post 3, week of may 8-15

A concept I would like to talk about that I found important was diversity. The importance of diversity is high because when taken advantage of, it can add new solutions to complex problems. Diversity in groups helps solving complex problems because members with diverse backgrounds have different insights on how to solve problems because they have a different upbringing.  Diversity is difficult though because it can have a negative impact on the group if it is not dealt with properly. I think it is important and is something that needs to be learned to take advantage of because most groups now have some diverse background involved. Groups that take advantage of their diversity will be turning a possible negative of the group into a positive that will greatly add effectiveness to the entire group. I choose this term because I think it is important, and relevant. I also picked it because it is something that I observed in my group and saw how it can help solve complex problems

post 2, week of may 8-15

Throughout the class, I have learned a lot about the complexity that small groups involve. Things that stuck out to me where the chapters that went over group synergy. I Thought that was an important thing I learned that I never really thought about. I also learned about how there are a bunch of different factors that lead to solving complex problems like diversity and creativity, and thought those are important terms. My least favorite thing about the class was just reminding myself to do the post every week because sometimes I forgot. I also thought the test were somewhat hard and did not get a good score on most of them. I think you all of the info assessable with the power points and overviews of each chapter so maybe I just had trouble with the test. The only thing that could be made more clear would be what you wanted for the papers. The second paper was good because there were the same requirements, but the first one I missed points for not doing something you wrote on the rubric. I should have read it but I think a post on the blogger with the things you could miss points on to remind would be helpful. Besides this small thing I thought the class was great.

post 1 Week of may 8-15

I thought my group observation project was very useful because it allowed me to apply what the book was explaining in real practice. I thought it required me to think critically about the terms from the book, which in turn help me understand the full meaning of the terms. Something I learned was the complexity of small groups and how much effort goes into a small group being effective. I thought it was good that I wasn’t allowed to observe a group I was involved with because it was more interesting to observe another group and let me notice things that I would have neglected if I had observed a group I was a part of. I also thought the whole project was good because like I said earlier it helped me better understand the terms and I think this will help me on the final. Overall I thought the project was difficult, but helpful, and don’t think there are much improvements to be made

Post#2 4/29

Collaborative being defined as a ‘Win-win” situation is best type of conflict resolution and is what every group strives from when in conflict. Collaborative conflict resolution is energy consuming because it takes time and effort to come up with a solution that satisfies all parties involved. Collaborative conflict resolution that I have engaged in was when I was a part of a group that was deciding on when to meet next. Half the group wanted to meet in the morning to get it done with, while the other half wanted to sleep in and meet later. The group decided to meet a little before noon because it let members sleep in as well as get it done with somewhat early in the day. This is a simple example of collaboration conflict resolution because it was a win-win for all members in the group. It required extra time and energy to find a time that everyone was free at but the solution was worth it.

            Competitive conflict is different from collaborative conflict in that one side wins, or gets what they want, while the other side has to deal with it. This would be if the group said they were going to meet in the morning and those who wanted to sleep in would be out of luck. I would say that most of the time collaborative conflict resolution is the most satisfying to me because I like to go along with the team. There are times that in the win-lose situation I might lose and that’s never fun. I figure if everyone is willing to compromise a little the best decision for the group members will be made, but it dosent always work out like that.

question #1 4/25

A forum, panel, colloquium, and symposium all have distinctive differences. A forum is a public discussion that the entire audience is involved with. A panel has four to eight participants that are experts on a topic and openly discuss that topic. A colloquium also experts that discuss a topic in front of an audience, but the colloquium is only three to six experts and there is also a moderator that facilitates their interaction. Lastly, the symposium deals with more difficult and complex problems and is disused in front of an audience through two to six speeches that focuses on specific aspects of the complex problem. When making a public a presentation I would prefer to do or listen to a forum. I would prefer a forum because nothing goes unsaid. If the audience has any questions about anything they can ask questions they have to make it clear. The only down side to a forum is that the dissicussion could get off topic. But when staying on topic, I think the forum is most effect because it gets every ones thoughts on the topic out in the open.

post #3 4/23

I thought an important concept to from chapter ten were the barriers to creativity. I think that these were more important than the cultural barriers of creativity because occur more often. The barriers listed are lack of self-confidence, fear of taking risk, feel a need to conform, do not feel we are in an environment that encourages creativity, or find ourselves locked into our habitual ways of looking at the world. The three most common of these that happen that I see happen the most, or that I face are lack of self-confidence, fear of taking risks, and being locked in habitual ways. In addition, every group that I am in that lacks creativity is because of one of this reason. Reason that people fall in to this happening are failed attempts. You are in a group and try to be creative, but it fails and all the heat comes down on you for suggesting it, next time you are in a situation like this you don’t mention a creative way because you are afraid of taking a risk,  and have no confidence. It is important to push failed attempts out of mind and keep trying until it works out.

5 cultural barriers

Cultural barriers can be detrimental to group creativity. Barriers that are mentioned in the book are a requirement for conforminity, an expectation of practically, particular arenas for competition or cooperation, an expectation of politeness and following rules for social order, reliance on statically proofs, a dependence on generalizations, a trust in the power of reason and logic, and a reliance on expert knowledge. I think that some of these things would keep a group from being creative because every different person has a set of rules that has been shaped for him/her while he was growing up. If someone does not know how to be free and is used to doing it the way he has been taught then it would be hard for a member to free himself from the old way and be creative. I myself have fallen in this. My group gets a problem that I know how to solve one way but no other way. When the way I know how to solve it is not available then its hard for me to think about another way to solve the problem

post one week 4/17- 4/23

Creativity acting in a way that you have not done before. It is hard being that you are not accustomed to it and you are not positive if it will work.  Creativity is a good thing in groups because it offers different, unique ways to solve problems. A time I that I used creativity to was when I was in a group and we had to put together this large table with a lot of data and then take all the data and get the averages for the data. The problem was we would have had to stay up all night to finish this so I thought of a way to cut sometime. I had never used excel before to do that but I had been told that by filling out the tables you could automatically get the averages and sums. So I tried it out and worked with it for a while and finally got to get what I needed done and it cut the time we would have spent almost in half. This is an example of being creative because I tried something I had no knowledge of before using it and if was helpful solution to the group because it got the work done and was faster.

adopting effective group communication strategies for CMC

I thought an important concept from chapter 15 was adopting effective group communication strategies for CMC. I thought this was important because most people are accustomed to face to face small group communication. When in a group dealing with CMC members must change their mind setting and come up with the best strategies for the medium that is being utilize so that communication between members is at its full potential. In addition, members must be aware of the “technology trance” or letting the technology they are using to communicate dictate the decisions they make rather than the larger context of the groups human relationship. Falling into this can be detrimental to small groups. It is also important for group members to pay attention to patterns that may be forming during the sharing of the groups ideas. This is because the medium that they might loss some of the information they are trying to share.

How do anonymity, group size, and proximity influence participation and communication in CMC groups?

Anonymity, group size, and proximity influence participation and communication in CMC groups greatly. Larger CMC groups “Appear to benefit the most from using CMC, as they generate more ideas per member than smaller CMC groups.” This is because there are more ideas facilitating, which in turn spark more ideas from others hearing things they have not thought about. Diversity is also a great help in CMC communication because it bring more knowledge and different experiences to the table, which in turn make it easier to solve complex problems. Proximity plays a role because people that are not in the same room, or can not see each other do not feel the pressures to conform to the group and in turn stick with their original ideas. This Helps the small group process because it brings more ideas to the table. This also goes with anonymity, because these people are are not seen by the group do not conform to the groups identity.

How does CMC differ from f2f communication?

Computer-mediated communication or CMC is “describes communication that takes place through a variety of media and provides distributed group members with video, audio, and text based messaging capabilities.” (pg. 261) f2f communication is face to face communication, or a physical meeting. These two forms of communicating are very different. In a class setting like this one, CMC is helpful because the teacher is available to answer questions 7 days a week via email. The response time will be longer than the instantaneous response you would get face to face. Also with face to face communication some students are less likely to ask questions because they do not want to sound stupid in front of a class, but in a CMC setting usually the details are more detailed because the teacher wants to be as clear and concise as possible so question don’t need to be asked as often, but when nessacarry there is privacy.

Pick one concept from the assigned reading this week, not already discussed, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

MOTAVATION is KEYYY. For me, if I do not want to do something I do not end up doing it, or end up doing it with little effort. In small groups the motivation is obvious because it is not only for your own good. I think motivation in groups is easily attained because members think about the group as hole and this gives them more incentive to listen better. Good listening in groups leads to easily shared ideas which gives the group a better chance at solving complex problems.

Think of a recent situation in which you found listening difficult. Which one (or more) of the four phases presented the most difficulty for you? Why? How could this have been overcome?

-       The four components to listening must all work together smoothly. If one element is not working then usually listening becomes difficult. An example of hearing becoming difficult for me is when I go to my business law class and the teacher is talking about a hole bunch of things that do not make sense to me. The most difficult part of this is I can not properly evaluate the information given to me because I am too busy trying to keep up and write notes on what the teacher is saying. Because all the terms are new to me and there are so many it is hard for me to form an opinion on the message the teacher is giving. This can be over come by coming to class with a recorder. I think if I first listen to the lecture and learn the definitions of terms and concepts and then go back and hear it again It will be easier for me to from an opinion on what is being presented.

post 1

I can remember one particular instance where listening was difficult for me. I was in class and someone right in front of me was watching an NFL playoff game. I decided not to miss class because it was review day and I needed to pay attention because the next test was important. If it were not review day, I would have stayed home to watch this game. Because the person sat in front of me, it was hard for me to pay attention. I think it was because of my selective attention. I love football and am a huge fan of the team that was playing in the game and I did not really care about the history class. Because the game was more important to me, I was drawn toward the game making it very difficult to pay attention to the lecture. As a result I didn’t do to good on the test, next time ill move seats!

Task in groups

A concept I found interesting in chapter 6 was Task. Groups are formed to solve complex goals, and in order to complete these large goals smaller task need to be set. A set of activities that lead to a larger goal being complete is what task are. Task is important in the organization of the group and with good task set up a group can keep on track better so they can complete the complex goal at hand. In order for a group to set up good task to follow they must ask two questions. One being “ what are we trying to accomplish” and “ what are the steps involved in accomplishing the goal.” It is important for a group to first realize what the overall goal they are trying to accomplish so they do not waste time in doing something that they don’t need. The next step is for the group to set up specific task to keep the group organized and help the group complete the goal.

post #1

When talking about the eight principles of nonverbal communication the two that I find important and most prevalent in my small group experiences are the things we know lead to interpretation and the assignment of meaning, and culture norms and expectations guide our interpretations. The norms of people depend of which culture they are a part of and something seen as a problem in their eyes may not seem like a problem in person who is a part of a different culture. In my own experience, my high school had some Japanese exchange students, we were all a part of a group, and they were very non-conformational and apologized after every disagreement they had with the group. I found this strange but thinking back on it, it is how there society operates. When talking about the principle of the things we know lead to interpretation and the assignment of meaning I think of a time when I was in a group for a middle school project. We had someone who was very into telling long drawn out stories during meetings and people in the group became fidgety, like playing with their pen on doodling on their paper this meant they were disinterested of loosing attention.

post # 3

Following the guidelines for observer feedback to a group is important. There are simple rules that you should follow that will greatly improve your feedback and in turn improve the group. First avoiding generalization is important. Being specific is helpful for a group so they can pin point a problem, or strength. Second, paying attention to behaviors in the group that could be changed is key. The point of feedback is to better the group and to better the group you must better the individuals in the group. Do not debate or argue with the group. You must remember it is not about you or your thoughts, it should be all about the group so leave the debating to them. Try not to micro manage the group, or go over every little process that involves group work. If you chose two or three specific things that is better the group. Remember your role as an evaluator or developer and try not to get give personal opinions because you are not there as a group member. Try to focus on the positive things the group did and always end your sessions with detailed suggestions on how the group can improve. When presenting ideas to the group be as clear and concise as possible, if the group did not understand your feedback you wasted both of your times. Try your best to compliment in public and criticize in private, you wouldn’t want to offend someone in front of their group. Lastly, and most importantly develop a solid relationship with the group members because this will pay off in the end.

group evaluation

Group process evaluation to a group is very important for many reasons and there are a couple ways one can go about offering valuable feedback to a group. One tool a group can use is verbal interaction and content analysis. This method keeps record of how many time one group member address another and what kind of comments are made. This method is good for keeping track of individuals behaviors. Another method mentioned for group evaluation is ethical reflection. This method involves keeping a journal of everything that happens in the group. Important insights that could have been forgot about are easier to remember when written down and is good for the group.  The journal is also used to observe ethical behavior the group used during work over time. This method is important because unclear ethical behavior will lead to a lack in trust that will destroy the group.

observers or consultants are important for small group growth

A group success is vital but not all groups succeed. The most important thing to realize when in a group that has not met expectations is to salvage the most you can by learning from your mistakes. Realizing what you have done wrong can be difficult when you are wrapped up in a group. For this reason observers or consultants are important for small group growth. Observers and consultants are the best pick for evaluating groups because group members themselves cannot efficiently evaluate the group while being a part of the group process, or contributing to the group. Outside observes can also provide insights that might not been mention before. In addition, observers or consultants skills are specific to evaluation making them the best bet to have a solution for a group. In the end using a consultant can benefit small groups because they offer skills and insights that can help a group grow so they can produce better outcomes.

chapter 5 post 3

I thought that part on conflict management was interesting. The point of the paragraph was show that conflict within small groups is inevitable but is good because it is a sign of creativity. It then goes on and offers ways to solve conflict within groups. Although different cultures see conflict in different ways defusing conflicts well is important to leaving a positive imprint on the group. Some conflicts can lead to upset members who take themselves out of the discussion, which would ultimately hurt the group. I thought this was important because almost every group that I have been a part of has had some disagreement to a certain degree. Knowing how to handle conflicts within a group is something that is important and is something that every member should be aware of. Being conscious about the group process is important and is something that will come in handy.

chapter 5 "white men of privilege”

Concept of “white men of privilege” talks about how the majority of the economic, social, and political power lies in the upper to middle upper class white male. (pg. 83) this is important in a lot aspects but main importance is that it makes it unfair in the job area for people with diverse backgrounds and often offers “different employment experiences”. I do not really agree with the concept but I do not know how much creditability I have. For one I have never had a real job that I had to interview for and I am not a minority. The way I see it though is that everyone has a fair chance to get a job. If you have a well prepared resume and know how to interview you have just as good as a chance as the next guy. I am not going to say it never happens but for every time an employer picks someone because there race it happens for both sides.

valuing diversity

I do not think that valuing diversity in groups comes to easy. It is something that most groups have to work at and sometimes is passed by. I think the main reason for lack of valuing diversity in group work is a lack of trust. You start a group and just because someone looks different does not mean they come from any different background than you. Diversity is a key component and a big add on to any group. To have a different perspective on a topic brings a new element of critical thinking to your group. This is why it is important to enhance a group’s ability to value diversity. ways to enhance a group ability to value diversity is to maybe step out of your shoes and try to understand how other cultures of people see it by thinking about their religion, social norms, ect. And by thinking of it this way you could respect and value the diversity others bring to your group.

post # 3 cohesion

Something I found interesting in chapter 3 was the part about cohesion. Cohesion in a group is “the degree which an individual member feels an attraction to the group” (pg. 48) Cohesion in a group shows how much a member feels important in the group. If a member feels like an important part of the team they will contribute more to the cause and put forth a better effort. A group that does not have cohesive group members will not exactly fail but the results do not tend to be as good as a group with solid cohesion. I agree with this because when I am in a group and feel like my position is something only I can do and I am bringing something to the group then I am more motivated to giving my best input for the group. I usually tend to give more effort and spend more time on the task. It is the opposite when I am in a group that does not really need me. I feel left and do not care much about the group.

chapter 3 + 9 post #2

Every group has norms and every norm serves a specific function that is beneficial to the group. These norms and function make a group run more efficient. Functions of norms in groups are decisions made to better the group. Table 9.3 on page 155 shows a clear example of the thought processes that is goes into group members mind as they are making the decisions that will become norms in the group.

A violation of a norm happens when a group member does not fully “understand what the group norms are, identify with the groups goals, plan to belong to the group for a long period of time, feel a high level of cohesiveness in the group, or decide what they are lesser power or status than other group members”. (pg. 44) I have experienced group members violating the norms within groups I have been in. The group that I am in the most has many norms. Most the time when people violate these norms it is because they do not fully understand the norm. Every year we have a whole class of freshmen come in and they have to learn a lot of rules and norms fast. These are the kids who usually violate the norms but only because they fully do not understand them.

Chapter 3 group norms

Yes, I believe there are group norms at SJSU. Norms of being a student here are doing the homework for all the classes, especially classes that have a lot of group work because if you do not do the homework then you cannot participate in the group part. I think most of the norms of being a SJSU student are kind of things you know you should do to be successful at school. On the other hand, the group that I am associated with has countless norms. Some norms to point out are if you are not 5 minutes early to a scheduled meeting then you are late. No talking on the bus before games because if you are then it shows coaches that you are not concentrated on the task before you and you are just screwing around. Another norm in my group is not being late or missing any classes because if you are caught doing this the entire team is punished. There are many norms associated with the football team and these ones that I mentioned really only scratch the surface. I think that the difference between the two groups is with being a student are things you should do but you are on your own and its ultimately up to you to do it. but with football they are more hold your hand you must do this and you must do this and if you don’t you will be punished. There is only one way to do it and you either do it their way or leave. I think I have adapted to these norms. First adapting to school was easy because I want to succeed. Getting used to football norms was a little harder but I think I have finally come around to their ways and have adapted to their norms.

chapter 2

The interrealationship that group members form is really what makes a group what it is. Without openness and good communication you cannot have a group that will function well. I have one recent example of this happing in a group that I was involved with. Last semester we had to make a business plan for a class and I had formed a group with some members on my team. We had one outsider that we had just met that was in our group. The guys on my team I saw every day and spent a good amount of time with them so I already knew them. Working with them was not the problem. The one person that we did not know was a different story. We did not know him and had already formed a solid relationship with each other so it was hard for him to get to know us. I thought this hurt his ability to be open with us because he did not feel as if he knew us as well as everyone else in the group knew each other. This lead to him being shy and not putting much into the group. In addition, throughout the year his communication was poor because I think he was timid to be a part of our group. It was always hard to get on the same page with the kid because it was hard to get a hold of. The group did not fail though because we picked up his slack. I thought this was a good example because it shows how important communication is and getting on the same page. If there had been more than this one kid that was not good at communicating in the group then im not sure how well the group would have done.

Chapter 2 wholeness and synergy

I thought an interesting concept the book provides is its look on wholeness and synergy. It explains that “Whole is greater than the sum of its parts” (p.28). This means that the sum of peoples work in isolation is less than the sum of the same amount of people working together. This is important because this is what a group is really all about. If you got the same work done with no help there would be no need for groups at all. The book then explains that the interaction between each other then produces more work in turn, and it is called synergy. This synergy is a result of the interaction between its group members. Their thoughts and ideas are mixed together in discussion and in turn create a larger and more complete thought. Synergy is one reason that makes small groups effective at solving problems and is another reason why groups are widely used to get better work done.

Chapter 2 post 1 (Explain how entropy and equifinality impact small groups)

Entropy is a word used to describe the tendency that Small living systems usually have to be disorganized and chaotic. Entropy usually happens to groups when the input of information or task is low causing the group members to lose focus and thus becoming disorganized. The lack of energy is not the only thing that can lead to entropy. When facing too much information a group can also become disorganized. Entropy impact on small groups is significant and knowing how to keep away for disorganization can lead to small group success.

Equifinality describes how there are different routes to get to the same destination. This has an impact on small groups because one strength of one group may be a weakness for anther and if there was only one way to do something than one of these groups would be a t a disadvantage. Because there are different ways to get the same result groups can figure out what their strengths are and then achieve their goal by using them.

Introductory Post

Hello calss this will be my third year hear at San Jose State. I was born and rasied in San Diego, California. I enjoy going to the beach, swimming, playing baseball and football and anything other kind of phyical activities. I am majoring in Communication and minor in business.