Melissa Betancourt Chapters 3, 9 and 10 overview

     When it comes to communication, you want to consider the following: 

• Communication between cultures 

• Communicating in groups 

• Being able to solve problems and group leadership 

These three qualities are particularly important when it comes to communicating. Without them, we will have a lot of issues and stress on our shoulders. Let us discuss chapter 3, Intercultural Communication, which examines the relationship between culture and communication.

To start off, let us understand what exactly culture is. Culture is the system of shared values, beliefs, attitudes, and norms that guides what is considered appropriate among an identifiable group of people. Culture is developed and endures as people are conditioned by similar life experiences.  

Cultures all differ from one another, so to communicate interculturally, you must understand that they not only have different languages, but they have different ways of talking, so it is important to find the safest way to communicate with each culture with respect. Because cultures have different values, when we experience something that disrupts our norm, we experience a “culture shock”, the feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes. Culture is also transformed and transmitted through communication. There are many cultures that take influence from others while still upholding their values, such as Americans watching Japanese TV shows and listening to Korean Music. For example, the Korean pop band BTS has many fans from different cultures around the world, the fan based being called the A.R.M.Y. 

There are many more things to include in cultural communication, including race and ethnicity. Communication differs a lot in the way people look and especially where they come from. Especially now, with the BLM movement, we have seen many incidents where people of a different skin color have been discriminated against just by the way they look. This causes problems with communication because of stereotypes. These stereotypes make people do irrational things and cause them to act instead of stepping back and think thoroughly about what is currently happening. Another example is the LGBTQ+ community, which has created a new culture around the world and is now getting more notice and understanding than it had done in the past.

Religion is also a part of cultural communication. Religion is a belief system with a set of rituals and ethnic standards based on a common perception of what is sacred or holy. Although the dominant culture in the United States values religious freedom, historically it has reflected monotheistic Judeo-Christian values and practices. However, many religious co-cultures exist harmoniously across the country today. Unfortunately, some people in the US have become prejudiced against Muslims based on a misunderstanding that inaccurately equates Muslims with Al-Qaeda, the militant group responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks and, more recently, ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

Chapter 9, Communicating in Groups, talks about how groups function and how to communicate most effectively within them. We begin by defining the nature and types of different groups, as well as some of the communication challenges we often face when interacting in each of them. Then we describe key characteristics of healthy groups and the stages of group formation and development. We then end the chapter with guidelines for managing group conflict effectively. 

Families are an especially important group. A family is a group of people that can communicate a sense of home. There are four types of families: 

• Nuclear, when a family has both parents. 

• Single parent, when a family has only one parent present in a home. 

• Blended, stepmother or father come into the family and can also bring in their own children from a past marriage or relationship. 

• Childless, a couple in a relationship or marriage with no children. 

Social Groups are people who care about each other and generally enjoy spending time together. There are two types of social groups, primary and secondary. 

Primary social group is a social group characterized by a high degree of affective interpersonal contact and exerting a strong influence on the social attitudes and ideals of the individual. Secondary social group is a social group characterized by conscious collective interest and formal association. 

Support groups are a gathering of people facing common issues to share what's troubling them. Support groups developed to join people together who are dealing with similar difficult circumstances. Many people like to go to support groups to not feel alone, to know that they aren’t the only ones going through the same situation. For example, many addicts go to support groups, especially support groups for their exact needs. 

Service groups are composed of people who come together hands on charitable works or help organizations raise money, for example, the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and Habit for Humanity. 

Work groups are three or more people formed to complete a task. Work group teams are a subset of a work group where members also hold themselves mutually accountable, such as class projects. Types of workgroups and teams are homogenous groups, a group in which many of the members have similar characteristics, and heterogeneous groups, a group in which the members have few characteristics in common. 

Virtual groups are a group of people interacting with each other via technology, while they are in different places.

Now that we have discussed the varieties of groups, let's talk about how groups should communicate. For starters, groups should have a healthy relationship and attitude. Healthy groups should have goals and consist of ethical manners. Groups should be able to be honest with one another.  

Interdependent groups are groups in which members rely on each other's skills and knowledge to accomplish the group’s goals. 

Another way for a group to be healthy is cohesiveness. Cohesiveness is the force that keeps a healthy group together. Being cohesive in a team allows the group to reach goals. Team building activities can be used to build a cohesive group. 

Healthy groups can also develop norms. Norms are used in healthy groups to achieve goals which are related to cohesiveness. Norms can be developed during group discussions.  

One other important thing to healthy groups is accountability. Accountability in groups leads to higher productivity. High productivity makes for higher efficiency.  

Forming 

Forming is considered the commencing stage of group development. It is characterized as an introduction where members of a group try to establish what their role is, what the outcome trying to be achieved is, and what their peers are like. Members of the group evaluate their individual skills, competency, and what their capabilities are to achieve the goal. As members interact with each other, a positive attitude is essential. Any disagreement or discord is put aside because you are trying to be perceived as a likeable person.

Storming 

Storming is when there is a power struggle and disputes begin to happen. Typically, because members are trying to seek validation in their beliefs from those around. Individuals at this time try to find a place where they fit in to the group. The person’s attitude changes to a more hostile tone. The person may also cause the group to become dysfunctional by creating tension and having others pick sides. 

 

Norming  

Norming is characterized by increasing collaboration, trust, and motivation to achieve group goals. It helps strengthen relationships and opinions between group members. 

Performing 

Performing is characterized by harmony, productivity, problem solving and shared leadership. Groups cannot achieve full potential in this stage of performing unless they have successfully resolved the stage of performing conflicts and developed productivity norms.

Adjourning and Transforming 

Adjourning is characterized by celebrating goal accomplishment and disengagement. The group usually engages in some type of formal or informal celebration during which they recognized their accomplishments and the role each member played. Sometimes the group will formally disband but a few members will continue to interact interpersonally with one another. Other times, rather than adjourn and disband, the group will engage in transforming and continue to exist with a new goal. The new goal will inevitably cause the members to revisit trust, and norms developed and more smoothly through them. Communicating effectively to move through these stages can pose additional challenges in virtual groups. This is due in part to recent research that discovered that participants form more positive impressions of their partners and more self-other agreement when interacting face-to-face compared to virtual settings. For these reasons, many leaders of virtual groups will also try to incorporate some face-to-face sessions. 

Now let's talk about the types of group conflicts that can be present when being in a group.

Pseudo-Conflict 

Pseudo-Conflict occurs when group members who agree about something believe they disagree due to poor communication. Since pseudo means fake, the perceived conflict is essentially a misperception. To manage or resolve pseudo-conflict, employ effective listening, perception-checking, and paraphrasing skills. This will reveal misinterpretations and result in a moment of revelation that you are on the same page after all. 

Issue-Related Group Conflict 

Issue-related group conflict occurs when two or more group members’ goals, ideas, or opinions about the topic are incompatible. 

Personality-Related Group Conflict 

Personality-related group conflict occurs when two or more group members become defensive because they feel like they are being attacked.

Culture and Conflict 

Like how we discussed in chapter 3, culture plays an important role in communication. It also plays an essential role in how groups manage conflict. Depending on their own norms, people will either tend to use direct verbal or indirect nonverbal methods to manage conflict. Understanding differences in cultural norms is essential to help to resolve conflict and enhance effective communication. 

Virtual Groups and Conflict 

When communicating through technology, things a lot of the time can be misinterpreted. The Wi-Fi or internet and act poorly and things in your speech can get cut off and be signaled the wrong way. But virtual groups can also help resolve conflict. When communication in virtual groups clearly expresses the feelings and thoughts of the group regarding a given topic, it may be more effective than face-to-face communication. 

We learned in chapter 9 that effective communication in groups produces synergy; that is combined effort is better than what any one member could have achieved alone.

Unfortunately, however, not all small groups are successful in doing so. When small groups are ineffective, it is easy to point the finger at the leader. But the responsibility for any “waste of time” lies not with one person; instead, it is part of the complex nature of making decisions in groups. Although working in groups can have its disadvantages, it is the preferred approach in business and industry today. Business leaders realize that when groups work effectively to solve problems, they generate greater breadth and depth of ideas, promote positive group morale, and increase productivity. Chapter 10, Group Leadership and Problem Solving, focuses on effective leadership and problem solving in groups.

Let us start with what exactly leadership is. Leadership is a process where an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. 

In groups, everyone has a specific role. A role is a specific communication behavior that group members perform to address the needs of the group at a given point in time. Task leadership roles help groups acquire, process, or apply information that contributes directly to completing a task or goal. Maintenance roles include supporters, interpreters, harmonizers, mediators, and tension relievers. Procedural roles include logistics coordinators, expeditors, gatekeepers, and recorders. 

Many group leaders have many responsibilities. That is why it is always good to share those responsibilities, so you don’t have so much weight on your shoulders. This acts like the group have two or more leaders and can help keep everything in check. To keep in check and make sure everything is being done effectively, it is always good to have a meeting so everyone in the group can talk about a project or business work, etc. 

If there is a problem in the group, everyone can discuss it in the meeting and try to solve the problem they are facing, whether it be a group members' opinion or multiple people not agreeing with how things are done. It is always good to meet up and try to resolve this problem. After resolving the issue, decide how to make the resolution happen in an effective way.