Page 107 - Effective group discussion theory and practice by Adams, Katherine H. Brilhart, John K. Galanes, Gloria J

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members freely calling Amen, Go ahead, Preach to the minister; such responses would
be less frequent in most white churches. Differences in black– white uses of the back-
channel, as we discussed earlier (Chapter 2), can create misunderstandings and cause
hurt feelings.
In the United States, it is often difficult for someone from one co- culture to
participate fully in a group dominated by members of a different co- culture. Many
African Americans, including some of the most successful, say they must behave cau-
tiously and carefully in groups of Caucasian Americans; they can never fully relax.
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In many ways they have developed bicultural competencies— one set of behaviors for
African American groups; another for primarily Caucasian groups. This balancing act
can be exhausting, but many African Americans believe that if they do not conform to
the communication rules of the dominant European American culture, they will pay
a high price.
Many African Americans and other people of color are accustomed to having
their opinions marginalized. Trained facilitators for a series of recent public discus-
sions about democracy were careful to make sure that opinions of all participants
were heard respectfully. Participants of color were more satisfied with these discus-
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sions and were especially appreciative for the opportunity to speak and be heard. The
researchers speculated that white participants took it for granted that they would be
able to express their opinions freely and be heard, but participants of color were used
to being marginalized, so this represented something unusual. In a small group
discussion, such marginalization is harmful on many levels.

Co- Cultural Differences Based on Sex
You will never be able to escape one of the most important influences of culture: the
effect of sex roles in a group. Masculine- feminine was one of five dimensions of cul-
Gender ture, discussed earlier, that affects small group communication. Gender refers to the
Learned and learned characteristics and psychological attributes of masculinity and femininity,
culturally transmitted whereas sex refers to biological characteristics. Reich and Wood found four central
sex- role behaviors of themes in their review of research exploring feminine and masculine behavior in small
an individual. group interaction. These themes do not represent absolute differences between men
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and women but rather are matters of degree and will help us begin our discussion of
Sex
sex, gender, and small group communication.
Biologically First, men and women differ in expressive and instrumental behaviors. Expressive
determined
characteristics of behaviors reflect feelings and relationships. For instance, before the meeting gets
femaleness and under way, Tanya may ask Charlie how he did on the calculus test he was worried
maleness. about. Instrumental behaviors function to accomplish the group’s task. Charlie may
tell Tanya he’ll talk to her about it after the meeting, but first they need to talk about
where they are on the group project.
Second, a related difference is relationship versus task focus. Feminine expressive
behaviors place an emphasis on relationships and are more likely to show that some-
one cares and wants to help. One effective female leader we know touches base with
members of her group between meetings, especially if there has been a disagreement.
She fosters harmonious relationships in an effort to help the group run smoothly.

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