Group Climate Trust Cohestion

• how team members communicate is strong determinant of group climate

• Evaluation versus Description
◦ use 'I' language rather than 'you' language
• Control versus Problem Orientation
◦ control involves maniulation, creates defensiveness
◦ problem orientation, involves striving for a solution that benefits everyeone
▪ creates supporitve climate
• Strategy versus Spontaneity
◦ strategy suggests manipulation, ie 'pitching a fit', pouting, witholding information
▪ places self before group
◦ acting spontaneously meanas having no hidden agendas, responding immediatly and
honestly
• Neutrality versus Empathy
◦ neutrality arouses defensiveness
◦ empathy means being involved and concerned about the group task
• Superiority versus Equality
◦ Superiority creates defensiveness, using words like 'obviously', creates impression of
superiority
◦ Equality involves participative planning, creates supportive climate
• Certainty versus Provisionalism
◦ Certainty is 'knowing all the answers', very inflexible, counterproductive in groups
◦ Provisionalism means being flexible and commited to solving problems, rather than
taking sides on issues
▪ be open to new information, admit you may be wrong
▪ makes you a more effective group member, creates more supportive climate

Our responses influence climate

• Two types of responses
◦ Disconfirming & Confirming
◦ Disconfirming cause people to value themselves less (bad)
◦ Confirming cause people to value themselves more (good)
• Disconfing respones
◦ impervious response: one speaker fails to aknowledge other's communicatoin
◦ interrutping response: one speaker cuts other off
◦ Irrelevant: speaker responds in way that seems unrelated, introducing a new topic
◦ Tangential: speaker immediatly takes the conversatoin in another direction
◦ Impersonal: one speaker conducts a monologue, lots of generalized you statements
◦ Incoherent: speaker uses incomplete sentences, rambles, hard to follow statements
◦ Incongruous: speaker engages in nonverbal behaviour inconsistent with verbal
content, ie yelling “I'M NOT ANGRY!!!!”
• Confirming responses
◦ Direct Aknowledgement: speaker aknowledges to other's statement, reacts directly
◦ agreement about content: speaker reinforces information said by other
◦ supportive response: speaker expresses understanding of another person to reassure
 ◦ clarifying response: a speaker tries to clarify another's message, may involve asking
for more info, or encouraging other to say more, or saying what other said in own's
words
◦ expression of positive feeling: speaker describes their own positive feelings, ie “okay
now i understand what you're saying”

COHESION
• one of most important factor in small group
• mutual attraction that holds group together
• is defined as: degree of attraction members feel toward one another and the group
• “groupness”, sense of belonging, influences morale
• Results from:
◦ Group composition
◦ Individual benefits derived from the group
◦ Task effectiveness
◦ Communication
• Group Composition
◦ people join group due to attraction toward people in group
▪ ie similarity of group members
◦ best team have participants with different talents that complement one another
◦ Self selected groups often less cohesive, less productive
◦ extreme diversity in group may strain relational aspects of group process
• Individual benefits
◦ members can derive benefits of affiliation, power, affection and prestige
◦ cohesiveness relies on degree to which members feel group meets their needs versus the
possibility of other groups meeting their needs
◦ if people can only have needs met in one group, they will be more attracted to that
group
▪ explains why people strongly drawn to their family and closest friends
• Task Effectiveness
◦ success fosters cohesiveness
◦ reaching a goal provides a rewarding experience for all group members
• Communication
◦ interaction of above three variables determines cohesiveness
◦ communication is the 'vehicle' of these interactions
▪ communication allows needs to be met, tasks to be accomplished
◦ fantasy chain
▪ group members share stories, the discovery of common fantasies creates bonding

TRUST
• Developing Trust
◦ takes time
◦ we base trust on previous experiences with others (ie as we know others longer, trust
them more)
◦ trust develops when you can predict how another person will behave in a situations
▪ reduces uncertainty
• Self Disclosure
◦ very important to establish trust
◦ deliberate communicatoin of information about yourself to others
◦ takes time, in small increments
◦ 5 levels:
▪ cliche communication
• “hi how are you” “beautiful weather”
• signals desire to initiate relationship
▪ facts and biographical info
• reveal things like name, hometown, job
▪ personal attitudes & ideas
• noting whether you agree or disagree with others about ideas and issues
▪ personal feelings
• makes you more vulnerable than discussing attitudes/ideas
▪ peak communication
• people seldom reach this level, sharing personal insights
◦ SOME THINGS
▪ self disclosure is function of ongoing relationship
• happens continually
▪ self disclosure is reciprocal
• you reveal something, other person reveals something; if they don't, no trust
▪ self disclosure is timed to what is happeneing in group
• don't talk about your cat when gorup is talking about what to bake
▪ self disclosure should deal with what is happening among people present
• if others have no interest in your confessions, keep them to yourself
▪ self disclosure takes time
• trusting relationships can't be rushed. If it's a short term group, don't disclose
personal information