The Importance of Small Group
Communication

10.1 Identify four reasons for learning about small group communication.

Small groups seem to be an integral part of life. You probably belong to a number of groups
—social groups, course project groups, work groups at your job, or perhaps support or interest
groups in your community. However, you might be surprised to discover that learning how to
communicate better in groups can actually enhance your academic and professional
achievements. Let’s see why this is so.

What Is Small Group
Communication?

10.2 Define small group communication and virtual small groups.

To acquire a clear idea of what we’ll be discussing in this chapter, let’s consider two types of
groups: (1) a group of people waiting in line for a movie and (2) a group of students working on
a semester-long research project. The first type of group is not the focus of this chapter,
whereas the second is. We define small group communication as “communication among a
small number of people who share a common purpose or goal, who feel connected to each
other, and coordinate their behavior” (Arrow et al., 2000, p. 34). Let’s look more closely at who
the small group in this definition is.

Small Group Communication and the Individual: Roles

10.3 Identify examples of task, relational, and disruptive small group roles.

The quality of a group depends on the contributions of individual members – so much so that
one reason for ineffective groups is the poor communication skills of individual members. Lack
of communication among group members can even be disastrous. Poor communication
between pilot and copilot has been cited as the primary cause of several deadly airplane
crashes. Fortunately, poor teamwork doesn’t usually have such disastrous consequences;
nevertheless, communication scholar Lawrence Frey (1994) points out that
“communication is the lifeblood that flows through the veins of groups” (p. x).
To better understand communication processes in small groups, it is helpful to think of its two
primary dimensions: task communication and relational communication. Task communication
focuses on getting the job done and solving the problem at hand —for example, requesting
information or asking for clarification. Relational communication focuses on group maintenance
and interpersonal relationships, such as offering encouragement or mediating disagreement.
These two types of communication are thoroughly mixed during group interaction; in fact, one
statement can fill both functions. When a group is getting bogged down in discussion, one
member might encourage the group and focus on the task by saying something like “All of these

ideas show how creative we are. Which do you think would be the most useful in helping us
solve our problem?”
To help you understand how individuals can contribute to (or detract from) the performance of
task and relationship communication, we explore the various communication roles that members
of small groups perform. We then discuss another important ingredient of small groups
—leadership —and in so doing, we present several important theories of leadership. Finally,
we’ll look at principles and processes that can make small groups effective.

Small Group Communication and the Individual: Leadership

10.4 Describe five theories of group leadership.

A group or organization’s success is often directly related to the presence of good leadership,
online or in person, and leadership should be a concern for all of us because it is not just a
quality for those with formal subordinates. Rather, leadership occurs in many forms and
contexts; as one expert says, leadership can take place “during a sales call, a customer service
response, a family decision or a meeting with friends” (Gollent, 2007). As we describe
leadership characteristics and theories, think about the ways in which you may play leadership
roles in the various groups and organizations in which you are a member.

Effective Small Group
Communication

10.5 Describe the characteristics of communication that occur during the four phases of small
group decision making.

Now that we have described the important role of communication in effective leadership and
various theories of group leadership, we are ready to ask the question: What communication
behaviors are necessary for effective small group interaction? The answer seems to be that
effective groups maintain a balance of task and relational communication, and the sequence of
each appears to be more important than the relative amount of each. For example, after an
intense period of task talk, group members might defuse their tension with positive social, or
relational, talk and then return to task talk (Pavitt, 1999).

The Individual, Small Group
Communication, and Society: Power and Diversity

10.6 Discuss how diversity influences small group processes.

Small group communication, like all communication, is influenced by societal forces. The world
outside influences this form of communication in two important respects: (1) the way power is
used inside and outside groups, and
(2) the role cultural diversity plays.

Ethics and Small Group
Communication

10.7 Give three types of guidelines for communicating more ethically in small group
communication.

Ethical communication in small groups is especially important because the success of the group
and the task depend on it. One might argue that being in a group carries additional ethical
responsibilities because one’s individual actions can affect how people think about and react to
other members of the group and their ideas. In short, in groups, you are no longer responsible
only for yourself but for other members as well. Consider three types of ethical guidelines: (1)
those aimed at strengthening group relationships, (2) those dealing with specific communication
practices, and (3) those related to group decisions.

Relational ethics involve demonstrating commitment to the group. For example, an ethical small
group member attends group meetings and participates. As we’ve discussed, equal
participation, buy-in, and establishing trust are all important aspects of group success that
cannot be achieved when members are absent from or silent in group discussions. Another
relational ethic involves doing your fair share of the group work because equal participation
extends to sharing equally in the responsibilities for completing the tasks. A third ethical
guideline to strengthen small-group relationships is to maintain open channels of
communication (maintaining contact with other group members, contacting others when
needed, and responding to others in a timely manner).

In considering ethical communication practices in small groups, it might be helpful to think about
the ethical guidelines discussed in Chapter 1 and consider how they might apply to a small
group context. First, being truthful in your communication is particularly important because you
are making contributions that affect larger collective decisions (Hargrove, 1998).
Truthfulness also includes being accurate and avoiding exaggeration. For example, if you were
reporting facts about crime on campus, you would offer statistics, not just say, “I found out that
crime is really a huge problem.” Although you should strive for accuracy and honesty in your
language, there may be times when you should not say everything you know —for example,
when you should respect the confidentiality of others, including group members. If your friend
has been raped and you know this information might be helpful to your group discussion about
campus security, you should ask for your friend’s permission before divulging this information.
Similarly, group members may disclose personal information in the group discussion that they
may not wish repeated outside the group.

Secondly, ethical group members also work toward communicating authentically, as discussed
in Chapter 1. Why is authentic communication essential? As we noted previously, group
cohesion and trust are important to the performance and success of groups. Authentic
communication that is open and free from pretense and language that is inclusive and not
hurtful to others go a long way in promoting the kind of group cohesion necessary for group
effectiveness. Finally, as a receiver, you must listen with an open mind while also evaluating

others’ contributions. Doing so will enhance the quality of discussions and help prevent
groupthink, in which groups jump to premature conclusions and decisions.

A third area of small group ethics concerns the collective actions of the group members. For
example, what if you find a project paper on the Internet that closely resembles the project
you’ve been working on? Your group is running out of time at the end of the semester and it
would be easy to copy portions of the paper, making only a few minor changes. What ethical
guidelines apply here? Perhaps the ethics of fairness and taking responsibility for one’s own
actions apply. Submitting someone else’s work instead of your own is not fair to other students
in the course who did their own work, and taking responsibility for poor time management as a
group is a more ethical action than using someone else’s work.

Improving Your Small Group
Communication Skills

10.8 Discuss ways to improve your small group communication skills.

Although no strategies will work in every group communication situation, two strategies can help
you be more effective in many of them.
First, cultivate an interdependent or collectivist attitude, a “we” orientation instead of a “me”
orientation, and work toward collaborative communication, whether working face-to-face or
online (Lewis et al., 2010). This means that you must sacrifice some of your personal ambition,
needs, and wants in favor of the group’s needs and work to ensure buy-in from all group
members. People who are extremely individualistic may find this difficult. Yet those with a more
collectivist attitude can influence group processes toward more effective communication, more
participation, and more satisfaction of all members.

A related guideline is to be cooperative. Cooperativeness helps to establish group harmony in
working conditions and can provide individuals with interpersonal help, making the job easier
and less demanding and making individuals less likely to experience burnout in their group
work. Thus, cooperative group members may be more satisfied with individual and group
performance (Lambertz-Berndt & Blight, 2016).

In addition to cultivating an interdependent attitude and being cooperative, striving for cohesion
is also important in successful small group relationships and task accomplishment. Cohesion
occurs when group members trust each other. Further, group success depends on the
participation of each member, but members are unlikely to give their best to the group if they
can’t trust other members to do the same. Trust is particularly important in virtual groups, where
members may have less face-to-face interaction that might otherwise provide important clues to
the intent or attitude of fellow group members.
Several strategies build trust and cohesion:

• Focus on the strengths of all group members and recognize their contributions to group goals.
Be sure to acknowledge all group achievements.

• Remind the group of common interests and background experiences.
Doing this can help build cohesion, prevent unnecessary conflict, and strengthen group identity.

• Be observant and notice when a member might be feeling unappreciated or uninvolved in the
group. Encourage that person to participate. People gain trust and become more trusting as
they participate, especially if their participation is encouraged. Fortunately, more trust leads to
more cohesion and stronger group identity, which in turn leads to better communication, more
satisfaction, and more cohesion.

Observe how the group members in the following video solve their problem.
Then answer the questions in the quiz that follows.

In sum, the effectiveness of a small group depends in large part on the communication and the
relationships established among the members. As a group member, you can promote (or inhibit)
the productive communication needed. We believe that using the tools discussed in this chapter
not only will make your small group work more effectively but also will make it more enjoyable.