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| Preface | p. xiv |
| Orientation to Small Group Systems | p. 1 |
| Small Groups as the Heart of Society | p. 2 |
| Groups in Your Life | p. 5 |
| Groups as Problem Solvers | p. 6 |
| Participating in Groups | p. 6 |
| Groups versus Individuals as Problem Solvers | p. 8 |
| When a Group Is a Good Choice | p. 9 |
| When a Group Is Not a Good Choice | p. 9 |
| Grou... MORE | p. 11 |
| Groups | p. 11 |
| Small Groups | p. 12 |
| Small Groups versus Teams | p. 13 |
| Small Group Communication | p. 14 |
| Groups and Technology | p. 15 |
| Classifying Groups by Their Major Purpose | p. 16 |
| Primary or Secondary Groups | p. 16 |
| Types of Secondary Groups | p. 17 |
| Being an Ethical Group Member | p. 21 |
| The Participant-Observer Perspective | p. 24 |
| Groups as Structured Open Systems | p. 28 |
| What Is a Theory? | p. 30 |
| Overview of General Systems Theory | p. 30 |
| The Small Group as a System | p. 32 |
| Definition of a System | p. 32 |
| Concepts Vital to Understanding Systems | p. 33 |
| Characteristics of Systems | p. 40 |
| Organizations as Systems of Groups | p. 46 |
| Foundations of Small Group Communicating | p. 51 |
| Communication Principles for Group Members | p. 52 |
| Communication: What's That? | p. 55 |
| Communication Is Symbolic | p. 55 |
| Communication Is Personal | p. 56 |
| Communication Is a Transactional Process | p. 56 |
| Communication Is a Sender and Receiver Phenomenon | p. 58 |
| Communication Involves Content and Relationship Dimensions | p. 60 |
| Implications for Small Group Communication | p. 61 |
| Listening: Receiving, Interpreting, and Responding to Messages from Other Group Members | p. 63 |
| Listening Defined | p. 63 |
| Listening Preferences | p. 64 |
| Habits of Poor Listeners | p. 65 |
| Listening Actively | p. 69 |
| Using Verbal and Nonverbal Messages in Small Group Communication | p. 74 |
| Creating Messages in a Small Group | p. 76 |
| How Communication Structures the Small Group | p. 77 |
| Using Language to Help the Group Progress | p. 78 |
| Following the Rules | p. 79 |
| Adjusting to the Symbolic Nature of Language | p. 80 |
| Using Emotive Words Cautiously | p. 82 |
| Organizing Remarks | p. 83 |
| Making Sure the Discussion Question Is Clear and Appropriate | p. 85 |
| Using Language to Focus a Group's Discussion: An Application | p. 86 |
| Nonverbal Behaviors in Small Group Communication | p. 90 |
| Principles of Nonverbal Communication | p. 90 |
| Functions of Nonverbal Behaviors | p. 91 |
| Categories of Nonverbal Behaviors | p. 94 |
| Nonverbal Behavior in Computer-Mediated Groups | p. 100 |
| From Individuals to Group | p. 103 |
| Becoming a Group | p. 104 |
| The Life Cycle of a Group | p. 106 |
| Challenges in Group Development | p. 107 |
| A Group's Major Functions | p. 107 |
| Social Tensions in Groups | p. 108 |
| Phase Models in Group Development | p. 112 |
| Group Socialization of Members | p. 113 |
| Stages of Group Socialization | p. 115 |
| Group Roles | p. 118 |
| Types of Roles | p. 118 |
| Role Functions in a Small Group | p. 119 |
| The Emergence of Roles in a Group | p. 121 |
| Managing Group Roles | p. 123 |
| Rules and Norms | p. 123 |
| Development of Group Norms | p. 125 |
| Enforcement of Group Norms | p. 126 |
| Changing a Group Norm | p. 128 |
| Development of a Group's Climate | p. 129 |
| Trust | p. 130 |
| Cohesiveness | p. 132 |
| Supportiveness | p. 133 |
| Ethical Behavior during Group Formation | p. 135 |
| Working with Diversity in the Small Group | p. 138 |
| What Is Diversity? | p. 140 |
| Diverse Member Characteristics | p. 142 |
| Differences in Motives for Joining a Group | p. 142 |
| Diversity of Learning Styles | p. 143 |
| Personality Differences | p. 146 |
| Cultural Diversity | p. 150 |
| Dimensions of Culture | p. 150 |
| Racial and Ethnic Differences | p. 155 |
| Gender Differences | p. 159 |
| Generational Differences | p. 161 |
| Working with Diversity/Bridging Differences | p. 167 |
| Creating a Group Identity through Fantasy | p. 168 |
| Using SYMLOG to "Picture" Diversity | p. 169 |
| Understanding and Improving Group Throughput Processes | p. 177 |
| Creative and Critical Thinking in the Small Group | p. 178 |
| What Is Creative Thinking? | p. 180 |
| Enhancing Group Creativity | p. 183 |
| Brainstorming | p. 184 |
| Synectics | p. 185 |
| Mind Mapping | p. 187 |
| What Makes Thinking "Critical"? | p. 189 |
| Enhancing Critical Thinking in a Group | p. 189 |
| Having the Right Attitude | p. 191 |
| Gathering Information | p. 193 |
| Evaluating Information | p. 197 |
| Checking for Errors in Reasoning | p. 203 |
| Avoiding Groupthink | p. 208 |
| Group Problem-Solving Procedures | p. 216 |
| A Systematic Procedure as the Basis for Problem Solving | p. 219 |
| Capturing the Problem in Problem Solving | p. 220 |
| How Do We Know a Problem When We See One? | p. 220 |
| Area of Freedom | p. 221 |
| Characteristics of Problems | p. 222 |
| Identifying Problems with a Problem Census | p. 223 |
| Effective Problem Solving and Decision Making | p. 227 |
| The Procedural Model of Problem Solving (P-MOPS) | p. 228 |
| Applications of P-MOPS | p. 244 |
| Managing Conflicts Productively | p. 250 |
| What Is Conflict? | p. 252 |
| Myths about Conflict | p. 252 |
| Types of Conflict | p. 256 |
| Substantive Conflict | p. 256 |
| Affective Conflict | p. 256 |
| Procedural Conflict | p. 257 |
| Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) and Conflict Types | p. 258 |
| Managing Conflict in the Group | p. 259 |
| Conflict Management Styles | p. 259 |
| Expressing Disagreement Ethically | p. 265 |
| Maximizing Your Chances to Influence the Group | p. 267 |
| The Nominal Group Technique | p. 268 |
| Steps in Principled Negotiation | p. 270 |
| Applying Leadership Principles | p. 276 |
| Leadership and Leaders | p. 278 |
| What Is Leadership? | p. 278 |
| Sources of Power and Influence | p. 278 |
| What Is a Leader? | p. 280 |
| Myths about Leadership | p. 283 |
| Current Ideas about Leadership | p. 286 |
| The Functional Concept of Group Leadership | p. 286 |
| The Contingency Concept of Group Leadership | p. 287 |
| What Good Leaders Do | p. 290 |
| What Group Members Expect Leaders to Do | p. 291 |
| Performing Administrative Duties | p. 292 |
| Leading Group Discussions | p. 297 |
| Developing the Group | p. 303 |
| Encouraging Distributed Leadership | p. 306 |
| Ethical Guidelines for Group Leaders | p. 309 |
| Small Group Public Presentations | p. 313 |
| Planning, Organizing, and Presenting Small Group Oral Presentations | p. 314 |
| The Planning Stage | p. 316 |
| Your Audience | p. 316 |
| Your Occasion | p. 317 |
| Your Purpose | p. 317 |
| Your Subject or Topic | p. 318 |
| Member Strengths and Fears | p. 318 |
| Supplemental Logistics | p. 319 |
| Types of Group Oral Presentations | p. 319 |
| The Organizing Stage | p. 322 |
| Delegating Duties | p. 323 |
| Gathering Verbal and Visual Materials | p. 323 |
| Organizing Materials and the Presentation | p. 326 |
| The Presenting Stage | p. 330 |
| Checking Your Language | p. 330 |
| Practice Aloud | p. 331 |
| What Makes a Good Oral Presentation? | p. 332 |
| Techniques for Observing Problem-Solving Groups | p. A-1 |
| References | p. R-1 |
| Bibliography | p. B-1 |
| Index | p. I-1 |
| Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved. |