week 8-14 Question #3

I really enjoyed learning about the three characteristics of a leader in Chapter 13. I think this is a very important concept to learn since we are always choosing leaders for different things on a daily basis. If we can train our selves to recognize the three characteristics we will be better at choosing more successful leaders in the future. The three characteristics are Vision, Credibility, and Communication Competence. Vision, as our book states, a leader must do more then simply conduct meetings and control agendas, they must have the ability to hold onto an overall vision while moving a group through the process necessary to achieve that vision. Keeping the goal in sight, while keeping the group on tack toward accomplishing it is a difficult task that the leader much be able to do. Credibility, effective leadership depends on the group’s willingness to follow, which is based on the group’s perception of the leader’s abilities and credibility. This shows that vision with out credibility may prevent the most insightful and creative leader from being effective. Finally Communication Competence, a leader must be able to translate their knowledge, skills, and situationally appropriate behavior to group members in ways they can understand and trust. All three of these characteristics are very important to look at when choosing a leader and help us to recognize leaders in people also. I really enjoyed this concept.

week 8-14 Question #2

I have learned a lot of things regarding how groups conduct themselves and the skills needed for different members are parts of the group. I really enjoyed participating in the discussions each week and reading other members posts. I also liked that I could get feed back from other group members on my own posts. I enjoyed learning about the different types of small group presentations formats along with the styles of conflicts management. I didn’t like that we had to wait 12 hours between each post. Because of this I missed some by just a few minutes since I didn’t let exactly 12hours but 11.50 hours or something. When I start writing I don’t stop and its easy for me to write all three posts at once and often times I can’t get to the computer to post my pre written postings in the allotted time. That was the biggest and most frustrating thing to be with the class, since I wasn’t sure why we had to wait in the first place. But other then that I enjoyed this class and don’t have any ideas for improvement.

May 8-14 Question #1

I enjoyed going to the meetings for my group observation project. I went to an engineering club’s meeting and learned a lot about engineers in general. I did feel a little like I was intruding on their space some times, but other then that I thought this was a great project to help us learn about other types of groups and organization we would have other wise never known. I learned that most groups follow the parliamentary procedures when conducting a meeting. I also learned that it is almost impossible for a group to conduct itself without establishing a leader. I think the best thing about the project was going to groups that you wouldn’t usually be a part of. I don’t think their needs to be any modifications since this project was a great way for us to go out into the community and apply the skills we have been discussing in this class and see how they are used in the community around us.

chapter 12~ Question #2

An example I’ve experienced using collaborative conflict has to do with my sorority, once again. We have an annual budget and we are all responsible for paying for our monthly dues so that the house and each member are able to run and be involved as much as possible. Deciding on the final budget takes a lot of time, energy, and commitment on all ends of our house, from our national head quarters to our advisors to us as individual members. Girls who live in the house pay different then those out and also use different amenities more then those living out, but we all have a key. It takes us many weeks and many meetings to decide where all our money is going to go and how we are going to dispense it into our certain positions, like social chair or philanthropy (who are in charge of our fundraiser and all our events we do on and outside of campus) we also have alumnae brunches and lots of reimbursements do individual girls who buy new microwaves or curtains for the house. We must also consider the current economic changes and how that will also affect our budget and spending. After several weeks of voting and fixing and sending to headquaters and fixing again we are able to finalize our vote for the annual budget, but only after a lot of hard work on all ends. Also some girls may not feel we need $600 dollars for two dances when we can pinch pennies and put that towards more fundraisers for arthritis research. So in the end we are all satisfied with the results since we were all able to vote and put in input.

In comparison with collaborative conflict resolution, my sorority often has times where competitive conflict resolution comes into play. For example if a girl wants to run for a position in the house, she is asked to fill out a pref sheet which outlines what she will do in the position and her goals for the year, so we can see if she may or may not be suitable for the job based on individual feelings towards what she wants to do with the position. Then we get down to voting and (let’s just say three girls are going up against one another for the spot) those 3 ladies will be asked to leave the room and the chapter then opens discussion on each individual lady with 3 pros and 3 cons (but always ending on a pro) sometimes no one gets any cons and sometimes no one gets any pros, but this way we are all able to find out a little more and make a better decision. But for the 3 girls running they don’t have any say and either win or lose the position. Everyone votes including the 3 ladies, but there isn’t much room for a girl to state her case if there was a really bad con, like constantly missing class.

I was definitely and still am more satisfied with collaborative, yes it takes more time and energy, but I feel there aren’t as many conflicts that can be caused by using this methods as their could be with competitive. Also all parties end up satisfied (most the time) unlike competitive.

chapter 11~ Question #1

Forum is when a full audience participate in a discussion by making short speeches, one at a time in an orderly fashion with one person as moderator. Another way to go about a forum is to have individuals line up in front of a microphone and have the moderator cut them off at the set time limits. A Panel consists of 4-8 people who are in front of an audience. The moderators job in this type of public presentation is to start the meeting, introduce speakers, keep time, and summarize positions. A Colloquium is made up of a slightly smaller group, 3-6 individuals who are picked for their different views. The audience helps to identify, develop, and work through the problem with their participation. In this type of discussion the moderator is to help encourage the audience to participate by welcoming questions and comments and making sure the discussion stays on the correct path. Finally Symposium, a series of 2-6 short speeches discussing the issues behind the problem. Speakers are experts and present prepared and practiced presentations going over complex technical information with the audience. The audience doesn’t interrupt and the speakers are usually well practiced professionals on the subject.

I would prefer the Colloquium method of public presentation, because it is more structured and organize then a forum and panel and you get to hear different views from different types of people on the matter. This allows the audience to see more sides and angles to the problem and possible solutions and so their final decision can be better thought out.

chapter 10~ Question #3

I really liked the concept of openness discussed in this chapter. It is very true that most people are their own worst enemy when it comes to creativity. When a groups discuss and uses this concept then their creativity can grow so much more. People have emotional and safety concerns and are often worried about being shut down or possibly laughed at. When working in a group if all members acknowledge each others ideas or concepts they come up with as if it could be a real possibly solution and not just shut them down or say something along the line of that’s wrong or lame or so on then group members won’t feel uncomfortable throwing out ideas and the brand storming process can sore to even high heights and become more successful then when they were only listening to ideas inside the box. This will also work in the classroom. Teachers often say there is no wrong answer yet students still giggle sometimes or smirk when a wrong answer is thrown out. But I’ve noticed in classes where all answers really are analyzed, out discussions can get so much deeper and we learn much more as a class.

chapter 10~ Question #2

Requirement for conformity, expectation of practicality, expected arenas proofs, reliance on statistical proofs, dependence on generalizations are some creative barriers organizations and individuals must over come. These can all keep groups from being creative because they all restrict creativity by trying to keep you in one train of thought rather then thinking out side the box. I often experience many of these when working in groups and it isn’t always the group’s fault or even one individuals. Society and taught us to think in a certain way and to and we get into habits or routines and get stuck in them which doesn’t leave any room to grow our creativity. I like how the book talked about bringing people together with different skills, ideas, and values in organizations rather then having a group or work environment with similar people who have similar skills and values. By mixing it up a bit with a variety of people who have a variety of skills, groups can come up with new ideas more easily and break traditional frames of thinking.

Chapter 10~ Question #1

My sorority came up with a creative way to solve conflicts within the sorority. We sit in a circle and our advisor will state the main issue and then when girls wish to voice their opinions on the subject or how they feel about someone, they are given a panda bear (indicating they have the floor) and may indirectly say how they feel with out using specific names. This way everyone is able to talk it out one at a time but it isn’t ever an attack on one individual. We also have our advisor there to “referee” and make sure everyone follows the agreed upon rules.

This involves learning and trial and error, because we tried many other methods before coming up with this one, which worked the best and solved conflicts most efficiently of them all. This methods involved parts of previously used methods, and combined worked really well. The use of the panda bear to symbolize speaking privilege/power was a new idea we hadn’t thought of before. For one, its very calming to hold a stuffed panda bear when you are upset or irritated or have really strong feelings on a subject, the fluffyness and cuddle power are enough to relax anyone. Second our houses “mascot” I guess would be the right name, is a panda bear.

chapter 15~ Question #3

I found the concept of reduced normative social pressure within CMC groups very interesting. I have never really thought about the differences between f3f groups and CMC groups in the social pressure aspect. I myself feel prejudged or extra pressure put on me when I am in a f2f group because often times people (even if they don’t mean to) will make assumptions about others in the group based on their appearance, gender, race. CMC groups eliminate this almost altogether and I also began to think about how people in groups won’t always express their true feelings on a subject or even give ideas and input as much because of the reaction they could get (even if they don’t get a bad reaction, its still nerve racking to speak in groups) And the CMC the pressure is reduced and allows everyone to participate without feeling like they are going to be cut off, interrupted, or completely shut down. Of course members may still not agree with you and your ideas but its not as brash when your reading a message or chatting its not as harsh to read a disagreement or rejection as it is to hear someone say it to your face. Also CMC allows for one to contemplate before responding but with f2f you don’t have as much time to think before you speak and things can get nasty fast.

chapter 15~ Question #2

With a large group, communication could be difficult depending on the method of CMC being used. For example if everyone was in a chat session or even a conference call at the same time and more then 4 or even 5 people were involved then the conversation could get very disorganized with people talking over one another or not answering a question fast enough through typing or, with chatting, the conversation could change topic faster then some participates can keep up. As for anonymity, I believe this could be very beneficial to CMC groups because you wouldn’t really know anyone’s race, age, gender, style, sexual preference and so on. The people in the group wouldn’t have to worry about being prejudged as much because it isn’t as easy to judge the book by the cover when you can’t see the cover only the name of the book or rather person, which in some cases may not even be their real name.

Chapter 15~ Question #1

One of the biggest differences between CMC and F2F is the fact that with F2F you can read a person’s body language where as with CMC it is impossible unless your using something like skype but even then its delayed and harder to catch little gestures. I will always prefer F2F because of this difference. With CMC, for example, you could be text up a cute boy or girl, and think they are really into you, BUT they could be with another person literally while you guys are texting (we all know this is very common) or they could be interested in you only as a friend but since you can’t see their body language or facial gestures it makes it much more difficult to interpret the message and the relationship that is or is not being built. Although both methods are valuable forms of communication, I feel CMC makes it harder for one to create on continue with meaningful relationships with family, friends, and spouses. With f2f you can touch the person, hug them, laugh together, and looking at a smile will always work better then trying to make someone smile over a phone or chat. I mean how many long distance relationships, even some friendships, work compared too those who see each other daily or weekly?

Week 9~ Question #2

Going off of my last post, I often have selective attention in class. Sometimes for some reason I will be actively listening to a professor and somewhat into the discussion and then next thing I know I’m in la la land thinking about whether and iced tea or iced coffee sounds better. I believe that this happens for a few reasons. First, I probably needed more sleep before I went to class and the lack of sleep could cause the space outs and even nodding off. With a full 8 hours I always feel better and more alert and able to focus my attention better. Second I tend to have a lot of things on my mind at once and will constantly go over in my head all that needs to be done and when it needs to be done and next thing I know I missed the entire class. I’ve began making lists of things I need to do for that day so I don’t have to constantly go over it in my head and then I wont be distracted in class. Also not procrastinating helps J

Week 9~ Question #1

I also have a hard time listening in the classroom when I am taking a class that isn't of interest to me... like my LING 123 class I have now. The hardest of the four phrases for me to accomplish is most always the Memory: Retaining and Responding to the message. The main reason why this is the most difficult for me is because usually just listening to a dull voice on a subject I care nothing about, is hard and if I can't pay attention long enough then its hard to remember the information much less retain and respond to it. For be the best way I go about fixing this is by finding small subjects within the entire course that are somewhat interesting so I can get into it and then I also go over the discussions again in my own time from the class webpage where the power point slides can be found.

Week 6 ~ Question 3

I found the verbal interaction analysis diagram was very interesting. It looks kind of confusing but once you figure out how to read it and use it, I believe it could be very useful and beneficial to many groups. It traces the number of times members address one another. The book gave this example… if a group has five member, put their names in a starlike diagram reflecting their seating pattern. The first time Tom speaks to Sheila, draw an arrow from Tom to Sheila. AS everyone begins participating, draw the arrows as they apply. When Tom speaks to Sheila again, mark the arrow with a dash. The markings will eventually show the interaction pattern of the group, such who is participating and how much along with who has emerged as the leader during the particular dissuasion. I think this a really cool diagram to use if members in a group are grading on participation or just in general to see who is the group leader according to discussions.

Week 6 ~ Question #2

When providing feedback to a group it is best to follow certain guidelines.

· First it’s best to stay clear of generalizations for job’s well done and use specific examples of why it was well done so it is apparent that you were observing details and it also reassures the group of your professionalism.

· Second focus on the behaviors within the group that can be changed and note them.

· Third, be sure not to argue with the group. If they do not wish to use every suggestion you have offered it is there choice. It is best to just give them your observations and let the group decide what to enact and what not too.

· Fourth, give a full evaluation/analysis of only two or three things rather then the entire project. Its not the observer’s job to go over every detail. A few areas developed well will be more useful.

· Fifth, only give negative feedback if you have a suggestion on how to fix it. Don’t say “I didn’t like…” without providing specific explanation. Your job as an observer is to improve the group not rip it apart.

· Sixth, Always start with the positives then lead into the negatives when presenting to the group.

· Seventh, end with specific suggestions for improvement

· Eighth, complement in public and criticize in private. This is the best way to keep the groups respect also.

· And finally, if you develop a positive relationship with the group while you are giving the feedback the group with benefit more in the end. Your job is to help the group or team improve and if they trust and like you they are more likely to take your advice.

Week 6 ~ Question #1

It is important to use and outside consultant or observer rather than a group member as an observer to evaluate the group for a few reasons. One would be the simple fact that it is hard for any individual to take themselves or rather their feelings for the group or for what the group is working towards, out of the equation when evaluating the group and could thus compromise the final evaluation. This may also make it difficult to concentrate on the team’s work while trying to effectively evaluate. Trying to balance group participation and an effective evaluation is very difficult. Although it is possible to do both, you may not be able to accomplish both well. A consultant would be viewed as an outside party also and their judgment of the groups skills and ability to accomplish work would not be compromised by personal feelings towards the group since they are not directly associated.

Week 4 ~ Question #3

One concept from the reading I found really interesting and completely agree with is nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication complement the use of language and, according to the book, is made up of deeply ingrained response patterns. This is so true, often times one is judged or graded on their nonverbal communications when giving a speech or presenting in front of a group and often times being able to use nonverbal communications, such as body or facial gestures, tone of voice, turn taking, hairstyle, dress, etc, will definitely benefit not only and individual but also a group. If individuals within a group are able to positively use nonverbal communication when interacting with one another then the group would run much smoother and be able to communicate better or rather understand one another better. If the group is able to use nonverbal communications to be able to understand one another in this manner then they may be able to come to a decision or plan much more efficiently and quicker.

Week 4 ~ Question #2

I do not agree with this concept at all, I feel it is going in the opposite way. It is some what difficult to obtain a job these days if you are not bilingual or of another culture other than white. In my roommates case she has been trying to apply for an internship position for some time now and has noticed over the years that only people of a minority get the position over and over and never was is a white person female or male. She has also been to a job interview where there were about 20 people applying within this company and all were hired and placed into departments except herself and the other two white people applying. I doubt this is true in all cases but it is definitely noticeable how many more companies heavily recommend the applicant to be bilingual and of a minority ethnicity and not white.

Week 4 ~ Question #1

I think it's hard for many people to value diversity if they don't live somewhere with a lot of diversity. People are scared of what they don't know about or aren't used to, and if someone from a small town in South Dakota where there is all white people who farm and are christians and so on and come to a place like San Jose or even San Francisco, they will probably be a bit uncomfortable. Different ethnicities, sexual preference, religious beliefs would all be thrown right into their faces. I do think that diversity is beneficial to everyone tho and adds so much to society as a whole. By learning about other people's cultures and traditions we can become more comfortable with them because they are no longer unknown factors, but we understand what their cultures and traditions are rather then just shunning them. A group would benefit as a whole because by accepting diversity one can go from a small network to a global network... facebook

Week 3~ Question #3

I really enjoyed the six-step DECIDE model. Define the goal and problem, to me more people do do this step but what they miss is that they must also understand what the obstacles are that can make it difficult to be achievable. The following steps often get ignored altogether… Examine, Consider, initiate, develop, and evaluate. If one examines the constraints keeping the goal from being reached then they can find the solutions that can prevent constraints. Also more then one possibility needs to be in line in case the original falls through. This is why consider is also an important step not to be passed over. Most also the step Initiate is enacted but the process of developing a plan before jumping into the solving of a problem, is often skipped. It is very important to develop an lay out a plan before enacting it so you can see the whole thing come together and evaluate it to find any holes or possible obstacles that had not been seen previously. Finally, one must evaluate their results. By doing this step your stetting yourself up for success in the future because you can evaluate what went wrong and why and what went right and why and try to use the methods that brought out these solutions to complete future problems more efficiently.

Week 3~ Question #2

Norms in group help to identify the nature of the group and the type of relationship each group member will have will one another. They also help to identify what position each member will play. Also norms help to establish was is and isn’t frowned upon within the specific group, since certain actions may be viewed differently in different groups.

For example when I worked at starbucks I got along really well with everyone I was employed with, manager, assistant manager, shift supervisors, and my fellow baristas. When we were working together, although we had a good time, we followed certain norms that we didn’t follow when we would go out bowling for fun or even at our Christmas part/laser tag war. When working I would have to ask liz for my breaks or if I could sit down or to sign off on things I wasn’t permitted to, but when we went out we were equals and didn’t follow the norms of the employee latter at our store.

Although I didn’t personally experience a violation of a norm, some of my former employee friends from other stores did. An assistant manager from the first Starbucks store I worked at ended up dating a barista, which on the employee latter is two positions below, and because of this the employee was granted promotions above other employees who were better qualified and/or also had more years behind them.

Week 3~ Question 1

There are norms everywhere, it’s way we don’t have riots in the streets or people walking around naked. At San Jose State we definitely have norms. We are expected to show up regularly to all our classes and do well in them. We are also expected to follow the laws put in place by the university. These two examples are of all four types of norms. The laws put in place by the university is both a crucial and explicit norm followed by san jose state students. Where as attending class regularly and doing well in them is an implicit norm, and example of a peripheral norm would be a student who is constantly distrusting the class, possibly with rude remarks or questions.

I spend most of my time with my sorority sisters. I don’t live in a house full of them I have my own apartment but my roommate happens to also by one of my sisters and it just so happens my best and closest friends are also my sisters. So even though we follow the same norms set in place by the sorority itself, such as: maintaining a certain GPA, participate in a set number of volunteer hours, go to Monday meets, along with maintain a respectable (as according to the norms of society) image, along with many other things while active. But, I also don’t hang out with at 65+ of them, mostly just 8 or 10 weekly but only about 3 daily, in that group within the sorority group we also have certain norms but mainly just an implicit norm. We tend to know when to bring someone coffee or offer to make dinner or shut up if someone needs to study and even whip out the tequila in desperate times.

Week 2- Question 1

Groups are only productive and operating at their full potential when every part of the system is working together in an efficient and organized manner. This is especially true in small groups where some positions within the group may have more responsibilities related to the overall success of the group as a whole. If one of these "systems" or people is not operating at it's full potential and carrying out all responsibilities dubbed as theirs then the group will begin to fall a part at a differing speed depending on the size of the group and the system that is failing to operate at full potential.

When working for a small coffee shop their would usually be only 2-3 people on shift at a time, and most of the time one was in managerial role processing paperwork behind scenes. This would mean that the one-two employees left operating the front of the store HAD to be on top of their responsibilities. The customers required nice, respectable service while waiting for their drink along with a superior beverage and a clean environment. Granted the customer doesn't expect to have a long chat while your supposed to be concentrating on making their drink but one employee could be cleaning while talking to the customer so the other employee could get the beverage made. However most the time it ended up being myself making the drink and chatting with the customer while the other employee either lagged around and pretended to stock or went to the back to pretend to wash dishes. In the end this lead to more work (mainly cleaning and restocking) to be done at closing.

Another personal example was when I lived in CVB and had three roommates. In order for us to each be able to operate in our small living quarters productively (cooking, showing, homework) we needed to each do our part in the apartment from doing our OWN dishes, keeping our excess clothing and baggage in our room rather then all over the apartment and cleaning the bathroom when necessary and taking turns to take out the trash we all accumulated. When we each did our part the environment was very peaceful and we all were able to go about our lives in an efficient manner, but when one of us would not do their part wether it be not taking out the trash, not cleaning up after a meal, or leaving extra baggage out then the entire atmosphere would change. We would get irritable at one another and annoyed with the messiness.