Page 177 - Effective group discussion theory and practice by Adams, Katherine H. Brilhart, John K. Galanes, Gloria J

160 Chapter 6

TABLE 6.2
Creating a cohesive 1. Get acquainted. All members know who is on the team, where they are
virtual team located, and how to reach everyone by phone, e-mail, text messaging, etc.
Members post short biographies and pictures.
2. Provide a virtual “social space” and encourage its use. Create a virtual space
for members to chat about non-work-related matters, the way face-to-face
teams do.
3. Manage the team’s uncertainty. The team leader should spell out the team’s
purpose, specific outcomes, and timeline at the beginning.
4. Manage technology issues. Make sure members agree on the technology to
use and are trained in and reasonably comfortable with using it.
5. Meet face to face, if possible. Although it’s not always practical or possible,
meeting face to face helps build a team feeling, especially early in a team’s
life.
6. Clarify the communication rules to be used for team business. Because
virtual communication lacks social presence, it can seem abrupt. The leader
should encourage members to be precise with their language, explain how
often members will be expected to check in, and specify what communication
forms should be used when (for instance, when to use e-mail and when to use
the phone).
7. Keep the team documents in an easily accessed virtual space. Set up a
bulletin board, wiki, dropbox, or chat room where the team can access minutes,
memos, and supporting documents to help keep them on task.

A supportive, positive climate influences a group in various ways. Kim, Choi,
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and Lee found that a group’s emotional climate affected its creativity. When the
emotional climate was positive, member creativity was increased. Consistent with
Supportive Climate this, Meng, Cheng, and Guo observed that authentic leadership—leadership that is
A group climate in transparent, balanced, and ethical—creates a positive team atmosphere of trust and
which each member psychological safety for members, which in turn fosters better sharing of informa-
is valued and tion and creativity. Harrell and Simpson discovered that groups led by pro-social
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appreciated. leaders (where leaders worked to maximize outcomes for everyone in a public good
game) were more productive than groups led by pro-self leaders (leaders who were
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individualistic or competitive). Maintaining a positive climate is beneficial for a
Defensive Climate group.
A group climate in What LaFasto and Larson observed is consistent with what Gibb observed
which members many years ago. Gibb found that members’ communication—how members treat
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attack and belittle each other—can create a supportive or a defensive group climate. A supportive cli-
each other, and mate is one that values each member. Members know they are wanted and appreci-
where members feel ated, that their ideas and opinions are important to the group. Members confirm
they have to defend
themselves from and support each other. They build each other up. However, in a defensive climate,
possible attack. members tear each other down and violate the ethical principle, mentioned in
Chapter 1, that states that members should not belittle or ridicule one another. If
you have ever worked in a defensive climate, you know that only a portion of your

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