Page 167 - Effective group discussion theory and practice by Adams, Katherine H. Brilhart, John K. Galanes, Gloria J

150 Chapter 6

Carolyn Anderson, Bruce Riddle, and Matthew Martin define group socialization
Group Socialization
as a reciprocal process of social influence and change in which both newcomers and/
The social influence or established members and the group adjust to one another using verbal and nonver-
and change process bal communication. Communication plays a central role in all group processes,
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during which both 39
newcomers and including the socialization of members. Let’s apply this definition to a real-life exam-
established members ple. Consider what happened to the following theater group. Actors had been practic-
adjust to one another. ing for weeks, but one week before opening night, leading man Richard was told he
needed emergency surgery—immediately! The cast was devastated. Of course, cast
members were worried about Richard, but they also were concerned about losing six
weeks of rehearsals, during which the troupe had developed into a cohesive group.
The director thought about canceling the show, but she asked an experienced actor
friend of hers to assume Richard’s role. Opening night was delayed a week to give Ted
time to learn the lines and the troupe time to integrate a new member.
First, the adapting and adjusting that happen when a new group forms or when a
new member enters a group occur through group member communication. Such
adjustments are often filled with uncertainty, and group members typically communi-
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cate with each other in an effort to reduce the anxiety brought on by the uncertainty.
Group socialization, when handled effectively, has great potential to help members
bond. This is particularly true when members join or leave. If the community theater
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members do not talk to each other about the new cast member, welcome him into the
troupe, and see his presence as a way to move in new directions, then his willingness
to replace Richard will be wasted.
Second, effective socialization requires a balance between individual member
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and group goals and satisfaction. The new cast member, the director, and the rest of
the troupe must have similar goals and levels of comfort if his replacing Richard is to
be a positive experience.
Third, socialization is an ongoing process involving not only the new member but
also the rest of the group. If you were the director, what might you do to help Ted and
the cast negotiate a new formation phase so that they can focus on the play? If you
were a troupe member, how could you help Ted? Socialization is a bi-directional pro-
cess. Just as new members of face-to-face groups proactively help socialize themselves
into their groups, so do new members of virtual groups. Burke, Kraut, and Joyce, who
studied a variety of online groups, found that new members used three strategies
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to facilitate their socialization into a group. First, they made direct requests for
help from the group (e.g., “Where can I get information about alternative cancer treat-
ments?”). Second, they engaged in group-oriented membership comments, which indi-
cated that they had been keeping up with the posts and were part of the ongoing group
discussions, even if they had not posted previously (e.g., “I have been reading the dis-
cussion about . . .”). Finally, they made identity-oriented comments, in which the
poster discloses personal information showing the connection to the group (e.g., “I am
also a breast cancer survivor and . . .”). Members who used these strategies generally
got more responses to their posts and more indicators that they were accepted into the
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group. Group cohesion is harder to develop in online groups than face-to-face ones.
If Ted were joining an online group, how could you help him integrate into the group?

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