is interaction among a small group of people who share a common purpose or goal, who feel a sense of belonging to the group and who exert mutual influence on one another”.

This small group is generally formed to solve a particular problem, make decisions, determine policies and submit reports. Small-group communication is the process in which information are exchanged among the members of the same group to achieve the interdependent goals of the organization.

The ability to communicate well in small groups is an important and necessary skill in both professional and social contexts.  People join groups and/are appointed to committees for a variety of reasons. Each particular small group develops its own unique norms, roles, networks, climate and symbolic identity, which adds to the complexity of studying small group communication.  Although communication scholars agree that working in groups is advantageous, there are also disadvantages to working in groups.

Advantages 

-          Group and teams have more information than individuals do

• Groups and teams stimulate creativity
• Group members remember discussions more so than individuals
• Group members are more likely to be satisfied with group decisions

-          More possibilities can occur between 2 people than 1

-          Group often are able to foresee more difficulties than individuals working alone

-          Group solutions often obtain more support

-          One person’s point of view may be distorted by bias or self-interest

-          People with differences of opinion have opportunity in a controlled environment to discuss issues in a non-threatening and more comfortable setting

Disadvantages 

-          Group members may pressure others to confirm to the majority opinion (groupthink)

• An individual group or team member may dominate the discussion
• Some group members may rely too much on others to get the job done
• Working with others in a group or team takes longer than working alone

-          Groupthink

• the development of a single frame of mind
• one person dominates
• group simply goes along
• Dangerous because people assume the group has done its job.

-          Ineffective Group Members – you can’t depend on the other members to do their jobs in the group

-          Ineffective Leadership

-          Defensiveness

HOW TO MAKE GROUP DISCUSSION EFFECTIVE?

1)    Allow others to speak: Do not interrupt anyone in-between while speaking. Even if you don’t agree with his/her thoughts do not snatch their chance to speak. Instead make some notes and clear the points when it’s your turn.

2)    Speak clearly: Speak politely and clearly. Use simple and understandable words while speaking. Don’t be too aggressive if you are disagreeing with someone. Express your feelings calmly and politely.

3)    Make sure to bring the discussion on track: If by any means group is distracting from the topic or goal then simply take initiative to bring the discussion on the track. Make all group members aware that you all need to come to some conclusion at the end of the discussion.

4)   Positive attitude: Be confident. Do not try to dominate anyone. Keep positive body language. Show interest in discussion.

5)    Speak sensibly: Do not speak just to increase your speaking time. Don’t worry even if you speak less. Your thoughts should be sensible and relevant instead of irrelevant speech.

6)    Listen carefully to others: Speak less and listen more! Pay attention while others are speaking. This will make coherent discussion and you will get involved in the group positively. You will surely make people agree with you.

7)    No need to go into much detail: Some basic subject analysis is sufficient. No need to mention exact figures while giving any reference. You have limited time so be precise and convey your thoughts in short and simple language. Always keep the topic in mind and be aware to not slip off the boundaries. The aim is not to stretch the discussion for a longer time, but to reach a common destination.

8)    Formal dressing: Do not take it casually. No fancy and funny dressing. You should be comfortable while speaking in group. Positive gesture and body language will make your work easy. Don’t wear flashy clothes while going for a group discussion or interview. Female candidates should also avoid cakey makeup or flaunt heavy jewellery. The clattering sounds of bangles sometimes act as a disturbing element in formal discussions. Be in professional attire and avoid loud colors.

9)    Keep eye contact while speaking: Do not look at the evaluators only. Keep eye contact with every team member while speaking.

10) Initiate the GD: Initiating the GD is a big plus. But keep in mind – Initiate the group discussion only when you understood the GD topic clearly and have some topic knowledge. Speaking without proper subject knowledge is bad impression.

ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE OF GROUP DISCUSSION

  Advantage

1. Diversity in opinions: as a group has a lot of members they are come from different backgrounds so ultimately they have unique and different ideas and opinions. With the help of number of ideas you can create a large number of alternatives and at the end finally can come to a successful conclusion.
2. Collective contribution of ideas: The group discussion helps in removing the barrier of monopoly in the decision making process. At times if a decision is made by a single individual it is unreliable in nature. Hence with the help of having a collective idea chosen the factor of unreliability is removed. A decision by a single person can be partial in nature and mainly works in his favor so collective decision making is important because it can favor all the people in the organization.
3. Expert opinions: The information from the expert is to the point and the deliverance of the ideas provided by them is more quality assurance instead of general opinions as the expert might have some background knowledge or experience regarding the matter discussed presently. For this, an expert might already be involved in the group or he is called from outside to give advice regarding the decision that is to be made.
4. Provides Greater Alternative Solutions: Due to the number of people involved with this process, it can take advantage of the expertise and strengths of the members. So they can generate greater number of alternative solutions with higher quality compared with just one individual doing the task.
5. Collective Understanding: The essence of group decision making may lead to a higher collective understanding of the course of action to be chosen. This is because many may have possibly been a part of the decision through their own ideas and suggestions.

      Disadvantage

1. Consumption of Time: The Group discussion making techniques often consumes and takes more time to come to a conclusion which is accepted by each individual in the group as every individual in the group have their own unique and innovative ideas which results in having too many options in consideration. The bigger the size of the group, the larger is the time consumed by them. Time consumption always arises when it comes to group discussion.
2. Different ideas and opinions: In group discussion all the participants involved have their own ideas which is their favor in turn protecting their own interest. This brings disparities among the members in the group which is not very healthy leading to personal conflicts among them. This in turn obstacles in the decision making process thus reducing the efficiency as well as quality in making the decision as a whole by the group.
3. Individual domination: Quite often, discussions in a group are dominated by a few members. Although a group discussion means a collective discussion, some people usually manage to usurp (draw to them) a position of informal leadership owing to their personality or style of participation.This position can also be because of the position held within the organization or simply because of self-confidence generated by previous experiences. Sometimes only a few individuals dominate and the others fade away in a group, thereby defeating the very purpose of group discussion.
4. Compromise decisions: The need to arrive at a group decision sometimes results in a compromise. The solution offered is not essentially the best. It is, instead, a compromise acceptable as a mid-point to all concerned. There are different demands and social pressures, and members may agree to a proposal without really evaluating it. Such support may not be wholehearted.
5. Being silent in disagreement: At times when the decision process in groups is being carried out some members agree in favor of certain decision just for agreeing or following the norms agreement. An individual may agree to the point by not standing up firm of his opinion which may contradict to the opposite persons opinion. This discourages the person to make quality ideas and opinion and standing up firm to his decision.