QUESTIONS TO SHARPEN YOUR FOCUS

1		Hirokawa and Gouran claim that small groups are like living systems. Do you see parallels between the four functional requisites of task groups and the body's need for respiration, circulation, digestion, and elimination?
2		A recent analysis of over a dozen empirical studies showed that evaluation of the negative consequences of alternative choices is more important in reaching good group decisions than problem analysis, goal setting, or identification of alternatives. Why might this be so?
3		Think of a time when you've been part of a task group that strayed from the goal path. What counteractive statement could you have made that might have brought it back on track?
4		Why might you find it frustrating to use Hirokawa's Function-Oriented Interaction Coding System (FOICS) to analyze a group discussion?