Page 399 - Effective group discussion theory and practice by Adams, Katherine H. Brilhart, John K. Galanes, Gloria J

382 Glossary

Buzz group session: Method whereby attendees at a large through their interaction by sending verbal and non-
group meeting can participate actively; the large meet- verbal messages that are received, interpreted, and
ing is divided into groups of about six persons each responded to by other people.
who discuss a target question for a specified time, then Communication apprehension (CA): Anxiety or fear of speak-
report their answers to the entire large assembly. ing in a variety of social situations; reticence; shyness.
C Communicative competencies: The communication- related
skills and abilities of members that help groups achieve
Charge: The assignment or goal given to a group, usually
by a parent organization or administrator of the parent their goals.
organization. Communicative Competency Model: Model of leadership
Closed system: A system, such as a small group, with rela- that assumes leadership involves performing behaviors
tively impermeable boundaries, resulting in little inter- that help a group overcome obstacles to goal achieve-
change between the system and its environment. ment and communication skills (competencies) are
how leaders actually lead.
Coalition: Members who band together to pool their resources
and power to try to increase their bargaining leverage. Competition: The uncooperative, aggressive conflict man-
Co- culture: A grouping that sees itself as distinct but is agement style in which one person attempts to domi-
also part of a larger grouping. nate or force the outcome to his or her advantage.
Cognitive complexity: The personal trait that refers to the Compromise: The conflict management style that assumes
level of development of a group member’s construct that each party must give up something to get some-
system for interpreting signals; cognitively complex thing; a shared solution to a conflict situation.
individuals are able to synthesize more information Computer- mediated communication (CMC): Using com-
and think in more abstract and organized terms than puters to interact with others.
are cognitively simple individuals.
Conflict: The expressed struggle that occurs when interde-
Cohesiveness: The degree of attraction members feel for pendent parties (including group members) perceive
the group; unity. incompatible goals or scarce resources and interfer-
Collaborating group: A group whose members come from ence in achieving their goals.
different organizations to form a temporary alliance Conformity: Following group norms and not deviating
for a specific purpose.
from them.
Collaboration: The assertive, cooperative conflict man- Conjunctive task: A type of group task in which each
agement style that assumes a solution can be found
that fully meets the needs of all parties to a conflict; a member possesses information relevant to the deci-
problem- solving conflict management style. sion, but no one member alone has all the needed
Collectivist culture: A culture in which the needs and information, thus requiring a high level of coordina-
tion among members.
wishes of the group predominate over the needs of any
one individual; the idea of an individual following a Conscientiousness: The Big Five personality characteris-
path separate from the group is inconceivable. tic of being reliable, diligent, and having a strong sense
Committee: A small group of people given an assigned of responsibility.
task or responsibility by a larger group (parent organi- Consensus decision: A choice that all group members
zation) or person with authority. agree is the best one that they all can accept.
Ad hoc committee: A group that goes out of existence Consultant: A nonparticipant observer who works with
after its specific task has been completed. a group to determine what it needs, then attempts to
Standing committee: A group given an area of respon- help by providing inputs, such as special techniques,
sibility that includes many tasks and continues procedures, and information.
indefinitely. Content analysis: An analysis of the content (topics,
Communication: A process in which people simultane- behaviors, specific words or ideas, fantasy themes,
ously create, interpret, and negotiate shared meaning etc.) of a group’s discussion.

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