Communication shapes a group’s communication network, which
can be the wheel, the Y, or the all-channel network, which is ideal for
a small
discussion group.
A member’s placement within the communication network
and his or her role influences that member’s status within a group. Ideally,
members
rely on earned rather than ascribed status within a group.
Fantasy is important to how groups create their culture.
Fantasy chains, which are based on the principle of symbolic convergence
that humans create meaning through their talk, help members create a shared
reality,
deal with uncomfortable information, and decide what actions to take.
Each group establishes a group climate. Cohesiveness,
the bonding between members, is a big contributor to group climate and
generally
helps increase a group’s productivity; cohesiveness can be fostered in
a virtual group as well as face-to-face.
Effective groups develop a supportive group climate,
but ineffective ones often create a defensive climate.
Teambuilding, or planned activities to enhance group
performance, can increase group cohesiveness or address dozens of other
group concerns.
SYMLOG, which is both a theory and a methodology, is
a tool members can use to gain insight into how a group functions and to
assess its
level of cohesiveness.
