Page 398 - Effective group discussion theory and practice by Adams, Katherine H. Brilhart, John K. Galanes, Gloria J

Glossary

A the wisdom, knowledge, experience, and skills of the
members individually.
Acceptance requirements: The degree to which the solu-
tion for a given problem must be accepted by the peo- Assertiveness: Behavior that manifests respect both for
ple it will affect. your own and others’ rights as opposed to aggressive-
ness and nonassertiveness.
Accommodation: The conflict management style, high in
cooperativeness and low in assertiveness, in which one Attitude: A network of beliefs and values, not directly
person appeases or gives in to the other. measurable, that a person holds toward an object,
Action- oriented listener: A listener who focuses on the task, person, or concept; produces a tendency to react in
specific ways toward the object, person, or concept.
remembers details, and prefers an organized presentation. Autocratic leader: A leader who tries to dominate and
Active listening: Listening with the intent of understand- control a group.
ing a speaker the way the speaker wishes to be under-
stood and paraphrasing your understanding so that the Avoidance: The passive conflict management style that
ignores a conflict.
speaker can confirm or correct the paraphrase.
Activity group: A group formed primarily for members to B
participate in an activity such as bridge, bowling, hunt- Backchannel: Nonverbal vocalizations such as mmhmm
ing, and so forth. and uh- huh that are uttered while another is speaking;
Ad hominem attack: An attack on a person rather than partly determined by one’s culture; can indicate inter-
his or her argument, often involving name- calling; dis- est and active listening.
tracts a group from careful examination of an issue or Behavior: Any observable action by a group member.
argument.
Behavioral function: The effect or function that a mem-
Adaptive structuration theory: The version of structuration ber’s behavior has on the group as a whole.
theory that examines how the structures of computer Bibliography: A list of published sources about a topic or issue.
technology get used during group decision making. Bona fide group perspective: The perspective that focuses
Agenda: A list of items to be discussed at a group meeting. on naturally occurring groups that, in contrast to arti-
Agreeableness: The Big Five personality characteristic of ficially created groups, are interdependent with their
being generally cooperative and compliant in a friendly environments and have stable, although permeable,
way. and boundaries and borders.
Aggressiveness: Behavior designed to win or dominate Boundary spanner: A group member who monitors the
that fails to respect the rights or beliefs of others. group’s environment to import and export informa-
Area of freedom: The scope of authority and responsibility tion relevant to the group’s success.
of a group, including limits on the group’s authority. Brainstorming: A small group technique for stimulating
Assembly effect: A type of group synergy or nonsumma- creative thinking by temporarily suspending evaluation.
tivity whereby the decision of group members col- Brainwriting: Individual brainstorming producing a writ-
lectively is superior to adding together (summing) ten list.

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